#damn all my theories and analysis are working together on this one

[dinitride-art]

Possessiongate - the monologue/Mike Wheeler got got (pt.1)

This now lives in my head rent free. Current theory is that Vecna attached himself to Mike somehow before he left Hawkins and has been fighting for control the entirety of season four- and that Mike’s been able to have some control because Will is his light. Vecna was described during the Hellfire game as being recognizable by his missing left eye and left hand. Important to also note that these are actually magical artifacts in D&D- I think they were both introduced in first edition before Vecna was even introduced into the lore/as a thing you could fight. 

Yes I am starting yet another analysis of season four that I don’t know how many parts it will have- but I have a feeling its going to end up being stupidly long. Just like the Lighting analysis. 

S4:E2 - Rink O’ Mania (Why Mike’s such a dick?)

Before I get into the whole Rink O’ Mania mess I noticed something during the airport scene. 

Mike’s hiding his eyes. First it was with the sunglasses, and now it’s with the visor thing. I don’t have a picture on hand, but the shot of Mike asking about the painting sticks out to me. He’s very weird when he sees Will for the first time, caught completely off guard. It’s actually reminding me of, “he’s... my friend” or whatever Will says about Mike when he recognizes him when Will’s possessed. The Mind flayer/Vecna (up for debate who’s controlling who) knows who Mike and Joyce are. They also know who Will and El are, quite well. Vecna’s target this season was actually El- he wants her to look at him while he destroys everything. He wants someone to fight against. 

I think that Mike might’ve been so weird when he saw Will because it through Vecna for a loop. Like, oh fuck there he is. The guy that can sense me. Or maybe he just wanted to fuck with Will. Because there is no reason that Mike should be weird around Will, yeah sure he knows he loves him at the end of season three but he was able to hug him goodbye. Twice, even.

Another thing I think might be happening here- that I’m more inclined to think this is- is that Mike is caught off guard when he sees Will because Will is his light. Who knows how long Vecna might have been in Mike’s head (I think it was the night the Chrissy gate opened- or that he’s been trying to get to Mike the whole time that the Byers have been away and just now is able to because of the open gate). But what if Will can snap him out of it and bring Mike back to being fully in control? Like, I don’t think Mike knows yet that Vecna’s in his head. But I think that Vecna knows that Will can snap Mike out of it and that’s why he’s getting Mike to keep his distance/ignoring Will all day. And not mentioning Will’s birthday just to fuck with him- because Vecna knows when Will’s birthday is. He learnt that info like two years ago in the Byers shed. And he also learnt how much Mike cares about Will and vise versa. 

So, if Vecna’s using Mike as a way to mess with El and Will- and as a spy- then he also knows how to keep Mike in line. And why he’s keeping Mike away from Will when something happens that fucks with El.

Also they’re mirroring each other here like theyr were in the monologue. Which could be saying that season 2 and Will’s possession is paralleling Mike’s season four possession. 

This isn’t as strong but thought I’d mention it anyways- Mike and Will are paralleling each other again with both positions in shot and their shoe sizes. But also 10 is very clear on both of their skates- and not on El’s. We’re focusing on Mike and Will’s skates and it’s weird that 10 is the number below 11, yeah, but it’s also weird that it’s kinda just 1. So it might be saying that hey! One’s here! And he’s been in both Mike AND Will’s heads!

I’ve mentioned before that there’s an unnecessary focus on Will- and that Mike’s line, “you were rolling your eyes and moping” and basically narrating what we see above is proof that Mike’s been looking at him the whole time. Also the lighting difference on Will’s face. But we don’t get to see Mike looking at Will- which might make sense if Vecna’s not letting him talk to Will. 

This shot- the disco ball that I now forgive but still feel really oblivious for not noticing it sooner- love you Rink O’ Mania disco ball. Anyways, it parallels the snow ball disco ball in season two where there’s an overwhelming theme of forced conromity and pink and blue and then parallels it again when Max gets...fucking hell, when Max GEts Vecna’D. Jesus Christ when will it end. So, I’ll add that to the ‘Vecna’s definitely in Mike’s head’ proof. ANYWAYS- as I was saying, the disco ball is drawing our attention to Will. And we know that Mike’s been paying attention to Will the whole time, but this makes it really clear.

It’s also why I think that Will being lit like this, and being positioned like this, are all saying that Will is Mike’s light. And that’s why Vecna hasn’t been able to fully take over Mike when he’s in Cali- also because he’s just really far away from Hawkins. And again, Mike’s visor is hiding his eyes. 

Okay so El’s holding Mike’s left hand here which- welp. Uh, maybe is possibly referencing Vecna again. But these two shots are also paralleling the Snow Ball again, but instead of Mike being alone- it’s Will. And it’s also showing how we see Will a lot AND that he’s in front of light A  LOT.

This disco ball is also really ominous as an opening shot. So like the tone of this scene is weird. It’s meant to be both happy, miserable, weird and forboding. Or at least that’s what I’m kinda getting from it- also looks a hell of a lot like the snowball again. Really bad signs all over this place

This shot is kinda creepy to me too. It looks like- actually Ive got a picture of this on hand, nice-

it looks like the mind flayer, just a bit. The long legs and the weirdly shaped head.

Also, the red brick makes reminds me of the red setting of the destroyed Creel house. Because there are quite a few settings in episode nine that are either red of blue- surfer boy pizza and the Creel house (mind edition) are red, and the Creel house (real), the Creel house (upside down) and the prison are all very blue or somewhat blue toned. The colour of the mind flayer (and Vecna) is red. The upside down is blue. So, I’m thinking that colour theory is at work here- with these specific colour associations. Mike also drinks from both his and El’s cups with red straws. And there’s no water in the upside down so maybe they want water y’know?

This is where it starts. Just barely. The red straw in shot is also pointing to Mike and visible when we look at Will. So Mike and El are placed in from of blue and red lights. Similar to the monologue with Mike and Will being in front of blue and red lights. When Angela roles up to the table she’s wearing two watches. On her left wrist no less. Time, clocks, Mike and Will’s matching watches, what’s about to happen with Mike’s left eye- Vecna’s at play here. 

You see how Mike turns to look at El and his left eye gets a veil of dark shadow around it? Are yo seeing that shit? Like, Mike should know what’s going on here. He’s literally been bullied his whole life. He should know what’s happening. But he completely ignores it. 

The light is shining on Will here again, because there’s some Vecna related shit going down with Mike and I think Mike’s trying to use Will as a way to ground himself. Blue and yellow lights behind Will also point to this. Mike was the person who Will relied on in season two to get back to himself. At the arcade- which parallels Rink O’ Mania in colours- with the strip of yellow and blue lights there as well (but they’re flipped/upside down in relation to each other. blues on top of yellow here- and yellow’s on top of blue at the arcade). But also when Will goes outside and sees the Upside Down (and the blue lights) the colour of the lightning bolt outside changes from yellow to green when Mike comes out and gets him- breaking him from the trance. 

I think that the very same thing is happening her. But now it’s Mike instead of Will who needs to break out of the trance. 

And when Mike and El are in this shot? It’s pretty different than the one before, sure the lightings gotten a bit more sinister but with Mike’s left eye it’s a bit excessive. The literal whites of his eyes are darker than before- like significantly. Where as with El it’s not nearly as jarring.

Mike’s left eye stays in the dark even as the shot pans out. He’s also sipping his drink again and the fact that it has a red straw and Mike’s in front of red brick and there’s a red light directly over him? I am so very suspicious. 

AND WHEN MIKE GETS UP???? His left eye is like this still. It’s creepy. And exactly like the damn monologue. And Mike should have known El isn’t in a good situation here, he and all of his friends have been in situations like this forever. But the yellow and blue I think is a good thing- I think it’s signaling Mike talking back control. Even if he might not be aware what’s happening.

And just to show Will because Mike’s face is just so different. Despite them being in the same amount of light/facing the same light source, Will’s left eye isn’t ominously darkened like an evil is looking through and waiting for an opportunity to strike, y’know?

But here’s the thing

Mike and Will are kind of arguing and Mike’s face is all scrunched up (similar to how it was in the monologue). And Will’s glowing as per usual this season.

And then Mike snaps out of it. Staring at Will’s lips, yes, but also because Will is his light. Talking to Will changes Mike’s whole expression- and this is similar to how Mike looked at the airport when he saw Will. He looks confused and kind of surprised ish.

And then we see Mike LOOKING at Will. And Will’s in the light, and Mike’s still not, but we see him looking at Will. And the green, yellow and blue neon lights are behind him. That S also kinda looks just a bit like a lightning bolt.

And after talking to Will? His face starts going back to normal. Like immediately after. And then Mike goes and tries to stop what’s happening but he’s too late.

So, what if Vecna and Mike have been fighting over control this whole time- or maybe Vecna’s just been influencing Mike to do shit and Will keeps getting in the way? Like Mike did in season 2? 

The parallels to season two and Will being possessed are paralleling so hard right now. This is the second scene that Mike’s been like this- the other one I looked at being the monologue. Like?? What was the reason for Mike’s eye to be like this twice? (probably more than that but I gotta make different posts for those- I’ll get back to ya’ll on that)

Vecna won’t leave Mike and Will the fuck alone. 

1 2 3 

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

Hey! Hope you’re having a good day! Just wanted to say I’ve become obsessed with your psychology analysis on the Vees and VoxVal. I’m curious, since the relationship is definitely toxic, how do you think the cycle of relationship abuse would work with them? (Honeymoon phase, tension, incident, ex)

Awww I'm so glad you like my silly headcanons, I fucking love writing them <3

(headcanons in question because they are relevant to this post: Vox and NPD | Valentino and BPD | random Vees headcanons)

You know, I believe their relationship is toxic because neither of them is particularly well-adjusted. However, I wouldn't apply the cycle of abuse theory to them. As far as I know, that theory is used to describe relationships that are highly unequal with clearly defined roles of abuser and victim. For instance, during the tension phase, tension grows in the abuser while the victim "walks on eggshells," trying their best to calm the abuser and constantly living in fear of an incident. I can't really imagine Vox or Valentino being that frightened of each other. Actually, that's why I think they are meant to be together - they can handle each other.

That being said, I do believe they have some relationship issues. In episode 2, we witnessed Vox calming Valentino (by yelling at him so very toxic) when he was angry. Vox hates Valentino's unpredictability because he is a total control freak. While he finds Valentino's fiery temper extremely alluring, he also wishes Val would tone it down. He'd like to have a more reliable partner, especially because for him, falling in love was a significant and risky investment.

On the flip side, immediately after Vox managed to calm Valentino down, Valentino essentially provoked him into a temper tantrum. Look at this shit-eating smile; he knew damn well what he was doing.

Vox usually keeps his emotions hidden behind a polished facade, staying detached. Valentino, on the other hand, is all about intense emotions—loves passion, violence, and desperation. He digs Vox's cool business daddy vibe, but it drives him nuts when Vox gets all emotionally distant from him. Vox tries to guard himself because he knows Valentino can easily weaponize people's emotions against them, and he's lowkey scared of being vulnerable. So when he's going through some tough shit, Vox puts up this wall, becomes all distant, and then Valentino feels rejected and starts being a total jerk, pushing Vox away because he's hurting (if you've read my BPD Valentino headcanons, you get what I mean).

So those are the main sources of tension in their relationship. Sometimes one of them snaps. In Vox's case, it means complete withdrawal from the relationship and sinking into work (since he wants a perfect relationship, he rarely even admits he's angry, he's just like "It's fine I just don't have time to see you") which obviously drives Val crazy. Because he's obsessively in love. So to fix the situation he doesn't apologize (since Vox "wasn't even angry") - he just invites himself to Vox's apartment/office and seduces him by acting nice and submissive so Vox can feel in control again.

In Valentino's case, snapping means a violent outburst (though, I don't think he's physically abusive because he knows Vox is not afraid of him and could easily bite back or, even worse, leave him for good). These outbursts make Vox furious because he can't stop them. Then, they end up yelling a lot, throwing stuff around, and sometimes even breaking up. After that, Valentino goes on a week-long bender, just partying and hooking up with dozens of people. Vox, being obsessed, watches everything, and his jealousy always gets the best of him. He finally breaks and sends someone to bring Val back home. Or he personally intervenes, kills whoever Val is fucking, gives him a giant bouquet of roses, and goes all out to prove that he's the best guy Val could ever have. Vox is a showman, so he acts almost like a charming and obnoxiously rich mafia boss from a smutty novel, who wants nothing more than to please his princess with grand gestures.

Oh also I think Val is very sensitive about Vox treating him "like a woman." He's actually very secure in his masculinity; he feels comfortable enough to present himself in feminine ways while still acting masculine. Like I mentioned, he's queer and he totally owns it. On the other hand, Vox still grapples with some deeply internalized heteronormative ideas, occasionally treating Valentino like his bitch. Valentino hates it because he's aware of Vox's sexist tendencies, and he refuses to allow Vox to treat him as though he's beneath him. He genuinely believes in the concept of an equal partnership in their relationship and can't stand Vox's attempts to alter the power dynamics in his favor.

If you like this post you may also like my VoxVal fanfiction

[lifmera]

OH MY GOD I TYPED UP A WHOLE THING AND ACCIDENTALLY LOST IT OH MY FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOD I HATE IT HERE- anyways *ahem* attempt no. 2 of me asking you for a Hazbin Hotel match because I have never done this kinda thing before and I'm curious :)

GENDER AND SEXUALITY: I'm non-binary, they/he/she pronouns. I generally don't have a preference between the three tbh but I do appreciate ppl mixing it up! I'm sex-repulsed asexual and gray-biromantic. Again no real preference lmfao

APPEARANCE: White, dark blonde hair, green eyes, just below 5'3, pretty basic looking all things considered. I've got a pretty angular face I think. I'm afab and don't shave cuz it's too much work. I wear pretty much exclusively graphic tees(band shirts, dumb jokes, fandom stuff... that kinda thing) or button ups with funky patterns paired w/ the comfiest pants I can find, but occasionally I'll pull myself together enough to make a dencent(?) outfit, typically reminiscent of shit scene kids in the early 2000s would wear. I also like dying my hair but usually don't bcuz I procrastinate on it for too long.

PERSONALITY: If I had to describe it in one word? Unhinged. I am unhinged. 7/10 people will agree I am a very frightening person to be around. I say out of pocket shit(ranging from vile sex jokes to just straight up threats of violence) pretty regularly. I also like to sneak up on ppl and make very loud noises just to see their reactions... *ahem* anyways, despite all that, most of my friends would also describe me as caring and loyal! I have low empathy, so the only way I ever understand any of my friends emotions is by using my own experiences to compare and contrast until I have a decent idea of what's going on in their head, but I AM very good at psychoanalyzing people and providing objective, unbiased thoughts & advice on their situations. I would also literally go to war for my friends. Like, if you hurt one of them say your goddamn PRAYERS because I am coming to your location with a knife and murderous intent. I'm kinda awkward & shy at first, but at my core I AM an extrovert. I just don't know how to talk to ppl bcuz I am ✨neurodivergent✨(autism & ADHD) and have a hard time approaching ppl bcuz I don't know if they'll like me or not. Typically I make friends by making very loud jokes and waiting for somebody to approach me because they like my sense of humor. Which speaking of, I am very funny! Most people I interact with regularly would agree I am a very funny person!!! I'm also really good at media analysis and making arguments. I don't do well in debates because I choke under the pressure(gotta work on that tbh), but I'm good at writing argumentative essays. Plus, I'm pretty good at just bold face lying to people so overall I can be pretty damn convincing. I like adrenaline rushes and try to actively seek out new experiences as long as I'm confident they won't cause me any significant damage(socially or physically) in the long run. Which is unfortunately not many because I am INCREDIBLY paranoid. Like to the point of accidentally staying up til 3am cuz I'm convinced someone's gonna break into my house and kill me... I also have depression, severe dissociation issues, and existential dread which is. Fun. That's fun. I also have a tendancy to go down random rabbit holes and obsess over inconsequential details in shows I like to the point of making whole ass conspiracy theories :)

LIKES: Cartoons, drawing, writing, acting, singing, reading fanfic, watching YouTube, long drives, listening to music, jumpscaring ppl, being funny, ziplining, problem solving, video essays, ghost hunting shows, supernatural stuff in general, psychology, media analysis, frogs, sharks, ferrets, cats, violence, chocolate, Drawfee(YT channel), glitter, and just. So many fandoms. Just so many.

DISLIKES: Slimey shit, being touched(most of the time, there are occasional exceptions), being touch starved DESPITE not liking being touched, ppl insulting my interests(only I get to do that), media illiteracy, projects I'm not invested in, ppl putting preasure on me, mosquitoes, existential dread, dissociating, being tired all the time, being wrong, taking risks, feeling vulnerable, and stories with a lot of potential that just. Don't do anything with said potential.

PREFERENCES?: Uh. Someone significantly taller than me(shouldn't be hard Hazbin characters are fucking huge) that'll listen to my insane rants and is able to match my energy.

Akdncksmfnsmdsn I rlly hope I did this right again it's my first time doing anything like this-

HEYYYYYY!!! FINALLY GOT TO YOU 😜

Honestly I was debating on like a few different characters BUT!

I’ve decided to pair you with… LUTE!

Honestly I think she’d also be sex repulsed. She’s definitely more of a romantic lover! Though she doesn’t show it.

I think she talked to you at first because your style choices reminded her of Adam- and obviously, she misses him like crazy

If you did dye your hair often with her, she’d probably want to help you! I think she’d apply the color so it doesn’t get messy :)

She LOVES your personality. She thinks you are similar to her in many ways!

She also would need to experience it herself. She’s pretty stoic and doesn’t show her emotions. She’d probably think it’d make herself look weak.

I think you both would definitely fight back to back 24/7! You both would fight to the DEATH for each other.

She loves how caring you are for other people- it gives her a different sense of pace. Someone new!

I think Lute would see a TINY BIT through your lies. Lute is very observant with EVERYTHING.

She’d love if you made jokes. She need’s something less boring in her life than just standing there.

Adrenaline rushes? Totally join the exorcists- and you can be her right hand!!

She’d try to help you through paranoia, but you shouldnt worry much. She’s STRONG asf!

She’d LOVE TO HEAR CONSPIRACIES!! she would think they are SO COOL.

Although she isn’t much taller- I think she’d around 5’8 personally. She just looks small bc shes always next to Adam who’s HUGE!

She may not be able to match your energy, only because she’ll need to come out of her shell more- she’s always listening. She has ears EVERYWHERE.

~~~~

HOPE THIS WAS OKAY ❣️

[scrollll]

Okay, I know, we're all absolutely ready, have our clipboards with notes and the blackboard with pictures, threads and theories that make Kim Theerapanyakun's look like a damn kids' game board to go completely all in with the analysis again.

But here I ask for a brief pause to honor what a fiercely good job the actors have done for this series.

Seriously, my examples of this are endless. Of course, probably the most obvious, the many smut-scenes. It takes a lot to allow that level of trust and professionalism to become so intimate with not just one but multiple acting partners.

What I particularly love is that so far none of the sex scenes or general hot scenes have been "just sex". In each one you could see what was going on inside the characters.

You could see Soong's hesitation, the moment when he ignored his own preferences in order to please others and the emotions that built up bit by bit, First's joyful anticipation of finally being able to live out his fantasies and his urge to go further.

Zouey's hesitation, alternating with moments in which he tries to rise above himself, Teena's way in which he first tries to put on a show, only to fall for Zouey after all.

Nont's microexpressions, every time he's near Prom, the fear, the determination, at the same time the lust and tension.

Jump almost willingly throwing himself into Porsche's clutches, kneeling and showing himself submissive, but just waiting to be more deeply involved with Porsche...

The individual examples are endless, and truly insane.

Secondly, the intensity with which the actors prepared for the roles. At this point, I'd like to mention the Playboy actors in particular.

The actor from Teena said in an interview that the weight loss and training had presented him with enormous challenges. There were days when he didn't have enough energy to go to the gym or even lift a weight because of his diet.

Again, guys, the bodies we see don't come naturally. To be able to see a six-pack, the water balance in the body has to be extremely low. And the total body fat percentage must be between 13 and 6%. I'll leave the math to you, but as a spoiler, that's pretty damn low.

Third, the acting in general, not just in the nc scenes.

For example, the friendship between Captain, Zouey, First and Porsche, our pampered gang of the privileged.

I love their scenes together, not because I think their friendship is flawless and great, but because it feels real to me. I like seeing how they interact and how their actions and consequences affect each other.

There are many roles in Playboyy and yet none of them feel like a repetition of another already existing role. The characters are different, different written and different brought to life by the actors.

Every character has their own depth, their own characteristics, goals, motivations, abysses and things they are prepared to sacrifice.

Anyway, these people put a hell of a lot of work into this series and with every new episode I'm left speechless as to how the hell they managed to pull off scenes like this in front of a team of I don't know how many people.

Okay, I can't go on for very long here and I invite everyone to do so. There's so much hate for so many shows and things right now, so let's enjoy some stuff that's just really awesome:)

[ctitan98official]

Anonymous asked:

Hi, What would the RE8 women react to Y/N singing “We don’t talk about Bruno” from the movie “Encanto” from Disney. Thanks!

Ooh! Good one. Quickly, I have to share this story because I love Encanto. Jessica Darrow (The voice of Luisa) did a virtual celeb visit at the children’s hospital that I work at. A couple employees got to ask her a question (I was lucky and got picked!) I asked her what power she would want from the movie and she said she wanted the power to talk to animals. Like, I love that for her. Anyway, one of the kiddos asked her to sing Surface Pressure and she had them sing it with her and I thought I was going to cry (it meant so much to the kid! T^T) I love Encanto sm. Now, on to the ask!

Alcina:

She can tell that the song is a bop, but 3 problems: She don’t know what it’s from, she don’t know who Bruno is, and she don’t know how long she can keep listening to Y/N sing “A seven-foot frame, rats along his back” (That’s their favorite part and they just sing it over and over) Please, Y/N. Vampire Mommy has a headache. Knock it off.

Donna:

When Y/N gets to the part that Isabella sings, they always insist that the character reminds them of Donna because she can control plants (And is fucking gorgeous, but I digress). Donna sort of understands what Y/N is getting at, but she’s never seen the movie. Y/N makes it a point to not only watch the film with Donna a few times, but also lay out an entire damn character analysis of Isabella so the doll maker can get a better picture. Donna’s too polite to say anything, but in her head she thinks Y/N is a complete idiot… easy to love though���

Miranda:

Miranda is done with Y/N’s bullshit. Seriously Y/N, Miranda kidnapped a baby, broke her into fucking pieces and has literally killed thousands of people… Either sleep with one eye open or quit singing “I associate him with the sound of falling sand” with weird intensity on repeat. It’s for your own good.

Bela:

Bela likes music. Like, a lot. She studies it. Like, a lot. But the thing is, she primarily listens to classical and opera. She doesn’t know what to do with a catchy Pop Salsa tune. Like, what meter is this song in? How many styles have been incorporated? Is that polyphony she hears? (What a nerd oh my goddd) Y/N just wants her to enjoy it without getting caught up in the theory of it all… Maybe with time she’ll get better at doing that?

Update: She’s currently ripping her hair out trying to analyze the song. Y/N hasn’t slept in days ‘cause she won’t shut up about her research… And that’s what you get for being a nuisance all the time, Y/N XD

Cassandra:

Cassandra is a logical person. She sees a problem? (Like Y/N singing at the top of their lungs) She fixes it. Y/N better not complain. Cass originally wanted to cut out their tongue, but Dani suggested she try this first. Honestly, Y/N is beating the odds on how they’ve been able to survive this long… maybe they should go out and buy a lottery ticket… Or go stand on top of the castle to see if they can get struck by lightning.

Daniela:

Nobody screeches Encanto songs harder than Dani. The noise level gets so loud in the castle when Y/N and Dani sing together that Alcina throws them in the dungeon for a few hours to let them both get it out of their systems. They always end up having brutal sex once they’re down there though… Alci learned that the hard way. One time she walked in and saw Y/N kissing their way up Daniela’s body to the rhythm of “Bruno no, no” while Dani sang, called them a hoe and spit on them… These two nasty.

Masterlist

[henrysglock]

James' Working Master List

My Bullshit Theories:

Mother Is God In The Eyes Of A Child (Mothergate origins, Vecna’s mother imagery)

Psycho Killer, Qu'est-ce Que C'est? (Neither Henry Nor Vecna Are Psychopaths: An In-Depth Behavioral Analysis)

A Night of Monologues (Splicing together the released 4.07 script and the transcript of One’s filmed monologue. Spoiler: They’re two halves of a whole speech)

Shattered Mirrors and Cracked Walls (An analysis of Henry’s dematerialization scene, the aftermath, and a determination that we’re being shown all 4 timelines interchangeably in the NINA version of the 1979 HNL Massacre)

One Does Not Simply Lose A Gate (The 2nd part of the 1979 massacre aftermath and proof that a timeline exists where Henry/Edward did nothing wrong)

Where Is All The Blood Coming From? (A comparison between the NINA massacre's smeared blood and the carnage resulting from democreature attacks)

A Tale Of Two Vecnas (An analysis of Vecna's scorching in Dimension-X, which shows us two distinct and physically different men)

Pick A Damn Jumpsuit! (Matching up the Dimension-X jumpsuits to NINA massacre jumpsuits)

Barnes And NO!! Where Did He Go!! (A write up on the discrepancies in One’s appearance, tattoo, and color grading in the closet scene as evidence of his disappearance from the plot)

Why Do You, As The Big Bad, Have No Lines Or Powers? (Vecna’s physical form in the UD has no dialogue and doesn’t use psionic powers: evidence and theories)

So Which Is It: Night or Day? (Discrepancies in time-labeling in the released 4.07 script and how they might link to El’s 1983 escape)

Plinko Power! (NINA's plinko game as a microcosm of timeline theory and Henry's time-based powers)

The Mystery of the Move-In Date (Physically speaking, there’s no possible way that the Creels moved in in 1959)

Our Lord and Savior…Vecna? (Why Vecna/001 is God, Based On Analysis Of ST4, The Bible, And Other Supporting Media)

The First Shadow: Who Knew Whom in 1959 (Why Certain Character Were Removed From Hawkins Prior To ST4)

Proto-HeIIcheer: Who Did George and Betty Become? (Why Patty Newby and Allen Munson may be the pairing to watch for in The First Shadow, rather than Patty and Henry)

Fics:

Paper Faces — POTO x ST fusion fic (Complete)

ptolemaea (blessed be the children) — Henry’s fix-it fic (3/?)

Spider Fact, Anyone? — 1959 RPG-style ST minific

Featured Art:

Creel Siblings Outfit Swap

Creelarke Aesthetic Board

Featured Edits:

NYMPHOLOGY (ft. HNL)

The Colors of ST4 (ft. Le Monde)

Henry Creel: Brainless Borzoi

Art:

TUNNEL VISION (ft. Henry Creel)

Edits:

Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve (ft. Henry Creel)

Left-Brain, Right-Brain (ft. Henry and Edward Creel)

House of Leaves (Mini-Library):

House of Leaves Initial Analysis

House of Leaves Excerpts

Creel Files:

Henry Files:

Rebuke of Apologism Claims

A Note on Script Analysis

Our First Impression of Henry Sets Him Up For Failure

The Seagull

Stand By Me

The Divine Comedy

Henry and Edward, Jekyll and Hyde

Young Henry, Adult Henry, and the Rabbit Scene

Multiple Henries: Screenshots and Brenner Comparison

Perspective On The Length of Henry's Imprisonment

Vecna as the Villain: Defining Stranger Things' Narrative

I, Tonya and Perspective-Based Truth

Henry's Unseen Costumes

Kate Trefry and The First Shadow

Henry Didn't Manipulate El Re: Soteria

Details the Duffers Must Address

The Fallacies in Henry's Spider Schtick

NINA and Vecna’s Black Obelisks

Henry and Brenner Expansion Pack

Expansion Pack!

Creel Cousins:

Eleanor “El” Creel

The Stare Runs In The Family

Room (2015)

And Soon, Others Were Born

Sleepyhead

She’s Mike’s…Cousin! Second Cousin! Lots of family in Sweden.

Luke and Leia vs El and Mike (Stav’s Post)

Luke and Leia vs El and Mike (2)

Luke and Leia vs El and Mike (3)

Henry/Edward…Anakin…

Family Files:

Heritability of Powers

Psychopathy: Learned or Genetic

Karen, Virginia, and Tortured Husbands

ST5: Which Wheelers Live and Why?

Alice Creel: Admission of Innocence by Omission of Fault

ST4 Victims: A Story By Proxy (AKA The Breadcrumbs Post)

Even if Henry killed Virginia, It Would Be Self Defense

Brenner and Virginia Expansion Pack

Pedo-Files:

Mamas and Papas: Spiders, Flowers, and Bathtubs

Karen, Billy, Virginia...Henry

Will and Vecna Expansion Pack

Will Files:

Expansion Pack

The First Shadow/Creelarke:

Creelarke Origins

IT (1990) Reddie Aesthetic Similarities

Scott's Funeral Scarf

A New Timeline

IT (1990) Aesthetic Updated for TFS

Radiationgate:

Radium Files:

Eben Byers, Radium, and ST3's Soviet Plot

Chemistry Class: Maria Skłodowska-Curie

Radiation Sickness Files:

Psionic Powers and EM Radiation

Vecna's Curse: Radiation Sickness Symptoms

ST5 Predictions

Nuclear Disaster Files:

Henry Creel Literally Nuked Hawkins

Chemistry Class: Nuclear Explosion Imagery

Chernobyl, Hawkins Earthquake and ST4's Soviet Shadow (1)

Chernobyl, Hawkins Earthquake, and ST4's Soviet Shadow (2)

Phantomgate:

What in the POTO Visuals?

POTO 2004: Film Analysis

Dart and Gustave: Love Never Dies

Secret Admirers: Puzzle Tales Connection

Anime/Manga References

Coming Soon: Fullmetal Alchemist

Rambles:

1: On Byler and Rink-O-Mania

2: On Demoslugs

3: On Byler and Open Secrecy

4: Sad Thoughts About Post-S2 Will

5: On Spore Lore

6: On The Rain Fight

[discotenny]

Im gonna be sick I saw this English translation of Get Busy and I’m sick!!!

Have some Get Busy thoughts as I write the next few fics.

To be clear!!! I have not looked at translations for the Block Party drama tracks so this is me working on all the info from before those came out.

Long analysis under cut

I think it’s made clear that both of them are referring to their own individual potential as people. The whole “get busy” and “push push buddy” parts referring to the fact that they both are moving forward and must keep moving forward to continue to develop to be the best versions of themselves.

But there’s a lot of talk about a second individual. With all the “our eyes cross each other” “if you run from this there’s no second chance” “connecting the dots together,” etc etc. I have a few ideas, one main idea but two others.

1) They’re referring to each other. If they show the interactions in the Block Party that leads to them performing this at the music festival it would make sense 🤔 Are these songs actually being performed in the music festival though ? Unsure LOL.

But the two have very similar personalities in terms of extrovertedness and excitement so it would make sense that they’re referring to each other in this song if you look at it like that.

2) They’re referring to the listener. Hypmic lyrics typically seem to be more about the characters rather than the messages they can put out to the readers (at least that’s what I can understand). But the introduction of this second person character could be Hypmic inviting the listener to take on the stance and outlook these two characters have in life.

Basically, it would be Jiro and Kuko telling the listeners they need to “get busy” and “push push buddy” if they want to live up to their fullest potential. They’re inviting the listeners to take that journey with them- and I think that’d be neat.

But, my main theory.

3) They’re referring to Ichiro. To be clear- I do NOT ship any of the BBs and this is not me trying to make up defenses. I am a Kuko and Ichi shipper so do with that what you will LOL.

In terms of Jiro- it’s clear his overall arc is about learning to be more independent from and to not idolize Ichiro so much. He’s really becoming his own person- developing a view of Ichi as someone who can and has done wrong, but still loving and caring for his brother all the same. He even stopped calling Ichi Ichinii because he stopped viewing him as one does a little kid.

I think this song symbolizes Jiro’s full independence from Ichiro. The whole “if you run from this there’s no second chance” could be him inviting Ichi to take the step with him, but won’t chase him out anymore if he doesn’t want to go with him. Showing that it’s not that he doesn’t care if Ichi is by his side, but he will continue to push forward in his own goals even without his brother’s support.

And my argument for Kuko? This whole damn verse LOL

“Somehow, it turned out this way” referring to the mind hacking event. It’s canon that he and Sasara don’t know what exactly they said to their partners.

“Being suggestive is OK” tbh I think this is just Kuko being Kuko. But if you want to read into it more it could be Kuko saying that Ichi doesn’t have to tell him exactly what happened if he doesn’t want to.

“My feelings are on wits end from mischief and passing time” There’s two ways I could see this- Kuko’s built up feelings of all his development from all the years he’s lived through or that the ‘passing time’ refers to his time in MCD. Both would work tbh

“Squeezing out each other,” if looking through the lens of this being about Ichiro- could refer to the fact that the two have sort of ‘moved on’ from the incident. They have people in their lives now that filled the void they once left in each other.

“Obviously… in time” again, referring to their reconciliation.

“Stepping together it hurts” could imply that there’s still leftover negative feelings between the two. Not bad blood per se , but maybe it’s guilt from kuko’s end about what he once did to Ichi. Or it’s fear that things might turn out the same way again 🤔

Overall- I do think both characters are referring to Ichiro in this song. But rather than the song being ABOUT Ichi- it’s about them moving on from their characters focal points being about him. Being their own people, acknowledging their connections, but not letting it define them.

Jiro- not going to idolize Ichi and is willing to walk forward even if he’s not by his side.

Kuko- accepting that they’re different people at the moment and continuing to walk, opening a hesitant hand if Ichiro wants to take it.

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

You genuinely make a compelling analysis of AOS! I wasn’t convinced by your theory that Naksu as a soul is in fact Jin Buyeon until you talked about Jang Gang looking for a girl who was lost, and Master Lee saying that she is dead. I totally glossed over Jang Gang’s quest when it is obvious that he was looking for her not only because the families were close, but because souls-shifting was involved! You just don’t disappear for 20 years looking for a friend’s daughter, no matter how good of a fried they are lol. Anyway I just wanted to ask you if you think the show is going to have some sort of a happy ending or not? It was clear to me from the beginning that the soul that was in Mudeok’s body was dead because, well, that IS how soul-shifting works, but I assumed it was because this whole thing was going to have a sad bittersweet kind of ending, like « Hotel del Luna » or « Korean Odyssey », with the main couple not ending up together or particularly happy, and at least one of them dead. Do you think Naksu and Jang Uk will end up together and all will be well? Your analysis actually gave me hope but that’s dangerous isn’t it ahaha

I think the show will have a happy ending. However, this will depend on how you look at things. To answer your other question, things are not as they appear. I will be discussing this further in my next T&A post. Let's just say I ended up being pretty damn blind and stupid myself! I was literally smacking myself in the head for not realizing it sooner lol!

[friendfromdsmp]

“Marinette Lesson of the Episode” Review - S1 E1: Stormy Weather

So I’ve long been vocal about not understanding the execution of the show Miraculous Ladybug’s rule of ‘Marinette must learn a lesson in every episode’. In theory the idea is fine, and many kids’ shows attempt to do the same thing, and usually with success. But Miraculous is increasingly known for poorly executing good concepts and have also acquired a bit of a reputation for putting main character Marinette, aka Ladybug, through the ringer in order to make these lessons happen. So I’ve decided, in all my pettiness and enjoyment of summarising my thoughts on my special interests, to go through all the lessons Marinette learns in each episode, with a ranking system at the bottom of my long-winded analysis if my write-up is TL;DR. Starting with the very first episode; Stormy Weather

Essay-Worthy Review (TL;DR at the bottom)

The episode starts with Marinette trying to keep Manon in check but getting repeatedly overwhelmed by this absolute gremlin running rings around her. She’s endangering Marinette’s work-in-progress hat design, stealing Marinette’s phone to vote for Mireille to win the contest (original phone stealer here guys) and causing Marinette to get hurt chasing her as she smacks into a table at one point. This does not so much as get a reaction from Manon. We don’t know how long these two have known each other at this point, especially since Alya then comes in and has to be introduced to Manon as “one of my mum’s friends’ daughters”, but Manon not even flinching at Marinette’s clumsiness implies to me that either Manon is no shits given right off the bat in a way that generally most kids would at least pause at if they see their current caretaker getting hurt or Manon knows Marinette well enough already to know she’s gonna bounce back

And honestly, the latter is what we seem to be supposed to believe, which makes Marinette’s inability to say no look even worse since she clearly has no handle on this kid at least right now but still agreed to take care of her once again even knowing this. Which is fine if the lesson of the episode is addressing exactly that; that Marinette needs to learn to say no. Instantly establishing a relatable character flaw in your main character in her very first on-screen appearance is a good start, especially since it’s one that isn’t so easily overcome in the span of a single episode. Strong opening

And then Alya waltzes in and helps us confirm that, yes, Marinette does struggle to say no and can be a pushover at times, even agreeing to do things she clearly doesn’t want to do and/or isn’t capable of doing without overwhelming herself. Follow this up by Marinette saying right away that she can’t do the things she herself would like to do, aka go to the park to see Adrien, because she accepted this responsibility and now she has to honour that? Even when Alya offers to take care of Manon in Marinette’s place, pointing out that Alya is far more knowledgeable and experienced in handling babysitting jobs? Marinette is now portrayed in her very first scene as honourable and responsible, but to a bit of a fault since her very relatable struggle to say no puts her into situations where she takes responsibility for things she isn’t quite able to handle on her own. This can translate to both Marinette and Ladybug, and we haven’t even met Ladybug yet! When it comes to establishing Marinette’s character early on, they’re doing a great job! And I’m so damn glad this ties in with the lesson of the episode so I can ramble about this because as much as I’m happy to salt we also need to give credit where it’s due

Anyway, Alya decides that they can all go down to the park together so that Marinette can see Adrien while still babysitting Manon with Alya’s assistance on both activities (also another more subtle example of Marinette struggling to say no because despite telling Alya that she had to stay home to watch Manon and assuring Alya that she couldn’t make Alya watch Manon in her place Alya whisks them both out the door regardless and Marinette’s response is “Okay!”) and Manon wants to get a balloon. Alya offers to take her to get the balloon, but Manon demands that Marinette take her, not Alya. Marinette, despite her and Alya both wanting Marinette to stick around for Adrien, immediately assures Alya that as Manon’s babysitter she should do it, despite Alya’s protests about Adrien. Once again, we see Marinette sacrificing what she wants to do in order to take on a responsibility she struggled to say no to. Of course, when babysitting you can’t just leave and do what you want, but since the show keeps highlighting how Marinette has to choose between her wants and a responsibility she didn’t want to take on regardless, it’s clearly trying to convey that this is a common thing with Marinette - and this tends to remain consistent in future episodes. They’re trying to portray Marinette as taking on too much for others to the point of prioritising the wants and needs of others over the wants and needs of herself

We follow up with Manon getting her balloon and Marinette wanting to go back to see Adrien, but Manon insists they go on the merry-go-round. Marinette at this point says “No, no, no, no, not right now, I gotta get back to Adrien…” which features Marinette explicitly saying no multiple times, ‘not right now’ assuring Manon that they will do the activity at a later point in the day and she won’t be forgotten, followed by Marinette giving Manon an explanation as to why they can’t do the activity right now. She’s made a very good attempt to be direct, but also reassure Manon and explain herself without denying Manon of what she wants. Great attempt at putting her foot down… except…

“Aw, please, please, not the baby doll eyes… You know I can’t say no to the-”

Aaaaand instantly Marinette’s foot is back off the ground, giving us the perfect on-screen struggle to say no as well as seeing that even when Marinette attempts to say no she can be pressured into giving in when others continue to badger her. We’re getting so much evidence to work with here, and since Manon is a little brat kid, it doesn’t all feel forced, but realistic

We then see Alya rush over to Marinette and Manon saying that Adrien needs Marinette to model with him. Marinette’s first response to this is “What? Seriously? But, what about Manon?”, followed by Alya saying that she’ll take care of her for Marinette. Despite Manon’s initial protests about wanting to stay with Marinette, Alya quickly wins her over and takes her away to play make-believe. Marinette doesn’t get a word in edgewise about this, her next line being a shocked sound when she sees Stormy Weather approaching, which leaves her to rush off and transform before saying to herself “Why did I leave Manon? I should never have done that! No. Alya’s right. She’s in good hands. I must trust her”

Okay points for cutting off your pity party to assure yourself that you’re in no way responsible for this, especially with the use of the word ‘no’ to counteract the guilt trip. Sometimes saying no to yourself is just as difficult as saying no to others. But we still have to address it since it was vocalised; Marinette, you left them alone for all of two seconds before a supervillain appeared out of nowhere and sealed them in ice, how could you possibly have predicted that or been able to prevent that should you have been in Alya’s place? And it’s not even like she ‘let’ Manon go, Alya kinda just took her. Marinette was still being responsible regardless, since she left Manon in the care of an experienced and willing babysitter who she knows and trusts. If Marinette had asked Alya to watch Manon for five seconds while she went to the bathroom, would she also be at fault and to blame because she left Manon with Alya? But fortunately Marinette did cut herself off and assure herself that it wasn’t her fault, so this point isn’t really the real ‘Marinette does something wrong’ moment and the show thankfully acknowledges that

And then after the Stormy Weather fight, Marinette returns to the park and Manon asks her for a lollipop, to which Marinette more confidently than before responds with “No, Manon. I have something important to do. Alya, you’ll watch her, yeah? I’m ready for the photoshoot!”

Girl! You did it! You actually did it! Not only did she say no to Manon and stick to her guns, she also felt comfortable enough to request - no, in the nicest way possible more or less expect based on previous discussions - Alya to watch Manon for her for five minutes. She finally actively puts herself first without worrying about her taking Alya up on her offer of help being a mockery of her responsibilities. She’s learned her lesson and she’s made progress, even if just a little! And sure, they don’t give her the reward of being in the photoshoot with Adrien and instead give the role to Manon, which I’ve seen some people consider punishing Marinette for her behaviour in the episode, but in this case I don’t believe that, even if I can see how people would come to that conclusion based on patterns in the show of Marinette losing out on things last minute even after learning her lesson as if to punish her for needing to learn that lesson in the first place. I’m happy to say this one is nothing more than just a funny gag at the end, even if I agree that it can be perceived as the start of a concerning pattern

——— Rankings ———

Intended Lesson

Learn to say ‘no’

Conveyed Lesson

It’s okay to set boundaries with others and stick to them, you don’t have to take on responsibilities for others, especially at your own detriment or when you aren’t prepared to take on a certain responsibility. You don’t have to struggle for the sake of others, sometimes you may need help with your responsibilities and so long as you find someone willing, able and trustworthy to help you out, don’t feel bad about delegating a little if you need the assistance

Appropriateness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marinette being a pushover and a people-pleaser to her own detriment is a consistent character flaw in the show and is absolutely a lesson Marinette needs to learn, as well as being a very relatable problem for audiences of pretty much any age group or demographic

Execution: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The episode consistently refers to both on- and off-screen examples of Marinette either being unable to say no or struggling to put her foot down and stick to her word after she says it. They do this in a way that feels relatable and realistic and not contrived. And by the end of the episode Marinette is able to put her foot down without being walked over

Blame Distribution: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Marinette has a brief moment of doubt as to her being to blame for Manon and Alya being iced because Alya was watching Manon in the two seconds that occurred in, but she saves herself by immediately saying no to her own doubts. Not only did she put saying no into practice on herself, but she also reminded herself that she was not to blame for Manon being put in harm’s way - it would have happened regardless of who was with Manon at that particular moment. Moreover, they don’t attempt to guilt trip Marinette about struggling to say no, but instead send in Alya to assist her and support her in her attempts to say no as well as the natural consequences of her actions, i.e. having to babysit Manon when she doesn’t want to and isn’t prepared to

Overall Ranking: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m proud to say we’re starting off very strong here with top marks all around. The Marinette Lesson of the Episode was easily identifiable as it’s intended message, appropriate to Marinette’s character and her consistent character flaws, didn’t unfairly place or remove blame and felt natural rather than contrived. It all hit home. It created a solid lesson. The only note I could possibly give would be to let Marinette do the photoshoot rather than having her finally being able to tell Manon ‘no’ give her the same result as continuing to be a pushover, or at least have Adrien say something nice to her so that it doesn’t feel like Marinette ended up in the same position regardless of success or failure. But that’s more of a nitpick than anything, and especially for the very first episode I’m very pleased with this!

[small-gremlin-thing]

MY THOUGHTS ON AMPHIBIA S3E17:

Oh man, where do I even begin with this?!? The overarching story in general and the feeling of “this is it” that was prevalent throughout the episode was phenomenal, I was damn near on the edge of my seat the entire time. The visuals were also absolutely stunning, the fight scenes were edit worthy (source: already working on one lol), and I’m just blown away at how much the animation as a whole has improved since the start of the series.

I do have a few grievances unfortunately, the episode felt sort of rushed and could likely have been split in two, but I personally can look past that since I don’t expect perfection from this series (if you can’t look past it, I totally get where you’re coming from and we can agree to disagree).

Now, to break down my absolute favourite scenes, though not in full detail since I don’t want to type a 10 page english paper (that’s reserved for annoying my irl best friend). First and foremost, the introduction to Marcy’s mindscape/room/void(?). I’ll lump all of these together for simplicity. Going in I didn’t think that the room that Marcy was locked in was a little puzzle room, but really that doesn’t surprise me. Then we got to see the massive library and the fantasy world created for her (+ the dope ass outfits), and I unironically would love it there that place looks fun as hell (minus the creepy friends and possession of course). Then when Marcy rejected the fantasy by realizing that she didn’t want that, she wanted her real friends, and she got thrown into the void(?) I was lowkey a bit worried. But the connection was severed and she’s fine, so that’s good. On a similar note, the flashback to Marcy meeting King Andrias for the first time just solidified how much I love her as a character, and how much of a dick the core is.

The fight scenes in this episode need no introduction, as I’ll once again say that they were absolutely phenomenal! Whether it be between the Plantars/Boonchuys and robots/herons, Anne and King Andrias, or Grime/Sasha and Darcy, they all had me screaming (/pos, mostly). On a similar note, the loss of Grime’s arm caught me (and the vast majority of of the fandom as I’ve seen) by complete surprise. Time to bust out the clown makeup I guess, because I was convinced that it would be Anne. I’m not mad about that theory being false though, Anne doesn’t need any more trauma than she already has.

The scene where Sprig read King Andrias the letter from Leif and King Andrias sacrifices himself was also very well done! We got even more confirmation that Leif is a Plantar, and Andrias sacrificing himself(?) and turning out to be a cyborg was emotional (and unexpected as far as the cyborg aspect is concerned).

Finally, the reunion between Sasha, Anne, and Marcy was one I’ve been waiting for for forever, and it feels so nice to finally see it. They’ve all got their issues but the bond that they share is like no other and they’re destined to be by each other’s sides and just AAAHH MY HEART, I LOVE THEM!! The final moments where they realize that the moon is falling (is this Majora’s Mask??) and their work isn’t done followed by the end of the episode just left me wanting more in the best way.

Jesus Christ on a bike I wrote a lot, but not without reason I guess. My closing note is that I won’t be doing an analysis like this for the final episode, instead I feel it would be more in order to write a love letter of sorts to this show that has brought so much joy into my life. I was 13 when this show began, 15 when I was introduced to it, and I’m now 16 and almost done with my sophomore year of highschool. I feel like a love letter is in order if you ask me (also, if that would fall under the Amphibia Supernova event let me know so I can tag it accordingly!). I’m not ready for this series to end, but that’s where we’re headed, so I’ll see y’all on the other side.

[strixop]

cw // bhna 362 manga spoilers, possible character death

ok!!! i have a long, loooong time theory i’ve been meaning to speak about on this blog, and even one of the reasons i started this blog, and with 362 it’s getting more relevant than ever.

call it a sin, but i haven’t watched that much of the subtitled version of bhna seasons 1-4, and it’s been a while since i saw seasons five- i watched it when it was released, and have yet to rewatch it, in favor of the manga.

so i can’t comment as much on the japanese va’s and roles, and i also haven’t reread most any of the early chapters in the manga. but, the english dub of the early seasons, present mic (and occasional aizawa) have been the ones to voiceover and explain peoples quirks. sometimes it’s in a scenario at that current moment (ex. aizawa explaining class 1-As quirks to blood king s5 ep1) but more often than not it’s apparent that it’s just them talking to the viewer.

more than this, when the shows opening plays, deku speaks in the past tense. “when i was young i realized that all men are not created equal” blah blah blah, whatever, we just know that he said that pretty often throughout the show (probably to keep viewer retention, but whatever).

nevertheless, he speaks in past tense. that might not mean anything on surface level, and yeah, it might just be a inner monologue, but why would he say this? besides typical tv purposes, whenever he reflects during the story, he never speaks this way. he thinks of supporting roles, or moments of significance up to his current action, not that he wasn’t equal. so that implies further, complete reflection. we haven’t seen him do that, not really.

honestly, when i had this idea i hadn’t really thought about it past surface level fluff, but then i started reading more tumblr analysis. (unfortunately i lost the blog that made this post, but thank you, op!!)

there was a specific post that caught my eye, speaking about the toga confession chapter. this has been touched on by a lot of people, but there’s a specific log of dialogue that sounds suspiciously like bakugou.

“because for all his triumphs, he was still just a damned nerd.”

that got me thinking, even more. the fact of the matter is, bakugou is one of, if not the only characters to say something like this. “damned nerd”, has both damned and nerd in it, both words bakugou very frequently uses.

though i was more convinced, i let it stew. until bam. 362. besides the obvious whiplash, i basically drowned myself in tumblr posts, until i came across this post.

https://chandralia.tumblr.com/post/691959313676304384/why-does-it-sound-like-both-deku-and-bakugo-are

in other words, it sounds as if bakugou & midoriya are narrating, and that is why im writing this now.

ladies and gentlemen, i believe that bhna is narrated podcast style.

because honestly? it makes sense!!

all of these people, these prominent characters working together to tell the story of the worlds greatest hero. to say that deku isn’t just another all might, and that greatness isn’t born from lucky circumstances and no self preservation. to say that someone “worth nothing” can show their worth.

and it would make more sense!! present mic literally has a radio show, aizawa is literally one of his mentors, and bakugou is his kacchan, his other half. if you ship them or not is your opinion, but regardless of subjectivity, they hold a bond indescribable compared to almost any other character, canonically.

yeah it might just be because i’m obsessed with the image of them all in a recording studio, and yeah it might be that i refuse to accept the possibility that katsuki might be dead, but if there’s even a chance that something like this could be a possibility i will not stop speaking about it.

if all of this is just brainrot, so be it, but it would be so inspiring to see something like this, and would be huge for such a popular and such an iconic shoujo manga to pursue something like this, and hey, that would be amazing for a future au!! :)

[trans-clown-catgirl]

Heelloooooo little gay people in my phone. I'm nearly done with my HS reread, less than 700 pages away, and I got to the moment I've been dreading this entire time

The Vriskagram flash.

This isn't gonna be so much an analysis as much as a fucking tirade on how this fucking sucks.

WHAT. WHY. FUCK YOU. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU. BRINGING VRISKA BACK IS ONE THING, SURE YOU DESTROYED A GOOD CONCLUSION TO A WELL WRITTEN CHARACTER ARC, BUT WHATEVER YOU CAN FIX THAT N MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF IT. BUT NO!!! NOW VRISKA IS SUDDENLY GOOD AND AMAZING AND PERFECT AND FIXES EVERYONE'S PROBLEMS, SHE SUDDENLY HAS HER SHIT TOGETHER LIKE SOME GOKU BUMP ON THE HEAD BULLSHIT EXCEPT HE WAS A BABY WHEN THAT HAPPENED, VRISKA IS LUDICROUSLY OUT OF CHARACTER HERE AND THE FACT SHE'S SUDDENLY FIXING EVERYTHING AROUND THE METEOR BEING A RELATIONSHIP COUNSELOR BEING ON PERFECT TERMS WITH TEREZI IT'S ALL SUCH BULLSHIT, SHE'S GOING AROUND THE SBURB ALPHA SESSION MAKING EVERYTHING BETTER AND SHE'S PERFECT AND SHE DOES NOTHING WRONG EVER. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS STUPID SUDDEN IDIOTIC 180 HUSSIE PULLED WITH ABSOLUTELY NO ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT OR PROPER LEADUP, YOU PIECE OF SHIT, THIS IS NOT HOW CHARACTER REDEMPTIONS WORK, THEY DON'T GET CLOCKED IN THE FACE AND SUDDENLY THEY'RE A COMPLETE POLAR OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY USED TO BE, THAT ISN'T HOW THIS WORKS

I had a smidge of hope. A smidge! I thought oh maybe Ghost Vriska gets merged with Past Vriska and that's how she knows what to fix and that's how she's more emotionally sensible and not a douchebag and egomaniac BUT NO THEY MAKE A POINT TO MAKE IT DAMN CLEAR THAT THEY'RE SEPARATE ENTIRELY, GHOST VRISKA A PRETTY WELL DEVELOPED N THOUGHT OUT CHARACTER WHO GOT PLENTY OF SCREENTIME AND DEVELOPMENT, BUT NOW SHE'S BEING BASICALLY REPLACED BY SOMETHING WORSE, SOMETHING FUCKING CHEAP, I HATE EVERY SECOND OF THIS.

Fuck what hussie did to A6I3-5 Tavros btw. That probably singlehandedly spawned the stupid "Tavros was a chaser" theory, he's an incel that acts like a dick and grovels at Vriska's feet there which makes NO sense, he died in a respectable way, he would rather die fighting a fight he knows he has almost no chance to win, if only to at least TRY to stop Vriska from doing something stupid that would get them all killed, rather than sit there doing nothing. Textbook Heroic death. And then when he's a ghost he's a fucking incel. What the hell hussie. You should have skipped to the part where he recruits a ghost army through sheer charisma (peak page of breath)

Anyways yeah fuck the Vriskagram flash and fuck everything it embodies. Including the infantilization of WV. That's an old man that's not a baby. He's older than all of you combined. He's your fucking grandpa. He's a war veteran, he staged a revolution. Stop treating him like a child bc he's short. Fuck you.

[miekasa]

six thirty

+ pairing: armin arlert x (fem) reader

+ genres and warnings: college au, enemies to lovers… kinda… in a very nerdy academic rivalry kind of way, me being a comedian you’re welcome, fluff, smut/nsfw content

+ word count: 5.6k… pls say sike

+ notes: shout out to ryn​​ for listening to me during our very many rambling sessions and also for extorting me into posting this. consider it a late birthday present for my favorite menace </2

+ side notes: no i am not a part of armin nation and i never want to be, nor do i wish speak of this again.

Armin Arlert is the perfect student. Prompt and well prepared during lecture; smart and insightful during office hours; the apple of any teacher’s eye. Unfortunately for him, so are you.

If you asked Armin, you were a little too clever for your own good, and liked to make it very well known that you believe you’re the smartest person in any room you walk into. That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that he has to sit there and worship your superiority complex. 

If someone asked you, you’d say that Armin was a know it all, and a manipulative little piece of shit. Again, not a completely false statement, but perhaps a slightly biased character analysis.

Neither of you are wrong. It’s why you’re both the bane of each other’s existence.  

There’s a noticeable grimace on your face, chin in your palm, elbows resting atop your desk, as you turn your head to where, sure enough, Armin is seated where he always is: first row, right side, directly in front of the podium, like perfect little teacher’s pet he wants to be. He doesn’t have any books to unpack like everybody else because a shiny, blue iPad is propped up on his desk in place of all of that. He’s robably looking through his pre-written list of showboaty questions to ask during lecture. Like he’s a cut above everyone else.  

Maybe some of the other morons in this course, but not you, that’s for damn sure. You bet that if you broke his thousand dollar tablet he wouldn’t think he’s such hot shit anymore. Maybe that would knock him down a couple of pegs.

“Look at him sitting there with his stupid blue eyes, and his stupid Bieber haircut, and his stupid, shiny blonde hair, and his stupid fucking glasses. I bet they’re not even real and he just wears them to—”

“Did you just call his hair shiny?”

You snap your head to your left, “What—no, of course not. I said shoddy, he’s probably a bottle blonde. Maybe all the chemicals from the hair dye seeps into his head and warps his sense of reality.”

“I’m pretty sure you said shiny.”

“Shut up, Annie.”

She raises an eyebrow at you, “You got something against blondes? Because your track record would beg to differ.”

“Once. We kissed once, and it was truth or dare, and we were both sloshed.”

“You still chose me,” she reminds you, pulling her notebook out of her backpack.

You huff, ignoring her words and turning your head back to Armin, this time finding him twirling his stupid fucking expensive Apple Pencil between his fingers like it’s nothing. You can feel your eye begin to twitch.

Perhaps he can, too—or maybe he can just feel your eyes boring holes into him—because he turns in your direction and ceases his pen twirling the moment you make eye-contact. More students filter in, walking past your line of vision, but each time they move, you and Armin meet gazes again; neither one of you daring to look away, a palpable tension between you.

His eyes might be icy blue, but you can see the rose pink tint underneath his skin, even from the distance; a familiar blush that spreads across his nose and cheeks. You exhale with a silent laugh, breaking your eye contact before he grows completely red, just in time for Dr. Zöe to start the lecture.

Everybody thinks that Armin’s so brilliant, so smart, so untouchable. You know that his only genius is that he’s fooling everyone into thinking that he’s the kind, humble, little nerd boy who wouldn’t harm a fly, when that’s far from the truth.

Armin is mean. He’s competitive and possessive and snarky and sly. He’s the definition of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but you’re pretty sure the only person in the world who might believe that is Eren. Though, you’ve heard some of the insults Armin throws Eren’s way, and they’re not exactly soft. Granted, that’s a factor in any friendship, and most of his jabs are coated with a layer of intellect the brunette likely doesn’t understand, but that doesn’t make Armin any less sarcastic. It just means Eren’s too dumb to know what’s going on.

Poor kid. Maybe it’s for the best.

That’s all to say that Armin is nothing but a big talker—not even; a smooth-talker, is more like it. He comes across as perfect, all good and sweet and soft, because that’s what he lets people see. Nobody else looks through to the sharp tongue and ragged edges, because they’re too busy cooing over innocent blue-eyed baby in front of them.

But you know that Armin, the one he doesn’t want other people to see: the one that’s so good, he’s bad; so sweet that he’s sick; so nice that it’s cruel. And you know just how much pressure to apply to make his façade crack.

And you intend on doing so.

“I don’t know which formula to use—hey, are you two eye fucking again? Cut it out, I’m trying not to fail over here,” Eren exclaims, poking Armin’s shoulder with his pen.

The jab averts the blonde’s attention back to his friend, eyes wide as he blinks himself back to reality. He curses under his breath when he feels a familiar warmth creeping across his cheeks. Few things piss Armin off like the way he gets red in the face after thinking about you, or even just looking at you, for too long. Whether it’s red out of pure annoyance, or another feeling he tries to push down, it’s irritating, and above all, embarrassing.

He spares one more glance over his shoulder, to where you and Annie are sat a few tables away in the library. You’ve looked away by now, focusing back on your notes, but Armin swears he can still see that irritating smirk on your face from this angle.

He rolls his tongue along the inside of his cheek. He should be able to keep it together around you by now, but he can’t, and it bothers him. You bother him.

“We weren’t eye fucking,” he refutes, turning his back to you completely, “She’s such a little know it all sometimes, s’annoying.”

Eren raises an eyebrow. He knows that you and Armin don’t get along, but he doesn’t understand why. Armin knows almost all your friends, and you definitely know all of his—Eren would even go as far as to say that you and him are pretty close friends—so it’s not a matter of not spending time together. You’re also the two smartest people Eren knows. In theory you should have more than enough to talk about together, but every time you’re in the same room, you hardly acknowledge each other outside of surface level commentary, or glances that border on staring.

Thankfully, the bickering remains in the classroom for the most part. Eren’s seen you and Armin go at, and he’ll be the first to admit that it’s beyond intimidating. Though, a little part of him finds it oddly entertaining, and he can’t help but to be impressed. All the more reason for you two to start playing on the same team. 

Eren thinks the two of you should get to the root of the issue already. Which, if you asked him, has very little to do with your rivaled academic genius, and a lot to do with your lack of it concerning your feelings for each other.

“She’s not that bad,” Eren vouches for you, “I think you two might get along if you ever spoke outside of trying to one-up each other in class.”

“I’m not trying to one-up anybody,” Armin rolls his eyes, a nasty habit he’s picked up as of late, “And if you stopped and used your brain for a moment, then maybe you could solve the problem.”

“I did use my brain!” Eren’s lips fall into an offended pout, “But none of this makes any sense to me! I fucking hate math, you know that.”

Armin sighs, feeling sympathetic for Eren as he slumps into himself defeatedly. He knows that Eren isn’t dumb, but math in any capacity is certainly not his strong suit. He also knows that he shouldn’t give Eren all the answers, but sometimes he needs a little push to get him there. A little bit of added guidance and motivation to keep him going. It’s either that, or he has to trick Eren into doing the work himself, but clearly that method wasn’t working out today.

“You already solved for the activation energy, now you’re supposed to use the Arrhenius equation in the expanded form.”

Eren’s lips fall into a small o-shape, as his eyes scramble across his paper again. “But—how do you—”

“There’s two measurements given for temperature.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah! Okay, right, but then—”

“You have to convert it to Kelvin first or it won’t work. It’s given to you in Celsius.”

Eren furrows his eyebrows together, and then it finally clicks for him. He mutters to himself as he puts his pencil to paper to begin to work through the problem, “How do I convert—”

“Add 273.15 to it. Make sure you put the bigger one first in the equation, or else you’ll get a negative error.”

“You didn’t even do it,” Eren huffs, angrily punching numbers into his calculator, “How do you know it’s right?”

“Because I took this class already,” Armin reminds him, sparing a brief glance over his shoulder, “Isn’t that why I’m tutoring you?”

Eren coughs over his embarrassed blush, “Oh, yeah, right.”

It’s quiet between them as Eren makes a final attempt at solving the equation, carefully and proudly circling his answer when he’s finished. He looks to Armin with bright eyes, and is content when the blonde gives him a reassuring nod, confirming that his answer is correct.

“Well that was a bitch to work through,” Eren sighs, stretching his arms behind his head with a slight yawn, “Chemistry is nothing but glorified math. It’s barely a science.”

Armin shrugs, but he doesn’t disagree. He isn’t the biggest fan of chemistry, unlike somebody else he knows. “Why’d you take chem if you knew it would have so much math?”

It’s Eren’s turn to shrug, slumping back in his chair and running a hand through his hair, “I gotta take all the pre-med requirements… just in case.”

“You wanna go to med school? Since when?”

Eren averts his eyes from his friend, a telltale sign of his bashfulness coming over him. It doesn’t happen often, but Armin knows it’s sincere when it does.

“Dunno. I’m not sure of it, just wanna keep my options open, you know?” Eren replies casually, “Doctors help make a difference and all that, and surgery looks kind of cool. Besides, if my bastard father could do it, how hard could it really be?”  

A gentle smile grows on Armin’s lips, “You can do it. If you really want to, I know you can.”  

Eren’s head snaps up, eyes wide and filled with affirmation and adoration. He relaxes his expression quickly after, but the pink hues are still present, “Thanks, Min.”

From his position he catches eye of another head of familiar blonde hair over Armin’s shoulder, and beside it, your own hair. There’s a flash of a moment when your eyes meet Eren’s, and you offer him a small wave before turning back to Annie to resume doing your homework. Eren barely gets the chance to wave back, but a dopey smile sits on his features at your kind gesture. It fades when he looks back to Armin, once again pondering the animosity between you two.

You and Armin aren’t all that different, you just need to get to know each other better. Actually, Eren thinks that you might make a good couple if you both stopped overthinking it.

“So, what’s the deal with you and (_____)?” Eren asks, bending his right knee to wrap his arm around his leg and rest his chin on top of it, “You act like she kicked your cat.”

“What?” Armin questions, flustered, “What—no, she wouldn’t touch Soup.” 

Eren quirks an eyebrow at that. “I still can’t believe you named your cat Soup.”

“It’s technically a nickname.”

“A nickname for what?”

“…For Miso Soup.”

Eren blinks. “Okay, if she didn’t mess with Soup, then what’s the issue? You scared of her or something?”

“Why would I be scared of her?” Armin asks, tone incredulous; then softer, more subdued, like a kid who doesn’t want to admit they’re wrong, “’M not scared of her.”

“You stare at her like you are—well, you look kind of angry, but also scared. Like, when you see those balloon things outside of car washes. You hate them, but you can’t look away from them—”

“I am not scared of those!”

“You are, and it’s okay,” Eren waves away his friend’s denial, “Oh, I get it—is this one of those things where she makes you nervous, so you respond with anger and sarcasm instead of thinking through your feelings?”

“You’ve been going to therapy for one month, relax.”

“Maybe you two should go to friend therapy and work this out,” Eren bites back, “It probably doesn’t help that she’s always with Annie. They both look like they would murder someone with no remorse. I admit, it is kind of scary… but it’s kind of hot, too.”

Armin spares him an unamused glare. Eren crosses his arms in defense, “What? I’m not wrong. It’s sexy in a scary kind of way, maybe that’s why you’re always eye fucking. I don’t blame you, she’s hot. I would let her and Annie axe-murder me without regret.”

“Eren?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and do problem six, I don’t have all day.”

Eren huffs, but flips the page to the next problem, grumbling under his breath as he attempts the, “It’s not as sexy when you’re mean, you know.”

Armin hits him silent.

Tuesdays are Armin’s favorite days because he only has one class. Sure, it’s three hours long, but it’s much more bearable than his usual eight-hour day.

It’s also the one class he shares with you. Which is why he’s always mentally exhausted by the end of it, but physically, he feels like he could punch a wall; all his pent up anger and frustration is channeled into his body and he’s desperate for an outlet for it. It’s a feeling he hates to love.

Annie seems to have cut class today seeing as she’s not next to you; and it’s almost as if it’s emboldened you to mess with him even more than usual.

He bites his tongue as Dr. Zöe enthusiastically uses your latest point as a segue into the final topic of the evening. He made that same point ten minutes ago. You just worded it differently—admittedly, more concisely, but somehow with a little more nuance, than when he had hesitantly proposed it—and, yeah, maybe you made it sound more convincing, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t come up with it first. If his stupid, fancy stylus didn’t cost upwards of $200 he might have snapped it in half.

You’re definitely the better conversationalist, that much he can admit. Words have never been his forte and he hates the way you can talk circles around him, and that there’s so little he can say to make you stop.

He wishes you would just shut up. In fact, he’d like to shut you up himself.

Thankfully, class ends sooner rather than later. Armin finds himself briefly talking with Dr. Zöe afterwards, most other students having taken the opportunity to leave early for the night. To nobody’s surprise, you’re not one of them, having stuck around to talk to the professor, too.

“The two of you should consider lab research this summer,” Dr. Zöe suggests ardently, walking between the two of you as you exit the lecture hall, “I could really use two students like you!”

Armin chuckles at his boisterous professor. He’s known about the research opportunities at their lab for quite some time now, and he knows that you have, too. “I don’t know that lab work is really my strong suit.”

The three of you come to stop at the hallway intersection, the professor now standing across from you and him. You give them a polite smile, “And I’m not sure that collaboration is mine.”

Armin spares a glance just in time to see you flash one of your own in his direction. Dr. Zöe’s eyes flicker between the two students rapidly, a slight squint to their eyelids.

They aren’t quite sure why their two brightest students seem to despise each other. They wish you two would just get along already, so that they don’t have to spend the summer training half-witted chemical engineering majors how to use basic lab equipment; and instead, conduct some actual research.

“Well, I hope the both of you reconsider,” they smile, “I’ll see you during office hours, I presume?”

You two nod in sync, sending the doctor off with happy smile, just long enough until you see that they’ve turned the corner further down the hall

“Had fun stealing my point earlier?” Armin questions, looking your way as you still wave mindlessly, eye-twitching at your polite façade.

“I would call it improvement,” you tell him, not bothering to turn in his direction; still and smiling waving like the professor can see or hear you, “You should stick to showing, rather than saying. You never were good with your words.”

Armin kisses his teeth together. He’ll give you what you want, if that’s how you want it.

In a fit of irritation, he grabs your moving hand by the wrist, and pulls you down the opposite hallway, not caring for your dramatic wailing behind him.

“Hey, Einstein, the exit is the other way, do you have any idea where we’re going?”

“Ever heard of observational learning? Maybe if you shut up for a second, you would figure it out,” he snaps, pulling you further.

There’s a door on the left that Armin knows is unlocked, and he’s quick to open it and pull you inside. Before you have the chance to glance around, he has you pushed up against the wall, jaw forced up and forward.

He could scoff at the small hitch in your breath at his actions, clearly a little too satisfied with being manhandled; but instead, he takes the opportunity to press your lips together. Armin quite likes the feeling of your lips on his; warm and soft and far too welcoming; a rare moment of silence.

“Someone could hear us.”

Or not so silent.

“Then be quiet,” he snarls.

Armin feels your fingers weave themselves into his hair, scraping along his undercut in sync with his lips trailing down your jaw. A groan falls from his when he feels you tug at the ends of the strands, just hard enough to force his face back to eye level with yours.

“You’re the one with the big mouth.”

“You’re so smart, huh. Always got something to say,” Armin lets out a low chuckle, deft fingers running down your sides to squeeze at your waist, “You can be really fuckin’ annoying, you know that.”

You mirror half of his ministrations, letting your right hand trail down his chest barely brushing over the very visible bulge in his jeans, before hooking your index finger under the belt loop, effectively pulling him closer to you.

The smile on your face is dirty, but you’re not laughing like he was, “Do something about it then.”

His blue eyes grow cloudy as he takes a good look at you; slowly rakes over your features, from that stupid, snarky look in your eyes, to your kiss-bruised lips, down to your chest, and back up again. Armin finds himself copying your smirk for all the wrong reasons. But it’s your own fault; you always did like to push him one step over the edge.

“Fine.”

Despite your twisted grin there’s a look in your eyes that’s eager; willing; ready for the taking. That same look you have when you talk over him in class; when you pretend to ignore him around your mutual friends; when you want him to fuck you stupid.

Armin uses his right hand to cup your jaw again, closing the distance between your mouths with a less than gentle kiss. He feels your groans reverberating through his body, waves of heat accompanying them and going straight to his erection. Your arch your back into the kiss, but he forces you backwards, left hand flat against your tummy.

Following suit, he pushes himself against your body, pressing his knee between your legs; the thin fabric of your stockings doing little to prevent your thighs from rubbing against him.

He swipes his tongue over the seam of your lips, earning a frenzied whine when glides his tongue across yours, and teasingly licks at the roof of your mouth. Your tongue is lithe against his, but somehow just as deceptive and sly as always, and Armin would be a fool to deny that he loved it.

There’s a spark flickering in his stomach when you push your center harshly against his; and it’s only ignited further when he feels you bite his bottom lip. A guttural growl escapes him, his right hand moving to your throat with practiced ease, pushing the back of your head into the wall.

He pauses for a moment, drinks in your wide eyes and desperate visage, “You are the single most frustrating person I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

And he couldn’t get enough of it if he tried. He couldn’t get enough of you.

You must see through his words, into the grainy expression of adoration in his eyes, because he can see it filtering into yours, pupils dilating with both want and care.

“Aw, baby, I love you, too,” you pout, leaning forward as best to can to peck him on the lips, “Now, shut me up and fuck me. It’s exhausting being this pretty and smart-mouthed, you know.”

Armin dips his head into your neck, squeezes against the column of your throat with warning until he hears a gasp escape from your lips. He presses gentle kisses into your skin, in stark contrast to the increasing pressure from his fingers, waiting for one last request, and then, finally—“Please.”

He smiles, loosens his grip for a moment, just long enough to hear your pretty panting, before slotting his lips against yours again. Your moans are lewd and sloppy and breathless between kisses, and it makes his dick twitch in his pants. You really are so fucking loud. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

He uses his free hand to push your skirt up, and subsequently dip past the weak barrier of your tights and underwear. The slightest flicker of his fingers against your center has you choking out a moan, and Armin is forced to press his right thumb harder against your neck.

“Quiet,” he reminds you, “You asked nicely, so I’ll give you what you want. No need to be loud about it.”

He watches you nod with short and restricted movements, a sadistic kind of power washing over him at your eager compliance. He uses his middle finger to rub slow, careful circles around your clit; the feeling of your wet cunt against his fingers, coupled with your wanton moaning only spurs on the throbbing in his pants.

“Armin,” you whine, impatiently; but he expected that of you, “Don’t tease.”

His eyes flash to yours briefly, pressing his lips to yours again to swallow your shuddered moans. He dips his tongue into your mouth at the same time he does his middle finger into your cunt. An obscene moan echoing through the classroom, as Armin feels your body arching into his again; feels your fingers frantically flying to his hair, searching for purchase to anchor yourself on.

He pulls away in time to add another digit and watch you groan underneath him. He pushes both his fingers in to the knuckle, carefully curling them upwards to elicit the prettiest sound out of you. He has to admit, it’s probably his favorite thing to hear come out of your mouth.

He keeps a steady pace, pumping his fingers in and out of your pussy with perfect friction, teetering between letting you moan his name and choking you silent. Your hands are frantic in his hair, grasping and pulling and so, so, desperate, Armin can’t help but to finger fuck you harder.

“You want one more?” he questions, but his voice is taunting, words ghosted over your lips just out of reach for you to kiss.

He can feel your leg trembling against his, see you pupils shaking along with your shaking head. Armin stops to smile; he thought you might do that. He could probably make you cry right now if he wanted to. Maybe later.

“Want you to fuck me,” your words short and ragged, eyebrows raised when he uses his thumb to press lightly against your clit, “Armin, please.”

The blonde shakes his head, “You’re dumber than you look if you think I’m gonna fuck you in a classroom, baby, so if you want to cum now, you better tell me.”

You have the audacity to pout of all things, “You’re mean.”

Armin lets out a breathless laugh. “You like it,” he leans forward to peck you sweetly, “So, what’ll it be?”

“Fine, but I want head later, too,” you tell him, words becoming less firm when Armin teases his ring finger against your slit, “Please.”

Armin hums in compliance, leaning forward to kiss you again, this time with more tact, and he chases your whines when he finally pushes a third finger inside of you.

“Look at you,” he croons breaking your kiss and forcing your head back again, “You take it so well.”

“Ah—fuck, there, Armin—there,” you cry, wet heat squeezing around his fingers in intermittent spasms.

Armin watches your chest heave with desperate breaths, air stuttering to pass from your lips to your lungs with his hand around your neck. He can feel your walls constricting around his fingers, feel your body shaking underneath him when he increases his pace. He curls his fingers again, just right, just until he hears you sing a strained call of his name. And when he feels your nails scraping down the nape of his neck, and the slight weight of your body convulsing, Armin knows you’re done for.

He’s nice enough to fuck you through your orgasm, shallow thrusts of his fingers bringing you to and down from your high as he watches you pant for him. He presses small kisses against your throat, up, up, up, until he’s kissing you, and carefully pulling his fingers out.

He removes his hand from your neck, and slides it down your waist to offer you support. He’s not prepared for your sudden pull on his neck, forcing him into a kiss that conveys your content; he’s quick to raise his left hand, palm meeting the wall to hold himself up against your sporadic actions, chuckling lightly into your kiss. You were always so reckless and happy after an orgasm.

You kiss him like you have him wrapped your finger despite being the one pleading moments ago. You do, so he supposes it’s not unwarranted; and he welcomes your flirtatious kisses despite the annoying blush they always bring forth.

And sure enough, he can feel his face on fire when you pull away. Armin scoffs internally at himself; he really should be able to keep it together around you by now. But when you kiss him like that, you kind of make it hard to think straight.

“You’re so good when you’re not… pretending to be good,” you hum, a blissful, hazy look on your features as you wrap your arms around his neck.

Armin shakes his head with a chortle of disbelief; leans forward to kiss you again, “’M not pretending. I am good.”

“Yeah, you’re such a good little saint that arguing with your girlfriend turns you on,” you taunt him, “It’s okay, Armin, you can admit it.”

He groans, out of shallow annoyance this time, and it makes you giggle. “Why are you acting like you’re not complicit in this?”

“Oh, no, no, no,” you refute with an exaggerated roll of your eyes, “You get turned on by hearing me talk about biochemistry. I like it when you tell me to shut up about it. We are not the same.”

“Yeah, because you look hot doing it,” he tells you, “Speaking of which, Eren called you hot today, so I kind of need you to slip a neurotoxin in his Gatorade.”

“Aw, Eren thinks I’m hot? Tell him I think he’s hot, too,” you bat your eyelashes at him, but Armin only offers you an unimpressed glare in return.

“I think he might be onto us, actually,” Armin notes, affectionately bumping his nose against yours.

“If he’s onto us, then it’s because you’re the one giving it away, not me.”

“Oh, because you could never do anything wrong, right?”

“Right,” you flash him an overconfident smile before reaching up to kiss to the tip of his nose, “See you’re so smart, baby.”

Armin shakes his head again in disbelief. You’re a handful, he can see that much.

“Come on,” he prompts, “We should go, I still have to finish my lab write up, and I know you haven’t started your paper.”

Armin tries to motion you forward, but is stopped when he feels your hand combing through his hair, and sees the genuine spark of concern in your eyes. “The one for your elective? I thought you said you were going to finish it on Monday.”

“I was,” Armin admits, “But then I didn’t.”

“You want me to help you with it?” you offer kindly, pushing his bangs back and letting your hands fall down the sides of his face, palms resting against his ears.

He nods gently, turning his head to press a kiss into your left palm, before wrapping his hand around your wrist, “I can help you outline your paper.”

You nod in return, and Armin spares one more kiss, before pulling your hand away to lace your fingers together.

Thankfully, nobody’s around to catch you exiting the classroom, or see you holding hands as you make your way out of the building and towards the bus stop. This was Armin’s favorite part of any Tuesday; the one time he could hold your hand on campus without the fear of getting caught by your friends.

He reasons that you guys should probably tell them soon, though, especially if Eren might have an idea of what’s going on. You were bound to get caught sooner rather than later. That, or Eren and Sasha would start meddling.

“If you think Eren knows, then Mikasa definitely knows,” you note, swinging your intertwined hands as you walk through the parking lot as a shortcut.

“Maybe if you actually remembered to hide Soup’s toys, there would be less evidence for her to piece together.”

“Yeah, well, maybe if you didn’t forget when your midterms are, I wouldn’t have to emergency cat sit the hour before Mikasa comes around, and there wouldn’t be any toys to hide in the first place.”

“I’m bad with dates, you know that!” Armin pouts, “I don’t say anything when you forget about ten page papers until four hours before they’re due.”

“You’re saying something right now, actually.”

“That’s not what I—you know, you’re so—”

Armin’s quiet when he feels your lips pressed against his cheekily, “Annoying. I know. You like it. You’re not very good at staying mad for very long.”

Armin’s tempted to roll his eyes yet again—he really needs to quit it, or at the very least, get your own temper under control before it’s irreversible and completely rubbed off on him—but takes the opportunity to kiss your forehead, instead.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.”

Your eyes twinkle under his affections. “And that you love me?”

He nods, “And that I love you.”

“And that you’re gonna fuck me before you make me write my paper when we get home, right?”

Armin chuckles and presses another kiss to your forehead, “We’ll see about that one.”

Hange huffs as they make their way through the parking. They always forget their keys in their office, and always, inconveniently park half-way across the campus. In their defense, this parking lot is free, and the one closest to the Medical Sciences building is not. So, really, capitalism is the one to blame for their frequent late night car lot strolls.

They hear two familiar voices bickering just as they’re about to step into their car, and are more than surprised to see their two favorite students walking together. Walking together and holding hands. Wait—you and Armin are walking together and holding hands?

Hange blinks for a moment, drowning out the sounds of the conversation after they see you two kiss. Their jaw practically falls to the asphalt and they might not blink for a full two minutes as they process what they just saw.

Their trance is broken when it finally, finally clicks together, and Hange has to try their hardest to contain their squeals before sitting in the driver’s seat, an overly forceful slam to the car door following. They waste no time fumbling with the pockets of their lab coat to fish out their phone, and make a call to their favorite math professor.

“Levi, I told you Arlert and (_____) had to know each other outside of class! I think they might be dating! You know what this means, right? I can have them both in the same lab without worrying they might start a chemical fire, and I won’t have to hire two brick heads this summer!”

Levi has never hung up a call more quickly in his life.

[stormblessed95]

I am a jikooker but when I thought about the shipping thing...i can't help but think that this is not the first time in kpop that people shipping someone or shipping wars going on...it's been happening from a long....long time now.... analysis, theories... evrything....but have ever one ship come out to be real????

I don't think so...

So how can we sure that jikook is real and not just a ship...???

I mean yeah we know that their behaviour speaks love, commitment...and i agree with that...but don't u think that something like this always happens in evry band...thts why there is atleast one ship in evry band....and never ever i think or see any ship came out to be real....after disband..we see them get married to the girls they love...

So may be it's all been done by their companies ryt???thts why people always find something in their behaviour to ship them...

I don't know it's just make me think...that no ship ever came out to be real...so why we think jikook is real????

May be after disband....they both too announce about their girlfriends which we dnt know abt ryt now....

Sorry but it's just hard to believe in the k-pop World...where there is not even a single time any ship become real...to believe that jikook is 💯 real and in love and that they are different from any other ships....OR this time...this ship,i mean jikook is real ....

And if one day jikook announce that they are actually together...i can't even imagine how world will gonna react...bcz it will gonna b the first time I think...that any ship ever in k-pop (i mean gay ones) announce that yes they are together....the happiness m gonna feel i can't even tell ......🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺but it's hard....not just for them to announce bcz they are gay....but it's hard to believe for us too if we clearly knows how the shipping culture works evry damn year in k-pop....and at the end when they disband....nothing comes out to be real...

(And pls dnt take my words in a wrong way...i love jikook dearly...and sorry for my rant and my bad English ...it's not my first language)

Thankyou...💜

Well that's just simply not true.

Kpop ships that came true, some examples:

Crush and Joy (R&B solo singer and Red Velvet)

And in 2021, they were confirmed to be dating

Hyuna and Dawn (former members of 4 minute and Pentagon and Triple H) I'm not scrolling back through till 2016 for ship twts, but people shipped them since Triple H debut. Lol and were mad about it too. And were saying they couldn't be dating because Hyuna called Dawn her dongsaeng all the time.

In 2018 they were confronted with dating rumors, their company denied them all. They later did their own interview and confirmed all the rumors and said they had been dating (as suspected) since 2016. After that interview, their company dropped them. They are now with a new company and are happily engaged

Okay, searching back so many years is taking forever, so take my word for it or go search yourself if you wanna. Lmao but Ryeowook (Super Junior) and Ari (Tahiti) were shipped since they were very close as junior and senior in the kpop world. They confirmed dating rumors at the end of 2020.

Jennie (Blackpink) and Kai (EXO) were being shipped due to Instagram "interactions" and some friendly behaviors. They were then confirmed as a couple through leaked dispatch photos and the companies confirmed it. They have since broken up.

Seriously though. Feel free to look up for about all these couples if you want. They have some pretty interesting stories at times as well as fan reactions being all across the board.

No GAY couples have come out. But why would that surprise you? Do you think gay idols don't exist? I promise you they do. But they aren't going to come out as a couple in Korea and expecting them do so is crossing boundaries as their fans. As for more information on all of that, refer to these posts here....

Homophobia in South Korea:

Former kpop idols/trainees talking about how there are plently of closeted and "open secret" LGBTQ couples within the industry that aren't talked about in order to protect the artists:

KM, shipping culture and how if they are a couple they are NOT going to be coming out and you shouldn't want them to:

How can we be sure? We can't. We don't know them. But we know what tell us and based off that and how they behave, they don't seem to be "just a ship." We do not know them. We do not have confirmation of anything, but doubting their bond and saying it's done by the company is not okay either. And dismissing the idea of gay people being in and dating in the kpop world because shipping exists also isn't okay either. 🤷🏻‍♀️

You don't have to think they are dating. I don't mind. You do need to leave them alone though and never expect more than what we are given now and not hope they "come out" and prove a ship right or wrong. Let them live the way they want to live. And if in 30 years they are still "roommates" well 🤷🏻‍♀️ or if in 30 years they are married to beautiful women with kids or with other people or release a tell all explaining how they were dating other people or dating each other? Well 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'm happy as long as they are happy. That's all I want for them. And they seem happy right now 💜

[onceupon]

London Boy - Part 4: Just friends

summary: You wake up to find Rafe Cameron in your bed. Even though nothing happened, you’re still left trying to make sense of it all.

pairing: Rafe x reader (slowburn)

warnings: swearing, drinking

word count: 5k

a/n: thank you so much to all of you who have been reading along <333 sorry in advance if you want this to progress faster haha, it simply must be this slow, sorry I don't make the rules (even tho I do lol). Not canon Rafe!! 

masterlist

Your eyes slowly flutter open as the early morning rays wake you up. You didn’t even remember falling asleep. As you slowly gain consciousness you’re startled by the weight of Rafe’s arm draped across your body. What the hell? When did that happen? He spent the night in your bed?

Your mind races at a million miles an hour as you slowly slip out from under his hold. You were careful not to wake him up, not wanting to face any awkwardness. You throw on fresh clothes and grab your backpack, desperate to make your escape. You had wanted to get to school early today to work on some homework anyways, never before so eager to trade in the comfort of your bed for the library. 

After a quick pit stop to pick up a coffee and a croissant, you swing the heavy wooden doors open. You liked campus at this hour, the morning light still soft, the air crisp, and the atmosphere silent. As you scan your eyes for a spot to sit, you notice the unmistakable sight of fluffy brown hair hunched over a table. 

“Liam?” your whisper. “What the hell are doing here?”

That classic cheeky grin spreads across his face as he looks up to find you standing in front of him. “I go here, Y/n. Forget already?”

You roll your eyes, “I just didn’t know you were the studious type.”

“Not gonna lie to you babe, I’m not. But Rogers is already all the way up my ass over this class, and I’m not letting that prick hold me back a year.” 

You pull out the chair across from him and go to sit down, spreading your books out on the table. 

“Who said you could sit with?” he asks, and you shoot him a look. You’re not in the mood. “Geez alright, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed… you good Y/n?” he slows, taking in your disheveled appearance. You hadn’t so much as brushed your hair. 

“Can you promise not to tell anyone,” you stare dead into his eyes. 

“On my life,” he extends his pinky, and you accept. 

“Rafe… slept over last night…”

“Oh shit!” he exclaims, and your eyes widen at his echoing voice. 

“Not like that,” you hiss, not wanting to draw anymore attention to the two of you. “Nothing happened… like he just came over to watch a show and then we talked for a while and just accidentally… fell asleep. I panicked when I woke up and realized he was still in my bed so I ran out of there as fast as I could and now…. well now I’m here.” You nervously chug your coffee, heart racing. 

“So he hung out with you all night and didn’t make a move?”

You nod, nervously awaiting his analysis as you take a bite of your croissant. 

“Damn, boy must really like you,” he muses. 

“What? Definitely not,” you scoff. 

“Y/n, let me tell you a little something about guys. If we really like you, we’re gonna make the time to hang out with you, no matter what. The fact that he’s coming over your room to watch a show and hanging out with you until he physically can’t stay awake - I mean I can’t make it any more obvious to you.”

“I don’t know I just don’t think so… You don’t know Rafe like that, he’s a total player back home. He can pull any girl he wants, so if he liked me like that he would’ve done something by now. This is probably how he is with all his friends and I’m just reading too much into it. I’m sure Lily Colts will be in his bed soon enough,” you mumble. That last part stings in particular, you had already thought it, but saying it out loud made you feel… icky. 

“I may not know Rafe like that, but I know guys like him. I am guys like him. He likes you Y/n. So what if he pulls a lot of chicks, he doesn’t actually care about them. But he cares about you, probably can’t even understand why, and now it’s like bam Uno reverse. He can’t pull the cards he normally does, and now you’ve got him confused and he doesn’t know what to do. Man’s down bad. Give him time though, he’ll come around,” he explains to you calmly, stealing your coffee cup from you and taking a sip. 

“Honestly can I just start paying you to figure my life out for me. You make everything seem so simple.”

“Because it is simple. You insist on complicating it. But I know how you could pay me,” he adds with a wink and you shoot him a glare. You know he’s just joking (partially), he loves pushing your buttons. 

“Well whatever. I’ll believe it when I see it,” you resign on the Rafe matter. You wanted to believe what Liam was saying but it didn’t quite make sense to you. You were only going to drive yourself crazy trying to read between lines that you weren’t sure existed. Rafe was just used to situations like this with girls. To him last night was probably no big deal. It was to you though. You would never let ‘just a friend’ stay over like that, with his arm around you no less. But Rafe didn’t need to know that, you decide. 

—-

You manage to avoid Rafe all day, not having any classes with him on Friday’s. As soon as your last class is over, you sprint home, relieved when you’re the first back at the flat and can quickly slip into your room undetected. You set down your bag and sit on the edge of your bed. Your hand slowly runs over your comforter, still ruffled from where Rafe had been laying the night before. The indent of his head is still on your pillow; you can almost smell the scent of him lingering in your room and hear the sound of his soft whispers. You wonder what his first thoughts were when he woke up in your bed alone - was he confused? Embarrassed? He probably thought nothing of it at all. You can just picture him casually getting up with a stretch, like it’s the start of any typical day.

You slip into the shower and let the water wash over your body. It’s warm and soothing, and it’s reminding you of Rafe laying next to you, of his arm wrapped around you. God if there was only a way to shut your brain off once in a while. As much as you tried to suppress it, there had been a tiny part of you that was happy to have woken up in his embrace, giddy like a school girl with a crush. You’d always wondered how a moment like that would feel, or how a moment like that with him would feel. You had conveniently failed to mention the “arm” detail to Liam, maybe because in the back of your mind you knew it would only help prove his theory right.  

When you make your way back to your room, your phone buzzes and the Royal Fam 🇬🇧🇺🇸 group chat appears. 

Olivia: who wants to go out tonight 😈

Topper: me and Rafe have to be up early tmrw for soccer - rain check on this one ladies 

Olivia: :( 

Olivia: girls night out??

Millie: you know I’m there!

You’re a little bummed that Rafe won’t be there tonight. But a girls night sounds like just what you need to get him off your mind. 

Y/n: I’m in :)

Not even a few minutes later Olivia and Millie are barging into your room, causing you to let out a startled yelp. 

“My god, heard of knocking,” you exhale with your hand coming to your chest. Your statement falls on death ears. 

“Which jeans with this top,” Olivia asks, holding the clothing items against her body. 

“Should I curl or straighten my hair with this,” Millie follows, holding her outfit up. 

“Uhh,” your mind scrambles, “those jeans Liv. And straight, Mills,” you reply, shocked by your own decidedness. “But now you guys have to help me, I have no clue what to wear.”

“Say less,” Olivia flashes a smile. 

Within minutes they tear through your closet, picking out your outfit. Things were always much more clear with a fresh set of eyes. The three of you discuss the night’s logistics before making your way to the kitchen - couldn’t go drinking on an empty stomach. Rafe and Topper are already there, and you try your best to act natural even though your stomach ties itself in a knot the moment you catch a glimpse of his face. You haven’t seen him since you ran out this morning. 

“Uh hey I’m gonna run to Sainsbury’s real quick, I wanna get a chaser, anyone need anything,” you ask, avoiding eye contact with Rafe. Your nerves get the best of you and in terms of fight or flight, you were ready to flee. 

“Hey wait I’ll come with you. Gotta pick something up for dinner,” Rafe stands grabbing his jacket, and before you can interject, he’s leading the way down the hall and out your shared flat. 

“So what are you chasing tonight?” 

“What?” you ask startled, his question pulling you back to reality. Your mind had been running in a loop, trying to read him and the thoughts in his head. You wished now more than ever that you knew what Rafe was like behind closed doors back home, so you could somehow make sense of it all.

He chuckles at you, lost in your own world. “You said you needed a chaser?” Those intimidating blue eyes have found their way to yours again and you hastily look away, focusing in front of you instead. 

“Oh yeah- uh just for the vodka,” you laugh nervously. 

“Basic,” he mocks. You scoff in surprise and lightly hit him on the chest as the laughter leaves your lips. He’s sporting a shit-eating grin, having successfully egged you on. 

“You’re funny if you think I’m gonna do shots of whiskey before going to a club.”

“Well you do owe me one…” he says.

“Oh so he remembers?” you reply, amused.

“Of course,” he states so calm and so sure. Your head swirls at that, his cool confidence making you melt. The automatic doors slide open in front of you, fluorescent lights stealing your attention from the boy you were finding dangerously more attractive by the second.

“I thought we’re supposed to take it together? But someone’s being lame and not coming out tonight,” you say sarcastically, playing it as cool as you can manage. Rafe’s confidence seemed to come naturally, but you were more of a fake-it-till-you-make-it kind of gal.

“Hey you know I have soccer,” he defends. The Kook Prince was not one to turn down a party without cause.

“Excuses excuses,” you shake your head.

“Actually, speaking of soccer, you uh- you and the girls should come tomorrow. If you’re not doing anything. Or not too hungover I should say. Game’s at 12.”

“Can’t make any promises Cameron, but we’ll see,” you smile, earning a satisfied smile from him in return. 

You make your way to the frozen food aisle, Rafe explaining to you how they call a soccer field a football pitch here, as you laugh at him grabbing 5 frozen pizzas (dinner solved for the next week, of course). You ask him which chaser you should pick. He points out a cola, so naturally you decide to get blackberry seltzer water, Rafe twisting his face in disgust (who would voluntarily drink that tv static). You always felt so nervous at first, to be in Rafe’s presence, but all it ever took was a few minutes for you to completely relax around him. He was intimidating, yet inviting. Mysterious, yet open. He was somehow the cause of your anxious nerves and yet the source of your comfort. The fear of facing Rafe after running out this morning had paralyzed your thoughts all day, and now you could hardly remember why. He hadn’t mentioned it at all, as if nothing happened. His normalcy confirmed for you that him sleeping over was in fact no big deal, and you almost want to laugh at yourself for how much you had worked it up in your head. You two were just friends, and perhaps Rafe was used to being… a friendlier friend than what you were used to. But that was okay, you could learn to be friendlier too.

—-

Rafe and Topper had decided to accompany you guys in the kitchen as you pregamed. They slowly sipped beers as you, Millie, and Olivia pounded back shots, laughing at the way you guys got progressively drunker and progressively louder before finally heading out. And much to your surprise, the boys were still seated in the same spot hours later, when the three of you stumble back into the flat, McDonalds in hand.

“Oh look who’s still up,” Olivia slurs, taking a bite of her cheeseburger. 

“We can’t go out, we have soccer,” Millie mocks, almost falling to the floor as she trips over her heel, Topper and Rafe not making any effort to hide their clear amusement. 

“Fun night huh?” Topper quirks his brow. 

“The funnest,” Millie holds her head high, sinking down against the wall until she’s sat on the floor. You had made a beeline for the dining room table, silently admiring your chicken nuggets. In that moment, they were the best thing you had ever tasted. 

“I want Jake,” Olivia pouts, and before anyone can say a word she’s turned on her heel, burger in hand, off to crawl into her boyfriend’s bed. 

“Alright you drunk, let’s get you to bed,” Topper laughs, scooping an incoherent Millie up to her feet by her elbows. 

“M’not drunk,” Millie protests, even though she’s leaning her full body weight against Topper who sarcastically nods at her, escorting her down the hallway. Rafe sits on the couch, silently playing with the cards in his hand again, not the least bit uncomfortable with sharing your company in silence. 

“I’m mad at you,” you say matter of factly, taking a bite of a french fry. At this point, the alcohol is doing the talking. 

“Mad at me?” Rafe stops shuffling the cards and raises his head to look at you, intrigued. 

“Yeah because you didn’t come to the club,” you furrow your brows, chucking a fry at him. He catches it instantly, laughing to himself with a shake of his head. 

“Don’t worry I saw all your guys’ snaps, I feel like I was practically there.”

“That’s not the same,” you frown, throwing another fry which he catches yet again.

“I’ll try to be there next time,” he laughs.

“That’s better I guess,” you grumble, eating another chicken nugget. The room grows quiet, Rafe training his attention back to the cards.

“When are we watching the next episode Cameron,” you break the silence, chucking another fry. He barely has to look up to catch your latest throw, shaking his head with a chuckle. He puts the cards down and makes his way over to the dining table, standing right above you now. 

“Come on, time for you to go to bed,” he beckons you toward him with his arm, to which you only furrow your brows in indignation.

“I’m not done with my food,” you protest.

“Now you are,” he says, grabbing your last fry and finishing it with one bite. “Now c’mon.” You reluctantly grab onto his extended arm to help you get up. You walk down the hall together and he opens your door for you, letting you in as he leans against the frame. You immediately fall back and collapse on to your bed with a gasp, you didn’t remember it feeling so soft when you were sober. 

“Goodnight L/n,” Rafe laughs, staring down at you. 

“Goodnight Rafe,” you mumble, seconds away from passing out. He smiles to himself at the sight of you still in the outfit and shoes you had been out in, bent in surely the most uncomfortable position possible, legs half way off the bed, yet somehow already asleep. He’s about to head back to his room, but he hesitates, turning back to you with a sigh. As slowly and quietly as he can, he pulls your shoes off for you, lifts your legs onto the bed, and covers you in your blanket. And just as quick, he slips out of your room and back into his.

—-

You wake up the next morning, letting out a groan when you realize you’re still in the outfit you had worn clubbing. Your head dully aches and your throat is desert dry so you force yourself up and to the kitchen. When you see the aftermath of McDonald’s containers on the table, vague memories start flooding your brain in horror. You couldn’t have… could you? Did you actually throw french fries at him? You close your eyes and slowly run your hand over your face in realization. Great, you think to yourself, Rafe probably thinks you’re an annoying idiot. Good grief.

You hear the door of the flat opening and Olivia appears in the kitchen, holding a plate of breakfast sandwiches, your mouth watering at the sight.

“Thank the lovely lads in apartment 4E,” she laughs, placing them on the table. “Oh god, we went hard last night didn’t we,” she says, taking in the sight of the flat.

“A little too hard…” you remark.

“No such thing, darling! Now eat up and get dressed, we’ve got a match to catch,” she declares before disappearing down the hall where you can hear muffled groans of Millie being reluctantly dragged out of her bed. You sigh and sink down into a chair, grabbing a sandwich and taking a bite. Heaven. You make a mental note to thank Jake for his chef skills. You had completely forgotten that you and the girls were supposed to go watch Rafe and Topper’s match today. Your worries about having to face Rafe yesterday had been quick to melt away, but today they were back with a new vengeance.

—-

“Okay no one wander off when we get there. Y/n, fair warning, these games get… rowdy,” Millie says, as the three of you walk toward the field, arms linked.

“Things get pretty crazy at Kildare too,” you laugh, “so yeah, don’t fucking let me out of your sight.”

The three of you shake off your fits of laughter as you stumble toward the stands, finding a spot amongst the already packed crowd. You’re finally able to take in your surroundings, glancing at the field ahead. The opposing team is warming up on the pitch, clad in red. Westheath’s team is off to the side, the boys stretching and getting ready in their white uniforms. The dirty blonde immediately catches your eye. He’s jumping and jogging in place, headphones in as though he’s tuning out the physical noise around him, and probably the mental noise too. You wonder if he’s listening to one of the songs he showed you the other night. 

He pauses his jogging to stretch out his arms, his eyes glazing over the stands, when suddenly they lock with yours. Your cheeks flush pink, embarrassed at having been caught staring, but his face just pulls into a wide grin and he gives you a wave. You wave back, and he does a quick hand motion that everyone does at Kildare games back home. You laugh and do the responding gesture, as he smiles cheekily at you before a teammate comes up to him, pulling his focus away. The exchange was brief, but oddly intimate. There was a whole field and a couple dozen people between you, and yet you two were the only witnesses to the interaction. You smile to yourself, relief in the fact that maybe getting a french fry chucked at him wasn’t enough to make him hate you after all. You wonder briefly if Rafe spends half as much time overanalyzing things the way you do. Liam was right, you do insist on overcomplicating things. 

“Hey, earth to Y/n!” Olivia laughs, waving her hand in front of your face. “The game is starting!”

—

The final score flashes on the screen: 4-2, a win for Westheath. The students are going nuts, rushing the field. Olivia and Millie lead the way, pushing through the crowd until you guys reach Rafe and Topper.

“Let’s go boys!!” Olivia yells, jumping up and down with the sea of bodies and beer around you. Rafe and Topper react with equal enthusiasm, pulling each of you in for a hug. You and Rafe are the last to hug, him pulling you in brief but close against his large sweaty body, arms wrapped around you. You don’t even mind the stickiness of the hug, feeling deja vu at the warm feeling of being in his embrace again; a feeling that is foreign yet familiar, one you hadn’t felt before. 

“Did you guys see Rafe’s goal in the second half!?” Topper asks, clapping his friend on the back.

“Of course we did, super star!” Millie cheers, giving Rafe a high five as he humbly shakes his head and laughs at his friends. The mental image of his goal was burned in your head, one that your mind would certainly play for you involuntarily over the next coming days. 

“Alright we gotta go do some stuff with the team, but everyone’s going to Central Bar later. See you guys there?” Rafe asks.

“You got it,” Olivia replies, and they jog off with quick waves, you meeting those blue eyes in silent acknowledgement once again. It was that gaze that always made the rest of the world seem to disappear while his eyes met yours, making your heart skip a beat. He’s just a friend, you remind yourself. Just a tall, attractive, soccer-playing friend…

—

“Y/n! Liv! We’re doing a round!” Jake calls you and Olivia over to where him and Liam are already at the bar, four shot glasses ordered and lined up.

“On three! One, two-“ Liam chants, as the four of you down the alcohol. Central Bar had been buzzing with what felt like half of Westheath’s student body all day. After the game, you and the girls had gone back to your flat to nap and eat, before meeting up with Jake, Liam, and the rest of their boys to head to the bar. Rafe and Topper were already pretty buzzed when you guys got there, playing a round of table tennis with you before the rest of the soccer team and their other friends pulled their attention away. You couldn’t help the way your whole body tensed when Rafe greeted Lily with a tight hug, humbling you with the confirmation that Rafe’s actions toward you weren’t anything special. You resolved yourself to a night of drinking and dancing your worries away with Liv and Liam instead.

“Alright, round of table tennis? You two against me and Y/n?” Liam challenges.

“Please, I saw Y/n playing before, you guys have nothing on us,” Olivia flashes an evil smile, her competitive side coming out.

“Oh it’s on Liv,” you laugh, as your foursome stakes your claim at the pong table. While Olivia and Jake gather the balls and paddles, you notice Liam grimacing off into the distance. You follow his line of sight, landing on Topper and Millie drunkenly dancing together across the bar, a bit too close for comfort.

“What is she doing with that geezer,” he mumbles.

“Liam! Jealousy is unbecoming of you,” you gasp in mock disbelief.

“I’m not jealous,” he scoffs, and you quickly realize that he actually is, even though you had just been joking. Your jaw falls slack as you put two and two together. Liam and Millie were always by each other’s side, at school, at the pub, when you were all watching a movie at his apartment a few nights ago. He would tease her relentlessly and his own words rang in your ears If we really like you, we’re gonna make the time to hang out with you, no matter what. 

“Shut up! Shut up!,” you whisper yell, hand coming to your mouth. “I should have realized this whole time… of course you like Millie! Everything you’ve been telling me you think exists between me and Rafe has actually been about her! She’s your Uno reverse card!” You’re shocking even yourself at these revelations.

“No no no, you can’t use my own words of wisdom against me, that’s not how this works Y/n. So what, maybe I slightly give a shit about Millie? Who cares. Her and I both know that’s never gonna happen. I still stand by everything I said about you and Rafe so don’t think your getting off so easy on that.”

“Then tell me why you’re staring at Millie while Rafe hasn’t so much as glanced my way since the minute Lily Colts got here, hmm?”

“Oh Y/n, Y/n Y/n Y/n,” Liam tuts, shaking his head laughing as he turns to the game your group of four is about to begin. You don’t have the energy to argue with Liam over the matter right now, oblivious to the fact that Rafe had indeed been glancing your way, several times. In fact, he was glancing at you right now, as Liam reached his arm over yours to help you actually hold the paddle the right way. You just hadn’t been glancing back to notice, scared of what you may or may not see between him and Lily if you did. 

—

The night dies down and it’s time for the pilgrimage back to your building. You’re walking with Millie when Liam quickly falls in step with you two. You give him a knowing smirk, to which he responds with a glare behind Millie’s back, but you let the two banter as you fall behind, now walking alone. You stare ahead, eyes mindlessly settling on Lily walking in between Callum and Henry at the front of the pack. You don’t notice the pair of legs that begin moving in pace next to your own. 

“Tonight, by the way,” Rafe’s voice startles you as you jump next to him. He chuckles at the confusion written all over your face. “You asked last night when we’re watching the next episode. And my answer is tonight, L/n,” he states.

“Haven’t you been up since like the crack of dawn? Aren’t you tired?” you ask incredulously.

“Too tired for Game of Thrones? Never,” he scoffs, Liam’s words ringing in your ear. If we really like you, we’re gonna make the time to hang out with you, no matter what.

“Well then tonight it is,” you smile. “Sorry about the french fries last night by the way,” you say meekly, looking down at the sidewalk in front of you, cheeks burning.

“Seriously L/n, talk about a horrible throw. Room for improvement,” he jokes with a comforting smile, saving you from yourself.

“Good game by the way,” you add, grateful for the way he was letting you off. 

“Thanks,” he looks at you, shoving his hands in his pocket. You turn to look at him too, and after a few moments laughter is taking you both apart. Nothing funny was said. Neither of you knew why you were laughing. And yet it felt natural, not an ounce of awkwardness in the air.

As your whole group walks into the building, people begin to peel off, splitting towards staircases and off elevator stops. 

“I’m fucking beat,” yawns Topper, as you and all your flatmates file into your hall. 

“I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight,” Millie yawns in agreement. One by one everyone files off into their rooms. You open your door, backing into yours, Rafe across the hall from you backing into his. Laughter tugs at both your faces once again, as you let your doors close. You manage to change into your sweats and brush your teeth before you hear the light rap on your door. Rafe enters, in a t-shirt and gray sweatpants, your weakness. But you feel comfortable being alone with him now. The Rafe jitters had finally began to subside. 

“Alright L/n, episode 4, you ready for this?” he asks, plopping down in his spot next to you. 

“Oh I’m very ready,” you reply, sitting up to reach for your laptop which was resting by your feet. As you lean back, you find yourself in Rafe’s arm. He had extended it out before you sat back, effortlessly catching you against him. His hand rests casually on your arm, and you gulp, pressing play. You pray he can’t feel the way your heartbeat quickens and your body flushes. So much for those jitters being gone. 

The episode plays, you and Rafe making comments here and there before your chatter eventually dies down, leaving just the sound of the show to fill the room. You can feel Rafe’s body lean further and further down, becoming heavier and breathing slower. You very slowly turn to check, and sure enough he’s fast asleep. You sigh, and shut your laptop, careful not to stir him. You could easily shake him awake, tell him to go to his bed, but for some reason you don’t. You don’t mind him here. In fact, you almost prefer it, his body heat keeping you warm. He had already slept over once before and it clearly hadn’t been a big deal, so what was the harm in letting it happen again? You’re just friends after all, you remind yourself, not sure who you’re trying to convince. And so, the two friends fall asleep in the same bed again. 

---

🏷: @hopebaker​ @pogueslandia​ @mardema​

[foxshaped]

Here it is: my lengthy analysis of Season 6. This started as a quick response in another thread, but got a lot longer than I anticipated because ADHD brain decided to hyperfocus. Sorrynotsorry. Also, SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6 obviously. (and if you saw it on reddit, don’t worry, that was me too, no one is plagiarizing anyone.)

So a friend and I went on a road trip together last weekend, and on the way to our destination, we gave S6 a first listen. On the way back, we started a chronological listen (Spotify playlist can be found here.) and came to the end of S6 just as we got home. Since then, my mind won’t let it go, so here’s my analysis and thoughts.

First listen, we had all kinds of theories. Every other season so far has built the world, we’ve heard from politicians trying to keep Society together and the Cradle as they oppose the Society. We’ve had artists suspected of subterfuge be tricked into relationships with Society spies and museum guides explaining the politics at large and answering some of the questions left by the cassettes from the Institute. We, like so many of you, went into this season expecting another story to bring us world building on that high level, that world-wide, birds-eye view into the workings of this alternate timeline. We thought at first, Clíodhna is an experiment for the Institute, established only 10 years prior. The whispers and footsteps are her security nurse, and the time she loses on the road is because that’s when they pull her in to have her memories recalibrated. The reason she was being recalibrated is that she was too interested in family, but hadn’t knowingly contacted a sibling or family member like Oleta had, so they didn’t necessarily need to put her in the Institute. HOWEVER, obviously in a Society trying to eliminate familial bonds, someone so obsessed with families isn’t a good thing, so they were experimenting on her to see if they could do more subtle memory control and wipe the desire from her without the need to Institutionalize. We had it all figured out.

Then obviously, we had the reveal, which is that there was no reveal. My friend suggested maybe it is just the Fae fucking with her, as Gráinne said. Ireland is famous for that, after all. As much as I can vibe with that on a personal and even real-world level, I didn’t want a supernatural explanation for things in this world. Sure, not everything needs to have an Important World Building Explanation, but I wanted something that wasn’t supernatural. It took me quite a while to figure out why I was so adamantly against the supernatural aspect, normally I eat that stuff up. To me, Within the Wires is a very human story. Humans caused the Great Reckoning (at least the war part of it). Humans reacted to it. Humans created the New Society to avoid that level of tragedy ever happening again. Humans (granted, with corporate goals, but humans nonetheless) created the Institute to experiment on and recalibrate other humans. If we introduce supernatural elements, we lose that human influence, and in turn, begin to lose meaning. We can now justify the Institute, the spying, the subterfuge, all of the bad, as being pushed into being by some Other Being, a god, a spirit, whatever. If there are supernatural forces in this world, then the good, the bad, and the ugly are arguably not human anymore.

We were finally we able to move on by just saying, sure, this is a person living in the Society, with that upbringing, and not everything has major importance. There are people who are neither for nor against the Society, who are just living their lives as they always have, explanations be damned. It didn’t sit particularly well with either of us since we still didn’t have a good explanation for the experiences, but it was 1am and we still had a few hours left to go and needed to calm down about it.

Three days later, we’re on the road home and have another 11 hours to kill (ok, 10 by the time we got through the obligatory road trip music), so we started our chronological listen. We considered skipping Season 6 since it was still so fresh in our heads, but ultimately, we were quite curious and excited to see how our perceptions and ideas changed, knowing how it ended.

This friend and I met in college as psychology majors. Between having experienced it ourselves and learning about it in a more clinical sense, everything Clíodhna experiences has one simple explanation: sleep deprivation. On average, at 36 hours with no sleep, you start hallucinating. Not long after that, your body begins shutting down. Now, that’s with no sleep whatsoever, and everyone has their own limits within that. Getting a little bit of sleep can prolong the ill effects, but only so much. Clíodhna has presumably had some sleep before she arrived in Ballinroche, but she’s already under a lot of stress, with a failing relationship and a new job to worry about. I think we can safely assume that any sleep she’s had for the week or more leading up to her arrival wasn’t the good, restful sleep we need to properly function. Then she leaves at 6am to travel. That’s when she leaves. When did she get up? We don’t have much of a sense of her morning routing, but let’s say most people average an hour to get themselves ready. So, she’s been up since 5. Waking up that early, even if you’re a morning person, after not great sleep? We’re off to a bad start here.

Once she gets to Ballinroche, it’s her first day in the new town. She mentions that after leaving the café/pub, she did a quick circuit around town to get her bearings for all the places Maria had shared. That “quick circuit” probably took longer than she thought. She mentions hearing the church bells chime 9 as she’s leaving town, but be honest with me, who among us has never lost count of a clock’s chimes? Anything past 6 and I’m lost. And I’ve never been able to follow all the half-hour chimes. Granted, I can’t apply all of my own experiences to this character, but I’m willing to bet there isn’t a single person out there who keeps perfect track of the chimes every single time. Anyway, now she’s on the road, already later than she thinks it is.

I don’t know about any of you, but there have been times I’ve been driving tired where the only reason I notice I’ve dropped my speed by 20 mph is because of the cars around me. We’ve established that the only thing on the road from town to Gráinne’s house, is, in fact, Gráinne’s house. There is presumably no one else on the road. No way for a sleep deprived mind to realize the car is barely moving. Additionally, who remembers that MythBusters episode about impaired driving? Microsleep is a dangerous thing and can happen with very little deprivation. And she’s the only one on the road, so there’s no one to get upset or pass her by if she slows down whether because she’s not noticing, or simply to take in the scenery. Sure, she’s got places to be, but that doesn’t ever stop us from enjoying new scenery. Heck, how many of us slow down to take in scenery we’ve seen dozens or hundreds of times? So between leaving town later than she thought, being tired and not noticing how slow she’s going, and slowing down to take in her surroundings? No wonder she was late.

Now we’re finally at the house and all is well, but it’s the first night in a new environment. A new bed, new sounds, new light levels. You get used to sleeping with things a certain way, and when you change any one of them, it gets a lot harder to sleep. Throw in her recounting of a spooky story from her childhood freaking her out, and you’ve got a recipe for terrible sleep, adding to the deprivation. At this point, one night of not-great sleep, and one night of almost no sleep, and we’re on track for that 36-hour stat. Am I overanalyzing episode 1? Perhaps. Do I still think it fits my theory? Absolutely. Let’s move on, it gets much simpler from here.

We know from Season 2 and Claudia Atieno’s story that those born before or during the Great Reckoning were “encouraged” to abandon their familial bonds. Given the lengths we know they’ll go to in order to enforce their new rules, and based on Claudia’s experiences in Season 2, we can safely assume this wasn’t a friendly suggestion.

When the storm hits and Gráinne mentions her brother Oisín being afraid of storms, it’s a very natural conversational progression. But when Clíodhna presses the issue about her family and her brother, it reminds Gráinne that she’s not supposed to acknowledge her family, so she clams up. We see this happen a few times, the conversation progresses naturally, and Gráinne mentions a family member. Clíodhna asks a pointed question that breaks the flow, which reminds Gráinne that this is a forbidden topic and she gets cagey. To Clíodhna’s sleep-deprived mind, this is suspicious, but the reality is more that Gráinne doesn’t know how to tell Clíodhna that she can’t talk about it. People born before the Reckoning and the Age 10 laws weren’t exactly given a handbook on how to deal with younger folks asking questions.

The window with the rotted boards below it and the fresh boards in the shed? She went into town to buy the boards, sure (also, a storm hitting one place and another place 15 miles away got nothing? Yeah, not uncommon.), but then she never put them up. She went to the shed, found a hammer and nails, and then got distracted. Her memory is fucking with her because she hasn’t gotten much sleep. She went into town to get the boards, so of course she put them up, why wouldn’t she? The next day when she goes to board up the newly broken window (was it really newly broken? Or had she created a false memory? Maybe it was always broken and she didn’t notice.), everything she prepared yesterday is ready for her. The rotten boards below the window are from a previous repair years ago. We don’t know how long Gráinne’s been alone at this point, and if a window is broken in a room she doesn’t use, why would she notice the boards are gone?

That brings me to the phone line. At one point a few days after the storm, someone tells her the phone lines are underground. That’s why the council is suspicious about it being out by the storm. Not because they don’t believe the storm happened, but because even if it did, it can’t knock out underground phone lines. Clíodhna is just so out of it, she probably dialed a wrong number or got a busy signal and thought that meant the line was out. She pushed the council so hard about it though, they just agreed to send someone out to placate her. When Gráinne tells Clíodhna that it’s fixed, Gráinne doesn’t know the answer to any of Clíodhna’s questions. This is actually a really smart move on Gráinne’s part. She’s recognized that Clíodhna is slipping into madness but probably hasn’t figured out the cause quite yet. Better to give no information than the wrong information. Just accept that it’s fixed. That’s all that matters. Because it was never broken in the first place.

In episode 10, we start with the dream. The dream that made Clíodhna think she had it all figured out. She sees the boy, who she “knows” to be named Oisín. He gives her a “memory” of Gráinne abandoning him. But none of this is new information. She was given the name Oisín the morning after the storm. It didn’t come out of her dream. Our brains are also notoriously bad at making up faces, everyone you’ve ever seen in a dream is someone you’ve seen in real life, if you don’t recognize someone, it’s probably a face you saw in passing. By the time Clíodhna has her first dream about the boy, we know she’s been looking through photos and albums. She didn’t know who or what she was looking for yet, so nothing stuck out to her, but she’d seen family portraits. She’d seen him already, she just didn’t remember. Additionally, she got it in her head that he was a child born out of wedlock to Gráinne, passed off as a brother before he died or was killed. With nothing to refute that claim, her dreaming mind made it all fit with the abandoning of the boy.

Then we hear what Gráinne had to say. Gráinne has almost definitely figured out that the reason for Cliodnha’s madness is lack of sleep, but even if she hasn’t figured that out, she knows she needs to get the girl off her one-track train of thought. She just clears up Clíodhna’s misconceptions about who the boy is, and then gently tells her not to worry. There are things in this world we can’t comprehend. Things older than us that were here first, why do you think you have a right to know? This is perfectly in line with Irish beliefs and is absolutely a gentle way to tell Clíodhna to let it go. Gráinne doesn’t deny the things Cliodnha’s experienced. She doesn’t tell the poor girl she’s wrong. Denying the experiences would only exacerbate the suspicions, Clíodhna is so sure everything has been real that outright denial would only serve to strengthen her sense that something is wrong. So instead, Gráinne simply straightens out the facts and fills in the blanks, then gives her a perfectly acceptable reason for it all. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter why Clíodhna is having these thoughts and experiences. All that matters is if she stops worrying, stops stressing herself out, she’ll be able to start sleeping. If she starts sleeping, she’ll stop hallucinating and start healing. Once she’s back to her senses, they can talk about what was or wasn’t real.

So. How does this make the season build the world? Well, I still maintain what I concluded after my first listen: this is just a person living in this New Society. She’s grown up in a childhood center, she’s only read about families in books. A story about a person living their normal day-to-day life at an office job wouldn’t be a compelling story, but it is important to know that the vast majority of people are just trying to live their lives. Not everyone is fighting for or against Society. I think this season toes the line between giving us a compelling story and showing us that people are first and foremost just people.

Someone in another post compared this season to a Harry Potter story about a muggle in an office job. Much as I am loathe to talk about JKR’s work given her… track record, it’s a story we all know, so whatever. I would like to counter with this: it’s more like a random Hufflepuff just trying to go to school and learn. Out of how many hundreds of students at the school, how many are involved in the big plot, like six? What about the rest of them? They’re there, they’re doing their thing, they’re just not directly involved with whatever nonsense Harry’s up to this year. For a story like Harry Potter, it’s not important that we know this background Hufflepuff’s story. That world isn’t very far removed from ours, so the simple mention that they exist, even as a monolithic “other students” comment, is enough for us to understand they’re an everyman. In a story like Within the Wires, where the world has diverged so vastly from ours, and every story we’ve gotten is someone directly involved with the struggle, it’s easy to forget that some people just want to exist. The everyman does still exist, they just look a little different.

I also like the implication that the New Society is a place where, if your career path isn’t working out for you, you can simply get new training and switch paths. Clíodhna went from being a mechanic (a damn good one too, if we’re to believe her aside about that if she had kept with it, she’d have her own garage by now) to being a nurse, just because she thought it would be a better application of her skills. As someone who spent 8 years struggling through college for a degree I’m only tangentially using, that’s kind of a nice thought.

But if I’m being honest, the main reason I dove this deep into this analysis is what I’ve already talked about: that I desperately didn’t want the supernatural to explain the weird things. I was fine after the first listen with it just being a story of some random person living their life in this society, no Institute manipulating them, no girlfriend spying on them, no government espionage scandal, just a person, doing their thing. What I couldn’t accept was that it was the Fae or anything else supernatural or magical. Did I want a New Society reason for Clíodhna’s madness? Sure, of course I did. But I’m okay with there not being one, because in real life, not everything has meaning. To bring in Season 2 one more time, sometimes a bowl of fruit is just a well-painted bowl of fruit.

My friend also had a theory that adds to this: that Clíodhna was a child-bearer who couldn’t let go of her child. We know from Michael that there is very little support for people after birth. We’re only 12 years past when we learn that, and we know bureaucracy is still slow based on the things he said to Amy about the institute. We both see no reason to think that post-partum support has improved. So, this is also a post-partum psychotic break, and why she gets so fixated on the child. Perhaps they finally got the child away from her by telling her it died, giving her the fixation on the dead child.

Personally, I don’t see the need for any further justification. A sleep-deprived and stressed-out mind will latch on to whatever it can and spiral, but I wanted to include it here because it’s an interesting extra layer.

TL;DR: Clíodhna is just an average person living her life, but sleep deprived as FUCK and it’s causing her to hallucinate and generally go mad.