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soolh1k · 1 year

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Skz ghosting you ! (pt 2)

notes: english is not my first language so apologies for any misspelling or grammar. i hope u like it !! :))) this is only the hyung line

type: text post | narrated text

genre: kinda angsty but w fluff

WARNINGS: swearing, a little bit angsty, let me know if you'd like me to tag u :)

Hyung Line pt1 | Maknae Line pt1

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ೋ Christopher Bang

Your heart ached. You knew he hadn't intentionally ignored you, but he did anyway. You really didn't know what to do. Maybe it had been a little immature to leave home without saying anything, but what he did wasn't very mature either.

Your head was a mess. You simply wanted to disappear from the face of the earth. You felt so many things at that moment. It was clear that you still loved him and would continue to do so for a long time. But if he had already hurt you once, what assured you that he wouldn't do it again? You were simply afraid. Maybe not only Chris was the problem, but both of you.

You had to return to his arms. It was clear. Despite the fear you had, the love you had for him was greater.

The doorbell rang throughout the apartment, catching Chris' attention. He quickly went to the door, hoping it was you on the other side. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door. A few minutes passed in which only you and he looked into each other's eyes, as if you thought it was all a dream.

"Hello, Chris," you said to break that eye contact.

"Oh my god, you're here, love. I thought I had lost you completely," a sad tone escaped his voice. He gently took your wrist and ushered you into his apartment, so you could talk comfortably.

"I also thought I had lost you, Chris. I really did, and it hurt like you have no idea. Every day without you is hell," you started to tell him, pain evident in your voice. "But it also hurt that you ignored me. You know I understand how complicated your job is, especially being the leader. I admire you so much. However, your job has been driving us apart for months. I don't want you to stop doing what you love because I know it makes you happy, and that makes me happy too. Clearly, I'm not going to make you choose between me and your work. That would be stupid. Can you just promise me something, Chan?" you asked, on the verge of tears. He was lost in his thoughts, realizing the damage he had been causing for months. Was he really that oblivious?

"Chris?" you called out to him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Darling, I would do anything for you. I wouldn't even have to think twice if I were given a choice between you and my work. You've always been my priority, and forgive me for not showing it. You're my everything. I shouldn't have neglected you from the beginning. You're the person who has always been there for me, supporting me in every decision I make, giving me love at every moment. I don't want you to leave. I want you here with me. I promise I'll change," your loved one replied almost instantly, shedding tears in the process.

"Chris, listen to me first," was your response to his heartfelt speech.

"Baby, please. I don't want us to end," he whined.

"Chris, listen to me," you repeated.

"I don't want to. If you're going to break up with me, I don't want to hear it."

"Christopher, I love you with all my being. I'm not going to break up with you. I just want you to promise me that you won't ignore me like that again. If I'm your priority, then love me as if it's the last thing you could do. Please."

"I promise, but never leave," he whispered as he hugged you.

"I'll never leave, Darling," you whispered back.

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ೋ Lee Minho

One missed call after another, Minho had been looking for you for days, but it seemed like you wouldn't be returning anytime soon, which was tearing Lino apart. It was never his intention to hurt you; you would always be the only person he loved, so he couldn't let you walk away from him. Why did he have to ruin things? Everything was going so well, so why did he leave you without any specific reason? He felt like the worst person in the world.

All he needed right now was to find you and resolve things between you. He crossed seas and lands to locate you, only to find out that you were staying with your best friend since she couldn't find you at your apartment. He knocked on your friend's apartment door and waited patiently for it to open.

Your friend opened the door, visibly tired of seeing you in distress and falling into a depressive state because of the issue. She hadn't even realized that you had been sending messages.

"Please, fix things with her. She's been going through a really tough time," your friend told Minho.

"Believe me, I want to fix things with her." She simply nodded and let him go, informing him of your whereabouts. He quickly made his way to you.

"Angel, thank God you're okay. I was so worried," he exclaimed as he recognized your voice.

"Minho, what are you doing here?" you asked, upset, not because he was present, but because you looked terrible.

"I need to make things right with you, bunny. I messed up big time, and I can't express how sorry I am. You're the best partner I've ever had, and I don't want things to end between us. I need you in my life; you're the only thing that brings me happiness. I understand if you can't forgive what I did, but please, give me another chance," he said with so much pain, almost on the verge of tears.

"Minho, to be honest, I'm hurt by what you did, and I don't understand why. I thought everything was fine between us." Now you were the one on the verge of tears.

"I'll be honest with you because I love you. I was afraid, afraid that you would be hurt because of my work. The other day, Felix showed me everything they were saying about the girlfriend of an idol, and at that moment, I started thinking about what would happen if they found out about us. Would they hurt you like that? I didn't want to allow that, so I started to withdraw into my thoughts. I wanted to protect you, and my first instinct was to stay away so that those hurtful comments would never reach you. But I can't, I love you so much that my heart won't let me stay away. I'm sorry; I just wanted to protect you, but I did it in the worst way." The love of your life couldn't stop crying, and with everything he told you, you realized that neither of you was the problem.

"Why are you like this? Why do I have to love you so much, Minho? Come here, from now on, things will be better. We just need to talk about it, okay? Nothing will separate us. I love you so much," you reassured him and planted a tender kiss on his cheek.

"I love you too. I'm sorry," he replied, hugging you tightly.

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ೋ Seo Changbin

Changbin didn't even dare to go home after what he did. He had truly hurt you, and he didn't know how to fix it. How could he have been so stupid? Did he distance himself from you just because he loved you? Wasn't that ridiculous? What was he doing with his life? Why wasn't he going to look for you? Those were some of the questions swirling in his mind at night. Lately, insomnia had prevented him from sleeping. He had been having sleepless nights, and every day away from you made him feel dead.

Chris advised him to go look for you before it was too late, but he already felt like a coward and firmly refused. It wasn't until Chan opened his eyes completely that he gave him a hypothetical situation where you both broke up in the worst possible way, even inventing that you could hate him. That day ended with him crying oceans, but with a clear mind, he knew what he had to do. He couldn't fail you once again, so he made his excuses and ran to his apartment. He had to apologize properly, he had to show you how much he loved you, that he would never hurt you again, and he wanted you to know that.

You were finishing up dinner, hoping that today your boyfriend would show up. You missed him so much and didn't want things to end badly between you. You didn't want to break up with him or for him to break up with you. You loved him too much, although you were afraid. He said he was afraid to love you. Was it because of something you did? Were you just a game to him? Why did this have to be happening, and why to you? You thought he really liked you, but his actions showed otherwise. Maybe it was all a bet, and being so naive, you gave him everything. You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't even realize someone was knocking on the door.

"I'm coming!" you yelled as a warning, and you headed to the door and opened it. When you saw who was at the door, all you could do was sigh in disbelief.

"Sorry," was the first thing you heard from the person you had been waiting for so long. You couldn't even react when you felt him embrace you.

"I'm an idiot, forgive me. I don't know why I was scared," you began to hear small sobs, and that's when you realized Changbin was crying. So you let him in, offered him some water, and tried to calm him down.

"Tesoro, it's okay, don't worry, alright?" you reassured him, but he only became more agitated.

"Honey, it's not okay at all. It's not okay to ignore you or make you feel bad. I had no reason to be afraid of loving you. It's just the first time someone has made me feel this way, and it was pure panic because I didn't want to lose you, honey. I didn't want my insecurities to affect you, but I think that's all I did. God, I'm such a fool. Please forgive me." So it wasn't you, not a bet, none of that. It was just how you made him feel.

"Oh my god, I thought you didn't love me because you didn't like me. Tesoro, the next time you feel like that, just tell me. We can solve things in a better way. Don't doubt how much I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I love you, and I'm not afraid to say it. Please don't hate me. I want to be the man you spend the rest of your life with," he told you before giving you a small kiss.

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ೋ Hwang Hyunjin

You knew how closed off he could be. At the beginning of your relationship, it was also very difficult to get him to communicate his feelings with you. It was as if someone had hurt him, and he continued to have the constant fear of talking to you and getting hurt. But it's clear that he knows you wouldn't do such a thing. It's clear that you are the love of his life. No one has ever evoked such feelings in him. Even in his worst moments, he was sure you wouldn't leave so easily. But he needed to meet you to solve his problems. He became so happy and relieved when you sent him an address, telling him to meet you there in 15 minutes.

"Did I make you wait for too long?" he heard behind him, startling him a little.

"No! Of course not. I would wait as long as needed for you, Belle," he said, getting up to greet you. He pulled out your chair, waited for you to sit, and then sat down himself.

"I missed you so much, Hyunnie," you said, looking outside, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what happened to me. My mind just wouldn't let me do anything. It was like I ceased to exist for a couple of days. I didn't talk to anyone, literally, not even the guys. I know I should have told you that I wasn't feeling well to avoid worrying you, but I truly couldn't. I didn't even want to look at my phone. Nothing was motivating me," he said, his head down, afraid to see your reaction.

"Handsome, don't worry about that. I just want to know why you're feeling like this," you understood that he hadn't been okay with himself lately, so he couldn't be okay with anyone else until he resolved his internal conflicts.

"Oh God, if I say it, I'm going to start crying, Belle."

"And I'll be here to comfort you, my love. Please, talk to me."

"Everything they say about me on social media, they hate me so much, and I can't stand it. Do you hate me?" you could hear the brokenness in his voice.

"Of course not. I could never hate you, Hyunjin. You're the most precious person in my life and probably in the lives of many others. Don't pay attention to them. Those people are just filled with envy. They're jealous because they can't be you. Literally, they're sitting at home, commenting stupid things, while you're touring the world. They're just bitter. So don't listen to them. Many of your fans are doing everything they can to make all of you happy. I love you, okay?" you assured him, taking his hand and kissing it.

"I'm truly sorry. I love you so much. Like I said, I'm yours, and I'll continue to be for the rest of my life. Please love me the same way. Stay with me. In the future, be my wife," Hyunjin declared, looking directly into your eyes.

"I love you like no one else in this world, Hyunjin. In the future, let's be happier than ever."

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Tags !!

@albaficaslover

@marcillfll

@str4wb3rryc0ww

@damselettism

#skz angst #skz imagines #skz reactions #skz stay #skz x reader #skz fluff #skz changbin #skz bang chan #skz hyunjin #skz hyung line #skz minho #skz texts #skz scenarios #skz series

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thoseyoulove · 1 month

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Reacting to The Vampire Lestat - Part III (with a bit of spoilers)

I like Gabrielle.

I'm not sure I love her, but I really like her.

I feel wrong using feminine pronouns with her, though. I feel like Gabrielle is whispering in my ear that is they/them. Like, I've never had a headcanon so strong before? I don't know about labels, but for me those are the pronouns Gabrielle would use. It's just so clear to me.

I won't use them because the book doesn't do it, the fandom doesn't do it, which I'm not criticizing because it isn't exactly 'official', so it wouldn't be real canon to... But I feel like if the books were released today, it would be. And I hope the show changes that and we can gradually adjust too.

I hope that when they write season 3, they show signs of her gender dysphoria even before she says something explicit like the "you're the man in me" conversation. I want lines that imply that, I want a look in her eyes and expressions on her face whenever she gets gender envious of guys or has to do something "feminine". The book doesn't do a lot of that because Lestat is the narrator and he is away from her, so we barely see her before the transformation/'transition' but the show has the opportunity to explore more of it and I hope they use it.

Gabrielle was born to be a vampire. I think she would nail it even without Lestat's counseling. It's just second nature for her. You go, bruh!

Gabrielle actually seems to be more fun and even affectionate than I expected? I was worried that she'd might be too confident, powerful, badass, empowered etc that she would feel cold and emotionless, because that's usually what happens with characters like these and I hate that... But so far it hasn't been the case.

She really blossomed with vampirism. Feels like she is finally getting the opportunity to have the life she was meant to live.

The only downside is the hair. That moment with the hair was so visceral. I feel bad for her. Imagine being stuck with a hair you hate and gives you body dysphoria forever. I hope the show lets her hair be short. Like, maybe her illness affected her hair or something. Or at least give her hairstyles that make it look shorter than it really is. Or make her cut it every day. I don't care. Let the dude have short hair! Period.

Lestat's reaction to all this is like... Mixed feelings. He doesn't love it. Which, I get it, all his life he knew her as a "woman". It can be weird adjusting to that, it may feel like you're losing someone. But there are these gentle moments when he separates accessories (if I remember it correctly, rings) that are masculine for her because he figures she would prefer them and when he says he'll cut her hair every night if she wants to, so it's more of unlearning and grieving what/who he thought was 'real' and adapting to a new reality. It's not an "okay, let's go!" reaction as if nothing happened, specially for the time being (1700s), it's complicated, but he seems to be open. I can't speak for everyone who is trans and/or under the non-binary umbrella, but it was human to me and I have no problems with it.

Alright, so whether it was incestuous before or not, now it clearly is. I do hope it started now and not when they were human, though.

She was my mother, my fledgling, my child (sort of), my roommate, basically the only friend I had and my lover. I mean, not exactly, but I thought the joke was funny.

I feel like if I talk about the incest, it has to be on another post because it would probably take too long. There are way too many things to talk about and I'm still approaching the middle of the book.

Let's just say it sort of makes works with how the book, the characters, this species and universe are written. I can sort of get it, at least for now. Is it necessary? No. Would the show suffer if they don't do the incest? Not all. Is it random, irrelevant, only for shock value and because "let's get nasty freaky and controversial these are vampires and this is gothic horror grow up cupcakes deal with it hahaha"? Also no! It has some kind of logic. But I feel like Lestat and Gabrielle are already layered enough with their parent/child/maker/fledgling/sort of envious of each other (including the fact they're both gender nonconforming to some extent) dynamic on its own, that there's plenty to cover here without incest. Still, if the show goes there (and I'm afraid they will), I also expect it to make sense and not be just for the sake of being seual, weird and controversial. I believe Rolin is too good to write something that mediocre and poor. So, I can live without it, but I'm also trusting the show to do whatever their thing is. Let's see, I guess.

Also, at least at the moment, it's not as big as people make it out to be. Again, to talk about this properly I'd need another post, but it's not like they sleep together, they're head over heels in love with each other or anything. Like I said, there's some logic that is kind of complicated to explain here, but it's not that radical and it's not that often. Sometimes I even genuinely and wholeheartedly forget about it. Fortunately, there are way too many other (and more) interesting things going on to focus on.

Gabrielle learning about her powers is really fun too, maybe even more fun than Lestat since she's such a natural at this whole thing.

And their maker/fledgling dynamic is entertaining as well.

She's like, climbing walls, jumping from roofs etc like a cat, just having the time of her life and while Lestat gets pretty adventurous and experimental with his powers too, it's not as much? Gabrielle takes it to the next level (good for her).

Like, sometimes he has to stop Gabrielle like a father with his kid, like "CAN WE PLEASE JUST GO HOME WE CAN DO MORE TOMORROW" and it's simply hilarious.

Stop it, Lestat, let Gabrielle HAVE FUN!

Gabrielle just gives major Cat Woman vibes. Now I need Cat Woman-esque scenes on the show with her climbing and jumping between buildings etc. WE HAVE SO MUCH POTENTIAL AND THE VISION IS CO CLEAR. Do it, Rolin!

It's cool that Lestat finally has some real company and someone with whom he can be open about being a vampire.

Loneliness is the biggest thing for him on the show and I have a feeling it's the same thing on the books. And it's even worse here, because there are moments where he is completely alone and in so much pain (and we haven't seen that on the show yet). Having Gabrielle around made things better for him and he hasn't cried in a little while (and he was crying A LOT on those first two chapters, for very understandable reasons), so this was a nice turn for him and the story.

I also think he enjoys being her mentor, like it gives him a sense of purpose and pride. Reminds me of how he talked about the way he felt at the monastery. And it's sweet to see him teaching Gabrielle stuff.

And sometimes he feels like an old and tired single dad and it's just funny. Like, Gabrielle is ready to create the vampire Olympics and win gold for every single sport and he just wants to sleep. Lestat is too much and loves playing around, but Gabrielle is too much even for HIM. Imagine having more energy than the actual ADHD child. What a legend. They're hilarious. A lot of room to play with humor with these two and I hope they use it.

P.S. Nothing is permanent, opinions might change and this is based on Lestat’s narration, which can be unreliable. I’m reading the books so I can find out more about the characters, what potential events might happen in the show, what I can expect etc. This is my favorite show in the universe, so I want to be as informed as possible. I have no idea if I’ll become a legit fan of the books or not, but so far I’m enjoying it. I’m posting these comments only for fun.

#interview with the vampire #the vampire lestat #lestat de lioncourt #gabrielle de lioncourt

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starryalpacasstuff · 7 months

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Indian BL? FROM 2017????

There's an Indian BL from 2017 that I just watched. And I have incoherent thoughts

Before I continue, massive thanks to my bestie @anixknowsnothin for telling me about this show and proofreading the post for me. You don't even watch bl so I have no idea how you found this, but I'm incredibly grateful nonetheless

Here's the link to where I watched the show from, there's a glitch in the first episode subs where the subs seem to be from another show entirely, but it's only for the first ep and about 50% of the dialogue is in English anyways, so it shouldn't be hard to follow.(My ask box is also always open if there's a specific dialogue/scene in Hindi that you want the translation of)

Edit: The link seems to be region locked, so to watch it you can use a vpn and set your region to India, otherwise the episodes are available on youtube, albeit without subs

Note:- this post is going to have a few mild spoilers throughout, but I'll flag major spoilers in red

It's no secret that India is fairly behind when it comes to queer love shows if we compare it to other Asian countries. While it has a handful of great queer shows and movies, it's still quite a small quantity. Additionally, before this, I'd never watched an Indian show that felt like I was watching a bl (if you have recs, please send them my way!!). I'm not going to get into the technicalities of what feels like a bl and doesn't, because honestly, I'm not completely sure myself. For now, I'm just going based off of vibes and feelings, and this show felt like a bl through and through.

Titled 'Romil and Jugal' after its main characters, the story is a modern, desi, bl remake of the classic story...

Romeo and Juliet

Well, Bad Buddy was the first Thai bl I ever watched, so Romil and Jugal being the first Indian BL I watched just feels right, no?

I didn't actually know that the story was based off of Romeo and Juliet till the second episode, because I didn't bother looking for a synopsis, and jumped right in. However, it's links to Romeo and Juliet quickly became apparent, around the same time I started to see similarities between this show and Bad Buddy. I also did not know that this show came out in 2017 before I googled it, having already watched the entire thing, which was a pretty huge shock, because this BL is progressive by 2024 India standards.

Alright, enough of my rambling. Here's a synopsis of the show in case you haven't heard of it. (I couldn't find an official one, so I did my best to write a spoiler free synopsis)

Ramya happens to start talking to a slightly older woman at an airport, who believes that there is no romance in the younger generation. To prove her wrong, Ramya decides to tell the older woman her brother's love story. The story from the past is shown to us as Ramya narrates it to the woman in the present. Jugal is a closeted 19-year-old who lives with his parents. One day, a family moves into the house next door, and Jugal immediately falls for the son, Romil. The two of them attend the same college, and eventually become friends. The two of them eventually get together, but have to face the challenges of a homophobic society and having parents that hate each other.

I was a little skeptical of the show going in, but the show surpassed all of my expectations in the best way possible. It's no masterpiece, and it has its flaws, but it was far better than what I expected. It had both comical elements and darker themes, and it did not shy away from exploring the darker themes at all. Oh, and it has a few musical numbers. What did you expect? This is India after all.

The show is 10 episodes long, with 20 minutes per episode, and so it does unfortunately fall into some of the pitfalls that shorter shows tend to fall into, namely underdeveloped relationships and rushed endings. I did end up feeling a little bit like it didn't make sense for the pair to sacrifice and suffer as much as they did because they hadn't known each other for very long, and I felt like they should have been given more time to fall in love with each other. But it also could be argued that the show stays true to the play, and Romil and Jugal are dumb teenagers who make mistakes and stick with each other through them. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it.

One thing that I loved the show for was that it showed us that the relationship is not all sunshine and rainbows. They argue, they break up, they get back together, and they do argue even after that. But every time, they eventually work through the issue and reconcile. The show even depicts Romil dealing with internalized homophobia and struggling to reconcile with the fact that he will never be who his family wants him to be. Although I do wish they'd have had more time to explore this, I'd say it was decently depicted and handled. The show really delves into how children are forced to uphold their family's wishes and are constantly put under pressure to make them proud. Although it clearly affects both of them, it's more obvious with Romil, who is expected by his family to date and marry the daughter of his father's boss, whom they think he is dating. There's a metaphor along this theme too, where Romil pretends to like the mango shake that his mom has been making for him since he was a kid, even though he hates it, and when he tries to tell her, he has to act like it was a joke to spare her feelings. The show also goes into the communal mindset of basing your actions off "what will people think?", and you can see how a lot of the characters' actions throughout the show are haunted by this question. Some of Romil and Jugal's earlier disagreements are due to this very mindset.

The show also very candidly depicts the extreme homophobia of society in India. Romil and Jugal had to constantly hide who they were, always having to keep up a mask and I felt that reach somewhere deep inside me. When the pair come out, the show really shows how ugly homophobia can be in India. Their parents immediately disown them. They're mocked in college and wrongfully suspended for a fight that was provoked by other students. Very, very few people stand with them, and the pair very quickly realize that now that they are out, they simply cannot live in the city anymore. So with the help of Jugal's best friend and her mother, they flee to Mumbai, where they get jobs and live as paying guests with a friend of the aforementioned mother. But, even in Mumbai, the masks stay up. They have to act like cousins, for fear of being persecuted. The series depicted the worst-case scenario that so many of us live in fear of, so watching it was something of a cathartic experience for me.

Another thing that the show did quite well is showing how different people and their mindsets can be. Jugal's best friend, Ahalya, and her mom are very supportive, and they help the pair out quite a bit. Ahalya's mother provided a safe house for the pair and helped them find a fresh start. Meanwhile, Romil and Jugal's parents are incredibly homophobic. There was a scene that really stuck with me, (mild spoiler ahead, skip to the last sentence of the paragraph) where Ahalya's mother came across Jugal's mother, who prided herself on being educated and well-read, searching up how to cure homosexuality. Ahalya's mother then tells her off for calling herself educated yet believing that homosexuality is an illness. It is so important to me that the show depicted both the violent homophobia that permeates Indian society and the surprising, warm acceptance that one can find.

One final thing that I loved about this show so, so much is just how authentically Indian it feels. Asian cultures share a lot in common, but they also have their differences, so seeing a show where I can imagine encountering the characters in real life is really amazing. Rather than something big, it was little things sprinkled throughout the story that warmed my heart. The story felt like something I could hear the local aunties gossiping about. The way it depicts queerness in India hits incredibly close to home.

One thing I've learned watching Asian bls is that the ending of a show can make it or break it, but with this one, I'm stuck. The best way I can describe the ending is absolutely insane and incredibly Bollywood.

I believe this show was supposed to get a second season because the last two minutes of the show leave us with a massive cliffhanger. Now, it's been 7 years, so a second season is unlikely, so I'm simply pretending that the last two minutes of the show never happened. But the ending has so much more to it than just this (Major spoilers for the ending up ahead. I mean it when I say major, this is like going into Bad Buddy knowing that they're going to trick their parents in the end).

About halfway through the show, I remembered what play it was based upon and realized that there was a very real possibility that Romil and Jugal would die. The first half of the last episode leads up to this, telling us that they died when reconciling after an argument in the middle of the road when they were hit by a truck. We get a super emotional scene (yes, I cried) where the two families somewhat reconcile in their grief as they go to the police station to identify the bodies. Except... they're not dead, which is revealed when Romil's father hugs Romil's (not) dead body. They reveal that they planned this to show their family that they still loved their sons. I did say it was like PatPran tricking their parents in the end, didn't I? So the families reunite, Romil and Jugal get jobs in New Zealand and get married, and return to India for a wedding celebration (yes, I cried. again). The ending does feel slightly rushed, but if I'm being honest, it wasn't as terrible as it could have been. Believing that your child is dead for a bit is a somewhat justifiable reason for a sudden change of heart. There's a part where Romil and Jugal tell their parents that if they choose acceptance, they can reconcile, but if they choose to remain prejudiced, Romil and Jugal can simply get back on the stretchers, because they'll be as good as dead to their families anyways and it is *chef's kiss*.

All in all, the show was surprisingly heartfelt and poignant. It had me laughing, kicking my feet and even crying. There's a lot more about this show that I could talk about, but I'm going to stop here for now, and I'll try to write more on it later. This show really does deserve more recognition than it has, and I'm almost mad at myself for not knowing about it before. Am I being really biased when talking about this show? Absolutely. But I do think that this show is a worthwhile watch, and I'd really like to see what other people on here think of the show, especially because I'm aware that I am biased towards this show.

I'm tagging a few people who I know might be interested/have some thoughts about the show because this is a show that I really want to hear other people's opinions on and have conversations about, so I hope you guys don't mind!

@waitmyturtles @lurkingshan @bengiyo @neuroticbookworm

#good lord this post is almost 2k words #i think this is the longest post i have ever written #and there's more thoughts rattling around in my brain about this show #did i convince you to watch the show?#please say yes #i need people to talk to about this show #bl recs #indian bl #indian bl recs #romil and jugal #romil & jugal #bad buddy #i mean it's related #how does everything i write about somehow find it's way to that goddam show #but seriously romil and jugal was surprisingly very good #i did not expect it at all #but i have never been so glad to be proven wrong

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pagannatural · 7 months

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1.14

-Dean is worried about Sam again. He tells Sam “you look like crap” which seems genuinely hurtful to Sam. He cares what Dean thinks about his appearance. This is how Dean talks to Sam’s face, when he talks to strangers its wistful, unprompted musings about the persuasive powers of Sam’s eyes.

-Sam says “I’m scared” about his visions getting worse and Dean is obviously also scared. It’s cute that Sam is comfortable telling Dean when he’s scared.

-Sam’s painful vision. Dean runs to him and puts his hands on his arms, and Sam reflexively reaches for Dean and holds onto his shirt.

This has been gif’ed a thousand times so much better but the thing I can’t get over is Dean’s instant, intent focus and Sam absentmindedly holding onto his shirt for comfort. He probably did that all the time as a kid-wake up scared, grab onto Dean’s shirt, fall asleep safe.

-They’re about to cross a street and a car honks, so Dean puts his arm in front of Sam protectively. The way Sam doesn’t even take his eyes off Dean and just keeps talking makes me think Dean does this type of thing all the time. This scene was so unnecessary they just needed us to know how ingrained it is for both of them for Dean to casually touch and protect him.

-and Dean protectively touching Sam’s stomach is so intimate

-Sam puts his arm in front of Dean this time, when Max threatens them. Probably partly protective, partly holding Dean back from attacking Max.

-The fact that Sam concludes that he must be drawn to Max because he’s supposed to help him make the right choice is just so cute I want to hurl myself into the sun

-The first and only time Sam accesses telekinetic powers is to get out of the closet to get to Dean, because he knows that Dean will die if he doesn’t.

-Sam asks Dean “Aren’t you worried that I could turn into max?” Dean says no because “you got one advantage that Max didn’t have.” Sam thinks he means their dad, but Dean says “me. As long as I’m around nothing bad is gonna happen to you.”

Sam’s expression hearing that is so incredibly soft, he looks like he’s about 6 years old looking up at his big brother.

It’s also important it’s Dean who’s there for Sam instead of John. Sam doesn’t believe in John. He loves his dad but Dean is the person he needs.

-Dean has promised Sam that nothing bad will happen to him, and that he won’t turn into someone like Max. This is essentially Dean’s entire purpose: keep Sam safe, keep Sam himself. Sam believes Dean. He believes that Dean can protect him and keep him intact.

-Episode theme is you never know what’s going on behind closed doors. Sometimes I like how obvious it is in this show that we aren’t told everything and that Sam and Dean are unreliable narrators. They can’t agree on what their dad was like, what their childhoods were like, and they can’t talk about their feelings. But the way they act with each other is incestuous and we are supposed to wonder exactly how haunted that house is.

#samdean #wincest #supernatural #spn 1x14

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kiirotoao · 7 months

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HEYY YOUR SO PRETTY BTW AND I LOVE YOUR BLOG

the ask :

so, i wanted to get ur opinion on s3 mike. such as, what he was going through and his internalized homophobia. things like that!

maybe some things w/ him and his relationship w/ el too!

THANKS FOR ANSWERING IF U DO ANSWER :D

I’m gonna pretend that I’m fine after weeks of getting flustered just staring at this in my inbox! Thank you, anon!!! 🥺🥺 You’re making me blush! But, uh, anyways! Let’s talk about Mike Wheeler! 💙

I think that Mike in season 3 is the most interesting version of himself in the entire show because of how hidden his story becomes. In all other seasons, Mike cries openly with other people and expresses his sadness and fears over Will and El.

In season 3, though? Besides the finale, the tearful goodbyes narrated by Hopper, we never see Mike truly cry and explicitly talk through why. Sure, it can be pretty readily implied that it’s because of the Byers leaving, but we don’t hear that aloud. We don’t see exactly who’s on Mike’s mind as those cars pull away. We're left with silent and unsure stares, looks of seeming regret or something else unknown.

Season 3 is truly a huge turning point for Mike, he’s losing his girlfriend and arguably his closest friend in the Party, and it's so easily overlooked because it all happens at the very end of the final episode. Whereas El goes through hell and fights to connect to Billy and save her friends, where Max also feels the weight of his loss, where Will gets his heartbreaking scene at Castle Byers - all the Party members who are very linked to Mike get their emotional moments that season, and we know exactly why they cry.

But Mike dances around his emotions all season long. In consulting Lucas to deal with breaking up and making up with El, in trying to tell El that he loves her without ever saying it, in fighting with Will because "it's not [his] fault [Will doesn't] like girls."

Oh, Mike. I really don't think that Mike was out to hurt Will when he said that. Rather, it's a culmination of heteronormativity and the poor relationship that he has with El and trying to compensate for it. I interpret the outburst as him saying, 'it's not my fault that I'm in a relationship and you're not, so you wouldn't get it.' And by extension, Will being in a relationship would require, normatively, being with a girl.

But at the same time, for a jab that deep - I can't help but question more.

Mike could have said, "it's not my fault you don't like anyone!" or "don't bring her into this!" or even as simple as, "you wouldn't understand!" But no. Mike takes the direct train to sexuality station and brings up the fact that El is a girl. So it seems to me that Mike is very likely harboring something in his heart about why El being a girl is important for him to argue.

But we never know for sure. This moment is never addressed again due to the Mind Flayer’s sudden return. And so it’s up to us as the audience to decide what we think of Mike’s statement. And personally, as I’m sure many of you believe, too, I think that Mike is projecting and trying to hide the fact that he doesn’t like girls onto Will, pushing away his problems to someone he trusts who’s more similar to himself than he realizes.

Tied to his inability to say to El’s face that he loves her, to the fact that they've - reportedly from Hopper - kissed all Summer long with no mention of meaningful conversation, to the very surface-level relational mending his makes by calling El’s outfit “cool” and giving her candy, to the very end of the season where Mike once again denies saying that he loved El just before an open-eyed kiss and a face like this:

Mike doesn’t need to say anything about that kiss for me to know that that’s not the reaction of someone who’s perfectly happy to be back together with his ex-girlfriend. So do I wish that we had a moment of vulnerability for Mike where he expressed his heart in season 3? Yes, but his nonverbals spoke volumes.

So, yeah, I think that in season 3, Mike is very much gay, but he he acts cautiously and self-preservingly because trauma is drowning everything out.

And what is this trauma? I know that I’m working backwards, but I need to bring up that Mike was separated from El for so long in the time of season 2, and I think that that makes him so attached to her in season 3. Think about what else he says in that scene when he admits his love: “I love her and I can’t lose her again.”

As sweet as it is to be reunited to El by the end of season 2, it’s not a clean reunion for Mike. He’s in shambles when he learns that Hopper was lying to him and not letting El even tell Mike that she’s okay.

Not to mention that this isn’t his first but second time almost losing her to the monster that season.

Because of this unstable connection, I think that Mike has built a protective relationship with El, one that focuses on keeping her rather than knowing her, and we see how that all unfolds with his superficial “superhero” complex he has of her in season 4. Season 3 was just the beginning.

And so I think that Mike in season 3 stands as a version of himself that’s confused protectiveness with love. Even though he arguably behaves with that same mindset all the time, it’s at its highest during season 3 because of his never-ending insistence to help El even if she’s capable to do things by herself. Mike isn’t just clingy, he’s worried. Worried for her life. There’s no time to worry about where the problems in their relationship arise, there’s only time to fix them and go back to how they were at equilibrium - when things were normal.

Thus, Mike behaves rather stubbornly. He’s insistent and defensive, not letting a single thing slip through the cracks and risk any more hurt. In doing so, his personality is left far under the surface and unexplored. He only acts to stir up emotions rather than reflect on them, because any pausing to think will only confuse him more. He’s looking ahead, looking at the light, holding onto everything good he has with all the propriety of a 13/14-year-old who has a heart bigger than his head.

Simply put, Mike is a bit of an anti-hero this season. And I think that it's because of this that he starts to get most controversial for the audience.

I’m clearly a Mike apologist, but I genuinely don’t think that he’s out to hurt anyone when he argues with others this season. He’s just stubborn and loud about it, which can definitely be to his fault at times. But in the end, when it comes down to who he loves, I think that season 3 is the era of change, and that ending scene with Hopper’s letter paints the perfect setup for the next seasons to reveal that Mike has a lot more going on under the surface that’s causing all of this. Maybe some regrets, things he wishes he could “turn back the clock” on, regarding, say, Will and El and how he treats them platonically and romantically? Just a thought.

The question of the day for Mike in season 3 stands: is he being selfish or selfless? And I think that it’s a mix of both, blended in with some heavy confusion due to role changing (not needing to protect El) and uncertain affections (not knowing how to figure out what he has with Will).

So, yeah. All in all, I think that Mike is really closeted in season 3 and doesn’t realize it until the final episode, and I honestly love him for it. As someone who’s gone through similar hurdles of internalized homophobia as a teen, it’s really heartwarming to see him grow and figure things out, even if the journey is far from perfect. It’s a humble origin story. And if he somehow ends up being straight and Byler isn’t endgame, well. I’ll be upset at the writers, but the impact still stands.

#Mike wheeler #byler #byler analysis #mike wheeler analysis #asks my beloved <3 #Mike is my second favorite character but always first in my heart to talk about and analyze #he’s just so babygirl #THANK YOU AGAIN ANON!!!#I wanted to reply sooner but it’s Mike so I just kept going 😂

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darylsfavoritegirl · 8 months

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my first fanfic here... feel free to correct my mistakes or you can just say what i can do more for these to be better!

Summary: This takes place in season 4, prison era (my personal favorite) there is this new girl which Rick and Daryl have taken into prison as a survivor but Daryl can't really stand her and dang a broken fence cuts her upper front thigh (rectus femories to be exact I had to examine an anatomy pic for this one😭) and Daryl has to clean it!! But our girl has surgery scars from when she was a kid. It catches Daryl's attention. Idk I'm making it quite obvious that I'm such an amateur in this. It's a first person narration fanfic

I was lying on my bed under the dim light of a kerosene oil lamp Maggie had given me earlier that day. I was sighing deeply now and then, getting more and more bored with each passing second. Having to put a stupidly looking smile on my face everytime someone would pass infront of my cell. I could feel my hands feeling more and more sweaty in the humid of Georgia summer, yet I kept them crossed on my lap.

I was stupid enough to not check my surrondings when I was aimlessly walking into the gates of the prison after a run I was sent to with a couple of others in the camp. A fence cut the upper front of my thigh, not deep enough to leave me all screaming and whining, I thought. I let out a small soft moan at the pain of it, but I was the last one to pass through the gates. Nobody saw it bleeding. I covered it with the hems of my shorts, my shorts immediatly being colored with my blood. I ran into my cell and tried to bandage it incompetently, which horribly failed.

Carol was the first one to notice how terrible my wound was looking.

"It can get infected" she said with a warm, cautious temper.

"If not cleaned and bandaged properly."

I couldn't help but gasp a little bit at the idea of my wound getting infected in the middle of the apocalpyse. I went through worse wounds than this, except I always had someone to take care of them for me before. I couldn't bear the idea of the others thinking I was dumb enough to get my wound infected within my first week with them.

Carol, Maggie even Hershell have been my saviors so far, cleaning the wound. I could walk, I wasn't handicapped in any aspect but I didn't know how to clean it myself neither.

But there I was, lying in gloom and distress worrying about who was going to be cleaning my wound and I'd have to share a couple of odd minutes with them, both of us trying our hardest to come up with something to say for a small talk.

Carol showed up with necessary utensils on her hands. She had that welcoming, warm and even pleasant smile on her face. I smiled back.

She started lying out the stuff she brought on the nighstand next to my bed.

"Your wound is getting a lot better." She said without looking at me.

"Next time, you get injured; you let us know."

"I will." I said with a subtle undertone of guilt and a mix of apprecation in my voice.

She gestured her body towards the cell door as if she was gonna leave. Before I could even open my mouth, she spoke "Mind Daryl cleaning your wound tonight? I'm needed somewhere else."

By the gestures on her face, the way she said those words I knew Daryl have had to say something about me to this woman, which obviously wasn't all positive. It wasn't a secret that he didn't necessarily love me but I was the one that needed some kind of a simple procedure. I wasn't gonna act like a child, whining and requesting someone else. I simply nodded and waited for this dreadful man to come and do what he was asked for.

Minutes passed like years when he finally showed up at the cell door, looking a bit pissed and constrained. It was obvious he was never asked to do these kind of stuff. He was an important man around; going on runs, finding supplies, the act of service type of guy; working only for the good of his people. He seemed, though, a little bit bewildered as if he had no idea what or how he was going to clean my wound.

He stepped into the cell. I curled the ends of my shorts without him having to ask for it. He checked the utensils Carol laid out on the nighstand minutes ago. He, once again looked bewildered, incompetent. He grabbed some of the utensils on the nightstand, drew the half broken stool to himself and sat on it. He laid some of the stuff on the edge of the bed as he gestured his hands to the blood soaked bandage. Before he could even move his hands towards it, I spoke "I got it."

A soft moan of pain escaped my mouth as I was taking off the bandage, throwing it right into the trash after.

I heard him taking a deep breath and mumbling under his breath

"Shoulda spilled earlier, wouldn't hurt this damn much now."

I frowned at him before starting to study my wound.

"Carol said it's getting better." I said softly, my tone just above a whisper. I didn't feel any energy to spend on talking to this man. He gazed at my wound couple of seconds before grunting "It is."

He took a grey cloth that somehow looked like a deformed gauzed pad out of an aid kit. He poured some kind of alcohol-based liquid on the cloth. He looked at me for a brief moment before speaking under his breath

" 'S ma' hurt. "

"It's fine." I spoke. The alcohol really stings on the bare wound but there was nothing I could do. I bite the inside of my cheek as he started cleaning my wound. It was hurting like hell but I didn't want to whine and come off as "weak" to him. I was worried that I would cause the inside of my cheek to bleed because of how hard I was biting it and how often I have had to start doing it.

I look at him for a brief moment. He couldn't see me looking at him as he leaned forward so that he'd make a better job at cleaning my wound. I could see his bangs falling on his eyebrows and sometimes getting into his eyes which he'd swing his head slightly to get them out of his eye corners. He looked really focused, not talking at all. The others did; asking me where I come from, what I did before all this. It would all be omnious small talks, which I regret thinking they ever were because what this was felt more infuriating.

I kept on staring at him or looking at random places now and then for 30-40 seconds when I noticed him scowling at something he saw on my leg. His expression faded away within 2 or 3 seconds perhaps, I followed his gaze and saw his finger curling the hem of my short a bit more upwards than I did because he needed more space to work on my wound. There they were, the scars from the surgeries I had as a kid. I knew he wasn't the type to ask when or why I had those but now my scars had my attention as well as they got his. He was still working on the area and his finger was still on the edge of my shorts so it wouldn't fall on where he was cleaning. I noticed he avoided touching them. I was feeling hotter and more distressed each passing second. I assumed questions were pondering his head because my scars were relatively long scars. At the end, I decided to speak. I cleared my throat lightly. Somebody had to end this awkwardness.

"Surgery scars." I spoke

"I had 'em when I was 5 and 6."

Our gazes met, he seemed as if he was contemplating whether or not to stay silent. His blue eyes were almost piercing and I couldn't help but feel hotter than I felt before. I felt his hand falling on my upper leg lightly.

" 'S fine. "

That was it. That's all he had to stay. He broke the eye contact immediatly after. He went back to getting the job done with my wound.

"Ever thought 'bout gettin' 'em removed?" He grunted.

"No. Never." I huffed under my breath. I sensed that he asked this question only to make conversation and break the oddity wall that was getting thicker every passing second.

"Hmmm." He expressed and kept working on my wound.

"Can't get them removed even if I want to now, can I?"

I spoke with the intention to talk to him more.

" 'S possible if ya can bear the pain." He said I might be wrong but I saw the curl of his lips going upward. It was the first time I saw this man smirk even a little. He got up from the stool, that tiny mischievous snigger was still on his face as my eyes followed his every little move. I was mesmerised as if he has just cast a spell on me. I had a stupid smirk on my face, of course it was subtle to an extent which wouldn't freak him out. I probably smiled for the first time with him ever since I've met him. He placed the tools on the nighstand and turned to me.

"Yea should be al' good if yea keep an eye on yerself a bit."

I nodded. He didn't expect me to say anything and made his way to the cell door.

I got up, sat on the edge of the bed; looking at the fresh bandage he just wrapped around my upper leg. I sighed as I looked at the high narrow window on the wall.

FOOTNOTE

Ok yall that was it. I actually loveeedd writing this eventho we don't get much of a daryl content but idk this is my first time writing in english (as in fanfic, yes i have written in my mother tongue when i was in like middle school.... a guess a writer is always a writer😈😈👿👿😭😭 -corny as fuck) and i feel like writing daryl can get quite out of character for two reasons, first being he's never had a s/o in twd where it was obvious they were dating and we havent seen any "boyfriend" or "flirty daryl" and this man only grew more and more silent each passing episode and season so.....

#daryl dixon #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #daryl fanfiction #the walking dead #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon one shot #twd imagine #the walking dead fanfiction #daryl dixon x oc

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lamemaster · 8 months

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The fucking elf of my dreams

Pairing: Finrod x GN Reader

Genre: Spyverse

Summary: You have been dreaming of an obnoxious elf and Finrod Felagund of Arda has been hearing an exasperated voice in his mind.

AN: This was so fun :))) hapi hapi hapi (Based on a poll long ago where @a-contemplation-upon-flowers suggested this-)

The elf in your dreams is an idiot. Trusting any moving thing, unable to shut up when needed, and piss poor disguises," he was annoying to the point of exhaustion.

You had, on several occasions, resorted to screaming sense into him, but the elf in your dreams seemed to be completely oblivious, if not averse to your words.

How did these weird dreams come to be? You have no fucking idea. Perhaps you were finally losing your mind after messing around for so long.

Finrod heard noises in his head. A loud screaming voice that he has come to name his conscience.

"Fuck can you shut up," The voice sighed in exhaustion almost. "Let the other blondie deal with it man," the voice muttered clearly talking about Angrod.

Standing before Thingol, Finrod ignores the voice and narrates the truth that had conspired on the shores of Alqualonde. The voice sighs, and Finrod barely conceals his wince as a string of curses echo in his mind.

And for days after that, the voice is quiet. Almost sulking. which is better than Angrod, who is throwing dirty looks his way.

Looking at the bleary-eyed men, you could see the awe in their eyes had you not witnessed the authentic Finrod Felagund for past years, you might have felt the same.

"Bro, that's freaky stop," you fail to look away from the scene of your dreamy elf sitting there and putting on a whole ass musical from a bunch of sleeping people.

Did he really think he was a Disney princess or something? The music is cool and all, but for godsake, Finrod is random AF.

It doesn't take long for the golden retriever to make friends with men. And yes, you do lecture him over the panic attack over discovering men sleeping with eyes closed.

"Build some weaponry for goodness," you mutter as you see Finrod lug another treasure chest full of his gems. "You can't fight with your pretty headpieces," the elf as usual ignored you, and at this point, you would have thought that he could not hear your rambling if not for the slight tremor of laughter in his body whenever you so much as uttered a word.

The King of Nargothrond prepares for another onslaught of curses as he senses Beor's heavy footsteps coming his way.

"Are you for real?" You huff in annoyance. "Why not accumulate an entire empire in the secret city? Just why..." The voice groans.

Perhaps Finrod would have been offended at your treatment of his dear friend if not for the coying fragrance of envy that seems to accompany your complaints.

"You sleep a lot these days..." Your partner, Jack was looking down at you from where you lay on the couch. Even upside down you could see the amused glimmer in his eyes.

You were indeed sleeping a lot. Napping when you could. All to witness the obnoxious elf in your dreams.

You had just woken up from another one. One where another man with a familiar emerald ring showed up with a favor to ask of your elf.

And shit was going down. That idiot.

Lifting the corners of your lips in a smile you conceal the anxiety that the supposedly relaxing nap had built in your system. "Maybe because I am pregnant with your child."

A cushion lands on your face, followed by a vase.

Jack clearly did not appreciate your humor. Not as the elf in your dreams did.

"Target the maw, it is the only vulnerable spot you can aim for" he hears it. The voice is back.

"The day we meet Finrod Felagund, I shall bind you to me, you are not to wander the face of this world alone. Not for your own good."

You do not look away. You witness every second of the elf of your dreams breaking apart in the dark halls of villains you cannot protect him from.

His nimble fingers grasp on the beast's fur with a force, you've never seen him exhibit. And then he rips the monster apart with his bare hands.

By the end of the fight, there are punctured wounds in his body, blood covers the cold hard floor your elf lay panting on. His companions are long dead. The man is gone. He is alone. Dying.

You weren't a stranger to death, you have delivered many to its door. You've almost met yours a dozen times. But his death is the most unnatural shit you have witnessed.

Sitting cross-legged by his cooling body you continue talking as you have done for decades."That day, you, Finrod Felagund will answer all my questions and obey all my commands." For the first time, Finrod sees the faint outline of your features before his vision fades into the dark and his fea floats in the sea of oblivion.

That night you wake up drenched in sweat, almost choking on your vomit. Fuck Felagund, you wipe the annoying tears streaming down your face.

Your death is swift. Finrod barely makes it to his dream before he watches you crumble as a sharp piece of metal embeds itself in your head.

Your eyes never meet his, given that you are not aware of his presence. Your legs falter and in a fleeting moment, you plop down on the unforgivingly unyielding ground.

You are the voice. Ever since his rebirth in Valinor, he had dreamt of you. Unlike you, he has kept you in the dark about his presence.

His life is different from yours. Your hands are full of blood of men, he does not know about.

After years of watching you, Finrod has come to know you as the master of disguise. He has witnessed your battle cries as you assassinate men of power.

And on frigid nights as you sit nursing a glass of wine, Finrod has found his name scribbled on a piece of paper. In those moments, when you are alone, Finrod barely clings to the silence of his choice.

After all, what does he, Finrod Felagund owe you?

That is the case, until the streets of Tirion brim with hushed whispers. Until Tulkas' Maiar are seen looking around the markets. Maiar of Mandos following them with anxious frowns upon their foreheads. Until he bumps into a hooded figure.

A small fall that he gets up to apologize for only for him to freeze hearing the familiar notes of "fuck," muttered in a voice he remembers.

#the silmarillion #silmarillion x reader #finrod x reader #finrod felagund #spy reader #happy ending #character death

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ghooostbaby · 1 year

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Now that i am fixated on he xuan and hua cheng’s dynamic, rereading the black water arc and seeing all of the tiny but meaningful ways they talk to each other is kind of a delight. I suppose on the surface it might seem that they’re kind of passive aggressive in their communication and at minimum are kind of prickly with each other. However, obviously all their face-to-face interactions are shown through the perspective of xie lian, who they need to convince that they are a legitimate god and the ghost king who kidnapped and tortured said god. they’d have to be pretty inept if they got along any better in front of a heavenly official... if you pay attention, it becomes clear how they’re actually always working together and helping each other out.

When shi qingxuan and “ming yi” first show up at the puqi shrine, hua cheng and ming yi react to each other with intense animosity and hua cheng tells ming yi to leave and not come back, and ming yi responds “coming here was not my choice!” The narration explains specifically that their reactions to each other must be because they had last met when hua cheng had kidnapped and tortured ming yi, at least as far as shi qingxuan and xie lian are concerned - so it seems to me that they are putting on a good act to help keep he xuan’s disguise up, while hua cheng is communicating objections to he xuan involving xie lian, and he xuan is responding that he doesn’t want to, but his hand has been forced by shi qingxuan.

Then when they’re going over shi qingxuan’s scrolls hua cheng corrects the mistakes that the kills attributed to the Reverend, and that actually some kills were his own and some were Black Water’s, and then has a pretty good time insulting Shi Wudu. All of that could be typical for Hua Cheng, and there also could be a lot of other double meanings read into it, but I just think that He Xuan probably enjoyed hearing that a lot. And when Hua Cheng describes how the Reverend goes after not only the prey but all its family and friends … something about it feels like he’s speaking for He Xuan’s benefit, speaking out loud all the things He Xuan can’t say yet about what happened to him so Shi Qingxuan has to be forced to deal with it, which I think would be a little satisfying for He Xuan. Hua Cheng seems to be giving him face, showing respect…

Then when they go through the array and Shi Qingxuan gets quite close to the truth of who meddled with the array, Hua Cheng starts babbling accusations and twisting logic so Shi Qingxuan gets confused and distracted and they move on. On the surface it looks like its because Hua Cheng could look guilty himself and he was showing that he wasn’t there to meddle or help, just to be with Xie Lian … but suspicion of Ming Yi was the most probable cause of the array taking them to a wrong place, and Hua Cheng’s contributions mean they barely consider it at all.

“What’s with that look? In my opinion, don’t you think Lord Earth Master is the most suspicious one?” said Hua Cheng.

Ming Yi’s eyes also swept over.

Hua Cheng added, “Instead of focusing on guessing who meddled after, what if the array he drew was wrong from the beginning? You don’t necessarily need a reason to do something. Lord Wind Master, you yourself are suspicious too.”

“Huh?” Shi Qingxuan had never thought the tables would turn on him, and pointed at himself. “Who? ME?!”

“Yeah. A thief crying thief is a common thing,” Hua Cheng said. “Just why have you come? If you and your esteemed brother are truly scared of the Reverend of Empty words, why were those rags cobbled together? It’s not a stretch of the imagination to think that the two of you schemed, and intentionally led us here.”

Just by looking at his expression, one could tell that he was cheekily gabbing nonsense; but he looked so confident that almost anyone would start doubting too. Shi Qingxuan was almost shaken.

(the last part ahahaha hua cheng <3)

Even in the novel as a whole - hua cheng and he xuan do a lot of things to benefit the other that otherwise they wouldn’t have wanted to. They always have a self-serving reason to pass it off as instead of “i just love my ghost king pal <3” but i firmly believe hua cheng and he xuan respect and *gasp* care about each other!!!

hua cheng lies to xie lian to support he xuan's plans in the black water arc and i think it would take a LOT for hua cheng to do that. And in the last book, he xuan comes when hua cheng asks to help shi qingxuan hold together the spiritual array fighting the human face disease, that also is not something he would ever do lightly- even when he does come he seems very angry, as well as that this is the only time he shows his face around shi qingxuan again, and he hadn’t shown his face to anyone since his revenge but for this either.

Also in the last book, he xuan lets hua cheng trash his territory and pretty much smash apart his bonefish, and hua cheng says he can do this because of he xuan’s debt, but 1.) it doesn’t seem like he xuan is ever paying him back, or that there’s any kind of a collection deadline, he xuan just keeps taking more and more, 2.) hua cheng doesn’t seem liable to let someone take so much from him if he had wanted to be paid back, and 3.) hua cheng does not seem to care about any of his nice possessions and wealth, he’s pretty careless with the rare treasures he has, his own mansion burning down (twice?), and so on. He seems pretty unfussed about spending his resources as if there is always more where that came from. (credit to @muigiel for this observation) So i do think this is a purposeful mislead. Like the debt is a good cover for them to do nice things for each other :3 (i love them)

I think in general in tgcf ghosts and gods are not as they appear, and the more i look into ghosts in this book the more full of goodness, hope, love, and life they seem to be. (qi rong is an outlier and should not be counted. Ok but he is loved by guzi who apparently finds him to be a better father than the original (omg i’m so sorry guzi) so he does count a little i guess?)

I think a good indicator of how the actions of these ghost kings should be taken is given in the moment with hua cheng, xie lian and guzi where guzi is afraid of hua cheng on sight, and xie lian says, “don’t worry, this gege is a good person” and hua cheng says “no, i’m a very bad person” while making a cute little butterfly fly over to guzi. in hua cheng’s and he xuan’s responses to each other it’s as if they’re saying “i’m a very bad bad person” while making little butterflies fly toward each other. if we miss that I think we’ve missed something important about the story.

#tgcf #he xuan #hua cheng #huaxuan #ghost kings

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introverting-rn · 9 months

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was gonna start post with something along the lines of “why aren’t we addressing” but thats literal bullshit because we are all addressing it and So Am I

WHY IS THE CHARACTERISATION OF THE TRIO LITERALLY SO PERFECT YOU GUYS

it was perfect in the first two episodes too but this one just has me feeling so much i have to talk about it

“i am impertinent” and beginning to sing the consensus song - immediately a perfect persassy, and the returning annabeths cap is so cute i adore it, but also the conversation with medusa about his mother was incredibly done! i was leaning forwards to drink in every detail of the scene and i’m probably gonna go rewatch it now because WOW. the suspense was such a tangible, beautiful thing, and the sense of greed that seemed to sparkle in medusas eyes when we had still never seen her without the hat is seriously blowing my mind. her framing and tilts of the head and the antique feeling of her kitchen all hone in towards the scene and it’s messages and i found myself genuinely confronted as i tried to figure out which medusa story the show was going with. leaving that somewhat vague as the audience has to choose if we trust her as a narrator is so powerful in dragging you into the story. it means that what you believe reflects on you; there is no way to detach yourself from this world and the choices you are making within it, even as a mere spectator

and as she made the offer to percy and there was a long stretch of those camera angles, tilted ever so sweetly in such a menacing atmosphere, i was desperately trying to picture what percy’s reaction would be. i had expected him to have interrupted her already, to immediately cut through with a sharp “no” and cause her head to jolt up. i thought she would keep her chin high, turning sharply to face him in contrast to her flowing elegance, and that her head would be tilted back so that she could stare directly at him beneath the hat, tongue flicking over her teeth as she dropped her facade. i thought percy would instinctively go to match her eye contact with determination and be tackled by annabeth, who crept up to eavesdrop due to her suspicion, or that percy would look away by staring up at the sky, feeling isolated as medusa swept steadily towards him, and that we would see his eyes swim with tears and his legs refuse to move and his breathing increase as medusa ran a fingernail along his neck, and then annabeth would intervene

when percy didn’t shout to interrupt, i expected to cut back and see his face, wrought with raw emotion. i thought that he would let that moment of connection stretch, having felt so lonely before meeting this person who spoke exactly to his heart. i waited to see the grief and wrestling that it took him to refuse to help his mother, to accept the similar motherly figure before him as an enemy. i wondered if maybe we wouldn’t see his reaction now, and his silence would later be used against him as he himself is accused of betraying their quest

but the silence drew out for longer and longer, and when medusa turned her head to see the doorway completely empty, i realised that was the only thing that he would have done. i realised that he would think of the immediate danger to his friends first and go to warn them, and i realised that there was more to come and i loved every second of it

i loved seeing grover try to maintain peace on the quest. his look of disappointment at percy for sniping about thalia’s “fate of a pine cone”, and his refusal to comment about the validity of the voting system under totalitarian leadership (looking at you putin). the clapping for the consensus song had me so confused in the moment and then had me smiling uncontrollably with an extreme fondness because his awkwardness and his sincerity were so clearly shown. the finally shouting at percy and annabeth to get a grip, not having wanted to upset either of them but realising that letting this continue was only making it worse - man, this character is so wonderful. add to that the emotional weight of staring up at uncle ferdinand, feeling the presence of his failed quest heavy in the room as their current one began to fall apart. how he tried to conceal his tears, to be the Protector, not seeming to consider that his friends wanted to look after him too, perhaps because they themselves had forgotten to do so. he is so sweet and genuine and there’s such a depth and intricacy to his character in the show that i don’t remember from the books, although that may just be because i was younger when i first read them, or because seeing these people on screen is so much closer and more confronting in some ways

and annabeth. i fucking love annabeth. i love that she’s a bit of a dick in some ways, but that you’re never expected to hold it against her - it’s never presented as cruelty, just as pragmatism, because that’s what it is. as the same time, she can hold grudges, and they don’t shy from that. as i mentioned earlier, it’s constantly called into question which medusa narrative is the ‘correct’ one, and the way medusa describes to both annabeth and percy how they are direct parallels to the original story makes her feel so manipulative, and you feel annabeths faith in her previous notion of the story wavering as yours does, deeply connecting her with the audience. the way she explains her plan on the bus shows that she doesn’t expect herself to be so intelligent that nobody else understands - a common struggle in hubris - and her complete unwillingness to allow this plan to be questioned shows the leading nature she’s forced herself into. yes, annabeth is an incredible natural leader and strategist, but her refusal to show weakness is a sign of the struggles in her life. she confronts alectus on her own - self-centred or selfless? and in that final interaction with percy, the way she gives way just enough for both of them to discuss the offers they were given and understand each other. it was such a good moment to see that, even after percy’s unintentional acidity to her in saying they’ll never be friends, the two are laying down the basis for a firm trust and absolute belief in each other. she is such a well-rounded character so far and i am obsessed

not even to mention characters outside of this! luke’s slight hints of emotion as he alludes to his past, the hand the world has dealt him and how he has come to terms with it, are such perfect foreshadowing for those of us familiar with his character (which. by the way. i haven’t been on tumblr a lot recently so are we going for no spoilers or what lol). mr d claiming to be percy’s dad was a strong introduction of character in a way that makes me question why that didn’t happen in the book, and it lead into seamless exposition of the whole reason for demigods and quests. sally jackson is sally jackson and i fucking love her.

basically i am really enjoying the pj show, and loving every element - the biggest kudos to everyone working on it an aLSO ARE PERCY AND NICO GONNA NERD OUT TOGETHER ABOUT MYTHOMAGIC BYE 😭😭

#how in the heck is this show so perfect you guys #and how is it making me ship percabeth more than before?? and love grover’s friendship more than before?? yo this is pure Art #and they aren’t afraid to change things from the books to make the message better and that’s so refreshing #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #luke castellan #persassy #percabeth #cmon you know i gotta tag that #anyways love you guys!! make sure to sleep a good amount and eat well!! God bless!!!!!!!

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yujeong · 2 months

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Vegas not knowing about Pete's boxing past is nothing but sloppy writing if you ask me. Paranoia is family trait of the Theerapanyakul clan and no one can convince me Vegas hasn't made background check on every single bodyguard, staff member and associate of the main family. It's also interesting to point out that Vegas knows about Pete's grandma so he must've read something about Pete beforehand. Which is why Vegas not knowing about Pete being a former boxer and victim of domestic abuse is weird. (My God Vegas would've been a dick if he'd had held the latter against Pete.)

But since we're talking Vegas here his paranoia turns into obsession and he makes a file of Pete thick as the Bible post canon. Needles to say, this stirs some drama between the two because even saint like Pete has his limits with Vega's BS.

Hmm, honestly, I'm at this point in my brainrot with kpts/vp that I'd be able to rationalize any plot point, no matter how absurd, while still acknowledging that it's most likely a plot hole (though tbh, BOC could only do so much with the horrid source material they had to deal with, so hats off to them regardless).

For example, one argument I'd use for Vegas not knowing about Pete's backstory, is that Vegas seems surprised Pete has been through similar experiences that he himself has with his own father, not about him doing boxing. I rewatched the scene for the millionth time and as Pete is narrating his story, Vegas' face remains neutral until Pete tells him winning didn't change anything - he was still being beaten up by his bitter father who never became the boxer he wanted to be.

All I'm trying to say here is that Vegas could very well have known about the boxing, but not about the abuse. Maybe nobody from the family knew about the abuse, though I can't claim with confidence that Korn wouldn't know.

However

To Korn (and to Gun), what Pete's father was doing to his son wasn't abuse. It was discipline. It was him showing Pete he loves him. So, maybe Korn knew about it and thought it was good. Or maybe he compared him to Gun and thought Pete's father was a coward and bad at being a father.

Who knows?

I'm not trying to prove you wrong in any way, btw. As I said, if Vegas didn't actually know about Pete doing boxing, then that'd be super weird for someone like him. I just find it fascinating for Vegas to have known about everything in regards to Pete EXCEPT the most important thing that basically makes them connect from that point onwards in the story.

Though, I do have to disagree with you on one thing - or more precisely, express my doubts: I don't believe Vegas would have had the guts to use the abuse Pete suffered by his father against him. ESPECIALLY after Pete sees what happens at the basement between Vegas and Gun.

Vegas is a hypocrite and a coward when it comes to Pete. He'd be facing a mirror - and Vegas really hates himself and what the reflection would show back. We see it throughout their arc plenty of times and with the abuse element added in, it'd go to astronomical levels imo.

Did Vegas cross the line with Pete a million times? Yes. Would he cross it on this subject? Hmm, idk. I'm willing to believe so, but I'd never write it myself.

Now, about post-canon, many people in the fandom have said the same thing as you and I believe the same. He'd want to know e v e r y t h i n g about Pete, down to the last detail, and on the days he'd feel especially shitty, which would be most days, he'd want to drag Pete down with him.

We were talking just today with @wretchedamaranth about Pete snapping after everything that happened in ep14 + hospital era, and tbh we can add this one in it, too: Vegas' need to pry Pete open would push him to his limit.

And Pete isn't like Vegas. He wouldn't snap like Vegas does, and I'm trembling just thinking about what that would entail.

#sorry if I seem like I'm trying to debate your headcanons with you OP I'm really not #I just love discussing anything VP and you provided me with some amazing thoughts with your ask #thank you for sending it my way I love receiving asks - especially for my boys #vegaspete #meta post #asks #now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go scream into my pillow

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anneangel · 1 year

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Being at Holmes' side is the undoubted source of Watson's joy, otherwise he would not have created an entire collection where Sherlock is the hero, which Watson wrote faithfully throughout his life, he is like his admirer number 1.

Watson treats Holmes with the greatest deference, there is no one better in the world for him, he himself admits that Holmes is the man he most respects and holds in the highest regard.

Watson was never really interested in learning Sherlock's deductive techniques, he admired Holmes' intelligence (obviously), but what held his curiosity was Holmes as an individual.

As a biographer he never sheds light on Sherlock's techniques, but on Sherlock himself, by whom Watson is undoubtedly fascinated (which is why Sherlock accuses Watson's writing of being sensationalist, as Watson does not speak of the facts itselves, he romanticizes Holmes as the hero of mystery-solving).

But it's not like Holmes doesn't like it, he doesn't like flattery from anyone (especially where there are ulterior motives). But Watson truly admires Holmes from the heart, it's an honest feeling (and Holmes doesn't get it from others that easily because everyone has an ego war with him at some point), but Watson never changes, Holmes says he's been the same ever since that they met.

That's why Holmes is so: "my dear doctor", "my dear Watson", "my dear boy", "my man" (...)

It's a lot of use of the possessive pronoun, and a lot of willingness to show affection with the constant use of "dear", and he doesn't do that with anyone else.

Holmes is so reclusive, polite and generally sentimentally aloof from everyone. Holmes abstains from friendships and extra-professional relationships, does not encourage visits that are not clients, and tipically does not seem to allow anyway someone to enter in his daily life and leisure, with Watson exception.

Holmes trusts and believes in Watson enough to have him by his side on cases, and there is no one else who fills that spot but Watson. Holmes also says he doesn't like how Watson narrates his cases, but he never stopped him from writing and even encouraged him at times. Besides, he doesn't share facts of his private life with anyone, but share only with Watson.

Despite appearing at times, Holmes is not only a cold and reclusive thinking machine, he does display emotions towards clients, other detectives, police officers, and those close to him and his home and work. But nothing like what he kept with Watson throughout his life.

Holmes likes to have him by his side, even to concerts, hikes or turkish baths. Watson entered his life beyond the professional aspect, he is not someone Holmes merely shares rooms with, nor is he a mere sidekick.

Holmes is still quite emotionally closed and does not share elements of his private life easily, even for Watson he takes time to feel comfortable sharing something and when he does it is always in moderation. But somehow Watson becomes unique, he is not a confidant, but Holmes knows that he is someone he can talk to if he ever wants to. He knows Watson will never turn him down or turn his face away.

Watson has managed to put down some roots inside Holmes heart when no one else seems to have succeeded.

Probably the only reason they don't call each other by their first names is because it would be stepping beyond the bounds of Victorian era decorum, it would be scandalous.

But they have dialogue, trust, respect and empathy for each other, for all life. Together they make each other feel like they can handle any situation, good or bad. They value and bring out the best in each other. There are for each other when asked, when they need. They praise and support each other's achievements. They keep each other's secrets and help each other. They forgive each other's mistakes and overlook flaws inherent in each other's personalities.

They support each other's lifestyles even when they have differing views on life. Well, Watson never supported Holmes' drug use, just as Holmes always thought Watson's marriages were an act of selfishness of Watson in leaving him alone in many cases. But they never gave up each other because of these disagreements, right? They find a way around it and be there for each other. They could go years without seeing each other, and when they finally saw each other it was as if nothing had changed, that's why they were each other's fixed point, no matter what happened or what they had to endure.

They would do anything for each other. They would abandon anything in the world for being in each other side. Because those who love take care!

The point, is an great relationship. Is an great definition of relationSHIP.

#sherlock holmes #sherlock x john #johnlock #holmes/watson #dr john watson #arthur conan doyle #acd canon #relationship #they love each other #friendship #but lovingly #best duo ever

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inexplicablepeas · 5 months

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So I realized that I never shared my Blood & Gold re-read thoughts due to shadow-ban issues on the old blog, thoughts under the cut! It's long!

It was interesting to read this immediately after TVA, it really highlighted Anne's talent for developing distinct voices for her characters as the two books are so different in structure and voice. Where TVA is fevered and rambling with tonnes of evocative metaphor this is logically ordered and somewhat detached. This has none of Lestat's conspiratorial chumminess interspersed with catastrophic existential crises, none of Louis' melancholy poeticism, we're just getting straight facts from Mr Marius . So Marius' voice is a bit drier than a lot of the other narrators in the chronicles but that does feel correct and it gives the book a bit of a cosier and more chill vibe than most of the other entries. It's like story time with Marius.

It's interesting that this one isn't framed as a book being written for publication but as a quiet and private conversation between a lonely guy and a stranger who showed up on his door step happy to listen to him. I think that makes sense for Marius, he doesn't seem like he would publish his life story, he's too private and he would probably have been more tactful land less honest about certain things if it was for publication - less interesting for us!

You do still have to read a lot of his inner journey between the lines nonetheless. He's not really telling you how he was doing day to day after he abandoned Pandora entirely (following an argument about how to deal with the emerging cult of satan worshippers) then spent centuries in Rome pretending he wasn't dying for Avicus' (and Mael's?) company while letting partying mortals have run of his house as he painted the walls subconsciously with dozens of Pandora faces... but you can imagine, he's probably not feeling great!

It was fascinating to get more detail on how he was recruited to be keeper of the parents and to see his tense arms-length relationship with Mael play out over the years. Eudoxia is a great addition to the story as brief as her time in it is and getting his version of Armand's story is very welcome (and of course interesting to contrast with Armand's telling). Getting more Bianca was also welcome, she's such a big presence in TVA, I liked getting Marius' perspective there.

I've got some of the same kind of complaints I had with TVA about what was left out. I guess that structuring a life story that spans millenia is no easy task and it's inevitable that some stuff is gonna get left out. Anne probably didn't want to rehash the same events form different perspectives over and over again but I really was disappointed that the narrative doesn't touch on his thoughts on his reunion with Armand in QotD, the brief Night Island coven times, how Daniel came to be in his care (???), his reaction to Armand's suicide attempt (!?), how was it that he and Santino ended up being the team on clean up duty together for that anyway (???), his reaction to learning that Armand was in fact alive(!) and his subsequent turning of Benji and Sybelle.

Marius:

And Pandora of course, I hadn't read her book at the time of reading this so I was disappointed about how little detail we get on the centuries they spent together. You can imagine his motivations for leaving a lot of this stuff out, it seems that some things are still too painful to talk about and he is also telling a specific story to a specific audience here (to influence a particular outcome, perhaps? *squints suspiciously at Marius*) so it makes sense for him to brush over or leave some things out entirely but it's not always the most satisfying result for a reader that's already invested in these characters and their stories.

The framing device with Thorne is great, I can't emphasize enough how immediately I fell in love with this guy, this stoic but sensitive viking titan of a vampire. I found the final chapter to be the most exciting really, I guess because where most of the story is Marius explaining from his perspective why he's alone (apart from Daniel who doesn't count because he's too obsessed with his model cities, sorry Daniel!), it's all a foregone conclusion where we're heading and we know what happens to most of the major characters but once we get back to Thorne's contemporary POV hey, anything can happen! And thanks to Thorne, stuff does happen! He's kind of the MVP of this book. We also get a teeny bit of Daniel in the framing chapters at the start of the book and hey, it's nice to see him alive and still sassy, if a little worse for wear.

Overall I find it a pretty enjoyable vampire chronicle. I do love the lore of Anne's vampire universe, how rich it is both with historical details and with her own world building and Marius is, of course, very key to it as guardian of the parents for millennia, so I do want to know everything about him and I'm glad this book was written to give us more of his story. His chronicle of his very lonely life, caused in no small part by his own stubbornness and terror of losing control is sad and often frustrating but I did find all of it a compelling read. He's a very strange guy and it really is fascinating to get more of his perspective, even if he doesn't quite have the zazz of a Lestat or the poetry of a Louis.

#b&g thoughts #marius #armand #thorne #daniel molloy #pandora #eudoxia #vampire chronicles #vc memes #mael

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armpirate · 8 months

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Soundleasure | Choi San || CH. 4

Pairings: Soft!San x fem!reader || Strangers to lovers, fake dating

Genre: smut, angst, fluff, online sex, ghosting

Warnings: inexperienced!San, fem!reader, masturbation, online sex, camboy, first times.

Summary: You can do whatever you please and be whoever you want on the Internet. And San knew that a little bit too well.

After finally following all the signs the universe was throwing at him, he started living a double life that no one was aware of. Everyone in his daily life knew him as Choi San, the reserved and quiet boy who wouldn't raise his voice, and would barely communicate with anyone outside of his comfort group. But only a few knew him as Soundleasure, the man with a sexy voice and a filthy mind that had their toes curling just with his narrations.

He never thought of the possibility of those two lives ever meeting, he had always tried for them to follow a parallel route and had always played safe to keep his friends from ever suspecting that side even existed. But his plans will start to crumble when he gets a little too close with one of his subscribers and she invades his real-self and altergo's universes without being able to stop it.

Y/n will not only help him to keep his secret from his circle, but will also show him there's more of Soundleasure in him than he'd like to admit.

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

Aprox. time of reading: 19 minutes

Chapter warnings: Dirty talk, online sex, masturbation (female and male), tongue play

San huffed, throwing his head as he winked after Mingi and Wooyoung had tried to settle a blind date for him. He didn't know the girl. In fact, they didn't even share a picture of her or talked to him about her before, but still expected him to go out of his way to meet with someone he could have nothing in common, other than the fact she knew Hongjoong -after working with him- and seemed as pressured as he was to meet someone.

—You always say the same thing —Wooyoung insisted—. You don't even know the girl, so why are you so quick to turn her down?

He stuttered, trying to think of a good reason.

Actually, he didn't have any good reason to turn her down. There was no reason, but it was a solid choice.

—I don't want to waste time with someone I don't know —he concluded—. If she wants to find someone to date, try to convince someone else. Why don't you go? —the attention shifted to Mingi.

The taller friend, who joined the conversation and added pressure to San just for the laughs, ended up snuggling on the couch, minding his business while scrolling through his phone, until karma went back for him.

—Unlike you, I actually go out and meet people by myself. Thanks for the worries, bud —he lifted his thumb, slowly moving his hand to show the middle finger to his friend.

Wooyoung's eyes shifted back to San, giving him that insistent look that got on his nerves. They were close, he loved him, but he swore he'd punch him on the face whenever he gave him that look.

—What's so hard about it that you can't do it? She won't bite. I bet she's open to dating, and will be willing to deal with your weird ass.

—If she has people setting her up with someone, that must be for something —San got up from the floor, determined to leave the living room.

—Actually, it's Hongjoong's doing. I don't know how we got to that point in the conversation, but he mentioned that since you're so closed to new people, it could be easier if we're the ones introducing girls to you. He said she's the only one on his contacts that seems to be single —Wooyoung's lips puckered, while shrugging his shoulders, trying to convince San.

—So you're trying to link me with someone Hongjoong has already slept with?

—Hongjoong didn't, he just knows her after he worked with her on a project —he sighed—. Apparently the girl's standards are high and she's difficult as fuck —he muttered to Mingi.

—Right, it's one hundred percent a no —San tried to close the conversation—. Tell Hongjoong I'm fine by myself, and I don't need anyone to set dates for me or any of that stuff. And stop talking about me or my love life with everyone.

San left the living room, closing himself inside his bedroom while Mingi and Wooyoung were both left outside, exchanging confused looks after they were alone.

—You think he might be dating someone already? —Mingi commented, looking at his door.

In a way, it'd make sense. It wasn't like San was completely detached from his phone before, but Wooyoung noticed the way his friend was more aware of his cell whenever he was out of the safe place his room was, to the point where they both had to tell him to leave his phone and spend time with reality. And he was caught a few times smirking or blushing at something while checking his phone, after he received a notification.

If they wanted to know, San wasn't the one they would get their information from.

—I bet he's on his phone right now —Wooyoung sentenced.

Mingi didn't need a clearer way to be told what they were about to do, getting up from the couch with a wide smile. Usually, it was always San and Wooyoung doing that type of thing to him, so it was exciting to join forces against the person that teased him the most.

They both walked together to his door, trying as hard as possible not to make a sound so he wouldn't have time to hide anything before they opened his door.

—What if we don't find anything?

Wooyoung turned to him, smacking his arm silently before he lifted his index to his lips to hush him. If they missed the chance to know what was going on with his friend because Mingi messed up, someone was going to end up with his ass kicked.

—At the count of three, we go in —Wooyoung barely spoke, thinking it'd be enough to just exaggerate his vocalization as some silent noises left his mouth.

—Huh? —Mingi frowned.

—One —Wooyoung said a bit louder, ignoring the confused expression on his friend's face.

—Two, three —Mingi rushed.

Mingi bursted inside the room first, completely ignoring San's face because he had only one target he cared for at that moment. While he trapped his friend's body against the bed, Wooyoung hurried to the other side to snatch the phone away from his hand.

—What are you two doing? —San tried to move under his friend.

Not only was the conversation with Y/n open, his channel also was. He was checking how long he had gone without posting a new video, as he simultaneously spoke with Y/n. His heart started beating fast, pumping against his chest in a way that got to hurt him at some point at the idea of what he did to pay for all of his things.

—Holy shit.

—What? —Mingi raised his head, quickly getting up to stand next to Wooyoung— Fuck. Who's this?

Getting up to confront both of his friends, he tried to take his phone back, but Wooyoung moved it further from his reach with a cocky smile.

—Tell us who she is, and we'll leave —Wooyoung tried to negotiate.

San felt relieved when they showed the profile picture Y/n had on the app they used to chat. Her hair rested over one of her shoulders, while her head was tilted as she smiled for the picture. She looked extra beautiful there.

—It's not your business —San insisted, trying to get his phone again.

—We are your friends —Mingi replied back.

—At this point, I'm reconsidering that.

The sound of the notifications coming in made him freak out, knowing their chat was open and they were causing her texts to be left on read with no response. He knew his friends would not leave until getting a response, he knew it because he had done that as well.

—My girlfriend —San finally answered quickly, with some letters almost stumbling on one another—. She is my girlfriend.

Taking advantage of the way both Mingi and Wooyoung looked shocked at that answer, he snitched his phone back and saved it in the pocket of his baggy pants.

At the end of the day, it wasn't like they'd ever know the truth. Probably Y/n was from a different city, and the possibilities of them running into her were quite unlikely. Neither would be hurted, and also it'd work as a way to push away Mingi and Wooyoung's trials on playing as matchmakers whenever they had the chance. He could only be thankful he always deleted all of their filthy pictures after every conversation.

—How did you meet her? —Wooyoung asked first.

—And why didn't you tell us about her before? —Mingi reproached, pointing at the pocket where he had saved his phone.

—Not your business.

Walking behind them, both of his arms hooked around his friends' neck as he guided them back to the door. Both of his friends complained as they were guided outside, finding the door closed in front of them as soon as they left his room.

Sighing, San locked the door behind him before he got his phone back out. When he saw the picture she sent, he could only think of how lucky he was that neither Wooyoung or Mingi were on the chat, being too busy inspecting her profile pic to care about what they talked about.

That Saturday, she had just sent one of her nsfw pics of her blurry naked figure reflected on the bathroom mirror full of steam. It was clear as day that she was naked after taking a shower, but it was impossible to clearly see what the mist was hiding.

San: Fucking hell, Y/n.......

He had struggled with what to say after he sent that, deleting all the filthy words that were going through his brain at that moment. Meanwhile, she had seen the way he read her texts for a few long minutes, before he actually reacted and started typing for a few long minutes. She giggled as a consequence, wondering if that picture had made the man of her wet dreams stutter with what to say next.

It wasn't like it was the first time she sent a picture like that, but almost all the times she got the same reaction until their conversation evolved to something more.

San: Omg

You: You liked it?

Her text reeked of fake innocence. He knew, she knew.

San: I hated it

Her heart skipped a beat, stopping completely when she saw that text before he suddenly left the app again. If she hadn't known him, she'd have thought he indeed didn't like what she sent, but after talking with him for a few weeks -with those spicy conversations almost being part of their routine-, she could just sit and wait until he found the proper words to trigger her back.

Wearing the bathrobe as the only clothing that covered her body, she sat in the middle of the bed, waiting for his text.

San: It's unfair I can't see that in person

His answer made her smile instantly, biting her lip while she thought of the next thing to say. She didn't know where he was from, or where exactly he lived. They both thought it was a thin line of privacy that shouldn't be crossed, but it still excited her to see that tiny wish of seeing her in person.

You: Maybe we can do something better...

You: are you home?

San: Yeah

San: What did you think about?

She didn't think it through, she was just pushed by the idea of feeling closer and more real through it, and chose to act before she could even process her own idea. She had thought of the idea of doing a video call several times since they started talking, but it always ended up in the corner of bad ideas when she thought that maybe it'd be too much.

But that day her fears were left aside, clicking on the video call option, waiting for him to answer. Holding her phone up high, making sure the front camera was at the level of her face, she checked her reflection while she bit her lip nervously. The more tones that sounded the bigger the disappointment was, thinking that maybe she got ahead of herself. At some point she even thought if he lied to her and he didn't look the way he did on pictures. He was way too good to be true.

Suddenly, everything was silent and she was surprised by his face on the screen.

She couldn't believe she ever thought he wasn't real. His foxy eyes looked at his screen with a gentle look, squinting as he smiled without showing his teeth -and the dimples that formed on his cheeks in consequence made him look so soft.

—So I see you weren't lying on taking a shower —he commented, making one of his eyebrows disappear behind his bangs.

After spotting her clean and bright face, his eyes went lower to her shoulders, covered by the white robe he had seen on some teasing pictures she had sent before.

—You thought I was baiting you? —his deep chuckle sent shiverings all over her body, before she chose to keep talking to hide how nervous he actually was making her—. It'd have been perfect timing for you to send a picture, too —she pointed out.

The way he tried to keep the way he looked on that baggy gray sweater, that almost exposed his collarbones, should've been considered a crime.

—You got ahead of me —he played with his hair, smiling nervously at her comment. His smile slowly dropped to a smirk, as his eyes concentrated on hers for a brief second—. You're beautiful.

Taking the compliment the best way she could, she simply smiled and lowered her face enough the moment she felt her cheeks lighting up.

—Don't cover up. That's cute —he giggled.

But she couldn't help it. All the time through messages, she giggled and kicked her feet at some of his texts freely, but it was completely different when he was seeing her blushing and getting nervous in real time.

She clearly wasn't used to that type of treatment.

—You also look good —she assured him.

—Better than in pics?

Far better than in pictures.

Sometimes, pictures could be deceiving. The factor of good lighting, the proper angle, or even the best side of the face played a huge part on how good a person looked on pictures (without taking in consideration the use -or overuse- of filters or photoshop. Both of them were glad it wasn't the case for neither of them.

—Maybe —she answered, teasingly.

—I already had high expectations on you, but you made sure to break them all off —his mouth was trying to transmit that comment with a sexy appeal, yet his smile and the way he nervously pressed his lips betrayed him.

Aside from the sexy videos or his harsh looks, that man seemed to be made out of the softest fabric in the cuddliest cloud -something that made him wonder where his Soundleasure persona came from.

As he moved his phone to place it better on his desk, she was able to spot a microphone at the height of his lips peeking through the corner of her screen.

—So is that where you record your content? —she asked curiously.

—Ah, this... —San lowered his gaze when he was aware of the microphone— Yeah. This is where the magic happens.

But right after saying that, his confidence was all gone, covering his face up with both of his hands out of embarrassment.

There was something exciting about spotting the man she desired on the place that created the content that made her want him in the first place. It was like getting the privilege of seeing the sneak peek of something no one ever before had seen. And she wanted to do way more than just seeing some of it.

—You said it was unfair you couldn't see me in person —she started, tilting her head slightly—. What exactly do you want to see?

Uncovering his face, one of his eyebrows raised at her question, grinning while he rested his back against the gaming chair in his room.

—Your skin. I bet it looks softer than it does in pictures.

She was pleased with his answer, nodding while curving down her lips and arching her eyebrows. Her robe slightly slipped off her right shoulder, exposing her collarbone and the curve of one of her breasts.

—Can you appreciate it now?

Of course he was. He could feel his dick twitching under the fabric of his pants, noticing how her skin looked a bit humid still after the shower.

—Kinda —he sighed—. It looks better than on the pic, but not good enough —San smiled again—. Maybe I need to see a bit more.

If she had tried to do that with anyone else... Honestly, she probably wouldn't have gone that far with anyone else.

She moved the robe down over her other shoulder, letting the fabric hang on her arms -enough to cover up her nipples, but still exposing her cleavage. It was nothing he hadn't seen before, but seeing her like that felt so new for San, more real... Almost thinking she was to his reach if she moved his hand up a tiny bit.

—Would you be able to handle this in person? —the middle finger of her free hand traced her collarbone ever so gently she felt tickles from her own touch.

—I'd do more than just handle it —San assured, with his voice going lower with every word—. But I'd for sure rip that thing off. It's pissing me off.

The more it passed, the more comfortable he started feeling, letting his thoughts speak before they even made it to his filter process.

—You don't need to break it though, just... —while giggling, she undid the knot on the upper part of her belly, allowing the soft fabric to expose her breasts on the screen— open it.

A whimper came out of his lips, getting stuck at the back of his throat, as he hoped it had been low enough so it didn't reach for his mic for her to hear it. San tried to find a more comfortable position, while also rolling it a bit more to the back to show more than just his torso.

He knew exactly what he was doing, because Y/n had never had the urge to sit on someone's lap until she saw half of his legs on the screen, in awe with the way those black pants looked so good on him when his hands fell on them lazily.

—Those tits are begging to be sucked.

For a quick second, he regretted ever saying that, seeing her looking at her camera surprised, but slowly calming down when her hand wandered over her torso after her nippled tightened at the filth in his words.

—Hmm. I bet they'd look so good in your mouth right now.

Just the thought of it got her body working faster than it had ever worked before, as if she was going to take him at any time.

—Of course —San nodded—. I'd make them hard and stiff until they hurt.

Following his words, her index and thumb rubbed on her nipples, tightening the grip sporadically, ending it with a pinch and pull that got her pressing her thighs at the sudden throb.

—I want to see you, too —she asked.

San thought he'd collapse right there when he saw her pouting as she said that, her hand dropping out of the camera vision while her eyes intensely looked at him. Maybe he was too horny, or maybe his lack of experience with any other girl made him so eager for her. But there he was, willing to do anything she'd ask for.

While he took off his sweater, she placed a pillow at the edge of the bed just so she could rest her phone on it and forget about holding it up in the air. She heard him groan at the sight of her half naked body, while her hands still held together the edges of her robe so her lower part wouldn't be exposed.

—I think this is the hardest I've ever been for someone —he mentioned, stroking his growing bulge over his black sweatpants.

—Let me see how hard I'm making you, then —she dared him, kneeling in the middle of the bed.

It didn't take San a minute before he was lowering his pants and boxers enough to let his cock spring free in the air, and ending up resting on his stomach. Her eyes got lost in the shape of his dick, thinking of its taste, as she traced the veins that went from the base to the tip with her tongue.

She could feel your mouth watering at the image, wishing they weren't doing all of that through a screen. That man for sure wasn't real. Every inch of his body was perfect.

—Cat got your tongue? —he teasingly asked, stroking his length while he looked at her.

—I wish that was the problem —she scoffed, bending over on her stomach while she rested her body on her elbows, so she could see his image up close—. I've never wanted to get choked on a cock so bad in my life.

—I bet you'd look gorgeous with your mouth stuffed with it —he groaned.

She smiled, aiming two of her fingers at her mouth. She rubbed the tip of her fingerprints on her flat muscle, just to close her lips around them while staring straight at the camera. It felt as if your eyes were connecting through the whole thing, causing San to curse as soon as she did that.

That was an image he didn't know he needed until then.

—Show me how wet you are while you still suck on those fingers, hmm?

Maybe he was getting too greedy as their conversation evolved, but he couldn't hold back. Everything she did just made him want more.

Biting on her own fingerprints, she smiled. She for sure was leaking at that point, she could feel her juices dripping from her entrance to her clit when she bent over to the camera. Changing her position again, she opened her robe completely with her legs still closed as she sat in front of the camera. Once she made sure everything was on sight for him, she spread her legs, having San moaning out loud at the vision of her glistening folds.

Her wet fingers with her spit traveled all the way from her lips to her pussy, moving through her folds for him. Her heart skipped a beat when they reached her clit, finally being taken care of after ignoring it for so long.

—Wet enough to have my face buried in it —his raspy voice added—. I bet you taste so fucking good.

All those scenarios she planted in her head, with a mysterious man with no face, finally came back to her head with every detail she could add. Her pussy clenched at the image of his eyes peeking over as his tongue did wonders on her clit.

—I'd love to know if that tongue is as good at licking as it is at dirty talk —she joked, finding his eyes somewhere on the screen again, while she rubbed her clit in slow circles.

—You can bet I'd have your legs trembling and your ears beeping after you cum —he smirked—. Slide two fingers in. Open up for me.

And just the same way she allowed her fingers to go down her slit, and skink them inside her, she saw San spitting on his hand and wrapping it around his shaft again.

—That's it, honey. Knuckles deep —he encouraged her, making the biggest effort to keep his eyes open through his own pleasure. Pump them in and out as if it were my cock.

The praise in his words, the way he controlled her movements even from afar had her completely out of her mind. She was sure the sound of his voice was giving her more pleasure than her own fingers.

Managing to open her eyelids, that felt heavier than ever before, she got a moan stuck in the back of her throat when she saw him pumping his cock at a steady pace. The way she was able to see her open legs through the corner of her eyes, while her attention was fixed on the pornographic scene he was pulling, made it even hotter.

She was sure the temperature rose a few more degreed the moment they started that video call.

—You'd look even better if it was my cock fucking you —he moaned, moving his hand faster on his length—. Your tits bouncing every time I pound into you, holding you tight by your hips so you could take it all.

—I bet you'd stretch me out so good —she nodded.

Her brain was close to having a dead short at any time. The naughtiness in his words, mixed with everything that was going on in real life and in her head was too much to handle. Her back arched every time she sank her fingers in and her palm rubbed on her clit.

—I'm gonna cum —she cried, unable to hold it back any longer.

—I'm so close, too —he groaned, throwing his head back finally—. Wait for me, I'm almost there —he asked, in a needy tone that almost made her succumb to her own pleasure.

Still moving her fingers in sync with his movements, she found herself at the edge of the cliff, only allowing herself to jump from it when she heard him mutter he was ready, too. Both of their moans got mixed in the air, as they both reached their highs. Slowly, those moans turned to loud pants while they tried to get some oxygen back to their lungs.

Daring to look at him, she found San with his head falling back to the chair, eyes still shut while he smiled pleased.

—It was amazing —he whispered.

—I know —she agreed, sighing.

San finally opened his eyes, and she was left mesmerized by how beautiful and genuine they looked.

She saw him getting some air, and opening his mouth, before he got interrupted by a male voice coming from outside the room.

—Where the fuck is the controller? I need to beat these assholes' asses.

San could only think of throwing that same controller he talked about straight at his head as soon as he stepped outside.

—I won't take long —he assured her, before he hung up the video call.

Back in the silence and loneliness in her room, she made her best at holding in the sudden need to jump on the bed and dance away in excitement.

Her bad streak was over, except for the fact that everything was still online. But she'd find a solution to it.

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cienie-isengardu · 9 months

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Do you see Hydro and Bi-Han as friends because despite Bi-Han being all like wolf and shit he and Hydro seemed pretty ok with each other in the comics which is a lot considering Bi-Han's personality.

(Please, note, the Blood & Thunder comics series [1994] has never stated Sub-Zero’s real name however as the part of events take place during the final, 10th Tournament in which elder Sub-Zero originally participated, for simplicity I’m gonna call him Bi-Han as I treat this comics as one of his intercarnations/timelines)

Sub-Zero’s relationship with Hydro is one of my favorite things about the Blood & Thunder comics series but also a good source material about Bi-Han as a person, especially how he interacts with people. I won’t lie, the relationship between Sub-Zero and Hydro shaped greatly how I perceive Bi-Han. And though that relationship was not a main focus of the story, it provided a lot interesting details that lead me to think Hydro was more than just a friend - he[*] was the partner-in-crime, the equal of Sub-Zero is a way Kuai Liang, as the younger brother, could never be.

As the story showed, Bi-Han could - and did in fact - admit to being afraid of specter (Scorpion) haunting him

while Hydro did not scold him for the weakness. Actually, between those two, it is Bi-Han who was the harsh one for himself ("I should not have shown my fear to him. It was mistake.")

This little interaction is one of examples that set up in my mind the idea that Bi-Han is not emotional person by default, even around people he feels comfortable to talk about his fear (example above) or past injuries

- which is why I won’t buy fanwork painting him to be on purpose cold bastard or presenting him as the cuddling, sweet, nice big brother either (the last one I especially contribute to how fandom present Good Titan Sub-Zero from MK1 as contrast to Bi-Han from story mode). Hydro openly called Sub-Zero a friend and companion

and though Bi-Han doesn’t talk much about his relationship with the Lin Kuei warrior, there is a very telling development in that regard.

Sub-Zero at the beginning openly said to Scorpion to slay him, as he can’t fight against spectre

but as the story goes, he overcome his fear, what is especialy vital element after Scorpion murdered Hydro. There is a very telling switch from being afraid to being determined to not only kill the dead ninja but if needed, end his afterlife for good. Even though Raiden took him under his protection, Sub-Zero was ready to face the undead warrior again.

Also, the most hilarious part of Hydro & Sub-Zero relationship? Hydro may be a nice and caring to Bi-Han but would be okay with killing others once given a chance and it is Bi-Han who actually must temper down his friend’s murderous (practical) behavior.

Which adds a lot of complexity to both and makes me miss Sub-Zero & Hydro's teamwork all the way more!

[*] I’m using the “he/him” pronoun, as I think only one(!) narrator box called Hydro “he” however I did not catch Bi-Han alone to refer to his companion in a way that betrays Hydro’s gender. What catched my attention, as Sub-Zero called Sonya “woman” at least twice and often referred to Scorpion as “he”, so I like to think the lack of pronoun toward Hydro was done on purpose on his part, as in to not confirm or deny who was under the mask. I personally imagine Hydro was a female Lin Kuei but really, man, woman, gender fluid, whatever else possibility, I will love any version of Hydro.

#mortal kombat #my replies #hydro #bi han #sub zero #mortal kombat old comics #blood and thunder is a fun series #and i'm here to hydro & bi han friendship!#also the old comics made me think that scorpion is the sorest loser ever XD

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dinitride-art · 2 years

Text

Mike Wheeler in Season 4 (Analysis/Theory)pt.1/2

On screen in season four we didn’t see Joyce have a panic attack. We’ve seen her before, like in season one when Will went missing, but it’s interesting that they mentioned Joyce’s anxiety when it didn’t really come up.

Will mentions it in this scene, after El’s been arrested and her note has been handed over. He says something along the lines of, “-[My moms probably halfway to a panic attack right now]-” but we don’t see that when she’s trying to call later. Granted Murray is there to alleviate her worries when she can’t get through but it never gets to a point that is concerning.

Right after Will says this, he and Mike talk. And Will spends that conversation reassuring Mike that everything's going to be alright. This is far from the first time we’ve seen similarities between Mike and Joyce. They are constantly paralleled in the first season. But this also isn’t the first time we’ve seen Mike have a reaction to stressful situations that’s like this. It usually looks like an overreaction to the immediate situation- like when he hit Hopper in season two after El came back. And then Hopper changed gears completely and just held him until he calmed down.

We aren’t told a lot of things when it comes to Mike. Probably because we see so much of him and his narration, we don’t necessarily need to be told, but that makes it interesting when trying to interpret context clues.

Will mentioning Joyce having a panic attack, and the rest of the scene being spent making sure Mike’s okay, might be telling us exactly what’s happening with Mike.

We can see that Will’s choosing his words carefully. He’s thinking a lot about how to handle this conversation. Mike doesn’t have that same range of expressions.

Mike’s over the shoulder shot is also a bit different than what we see with Will. It’s closer to his face and angled so we see less of his expression and more of what he’s seeing. With Will’s OTS shot, they had more of an even share of the shot. It’s pretty usual for us to see more of what Mike’s perceiving than Mike himself, but thinking about it within the context of Mike’s struggles in season four it could offer an explanation as to why were never told what’s going on with Mike. At least not in words.

Mike’s posture is also making him look lower than Will. Like, emotionally. There’s also a lamp behind Will’s head, so that and the lighting shows Will’s role in this scene. Which is comforting Mike. (Mike’s also in front of the only orange rectangle in Jonathan’s wall hanging which is concerning because orange means danger. Established in season two with the pumpkins.) Will being placed in front of a band poster (I believe its the smiths? I might be remembering wrong though) also puts Will in the position of music. Which in season four, has connections to fending off Vecna’s curse. It’s pretty much the same idea as the light.

So Will is Mike’s light and his music. What this seems to be saying is that Will’s presence is protecting Mike from darkness/evil/Vecna. Or is foreshadowing that happening in season five.

But the main point is that Will is successful in cheering Mike up. And the scene might be showing us that Mike and Joyce have similar struggles with anxiety.

Jonathan and Will also seem to decide which person they’re responsible for? Like in the scene where they’re burying the dead body of ‘Mr. unnamed hero agent man’ and Argyle’s freaking out- and then Mike’s just standing there.

This is just Mike looking at Will, but it’s also showing who he looks for assurance in. Because Mike’s not doing well this season, that’s why there are so many heart to hearts, and Mike and Will moments. Because Mike needs constant reassurance in order to continue functioning. At least, that’s what seems like could be happening.

And in these two shots, we see first- Jonathan going and calming Argyle down, and then going after him. We also see Mike looking at Will, and his entire head is in shadow. Will’s in the center of the frame, and in the light.

And we all know the triple take. (colour wise, Mike’s in front of a yellow car, and Will’s in front of a blue car. Possibly showing their changing roles in their relationship. In season two and three, Mike was the one who was taking care of Will, and now that’s flipped. Because now Mike’s the one who’s struggling. And needs Will.)

We know that Mike was looking to Will the entire time they’ve been burrying the body. But it could be Mike staring at Will for the sake of staring at him, as much as it could be Mike wanting reassurance.

And he gets that the next time we see them.

Again, Mike’s been positioned in front of an ominous part of the background. This time it’s the mountain in shadow, while Will is in front of the open sky and plant life. Mike holding a seven up specifically, is also showing us that something is very wrong. Seven is a number established as a bad sign in the first episode of season one, and that had to do with Will. And Mike, because he was the one Will told. Mike being the one with a seven is again showing how their roles have flipped over in terms of what they both need from each other. Will needs Mike to be okay, and Mike needs to be okay.

The orange truck is closest to Mike in frame, and again Will is in front of blue cars.

While Mike is in front of a yellow truck.

Their backgrounds are contrasting again, with Will’s being light, and Mike’s being shadow. Their faces have a similar juxtaposition. Will is once again comforting Mike, who is again, struggling. The purpose of this part of season four isn’t just to develop Mike and Will’s relationship, and fix unresolved problems from the previous season. It’s also to show how their roles are swapped.

And the most important thing we see in these conversations, is that Mike needs this reassurance from Will, because something is wrong. Whether that be personal, or personal and supernatural, is yet to be seen. But we can be pretty sure that somethings going on with him.

Mike’s again is our focus. What’s interesting is how Will and Jonathan are on either side of Mike, not really caging him in, but rather in slightly protective stance. (Mike’s left hand is the one we see covered in dirt in this shot. More danger signs surrounding Mike.)

When Mike finds the clue, he looks to Will and Jonathan on either side of him. In season one, Mike was in a similar position as Joyce- meaning that there were a lot of people that told him he was wrong when he was actually right. Being worried about Will, thinking Will’s in danger, knowing Will is alive- all of these were things we saw Mike say to people and they shut him down. Like how Joyce was continually shut down when she was sure Will was alive.

He looks at Jonathan and Will for reassurance that he’s right. If he was sure and confidant in himself, it would have made more sense for him to jump into action immediately. But he doesn’t. (Yellow car behind Mike, blue van beside Will.)

When they call the number, we see Jonathan and Will again in supportive positions. But not necessarily taking a stance that shows they are confidant in Mike’s theory.

Then Mike passes the phone to Will, because he needs him to hear it too. Will’s hand over Mike’s makes more sense as a way of subtly comforting him. Saying that Will’s with him, but also showing further development in Mike and Will’s relationship this season.

After this happens, and the phone gets passed over to Jonathan, Will’s in the center of the frame. There’s a clear divide between Will and Jonathan, and Mike. This could be showing a couple different things. One being that Mike feels similar to how Joyce (and himself) felt in season one, being doubted while being right. And how he’s set a part from Mike and Will. Or it could be going the forced conformity box and foreshadowing Mike’s monologue and how Mike’s putting himself in a box. Or it could be saying something about how Mike called Will, but the calls didn’t go through- creating a rift/divide in their relationship.

From the composition of these shots however, it’s probably showing Mike being set a part from Will and Jonathan and needing to convince them he’s not crazy.

But it’s also showing again that Will is Mike’s light and his music. But also the way that Mike’s positioned in center frame, and is looking over his shoulder could be another sign of danger. Mike’s almost entirely in the dark in these shots, at least the close up ones. But Jonathan and Will are allowed to have light fall on them. Again, Mike’s in shadow, and has an indicator of something not being right. It’s a choice to not have everyone’s faces clear in reacting to Will. That choice including Mike looking over his shoulder, might be saying that Mike’s on edge for other reasons as well.

Once again we see Mike in between Will and Jonathan. He’s in the center again and Will’s in the light again- and what this seems to be saying is that we’re looking at Mike, and Jonathan and Will know somethings up too.

They keep being set up like this at Suzie’s, at least for the first part of it. Mike’s on edge the entire time he’s here, but the rest of them are slightly less tense. (Argyle’s in front of the bookshelf, and closest to the space poster. Further pushing the idea that he’s the wise fool, meaning that what he says might not always make sense, but have meaning from an audience perspective.)

When they’re lying to Suzie, and Mike has his arms crossed, he looks to Will quite a lot. These are the most notable/emphasized times, but what it shows is that Mike’s looking to Will to back him up. And it’s showing us that it’s very noticeable to other people when Mike does look for Will.

Also there’s a lot going on in Suzie’s room. Will’s put directly in front of a blue arrow pointing at Mike. And Mike’s in front of a bulletin board with letters tact to it. In the first shot, there’s a heart on Suzie’s desk on Mike’s side, and the arrow behind Will’s head on Will’s side. Both Mike and Will are placed near and/or in front of lights in this shot. This might be supporting Mike’s shirt pocket arrow representing the direction of his heart. Especially since it is pointing to Will in that shot. This is one of the first times that Mike’s shirt pocket is allowed to point to Will in Suzie’s house too.

Even in this shot, Will and Jonathan manage to be on either side of Mike. Mike’s shirt pocket is pointing to the light, and the curtains. This is one of the rare times Will is in the dark while Mike’s in the light. But this lighting is similar to the harsh white light cast on Vecna’s victims, rather than the romantic lighting on Will. Mike’s also been positioned in front of a painting that’s either of water, or sand or something weird and important. If it is water than that’s another sign of danger for Mike. But either way, the one we see panicking the most in this shot is Mike.

Still can’t really tell what it is, but it appears to be water.

Anyways, then they end up in Suzie’s dad’s office. Mike and Will are in front of two windows, and Mike’s shirt pocket is pointing to Will. Jonathan deviates from the bordering Mike thing him and Will have been doing, but Will sticks close to Mike.

The hand touch that we don’t really see, but definitely happens, has a different meaning within the context of Will trying to comfort Mike. It’s similar to the pinkie boop in season two between Mike and Will. They’re in a situation where doing anything else might not be okay. Mike holding Will’s hand in that scene wasn’t safe, not like it was in Will’s room.

I think the same thing is happening here. These two shots of Mike (and Will) are before and after that shift. Mike looks visibly more relaxed. So this seems to be less of a accidental hand touch, and more of a subtle comforting gesture in an unsafe environment.

Then they’re all out of there, and Mike and Will are sticking close to each other. What Will’s been doing in season four is comforting Mike the same way that Mike did in season two. But with Mike there’s the added layer of paralleling Joyce and her anxiety. Which is mentioned by Will, and has a pretty good chance of relating to Mike as well.

The van scene is the exact same thing- just with more direction. Mike’s spiraling and Will tries to fix it, even though it hurts him to do so. In season two, it hurt Mike to tell them to sedate Will. And he was in pain when they were trying to get through to Will in the shed. It’s not unequal. It’s just different.

When they can’t get El a flight, Will bumps his arm into Mike’s. Everything Will’s doing is in response to Mike starting to panic. And it works, because it’s Will. In the same way that Mike was allowed to take care of Will in season two, when Dustin and Lucas weren’t.

And Mike’s letting Will be the person to reassure him that everything's okay. He’s actively looking to him, and Will’s answering.

#too many content blocks again #welp gotta go slplit this in to two very unequal parts #byler #my writing #the lights #stranger things #mike wheeler

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