#set throughout seasons 1 and 2 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

onceinablueberrymoon · 5 months ago

Text

intentionally by chance | husband!salesman x pregnant!reader

part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | series masterlist scenario: a month after seeing the salesman on his way to the airport, gi-hun returns to that subway station every day, hoping to find the salesman and confront him. this is where you come in. setting: takes place after the events of season 1, but before gi-hun hires the loan shark group to search for the salesman warnings: deception; pregnant!reader; no use of y/n; second person POV word count: 1.3k notes: salesman fluff! ♡ this guy’s been plaguing my thoughts for weeks now, so i had to write about him. my first fic in years! i like to think that S1 salesman is more chill than in S2. please enjoy! borders by @strangergraphics-archive

“Excuse me… Can you please help me?”

The red-haired man, who was perusing the endless options of cup ramyeon, turned in your direction, but remained planted a few feet away from you.

“Me?” He pointed at himself.

You nodded, adjusting the items you were holding in your arms. “Can you grab me that cup of ramyeon from the shelf? I’d get it, but my hands are full…”

The man walked over and retrieved your cup of ramyeon. As he handed it to you, he noticed your pronounced bump under your sweater and furrowed his eyebrows.

“Miss, you’re in no condition to be carrying so much. Please, let me help you bring it to the checkout.”

With your approval, he unloaded the rest of your snacks into his arms. The two of you walked to the register, where you insisted on paying for his own cup of ramyeon. You suggested eating the ramyeon at one of the tables outside the subway station’s convenience store, but he insisted on sitting on a bench on the subway platform.

“Is there a particular reason you wanted to eat here? It’s not the most ideal dining spot…” You slurped your noodles happily. The man ate slowly, popping his head up every so often and eyeing his surroundings carefully.

“I’m… looking for something. Nothing you should worry yourself with,” he continued to eat his food while you gave him a skeptical look.

“Perhaps I could help? Well, as long as I don’t have to move very much,” you chuckled, patting your stomach. He gave you a soft smile before changing the topic.

“Shouldn’t your husband be buying you food instead of you coming to get it yourself?” He gestured to your bag of snacks, and you giggled.

“My husband buys me all the food I want, but sometimes I just want to get out of the house! It’s no fun being cooped up all day,” you sighed. The man nodded in understanding.

“It’s also nice to talk to other people, like you,” you smiled at him. He returned your smile, but then his eyebrows shot up when a sharp smack echoed throughout the platform.

The man jumped up, his cup ramyeon forgotten on the bench. You turned to see where the noise had come from, only to find a group of students huddled around another student who had dropped their textbooks on the ground. From what you could hear, it seemed like they were holding them for a friend but couldn’t handle the weight.

The red-haired man froze for a few seconds, then sat back down, heaving a big sigh.

“Are you alright, sir? There’s nothing to worry about – it was just some books that fell.” You tried to comfort the man in some way, but he brushed the incident off.

“I’m fine. It just… reminded me of something,” he tried his best to give you a reassuring smile, but it didn’t convince you. “Don’t worry about me. Please eat,” he gestured to your unfinished ramyeon, “you need strength for your baby.”

The rest of your time together was pleasant, but you were still not convinced that the man’s reaction was nothing. You both finished your noodles, disposing the packaging and your utensils before parting ways.

Once you returned home, you put the remaining snacks away and settled on the sofa. There were still a few hours before your husband was due home. You got yourself comfortable, curled up under a blanket, and drifted off to sleep.

“Rough day?”

You cracked open your eyes. All you could see was a blurry grey shape, but you already knew who it was.

Blinking your eyes a few times, your husband’s handsome face came into focus, with his usually crisp grey suit looking a bit creased. His usual smirk graced his face as he looked down at you on the sofa.

“I should be asking you that. What happened to your suit?” You sat up and he sat down next to you, leaning his head on your shoulder.

“One prospective player became violent when he lost at ddakji for the 20th time in a row. Of course, I was able to subdue him, but it took more effort than usual,” your husband tried to press down a crease on his sleeve, but to no avail. He rested a hand on your rounded belly, gently rubbing circles with his fingers.

“How was today? I trust you succeeded in your mission?”

You scoffed, “He was exactly where you said he’d be. I was able to have a conversation with him. We even ate ramyeon together for lunch!”

Your husband turned to face you, an eyebrow raised. “You ate ramyeon together?” He gave a small pout, “I thought I was the only one you ate ramyeon with.”

Immediately, your face flustered as you explained yourself, “Hey, you know that I would never cheat!” Then, you scoffed, “We ate cup ramyeon, alright? Not whatever fantasy you’re imagining in that head of yours.” He laughed, pecking you on the cheek.

“Oh, but I have some exciting news,” you said with a sparkle in your eyes. “He’s still looking for you. And he’s basically gone mad trying to find you.” This caught your husband’s attention.

“While we were eating, there was a loud noise. Turned out that a kid dropped their books. But Gi-hun didn’t know that. He shot up so fast I swear I thought he was possessed!”

Your husband seemed to take in your findings carefully, continuing his circles on your bump as if they helped him focus.

“He wouldn’t tell me what he was looking for, but he specifically wanted us to sit on the subway platform, so I think it’s safe to say he’s searching for you.” Your husband had previously informed you that he had spotted a player he had already recruited at the Incheon Airport subway station, albeit with flaming red hair. After talking with the Frontman, he confirmed that Seong Gi-hun was indeed the winner of the 33rd edition of the Games.

Once you shared the rest of your intel with your husband, you let out a big sigh.

“Should I meet with Gi-hun again? It’d be useful to know his location and I could maybe gather more info,” you looked at your husband who had since sat up, but he didn’t take his hand off your bump.

He pondered your question for a moment. “While I would benefit from knowing his whereabouts, I’m more afraid of something happening to you,” his voice sounded strained. “I wouldn’t be there to protect you and our child.”

You leaned onto his shoulder, resting a hand on top of his on your belly. “We’ll be fine. If anything, Gi-hun was also concerned for me because of the baby,” you winked. “Maybe they’re the key to earning his trust.”

Your husband’s lips tightened into a straight line. While he wasn’t happy that you would spend time with someone who clearly despised him, you were right — your pregnancy would lower Gi-hun’s defenses. You knew how much your husband’s schedule was impacted by Gi-hun’s constant presence on the AREX subway line. It would greatly help your husband if you could keep Gi-hun at one station while he recruited prospective players for the Games.

Your husband kissed the crown of your head and stood up, attempting once again to smooth out the crease on his sleeve. “We’ll see. I’ll talk to the Frontman to see if we can get you any additional protection. I still don’t like the idea of you being around Gi-hun alone. If he learns of our relationship, I imagine he will use you as ransom,” he clicks his tongue, “We can’t have that now, can we?”

You shook your head and stood up next to your husband. He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

“For now, continue researching prospective players. I’m almost done with your last batch,” he flashed his signature smirk, which you returned with a soft smile of your own.

“On it. Rumour has it that Tapgol Park has an abundance of people down on their luck…”

#the salesman x reader #squid game #squid game x reader #the salesman x you #squid game season 2 #the salesman #the recruiter x reader #the recruiter #the salesman fluff #squid game fanfic #gong yoo x reader #husband!salesman x reader #pregnant reader #reader insert #squid game fluff #squid game x you

2K notes · View notes

atlabeth · 7 months ago

Text

unadulterated loathing (pt 1)

masterlist

pairing: fiyero tigelaar x fem reader

summary: you are forced to partner up with fiyero on a history project. things don’t go as you imagine.

a/n: wicked was really good, i love jonathan bailey, and we're coming up on finals season which means im writing about how stressed i am. also halfway through this i realized reader is lowkey paris geller coded lmao. this got away from me so im splitting it into 2 parts, i had a lot of fun writing it so enjoy! also im high posting this so if there's any editing issues im sorry lol!!

wc: 5.5k

warning(s): reader is stressed to the max constantly. she is kinda mean to fiyero but he's into it so it's okay. mostly fluff

Your fingers were beginning to cramp.

You should have been used to this by now with Doctor Dillamond. You’d been in his class for a few months now, and you graded essays for him often. He often had a propensity for verbosity, but this lecture had been an especially hefty one in preparation for your midterm projects.

He would be announcing partners before the end of class—much to your dismay, for you worked far better on your own than with others holding you down—and you figured you would want to have as much of a head start as possible.

Great Oz, how you hoped you would be paired with one of your friends. Coralie and Ezura were your only contenders for top of the class—Elphaba had potential as well, not because of the magic she couldn’t control but because of the brain she very well could—and anyone else would frankly slow you down. Doing a large research paper with someone who didn’t care as much as you did would be a drag you didn’t care to go through.

Midterms were only the most important thing, for they set the track towards finals and affirmed your skill with your assignments, and your first midterm was potentially the most important thing for, when completed successfully, set you on the correct track altogether.

You tried not to think about it too much (though you failed almost immediately), for you were sure Doctor Dillamond would honor all the work you’d done for him by putting you with a suitable partner.

“I see some of you are getting restless, so I will cut class short today.” Your eyes snapped up from your paper to see the professor smiling, and you could hear sighs of relief around the room. “I’m sure you’re all eager to know your partners for the midterm paper.”

The sighs of relief turned to groans, and you had to agree. Assigned partners should have been considered archaic at this point in time.

Doctor Dillamond trotted back to the projector and, with a bit of difficulty, replaced the image with a piece of paper. Everybody in the class was paired off in groups of two—you immediately started searching for your name, squinting slightly to see despite your spot in the front, and the furrow between your brows deepened when you realized you couldn’t find it.

You searched instead for your hopeful options. Coralie was with Mayara, Ezura was with Nicholas, Elphaba was with Galinda—of course. You let out a slight huff of annoyance, not just at your disappointment but at the continued lack of your name.

Perhaps he’d merely forgotten. You didn’t know how Dillamond could have forgotten you, seeing as you were only his best student and literal TA, but things happened. Your anxieties only grew as you heard the beginnings of whispers throughout the room as your classmates saw their pairings, either excited or dismal.

“Class is dismissed,” Doctor Dillamond said. The room began bustling as students gathered their things, already talking with their friends or searching out their project partner—you heard Galinda squeal and saw her grab Elphaba’s hands out of your peripherals. You could only worry your lip between your teeth as you swept everything in your bag, hardly waiting a second before rushing up to Dillamond’s desk.

“You didn’t call my name, professor,” you said, managing a smile as you tried to act like it wasn’t killing you. How could he have not called your name? Was there something wrong? Great Oz— had you been somehow moved out of the class? Was your work not exemplary enough? Your assistance not assisting enough? “I don’t have a partner.”

His mouth opened, but you only found yourself continuing, the words practically tumbling out of you.

“Of course, if you intended for me to be on my own then I am perfectly alright with that!” Your smile widened as your fingertips dangled over his desk. “I— I prefer it, in fact, so if that is it then there is really no issue at all—”

“Mr. Tigelaar!” he interrupted, and your head turned on instinct to see the eponymous boy arm in arm with Galinda (who was arm in arm with Elphaba) just in front of the door. “I hope you are not about to leave.”

Fiyero flashed a look at his companions before offering one of those easy smiles he seemed to always have up his sleeve. “You dismissed the class. I believe I am part of your class, am I not?”

“You are,” he said, “but you were not assigned a partner. Surely you wouldn’t be trying to get out of the project.”

Your free hand clenched as the threads started to connect. Doctor Dillamond wouldn’t do this to you. Would he?

That easy smile remained on his lips as he turned to Galinda and whispered something in her ear. She giggled and pecked him on the cheek before she walked out, pulling Elphaba behind her, and Fiyero sauntered over.

“Of course I’m not trying to get out of it,” he said. “Whyever would you think so?”

“Your attempt at a quick exit before you could be assigned a partner,” the professor said. “But it is no matter, for your partner is right here.”

You blinked. He would do this to you.

Why would he do this to you?

“Well, pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand. “Fiyero Tigelaar.”

You ignored him, for you couldn’t look away from Doctor Dillamond. Would it be mad for you to strangle a Goat?

“Professor,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady, “why?”

“Mr. Tigelaar’s grades in my class have not been satisfactory, as I’m sure he is aware.” Dillamond moved away from his desk, prodding the chalkboard with his head to move it out of the way. “I care about all my students, even if they seem not to care for my course. I believe a partnership for the two of you would be beneficial.”

Your jaw clenched. “So you’re forcing me to tutor him because he hasn’t got a brain.”

Fiyero chuckled. “Ouch.”

“Not tutoring, just working on your midterm together,” he said. “And if you end up teaching him a few things along the way, then we would all be better off, wouldn’t we?”

“Professor, with all due respect, this is ridiculous!” you exclaimed. “Why should I have to risk my grade, my midterm, my standing altogether at Shiz just to help him?”

“Should you perform the way that is typical of you, there should be no issues.” Doctor Dillamond gave you that professorly look and your teeth grinded against each other. How dare he try to take the moral high ground. “Now, the two of you better hurry off. You haven’t got forever to work on this project.”

“Professor,” you whispered, determined to not let up, “why are you punishing me like this?”

“I’m not punishing you, my dear.”

“Fiyero couldn’t care less about any of this,” you insisted. “I’m going to fail my midterm and it will be all his fault!”

“If you believe he can make you fail, then you haven’t got as much faith in yourself as I believed.” Doctor Dillamond looked at you. “Trust me—and yourself—that this will all work out.”

You stared back—it was rather difficult to have a staring contest with a Goat. “I don’t suppose I can change your mind on this?”

“You’d be correct.”

You huffed and glanced away. “Fine. But expect those test scores to take an extra day.”

He let out a bleaty sort of laugh while you walked away. You considered it a credit to yourself that you held back the childish tantrum you wanted to throw as you moved back over to your desk to gather the rest of your things. You shoved your books into your bag with a bit more anger than necessary, and you heard footsteps behind you. You glanced over to see Fiyero sidled up beside you, leaning against the desk next to yours.

“Surely you won’t be this irritated at me the entirety of our project.” He still had that unbothered smile on his lips, and it made you want to hit him. “It might make this a much more miserable partnership.”

You let out a mirthless laugh as you shouldered your bag. “Don’t act like this pains you. You’re just going to ride my coattails the entire time.”

“You know, I hadn’t even thought of that,” Fiyero mused. “But now that you bring it up, I just may have to.”

“For the love of Oz,” you muttered to yourself before mustering the strength to look up at him. “I have a myriad of things I need to do today. Why don’t you go bother your girlfriend for the rest of the day, and then you can meet me at the library first thing tomorrow morning so we can discuss all of this.”

He shrugged. “Sounds alright to me.”

“Good,” you said. “Because I meant every word I said back there. I will not have you ruining all my progress thus far because of your absolute refusal to think.”

“It looks as if you could take a page out of my book,” Fiyero said. “You seem awfully stressed.”

Your lips tightened into a mirthless smile. “I’m stressed because of you, Fiyero, and we have hardly even interacted. I dread to think of my mental state after a week of working together. Now, good day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You swept past him and walked out of Doctor Dillamond’s classroom. You felt his eyes on you until you turned the corner, and you had to resist the urge to look back.

Oh, how you loathed group projects.

The rest of your day was far more demanderating than it should have been, and you blamed Fiyero for it. You swore the clock went by half as quick and your lectures twice as long—it didn’t help that you were so distracted in chemistry that you nearly burned your eyebrows off from a potion gone wrong.

You’d practically thrown yourself onto your bed when you got back to your dorm, and you didn’t get up until your roommate got back and demanded to know what had gotten into you. She didn’t exactly give you the response you wanted.

“The prince is your partner?” Coralie sighed dreamily. “Oh, you are so lucky.”

“Lucky is not the way I’d put it,” you mumbled, words muffled by the sheets. You finally tore yourself up off your bed and picked your nightgown up from atop your dresser. You went behind your folding sheet and began to change. “And I didn’t know you had eyes for Fiyero.”

“I hardly have eyes for him,” she said wryly. “I just have eyes—anyone can see that he’s attractive.”

“It doesn’t matter how attractive he is if he makes me fail this midterm,” you said. You straightened your nightgown then folded your school uniform while you walked back into the open, passing a glance at your roommate as you placed it on your desk. You then settled on your bed with a huff. “I just don’t understand why Doctor Dillamond is punishing me like this. It makes me reconsider all those late nights spent grading papers for him.”

Coralie shrugged. “You’re one of his best students, Fiyero is probably one of his worst. I bet Doctor Dillamond figured you would be happy to take him on, what with how happily you take on everything else he throws at you.”

You grumbled as you laid back against your pillows. “I just don’t know if I can take him on. Fiyero seems to care more about flirting with every student at this school than any actual material.”

She gave you a mischievous smile. “Maybe he’ll turn the full force of his affections on you in return for your studiousness. Oh, how that would be a sight to see.”

“Don’t even put that idea into the air, Cora,” you scoffed. “Besides, he’s clearly involved with Galinda. Even if I was interested, which I’m not—” you emphasized with a pointed look at her— “that isn’t something I want to touch.”

“Well, you can’t deny that he’s dreamy,” she said. “He just showed up at Shiz and people started falling left and right. It’s more impressive that you haven’t.”

“Because I’m here for one reason,” you said. “His whole… thing doesn’t fit into any of it.”

“I know,” Coralie mused as she fell back onto her pillows. “You’ve told me your whole plan ten times over. I just think you should also try to enjoy your life instead of bulldozing your way through it.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile. “I’m enjoying my life just fine, thank you.”

Interestingly enough, Fiyero was going through something similar a myriad of rooms away.

He laid on Galinda’s bed, his head in her lap as she trailed her fingers through his hair. She’d been going on about something for the last couple of minutes, but he hadn’t really been able to focus on any of it.

“Dearest, did you not hear what I said?”

Fiyero blinked at the sound of Galinda’s voice. He hadn’t indeed.

“I’m sorry, beloved.” He absentmindedly reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze once he found it. “I was thinking.”

Elphaba laughed from across the room. She sat on her bed with a book in her lap. “That’s a first for you.”

“It is,” Galinda said, though with much more concern laced in her voice. Her hand moved from his hair to his forehead. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Just fine,” he assured. “What was it you were saying?”

“Just lamenting on how awful it is that we’ve been separated for this project,” she sighed. “I’m sure I could persuade Doctor Dillamond to put us in a group of three.”

“You can’t even get him to pronounce your name correctly,” Elphaba said wryly. “How could you get him to do this?”

“Well,” Galinda huffed, “maybe you could do it. He appears to like you more than me.”

“I’m sure that really hurts,” she said.

Galinda placed her hand on her chest. “It does!”

“It’s fine,” Fiyero interrupted. “I’m alright with my partner. She’s nice.”

“Nice?” Elphaba scoffed. “I heard her lecturing you the whole time we were out in the hallway.”

“She’s passionate,” he decided. “Besides, I don’t really care. I haven’t thought about it since she left.”

That was a complete lie. In truth, Fiyero hadn’t been able to stop thinking about you since you left. Very strange for someone who preferred to go through life with less thinking and more doing.

He honestly didn’t know why his mind was so occupied with you.

He’d always been aware of you, obviously—all your professors adored you, your name was always brought up when talking about top of the class, and he was sure you held the record for most time spent in the library at once—but he didn’t know anything about you other than your academic record. And for someone with such strong opinions, especially about him, Fiyero found himself with the strange need to know more.

He would be at the library tomorrow. Maybe not on time, but certainly there.

Fiyero would make this the beginning of a beautiful partnership, one way or another.

True to your word, you were in the library bright and early after a quick stop at the dining hall. You went through the effort of gathering everything you thought you would need—a myriad of textbooks and encyclopedias, your well-weathered notebook and another one for Fiyero because you doubted he had one, and enough writing material for the two of you.

You sighed. You had to do so much just to even the ground between your groups and the others. Coralie was always so prepared whenever you worked together.

Fiyero, to your surprise, was only ten minutes late. You already had your head buried in a book when he said your name and scared you witless.

Your eyes widened as they darted up to look at him, and he chuckled.

“Sorry. You were in the zone.”

“I just wasn’t expecting you,” you said. “You’re late.”

“Hardly.” Fiyero took the seat across from you, his eyes sweeping over everything you had on the table. “You’ve got quite a collection.”

“I doubt you know your way around the library,” you said.

“I know my way around a lot of things.”

You leveled your gaze at him. Leave it to Fiyero to make everything an innuendo. “And is a library one of them?”

“I’m sure I could make it one.”

“If you bothered to think at all.”

“Darling, you know I’d never,” he said with a smile. “Now, what are we doing here?”

“Do you really not know what our midterm is?” you marveled.

“I have more important things to worry about,” he said.

You scoffed and shook your head. Ridiculous— it was ridiculous that you had to put up with this. Maybe Doctor Dillamond really did hate you.

“Our assignment is an extensively researched ten page paper on any great Ozian,” you said. “Anyone who has contributed to our society in a relevant way and made our lives better for it.”

“A ten page paper?” Fiyero frowned. “That seems a bit much.”

“Between the two of us, it’s just five pages each, and we’ve got two weeks to get it done,” you said. “I’ve written five pages in a few hours of inspiration.”

“Your life truly sounds thrilling,” Fiyero said. “We could do the Wizard.”

“Half the class is going to do the wizard,” you scoffed.

“Because he’s a great man,” he said. “There’s no shame in it.”

“There is absolutely shame in copying half the class,” you said as you pushed over a sheet of paper to him. “Now, I’ve already got a list going. Look it over; see if there’s anyone you like or anyone worthwhile you want to add.”

You looked back down at your encyclopedia, opened to your personal favorite choice, and continued scribbling down basic notes. You glanced up a few moments later to see Fiyero’s gaze hadn’t wavered from you.

You frowned. “Is there a problem?”

“You’re awfully prepared,” he said instead.

“I figured you wouldn’t be,” you responded.

Fiyero’s lips quirked in a smile. “Then I believe that means you deserve to choose our subject.”

Your frown deepened. “Really?”

“Are you always this suspicious of everyone?”

“Just you.”

“Then consider this an olive branch,” he said. He slid the paper back over. “Who’s your top choice?”

“…Ilara Mayfair,” you finally said as you pointed at her on the top of your list. “She was a historical linguist, responsible for half of what we know about Ozian languages and how they connect and differ. She’s…” you cleared your throat and shrugged, trying to make it sound like it wasn’t a big deal, “she’s kind of my hero.”

“Your hero?” Fiyero’s eyebrows rose. “Is that what you want to do?”

“…It’s always been my dream,” you admitted. “I grew up helping around my parents’ bookstore and her mark was on nearly everything. I really admire it. I want to make that sort of difference in the world.”

“How noble,” he remarked. What surprised you was how genuine he sounded. “It’s impressive how much of your life you have planned out already. All Galinda knows is that she’s majoring in sorcery—she hasn’t really got anything else worked out.”

“What are you majoring in?” you asked.

“Undecided,” Fiyero said. “I was kicked out of my last school before I could declare, so I figure there’s not really a point in doing it here.”

“Not really a surprise,” you said.

“Really?”

“On your first day, you snuck off campus with half of Shiz to go dance at Ozdust,” you said. “That’s not exactly a good first impression.”

“I’d argue the opposite,” he said. Fiyero tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he focused on you for a moment. His gaze made you uncomfortably aware of yourself. “I don’t recall seeing you there.”

“That’s because I wasn’t there.” You looked back down at your encyclopedia to avoid his eyes. “I had more important things to do.”

He frowned. “Do you ever take a day off?”

“Of course,” you said. “There isn’t any class on the weekends.”

“I mean with this,” he said, gesturing at all the books around you. “It doesn’t seem like you allow yourself a single moment of respite. When you’re not in class, you’re studying. When you’re not studying, you’re doing work. When you’re not doing any of it, you’re probably dreaming of your future assignments.”

You felt your skin heat. Surely you weren’t that transparent.

“...I don’t dream of them,” you defended. “Not— not always.”

He laughed and shook his head. “You’re ridiculous. Do you know that?”

You frowned. “How am I ridiculous? You’re incapable of taking a single thing seriously.”

“And you’re incapable of not taking everything seriously,” Fiyero said. “It can’t be good for your health.”

“I plan to get out of here a year early,” you said, looking back at your books. “I can’t slack off like you do if I want that plan to come to fruition.”

“Oh, I’ve gotten out of every school I’ve been in a year early,” Fiyero said. “Sometimes two or three— Oz, sometimes I don’t even make it through the first semester.”

Your eyes snapped back up to him, widened in instinctual panic. “What?”

He burst out laughing, and it grinded every one of your gears. “Oh, I wish you could see the look on your face! It’s priceless— truly priceless!”

“You’ve been kicked out of every school you’ve been to and you think it’s a joke?”

Still laughing, he shrugged. “It is. Nothing bad has happened, and I’m still having the time of my life wherever I go.”

You just shook your head as you stared at him, eyes still wide. “Are you always like this?”

“Utterly charming?”

“Entirely insufferable.”

You didn’t understand how he laughed. Everything rolled right off him, like oil off a duck’s back, no matter how many times you insulted him.

“You know, there are other things to life than your studies,” he said.

“Not while I’m here, there isn’t,” you said. “It’s the whole point of university.”

“The point of university is to have fun,” he said. “You’ve seen how this place has perked up since I’ve gotten here, haven’t you?”

“Not really, no,” you said. “I’ve been more focused on other things.”

“Like?”

“Like my studies.”

“It’s like I’m talking to a broken record,” he marveled. “Have you ever had fun in your life?” His eyes widened comically. “Do you even know what the concept of fun is?”

“Ha ha,” you said dryly.

He tilted his head. “Do you?”

You frowned. “Of course I do.”

“Okay, then.” Fiyero leaned back in his chair. “Tell me about yourself.”

Your frown deepened. “We aren’t doing a research paper on me.”

“We’re working together on this,” he said. “Is it a crime to want to know my partner?”

A muscle worked in your jaw as you stared at him. He stared back, entirely unaffected.

“If I humor you, will you actually work with me through this?”

Fiyero held up his hand. “Prince’s honor.”

Finally, you broke. You folded your arms with a short sigh then glanced away. “Fine. I’m from a tiny village in Gillikin that you’ve probably never heard of. I’m here on scholarship with the plan to graduate, become a historian, and make a name for myself.” You looked back at him. “Is that good enough for you?”

“It’s excellent,” Fiyero said with a smile. “Dare I say I’ve learned more about you in one short day than I have in the entirety of my time at Shiz?”

You gave him a fake smile as you tapped your book. “Open your textbook. We have a lot to catch up on.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re not going to ask about me?”

“I mean this with all due respect—what could there possibly be to know about you?” You raised an eyebrow as you counted off on your fingers. “You’re from the Vinkus, you’re a prince, and you’ve never read a book a day in your life.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” he chastised. “I’ve read at least one—I just choose not to.”

“Well, how about we make that two?” You reached across the table and opened his book for him. “Unless that prince’s honor isn’t worth a thing.”

“Oh, it’s worth everything,” Fiyero said.

You raised your eyebrows expectantly. “Then prove it.”

“Very well,” he nodded. “I believe I can be serious for the next… fifteen minutes.”

“You won’t even get through a chapter,” you said. “Thirty.”

Fiyero frowned. “You set awfully high expectations.”

“Why do you think Doctor Dillamond forced me to help you?” you asked.

“Because you’re oh so nice and charitable?”

That got a genuine laugh out of you. If you’d been looking closer, you would have seen Fiyero’s smile grow, his eyes soften.

“Of course. Now, go to the glossary, find Ilara, and start writing. I know practically everything about her already, so you need to catch up.”

“I don’t have—”

You held out your extra notebook and fountain pen and cocked your head. “Don’t have what?”

Fiyero chuckled as he took them from you. “You’re prepared for everything, aren’t you?”

“Always,” you said with a satisfied smile. “Now get reading, my prince.”

He pressed his hand to his chest and bowed his head. “At once, my lady.”

You looked at the clock on the wall. Fiyero should have been here by now.

Granted, he was ten minutes late to your first meeting, but that was before he’d changed your expectations ever so slightly. Almost an hour had passed, and there was still no sign.

Of course, it wasn’t as if it hindered your progress. You kind of always expected him to fall short—if he showed at all, that was a credit to him—so you already had half the outline done. But a small part of you that you’d never admit to might have actually been looking forward to his presence.

You enjoyed the bout of verbal sparring he engaged you in. A lot of your classmates thought you were mean, and it never bothered you. Like you told Fiyero, you were here for one reason and one only, and the amount of people that liked you at university didn’t influence that at all. Your professors liked you and your grades were perfect—that was all.

But you couldn’t lie and say it wasn’t… nice. For Fiyero to take everything you said in stride, with a smile and a retort of equal measure.

It was nice. But that was all.

You were jarred out of your thoughts by someone calling your name. You looked up to see Fiyero sauntering over, bearing his usual smile and not much else.

“This is a library,” you said once he got closer. “You aren’t supposed to shout.”

He took the seat across from you. “I’d hardly call that shouting.”

“You aren’t meant to be loud,” you decided. “Why are you so late?”

Fiyero shrugged. “I lost track of time?”

“You know, we are partners,” you emphasized your last word, “so it would be helpful if you could try to put in the same amount of effort as me.”

“That seems impossible.” He gestured at your notebook with his head, your current page already nearly full. “You’ve got me beat on nearly everything.”

“It’s not that difficult,” you intoned. “I mean, just do some research outside of class.”

He stared at you expectantly, and you rolled your eyes. “I don’t know what I expect with you, honestly.”

“Exactly what you see, darling. Now,” Fiyero's gaze drifted over to the window, then looked back at you as he stood up, “what do you say we put a hold on things and enjoy this beautiful day?”

Your brows furrowed. “What, you mean do our research outside?”

“Is your work truly all you think about?” he asked in exasperation. “I mean leave the books and your notes and your stress here, and take a stroll around campus.”

“I’ve had my entire life planned out since I was ten years old,” you said. “Of course it is. I am not going to have some— some—”

“Some what?” Fiyero interrupted. He still looked remarkably unaffected by your outburst, that sideways smile of his infuriatingly charming.

“Some ridiculous, pompous, self-absorbed, lazy Winkie prince ruin it!” you exclaimed.

“Lazy,” he mused. “That’s a new one.”

“Of course you’re lazy! Why would we take a break when we have a project to do?”

Fiyero looked at you like you were crazy— no, like he was worried about you. He shook his head. “You really do have a one track mind.”

“When we’re in midterm season, yes, I d— what are you doing?”

Fiyero had started stacking all of the books you had on the table away from you, then he grabbed your notebook and your pen out of your hand.

“You need a break,” he said.

“I don’t need a break, and give that back—”

You reached for your materials but only just grazed his hand before he pulled them back and set them on top of the pile. “When was the last time you saw the sun?”

You scoffed. “I see the sun all the time.”

“Not from a window in the library or your dorm.”

You bit your tongue. Fiyero smiled and held out his hand.

“You need a break.”

You stared at his hand. He gave you a cloying look.

“It’s not a good sign that you’re this against self-care,” he said wryly.

You sighed and reluctantly placed your hand in his. “Fine.”

Fiyero grinned and he pulled you close. You yelped at the unexpected speed and you tumbled into his chest. Fiyero’s hand dropped to your waist, and for a moment all you could do was stare at him, wide eyed.

“Shall we?” he murmured.

You jolted away from him once you came back into yourself, your skin burning where he’d touched you.

“We shall,” you said, a bit too forcefully as you started walking a bit too fast.

Fiyero chuckled. He matched your pace easily, soon coming up beside you. “You’re already that excited?”

“Oh, shut up,” you bit out. “You’ve already gotten what you want. No need for more.”

He feigned naivety. “What would I possibly be doing?”

You shook your head with a huff. “I’m not entertaining that with a response.”

Fiyero simply hummed. You glanced over at him, still staying even with you, and then you let out another huff as you stopped. He didn’t miss a beat, pausing at the same time as you, then met your flustered expression with a smile.

“Yes?”

“You’re the one that wanted to do this,” you said, gesturing in front of you with a hand. “So lead the way.”

“Gladly,” he said. “I’m very good at taking the lead.”

Fiyero started walking and, though you had half a mind to take the opportunity and dart back to the library, you found yourself following him.

Cora’s words spun around your head as you and Fiyero walked together, about him turning the full force of his flirting on you in return for you being such a stickler for your midterm.

That was the embarrassing thing; you didn’t even think this was half of it, and he already had you blushing—and for what? It was as if you’d never even talked to a boy before.

You’d had plenty of experience back home. Village boys coming into your parents’ store to flirt at you, leaving notes in your desk in class, offering to walk you home at night—plenty of experience.

It didn’t matter that you denied them all and never went anywhere because you had a one track mind even then, and that Fiyero had done what no one else had and gotten you take a break simply because he asked nicely—

You sucked in a sharp breath as Fiyero’s arm suddenly pressed against your chest, stopping you in place. Your head snapped up to look at him, mouth already open with questions loaded, but he gestured with his head before you could ask any of them.

You’d nearly barreled right down the stairs from being lost in your head, without care nor consideration for actually taking the steps.

“Mind the gap, darling,” he said. “Wouldn’t want you damaging that brain of yours.”

“…Thank you,” you said once you’d regained the ability to speak words again. “One of us ought to have one.”

Fiyero laughed as he took his arm away. “Certainly.” He used it to gesture down the stairs. “Ladies first—unless you’re unsure of your ability to conquer them.”

“I’ll be just fine, Fiyero.” You started the descent, Fiyero right behind you, and you let out another short sigh.

There had to be something wrong with you. That was the only explanation for why you were acting this way.

Maybe you really did need to start getting more sleep.

#fiyero tigelaar x reader #fiyero x reader #wicked x reader #fiyero x you #fiyero tigelaar x you #fiyero movie x reader #wicked movie x reader

2K notes · View notes

meochicc · 9 months ago

Text

- 4t3 Serenity Poison Set conversion -

Happy Simblreen! Starting this season off with a big conversion set, I will be sharing some other smaller gifts throughout the month~

All credits go to @serenity-cc - These are not my meshes nor textures! Original here;

LILITH DRESS

YA - AF

4.8k polycount

2 recolourable channels

4 presets

Morphed - all LODS

Everyday, Formal, Career, Not valid for random

RUBY DRESS

YA - AF

5.8k polycount

4 recolourable channels

4 presets

Morphed - all LODS

Everyday, Formal, Career, Outerwear, Not valid for random

RUBY COAT

YA - AF

4.6k polycount

4 recolourable channels

4 presets

Morphed - all LODS

Everyday, Formal, Career, Outerwear, Not valid for random

DAWN SKIRT

YA - AF

1.5k polycount

2 recolourable channels

4 presets

Morphed - all LODS

Everyday, Formal, Career, Outwear, Not valid for random

IRINA CHOKER

TF - EF

253 polycount

1 recolourable channel

2 presets

Morphed - all LODS

Everyday, Formal, Swimwear, Athletic, Career, Outwear, Maternity, Not valid for random

CLAUDIA TIGHTS

TF - EF

1 recolourable channel

4 presets

Everyday, Formal, Sleepwear, Career, Outwear, Maternity, Not valid for random

CLAUDIA BOOTS

TF - EF

1.3k polycount

3 recolourable channels

3 presets

Morphed - all LODS

Everyday, Formal, Career, Outerwear, Maternity, Not valid for random

Notes

These conversions took a lot of troubleshooting and a long time to finish. If you would like to support my work, consider donating me a tip on Ko-Fi!

|| DOWNLOAD - SFS ||

|| @simtanico converted the Dawn Dress over here ||

#simblreen #simblreen 2024 #sims 3 #ts3 #sims 3 cc #s3cc #simblr #ts3cc #meochicc #ts3 download #serenity-cc #sims3cc #tclothing #tshoes #taccessories #simblreen2024

2K notes · View notes

bloomzone · 2 months ago

Text

STUDY SYSTEM : DAILY STUDY ROUTINE ( EXAM EDITION)

hii looves so this blog is all abt how to optimizing your day for peak academic performance. This four-part daily system is the exact routine used during exam season especially finals to consistently achieve top grades with minimal stress. While the routine may appear complex at first glance it is built upon simple, intuitive principles rooted in human biology and psychology. It is not only practical but highly effective when followed consistently. You’ll learn to structure your day around ur natural energy cycles, use tools to boost focus, and incorporate essential periods of rest and release to maintain motivation and productivity.

SECTION 1: UNDERSTANDING UR ENERGY RHYTHM

The routine is built around the concept of the circadian rhythm, your body’s natural energy cycle throughout the day. On a standard day for example :

Energy peaks shortly after waking typically around 6:00 AM.

Energy dips mid-afternoon often around 2:30 or 3:00 PM.

A secondary energy peak occurs in the evening approximately around 7:00 PM.

Energy tapers off as bedtime approaches.

This predictable fluctuation is key to optimizing your study schedule. The two energy peaks will be your core study sessions, while the dip will be used as a rest period, and the late-night wind-down becomes your release period or bedtime .

SECTION 2: THE MORNING STUDY SESSION (STUDY SESSION #1)

◜⁠✧ Start Within One Hour of Waking Up

Your goal is to begin studying as soon as possible after waking, ideally within the first hour. Use the high energy of the morning to tackle your most challenging subjects.do ur morning routine quick as possible don't do intense workout or stuff like this cuz u will waste ur energy so always have a specific morning routine for days like these ! And u can workout go to the gym or whatever at the rest period !

Pre-Study Essentials:

1. Set Your Daily Goals (5 minutes)

Before starting, sit with a notebook or your computer and write down what you intend to accomplish. Be specific. Define exact tasks e.g. which past papers you’ll solve, which topics to review so u will be more organized during the day

2. Activate Focus with Three Optional Tools:

Caffeine — coffee, yerba mate, or tea to boost dopamine and adrenaline.

Cold Showers — a physiological wake-up that increases alertness (personally I don't do that lmao but if u can that's good !)

Focus Warm-up (1–2 minutes) — pick a point in your environment and concentrate on it intensely. This warms up your cognitive focus system before you start.

◜⁠✧Deep Work Sprint Format

Commit to a 2–4 hour study block.

Use timed work intervals: e.g., 25–30 minutes of focused work followed by 5-minute breaks.

Use a visual timer to create urgency and focus. This serves as a “deadline generator,” helping you push harder and maintain hope by offering visible progress.

─ ⊹key principle: work Like a warrior

Study in focused sprints. The more intense your focus, the less time you’ll need to study. The idea is depth over duration not 12 hours of mediocre attention, but 2–4 hours of deep concentration.

SECTION 3: MIDDAY REST PERIOD

Timing: After First Study Block Ends (~Early Afternoon)

At this point in the day, your energy naturally dips. It’s essential to give yourself permission to rest. This period is not for distractions like Netflix, YouTube, or social media.

◜⁠✧ Approved Activities:

Exercise or light sports

Socializing with friends/family

Taking a walk, especially outdoors

Napping (ideal: 20 minutes)

The goal here is active recovery choose activities that contrast focused work. Avoid anything with dopamine stimulation that mimics your “vices” or release behaviors.so this break allows your mind to reset, preventing burnout and increasing productivity in the next session.

SECTION 4: EVENING STUDY SESSION (STUDY SESSION #2)

Timing: During the Second Energy Peak (~6:00–8:00 PM)

Return for your second battle. This session is similar in structure to the morning study session, but with a few differences:

◜⁠✧ Change Your Environment:

Consider studying in a different location e.g., library, a new room, or another productive setting. (Personally I move from my desk to the guest room cuz it's far from family chaotic activities ifykyk )

This provides novelty and reduces boredom, which helps counteract distractions that are more likely to arise in the evening.

◜⁠✧ Eliminate Distractions:

If possible, leave your phone behind take that shit in another room

Create a space where your brain associates the environment with productivity.

◜⁠✧ Study Format:

Continue using timed sprints.

Session length: 2 to 3 hours, depending on your focus reserves.

The goal is to extract one final productive effort from your remaining focus reserves for the day.

SECTION 5: NIGHTLY RELEASE PERIOD

Timing: 1–2 Hours Before Bed

This period is crucial and often overlooked. It functions as your psychological release valve a scheduled time for indulging in your “vices” or desires.

◜⁠✧ why it matter

Without a controlled release period, distractions tend to creep in throughout the day. When you tell yourself you’ll “resist” TikTok or YouTube for three straight weeks during exams, it almost always backfires. You end up scattering distractions across the day, killing momentum and u will feel like shit

◜⁠✧ so solution:

Contain those activities to this specific window. Give yourself full permission to indulge whether it's gaming, scrolling, or Netflix. The only rule: Only do it at night.

◜⁠✧ psychological benefit:

You’ll find it easier to say “no” to distractions earlier in the day when you know you can give in later. It reduces the mental burden of constant suppression.

Caution:

This is not a prescription to develop new addictions or deepen existing ones. If you don’t feel the need for this release, skip it . But if you’re honest with yourself about your impulses, this structure helps you keep them in check.

◜⁠✧ ADAPTATION AND FLEXIBILITY

✧ Everyone has a unique biology. Some wake up at 5:00 AM, others at noon.

✧ Adjust the energy curve and study blocks to match your personal circadian rhythm.

✧ This is a template, not a strict prescription. Principles stay constant, execution varies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

🗝️ Two deep-focus sessions aligned with your body’s energy peaks yield greater results than dragging your mind across a 12-hour marathon.

🗝️ Midday rest and nightly release are components of a sustainable routine.

🗝️ Use tools like caffeine, timers, environment changes, and goal setting to maintain momentum and focus.

🗝️ Structure breeds freedom. When your day is mapped with intention, your brain is free to focus trust me with this one

✧ This daily routine is not about rigid hours or perfection. It’s about aligning your habits with your biology and respecting your mental bandwidth. When implemented consistently, this system transforms exam season from a stressful grind into an enjoyable and productive challenge.Now take what you've learned and design your daily routine with intention ✧

@bloomzone

730 notes · View notes

buggachat · 1 year ago

Text

im gonna be honest i think the "adrien being a sentimonster was randomly thrown in season 4 with no planning on the writers' part" theory is really funny. like the writers of this show are just so bad at their job and so stupid that they tripped and fell in season 1 episode mr pigeon and accidentally spilled "a strange relationship to feathers" all over adrien by accident. they stubbed their toe on the coffee table and accidentally set up a mystery surrounding emilie's relationship to a feathery miraculous in season 1 volpina before we even knew what its powers were. then they spilled coffee all over their favorite shirts and at the same time spilled more white feathers around adrien in season 2 episode gorizilla. while writing the same episode someone had a really nasty sneeze and got boogers all over the script that said "use the imagery of two twin rings intertwined as the opener for the film of adrien's dead mother". they forgot to look both ways before crossing the street while writing the season 2 finale and were struck by a truck labeled "the peacock miraculous gives life" and then by a second truck with the license plate "it does so using white feathers identical to the white feathers that surround adrien in his ads" at the same time. they plummeted down an open manhole and hit the ground with a loud whack that sounded like "sentimonsters like bugette are just as real as any human..... and isn't bugette so...... perfect?" in season 3. on their way to the hospital they slipped on ice that had frozen in such a way to perfectly resemble the sentence "the word 'perfect' is consistently used throughout the series and by the creator ominously to denote how characters like adrien and kagami are 'different from everyone else', ever since season 1 episode simon says". during season 3 someone on the team got food poisoning and when they threw up felix came out instead and started another whacky series of comedic errors. the answer to the mystery of "how and why did emilie die? what life did adrien's loving mother create that she was willing to die for?" was originally gonna be "idk maybe she just exploded or somehting" probably, but then there was a really painful rock in one of the writers' shoes while walking to work that put them in a mood so bad that they forgot their original plan and instead made some bullshit up that somehow ended up being something that made sense with what we knew and put all the puzzle pieces together and actually made the show even more interesting and impactful on a rewatch because it put a lot of shots that at the time seemed random into a new and logical perspective as clear foreshadowing. it's actually impressive how stupid these silly clown writers are that they put strangely specific things so consistently throughout the entire series that resembled foreshadowing while never actually having intended it a single time! like........... really.......... really impressive............... i think..............

#i am so sorry that this is a horrible wall of text #i honestly didnt think it would end up this long. this is just stuff off the top of my head lol #ml fandom salt #kind of?

3K notes · View notes

miwimuffins · 1 month ago

Text

Every Definitive Byler Proof Broken Down

starting with - season one

1) “Will’s homophobia”

it’s said a few times here and there throughout season one that Will is often treated as “the gay one” in the party. His own dad called him “queer” and a “f*g” and bullies at school call him “gay” and a “fairy”

2) “Mike treats Will going missing differently to everyone else” :

we see from the very start of the season that Mike treats Will differently to all his other friends. It’s established that their bond is different from the others. Will, unlike Dustin and Lucas, tells Mike immediately that the roll was a 7. it’s already set in stone that their bond is built on trust and that they’re closer. Mike also has every drawing Will’s ever made for him in a binder and on his wall.

even when Will was missing, it’s still brought up that Mike’s feelings towards Will are different than his feelings towards his other friends. He’s the only one in his friend group much more focused on finding Will, he even went as far as keeping a strange bald girl with powers just because she could help (aside from the fact he also kept el because she was on the run from bad men). His feelings towards Will aren’t hidden to everyone else, even his own mom sees it.

(also that cute scene from Mike seeing Will in hospital for the first time since he went missing and he rests his head on his heart)

season two

1) “Mike notices things about Will that others don’t”:

despite Mike being more sensitive and aware of Will since he went missing, we see Mike picking up on small things about Will.

2) “Mike is more affectionate and protective over Will than any of his other friends”:

whilst Will going missing has a role to play in this, it goes without saying that Mike is worlds more affectionate and protective of Will than any of his other friends. Such as holding his hand, wrapping his shoulder around him and making efforts to be closer to him in group scenarios.

3) “Crazy Together”:

after suffering another episode Mike take’s Will home (which actually ends up being Mike’s home). In a sweet little conversation where they both open up to each other (Will talks about his episodes and Mike talks about how he keeps seeing eleven) Mike turns to Will and says “I don’t know I feel like I’m going crazy” Will then responds “yeah, me too.” Mike smirks in a caring way and says “Well, if we’re both going crazy we’ll go crazy together, right?” Will turns his head, smiling “yeah. Crazy together.”

This is one of the most famous byler proofs to date.

4) “Will remembers who Mike is even when he is possessed”:

when Will is in hospital after suffering internal burning from being connected to the shadow monster, and the vines related to it being burned underground. He is asked by Owen’s if he remembers who Mike is as Will is suffering amnesia type symptoms. And he does! (Mike also gets really giddy after this lol)

5) “It was the best thing I’ve ever done”:

in an attempt to bring Will back to his normal state and keep him occupied whilst he taps away at morse code, Mike digs deep down and truly opens up about how he feels and his first memory of Will. He tells Will every intricate detailing of the first day that they met and tells him becoming his friend was the best thing he’d ever done.

6) “Mike is lonely without Will at the snowball”:

this is one of the smaller byler proofs but a proof nonetheless. In the last episode of season two, the whole party goes to the school winter dance called “the snowball”. In which a girl comes up to Will and asks him to dance, initially it seems Mike doesn’t care as he encourages Will to dance with the girl. But when Will is actually gone, Mike looks at him in parallel to Dustin looking at Max with Lucas. Part of him wishing he maybe didn’t encourage Will to go dance at all.

season three

1) “Mike is always with Will when he’s not with Eleven”:

in season three of stranger things, it kicks off (unfortunately) with Mike and El making out to some music. this seems to be one of the only things they ever do together. When they’re apart and when they break up due to Mike lying (because of hopper). Mike and Will are often the main pair, even when El and Mike were together, Will is usually standing next to them or next to Mike.

2 & 3) “Mike reacts differently to his break up with El and his fight with Will” & “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls”:

this is a two in one because they’re linked:

in season three after El had enough with Mike’s bullshit and lies, she “dumps his ass”. Mike responds to this with the goofiest look on his face and spends all his time moping around, eating chips and being sexist.

Meanwhile after Mike’s fight with Will, he looks at Will leaving with a really emotional look on his face and bike’s to his house in the rain to apologise and then to Castle Byers when he wasn’t at home.

It’s important to note that Max said “he’ll come crawling back to you in no time begging for forgiveness” which is exactly what Mike did with Will, not with El.

Also Mike and El’s breakup was completely unserious. It was sunny, ice cream, people around, friends witnessing and Max and El laughing afterwards.

Mike and Will’s fight was private, in the rain, blue colours all around, heated and sad.

Speaking of their fight…

When Mike and Lucas make fun of Will’s campaign because they think turning 13 makes them too old for that stuff now. Will storms off (rightfully so) and starts to head home. Mike follows him, apologising and trying to reassure him that it’s a cool campaign but they’re just not in the mood right now. He then gets offended when Will says Mike is ruining their party, he says he’s destroying everything just so he can swap spit with some “stupid girl”. Mike then snaps in what people assume is internalised homophobia and projection and gives us the infamous line (this is also a hint into will being gay)

“El’s not stupid. It’s not my fault you don’t like girls”.

ouch.

4) “Mike and Will’s goodbye was much more intimate than Mike and El’s”:

at the end of season three, the Byers and El prepare to move to California after the “death” of El’s dad hopper.

When packing away a dnd set into the donation box, Mike stops Will and tells him as such. Will then tells him “I know, I’ll just use yours when I come back. I mean, if we still wanna play.” Mike then responds “yeah but, what if you wanna join another party” (oh poor Will has no idea how ironic this is) Will then responds with “not possible.” While smirking at Mike, Mike smiles back (of course) and then they have a very deep hug out front before Will leaves.

on the other hand…

Mike and El’s goodbye is very… awkward. It starts of sweet, Mike comes in and tells El that he’ll be calling her so much on Dustin’s cerebro and then they kinda talk about how much they both like gifts? ok. then El tells Mike she heard what he said about her and Mike pretends like he has no idea what she’s talking about. El then reminds Mike by telling him that she loves him too. Quick! Take a guess how Mike responds.

1) smiles

2) kisses her

3) “you do?” In a smiley way

4) stands awkwardly whilst she kisses him in front of an open closet (basic foreshadowing lmfao) and he doesn’t even kiss back. Then when she walks away, he stands there confused and staring at the ground.

…….

the answer is…. 4!! A totally normal way to respond to your feelings getting reciprocated. right?

Mike and El share a hug out front as well, and then Mike passionately looks at the Byers house whilst hoppers letter starts talking about not wanting things to change and that change is scary and then he rides his bike off into the distance. Well that totally wasn’t gay as fuck. Moving on.

season four (the gayest of them all)

1) “Will is painting a lot […] I’m sure there’s someone he likes”:

the season in present time, kicks off with El’s letter to Mike about life in California. It goes through things like Joyce having a new job, Jonathan smoking smelly plants 🍃 and… oh! what’s that? Will painting something for a girl, and he’s… been acting weird? there might be someone he likes? Oh this is terrifying news for Michael Queerler. anyways, the actual point of this letter is to give a hint to the audience that Will has a crush on someone, he’s making a painting for them and it’s supposed to be a girl but if you have basic media comprehension it’s for a boy. and that boy is Mike wheeler.

2) “Will gets his leg felt up by a girl’s foot and he gay panics”:

a very common and easy to spot hint of Will being gay is when Will is sitting in class and a girl pushes her foot over to Will’s leg and starts brushing it. She gives him a flirty look, but Will being gay, shuts her down and brings his leg further into himself and away from her.

3) “Mike’s airport “hug” with Will”:

I think this is one of the biggest proof for bylers. Mike’s awkward as fuck airport hug. When Mike arrives in California, dressed as a totally different version of himself. He kisses el, gives her some flowers and pretends to pay no attention to Will or that he even exists. Then when Will steps into the frame, Mike goes “oh. hey.” and….. shoulder taps him? your best friends of like 10 years and you shoulder tap him? okay Mike.

4) “Mike is jealous of Will and makes it a whole scene”:

following the awkward hug at the airport, Mike asks immediately after it what the rolled up painting in Will’s hand is. (As if he doesn’t know lmfao) Will tells him “nothing, it’s just this painting I’ve been working on” Mike then pretending to not give a single shit goes “cool.” And assumes Will has brung this painting for the girl he likes and that she might be meeting them here today. Mike then thinks his assumption becomes reality when El mentions the name Angela. Will then repeats “Angela?” Back to her and Mike gives Will a look. He thinks Angela is the girl Will must’ve made his painting for and he gets clingy with El after this, pretending to ignore Will.

speaking of…

5) “Mike pretends to ignore Will but actually proves he’s been paying attention the whole time”:

after the whole commotion of El getting bullied, Mike finding out the truth and trying to look for her. Mike doesn’t decide to get angry with El for lying.. no no he decided to turn his anger towards Will. He then accuses him of “sabotaging the whole day” as if his girlfriend didn’t just get bullied but ok. He then lists everything Will has been doing such as moping and barely talking.

6) “Mike’s gay ass taking everything Will says romantically in their rinkomania fight”:

After Mike gets angry with Will for being miserable and Will gets angry with Mike for being a third wheel, Mike then walks away and Will stops him in his tracks by asking about their friendship “well, what about us?”

Mike then turns around with a look of despair and says “what?”

Will then gets angry at Mike and basically says it’s ridiculous that Mike is mad Will didn’t talk to him as Mike made it super clear he isn’t interested in anything he has to say. It’s been a year (it’s barely been six months lol) and Mike has only called him a couple times, meanwhile El has a book of letters from him. Mike then snaps with “that’s because she’s my girlfriend Will” and Will responds, once again only talking about their friendship “and us?” Then Mike taking things romantically again says “we’re friends. WE’RE FRIENDS.” ….. who said you weren’t Micheal?

7) “Mike stuck by Will’s side as opposed to El’s even though they were in a fight and him and El weren’t (yet)”:

after their intensely gay fight where “in the closet” an original made song for the sound track starts playing. Mike and Will hear a scream, they turn around and see El standing over her bully now covered in blood. They run over to see more of what’s happened, and they are shocked to say the least. El stands there stunned at what she’s done, and Mike starts exclaiming “what did you do? What did you do?” Which triggers a lab flashback for El (what a healthy relationship). Mike is mad with El for some reason even though he’s literally seen her snap his bullies arm and snap people’s necks. And throughout this, he sticks with Will at Rinkomania while joining the turning heads that stare at El in fear and disgust as he stands next to Will, he leans next to and looks at Will in the van on the way home and he even suffers in silence during breakfast with Will. Even though… they’re in a fight? Ok.

8) “From, Mike”:

a day has passed since the incident at rinkomania and Mike has entered El’s room to clear things up. He tells El that she didn’t have to lie to him as he understands what it’s like to be bullied. El tells him he doesn’t understand that, she doesn’t belong and that he thinks she’s a monster. Mike argues he doesn’t and that he cares for her so much. El then argues that that’s all he does. “Care” for her, but he doesn’t love her anymore. Mike argues against this and says “who said that I didn’t” El says “you never say it” Mike argues “I say it.” And then El pulls up the receipts. She starts throwing each letter Mike has written whilst crying “From Mike, From Mike, From Mike” … and so on. Instead of Mike reassuring El that he does love her, he instead GASLIGHTS her and says that she’s being “ridiculous” and that she knows how he feels about her and that she shouldn’t allow these “mouth breathers” (El’s bullies which have nothing to do with this) to ruin their relationship. He then goes onto tell her everything he likes about her… which is…. Well, her powers. which she doesn’t even have anymore. He calls her a superhero and she says “not anymore.” Mike doesn’t even come up with a response for this.

9) “Looks like it’s gonna be up to us again.”:

a day later since Mike and El’s big fight and El is now off to quote “become a superhero again”. She writes this in a letter to Mike that says “From, El” (oh I love her so much, get his ass). Mike sits there staring at it before Will buts in telling him that staring at it won’t make it change. Mike then crumples up what could be El’s last letter to him and throws it in the trash… alright.

Mike then opens up to Will about their fight, how it felt like one of those fights you can’t come back from. He says that there’s something he should’ve said and if he said it maybe El would want him there with her but he… *sigh* “didn’t know what to say” 🧍🏼‍♀️okay. Will then reassures him that he’s going to see her again and whatever he didn’t say, he can say to her then. Mike doesn’t seem too pleased about this, but the conversation then moves forward. Will then goes onto talk about how it was “you guys” (Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max & El… more so Mike lol) who saved him. Mike then says really flirty “looks like it’s gonna be up to us again” and Will responds also really flirty “it always is, isn’t it?” Then they share a super flirty laugh where they both can’t even contain their gayness.

10) “it’s Hawkins, it’s not the same without you.”:

after developing a plan to go find El. Mike, Jonathan and Will start packing for a road trip. In the middle of packing, Mike comes into Will’s bedroom and starts to apologise to him. He starts off with saying “thanks by the way..” to which Will says “for what?” Then Mike says “for knocking some sense into me, I was being a total self pitying idiot” and then Will says “I didn’t say it” very flirty to which Mike says “you didn’t have to” also very flirty (this is also a very important parallel to Mike and El’s fight where she says “you never say it” and Mike goes “I say it.”) He then starts bringing up the past couple of days, to which Will responds with “you don’t have to say anything.. I was being a total jerk to El, I deserve it”. (My selfless shayla I love you Will) Mike cuts him off “no.. no you didn’t deserve anything.” Will turns around, looking at Mike now listening and paying attention to what he has to say, and what he has to say is very important.

“listen, the truth is the last year.. has been weird. you know? and I mean, you know, Max and Lucas and Dustin they’re - they’re great… they’re great it’s just - - it’s Hawkins. It’s not the same without you.”

so Mike thinks home isn’t the same without Will and once again proving he feels differently towards Will than his other friends.

“And I feel like maybe I was worrying too much about El and… I don’t know maybe I feel like I lost you or something. Does that make sense?”

okay, wrap it up. I’m gonna cry.

“I have no idea what’s gonna happen next. But… whatever it is, I think we should work together. I think it’ll be easier if we’re a team. Friends. Best friends.”

we all know what he really wanted to say… lol.

all this followed by a painfully flirty

“Cool.” By Will and another “Cool.” By Mike with a smiley up and down look. and…. *INTERRUPTION TROPE*

11) “The interruption trope”:

going back a couple proofs and forward some too, byler is constantly suffering from the interruption trope this season.

It happens during “looks like it’s gonna be up to us again” scene, the “it’s Hawkins it’s not the same without you” scene, the “what if they don’t like the truth” scene on the car and lastly at the end of the series during the “We will. We will.” Scene. WOW. that’s pretty gay. Why are you interrupting them duffers? What would they do if uninterrupted? Hm? Moving on…

12) “Mike protecting Will”:

this is a very quick byler proof, but during the shooting scene Mike immediately protects Will and puts his arm over him and makes sure to remain in front of him. cuties.

13) “The triple take”:

we all know the triple take, we all love the triple take. all you need is to see it and soak it all in.

well that wasn’t the least bit suspicious. lol.

14) “What if they don’t like the truth”:

after burying a dead man’s body together #couplegoals

Mike and Will take a second to rest on one of the cars with a couple of soda cans (this is a craaaazyyy parallel to jancy in season two by the way).

Mike starts yapping AGAIN about if he said something that he for some reason doesn’t know what it is that he should’ve said then he’d know where El is and he’d be there right now. Idk I’m bored of this too. Will (god bless his patient soul) starts comforting Mike AGAIN and starts opening up from his own emotions. He says “sometimes.. I think it’s just scary to open up like that. to say how you truly feel. Especially to people you care about the most. because what if- what if they don’t like the truth”. Mike nods (for some reason *wink*) even though he knows him saying “I love you” is the truth El wants to hear. but ok. Anyway, if you couldn’t tell this is one of many hints to Will being gay also.

15) “Mike holding the phone for Will”:

this isn’t necessarily a proof, but it’s cute that Mike was holding the phone for Will and allowed Will’s hand to hold his on top. I love them.

16) “The Van Scene”:

oh boy oh boy where to begin…

Not only does Mike use the good old Will voice (I was gonna put this in here as an official byler proof, but it’s more of just a fun detail) he is constantly staring at Will in ways you can’t get straight explanations for.

Obviously, in this scene Will gives his painting to Mike as a way to cheer him up after (yet again) talking about how shit his relationship with El is. yeah I bet even milevens were sick of it at this point.

Mike unravels the painting and Will stares, anxiously waiting for a positive response. Mike smiles widely and Will reciprocates proudly with a smile of his own. Mike looks up at him and asks “did you paint this” after exclaiming how amazing it is. Will responds “yeah- I mean.. El asked me to, she commissioned it basically she told me what to draw”. NO. NOOOOOO. this is where every byler in the world face palmed and cried for 10 days.

he then goes on to tell Mike about the painting and all his feelings for him while disguising them as El’s.

“anyway, my point is. See how you’re leading us here? You’re guiding the whole party. Inspiring us. That- that’s what you do. And see your coat of arms here? It’s a heart. And I know it’s sort of on the nose, but, that’s what holds this whole party together. Heart.” Will was so brave for this actually, what straight homie makes a painting for his friend and puts a whole heart on his person alone. okay.

he then goes on to describing his feelings, I changed them to what it would be like if he didn’t use El’s name.

“I mean, without heart we’d all fall apart. Even me, especially me. These past few months I’ve been so lost without you. It’s just I’m so different from other people and… when you’re - when you’re different. Sometimes… you feel like a mistake. but you make me feel like I’m not a mistake at all, like I’m better for being different and that gives me the courage to fight on. If I was mean to you or if I seemed like I was pushing you away it’s probably just because I’m scared of losing you just like you’re scared of losing her.” (I know that one hurt, but from Will’s pov he believes Mike feels nothing towards him.) “and - and if I was going to lose you I- I think I’d just rather get it over with quick, like ripping off a bandaid. So yeah, I need you Mike. And I always will.”

“yeah?” Mike responds.

“Yeah.” Will answers, and cries out the window. Holy fucking shit. The duffers need to be hunted with pitchforks for that one.

17) “Mike and El’s reunion”:

after finally finding El, Mike hops out the van and they share a (honestly I can’t even lie about this) very sweet reunion. Except…

Will is in the background, because apparently he just loves to linger in the background of every heartfelt mileven scene lmfao. Mike then looks at Will, looks at El, looks at Will and then looks at El again. It’s a very interesting scene to say the least and then El and Will have this adorable reunion #brothersistergoals

18) “El’s drawing”:

I have nothing to say other than how painfully set up this is lmfao.

19) “Will’s heart to heart with Jonathan”:

this is a nice little bonus of just proving to the painfully stupid general audience that Will is gay and that Jonathan will always be there to support him. Jonathan basically reassures him of that, and Will tells him he’ll always be there for him too.

it’s a really beautiful scene and it ends with a tearful hug from both ends. I’m gonna cry if Will comes out to him next season for real.

20) “Mike’s love confession to El”:

not only was Mike telling the biggest amount of horseshit in this “love confession” but it’s also one of the biggest byler proofs there is.

For some odd reason, Mike sat there telling El the exact opposite of what she wanted to hear by listing everything he loves about her… again… which is.. again.. her powers? Even though he loves her without her powers? He also proceeds to call her a superhero again but this time “my superhero”. Okay.

He also says his life started the day he found her in the woods (“that’s not will?” Lmfao) and he’s loved her ever since that day… even though he wanted to get rid of her that same night to focus on finding Will, only kept her because she was on the run from bad men and could help find Will, got mad and snapped when she couldn’t help find Will, forgave her again when she found him in the walkie talkie, stopped them from finding Will so their whole friend group fell out, Called her a weapon and then used her for finding Will again. But sure, yeah, you’ve loved her this whole time michael.

He also couldn’t spit out the words “I love you” until Will got his attention and told him “you’re the heart. You’re the heart!” (I also find it hilarious how neither Will or Jonathan knew that Mike couldn’t say “I love you” and they’re just sitting there watching Mike say all this shit as if it means something).

Will is also constantly in the background of this love confession, more specifically when Mike says “I love you”. Imagine if in every love confession the “third wheel” or the “other woman/man” in the love triangle was just casually in the background with another season to go and their feelings haven’t properly been brought to the table yet. that’s pretty suspicious if you ask me.

there’s also the fact it’s never brought up again, Mike and El don’t discuss it and they don’t have a heart to heart but you know who does….?

21) “We will. We will.”:

two days have passed since Mike’s ass love confession and the gang have arrived back in Hawkins. After visiting max in hospital (and Mike and Will sharing a hug through Lucas) they’re now helping El clean up hoppers cabin.

El walks past Will and Mike sassy-ly and slams the door behind her (well sort of, this cutie still leaves it open 3 inches I love her). Will asks if she’s spoken to Mike at all, but he says she hasn’t much. He did say that she was worried she wasn’t ready and that Dr. Brenner might have been right when he said that. He also proceeds to say he hopes 001 (vecna) is dead.

Will, being dramatic as always and forever the bearer of bad news says he’s not dead. He tells Mike that now that he’s here in Hawkins, he can feel him, that he’s still alive but he’s hurting. and that it’s strange knowing now who it was this whole time, and he still remembers what he thinks and how he thinks. and that he’s not going to stop. Ever. Not until he’s taken everything and everyone. He then tells Mike “we have to kill him.”

Mike then grabs his shoulder, gripping tightly

“And we will. We will.”

*skrrrttt* you guessed it. ANOTHER interruption trope.

22) “Mike and Will standing next to the canon couples of the show”:

we’ve reached the very last scene of stranger things season 4 and also the very last byler proof of this post. Mike, Will, Nancy, Jonathan, Hopper and Joyce are all standing on the hill while El stands in-front of them holding the flowers she loves decaying in her hands.

there’s A LOT of symbolism here. The fact the flowers El is holding are the ones Mike gave to her at the start of season 4 and now they’re crumbling away in her hands possibly symbolising her and Mike’s relationship.

And of course, the most obvious one, Jancy and Jopper standing next to Byler. You seriously cannot make this up, if this isn’t the most blatantly obvious and in your face foreshadowing I don’t know what is.

To not make byler canon after all THIS is insane.

Anyway, thank you for reading this whole yap session. I care for you… so much. lol but yeah please give this a like it took me FOREVER. and remember, byler is endgame.

#byler #mike wheeler #stranger things #bylerendgame #will byers #willandmike #anti mileven #bylerproof #theory #analysis #deep analysis #proof #ship #byleriscanon #bylerisnotfanservice #byler scene #byler brainrot

305 notes · View notes

luckykiwiii101 · 8 months ago

Text

NOVEMBER CHALLENGE

YOUR NEW ROUTINE

ィ⠀*ring ring* your dream life is calling…⠀࿐

P.S. Make sure you have read THIS POST beforehand! I know this is called the November Challenge but you can use this routine anytime!! This is for people who are going to take their dream life seriously.

Hey Upper East Siders! Gossip Girl here and I have a “challenge” for you. I don’t want you to think about the life you could be living, but the life you will be living after reading this post.

You’ve been denying yourself of a beautiful life for a long time, and that ends now. And i’m sure since you’ve read my “I look forward to never seeing you again” post, you know exactly how the law of assumption works and exactly what you need to do.

So here’s your new manifestation routine, because I am not going to lay back and watch every single one of you live a miserable life and doom scroll on tumblr. I thought the season of horror movies was last month, yet you’re still watching. But not for long.

NOTE!!: When I tell you to “Imagine & feel”, I am talking about FULLY identifying with the INNER self. To read my post about how to imagine CLICK HERE (You should be fully immersed in your inner reality like HERE)

ィ⠀WAKING UP⠀࿐

-> The first minute right as you wake up is a really useful state where your subconscious is extremely susceptible to new assumptions & beliefs.

-> Imagine yourself having all your desires and the best self concept ever!!! Do this for as long as you want, until you are 100% certain that you have the best self concept and that you have everything you want in imagination. Your self concept = Nothing can “ruin” your manifestations because you already have them and you are above all your desires. You are on the pedestal.

ィ⠀THROUGHOUT THE DAY⠀࿐

-> Throughout the day when you find that your desires come to mind, go back to the state and just know that you have them. Feel yourself to have it in imagination. Imagine & feel. Have fun with it! Look at your vision boards, script, visualise, affirm, vaunt, do whatever you want as long as it fulfills you. DO THIS EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU THINK OF YOUR DESIRES!!!!

-> For those of you who are very busy throughout the day and don’t naturally think of their desires throughout the day because they don’t have time, set reminders on your phone!!! Download this app called “minimaList” on the app store, and you can set notifications! To download CLICK HERE

-> Set these reminders on your phone for every 1-2 hours so that you can dwell in the state of the wish fulfilled!!! e.g. A reminder goes off on your phone at 1pm which means it’s time to imagine & feel. Then another reminder goes off at 2pm or 3pm depending on what you choose telling you to imagine & feel. You can use a code word if you don’t want people to see the notifications on your phone. e.g. “I&F means to imagine and feel.”

ィ⠀GOING TO SLEEP⠀࿐

-> Do SATS as you are falling asleep. It’s alright if you don’t “succeed” when doing sats the first time. Control yourself from just falling asleep, keep persisting. This part is optional but it is very helpful to making your desires feel natural to you.

-> (Optional) You can also do an alpha state meditation right before you go to sleep. You can also do this alpha state meditation any time of the day when you are in a relaxed environment. -> CLICK HERE

-> At least ONCE a day, do this I AM meditation by Edward Art. -> CLICK HERE (NOT OPTIONAL!!!)

ィ⠀REASSURANCE VAUNT⠀࿐

EXPERIENCING THE 3D & FEELING DOUBTFUL

-> NOTE: Unidentifying with the 3D doesn’t mean to ignore the 3D. You are still experiencing the 3D in your day to day life, you simply cannot ignore it. All you can do is just not identify with it. How do you do this? When you experience the 3D, you do not assume that your 3D self is the real you, because your inner self is the real you! You view the 3D as nothing but an illusion based on past assumptions.

-> I want you to know that it’s normal to feel doubtful as the days go on when manifesting your dream life. But you HAVE to keep persisting and not let those doubts get to you. Keep going back to imagination & feeling!!! No matter what!!! Don’t EVER give up!! Don’t give up on yourself!! You don’t deserve that.

-> EVERY time you start to feel fear & doubt and the 3D becomes too overwhelming for you, read this reassurance vaunt by me. It will help you get back on track. -> CLICK HERE

-> When you feel doubtful or even unmotivated, you can read success stories on @loasuccessarchive and @voidsuccessarchive, but remember to ALWAYS go back to feeling!!!

p.s. nothing in this post is optional unless I have specified that it is!!! updated in correspondence to my new self concept guide!!!

DO NOT let anything get in your way. You are your inner self and you are God. Nothing can tell you otherwise.

- gossip girl

650 notes · View notes

miwiheroes · 6 months ago

Text

Mike Wheeler and his Promise

"It means something that you can't break. Ever."

A huge part of Mike Wheeler's hidden character arc is set up in season 1, episode 2 with this scene right here. It's pretty much the motivation behind many of his actions towards El and Will, can be a partial explanation for his internalised homophobia and explains why he seems like to have a saviour complex.

Narratively, promises are made to be broken. When writers decide to make a promise 'important' and emphasise that this promise cannot be broken, ever, it will always come back to bite that character in the ass. Promises are either made to be broken in stories like these, or they are made to make a character feel trapped. Promises are rarely ever used in a romantic fashion unless the character cannot keep their promise or they feel like they are forced to.

What makes it really seem like Mike and El are a doomed couple to me is that the writers chose Mike to say: Ever.

No word is misplaced in writing a script. There is no such thing as an unintentional line in Stranger Things tbh, and this word in particular means two things:

Mike will always keep his promises throughout time.

Mike will keep his promises no matter if circumstances change, no matter if his feelings change.

There is no reason for this line to be in there other than to foreshadow the fact that Mike will eventually have to eat the words from his naive 12-year-old self. He will eventually regret promising something, but he'll feel like he can't go back. Ever.

The domino effect Promise begins:

*Smiling* "And we can go to the Snow Ball."

*Smiling* "Promise?"

*No longer smiling* "Promise."

This promise was made in order to foreshadow that it doesn't come true right? Because that is often what happens to promises narratively, and of course, it can't come to be because they get separated and Mike thinks she's died.

But.... the promise does come true.

So instead, this promise was made, narratively, to trap Mike. While this seems harsh of course, this young Mike has no idea that what he has just promised to himself is not only to go to the Snow Ball with El (which was a promise made to comfort her here, to make her feel like she will survive). He doesn't necessarily seem happy about making this promise. He seems more... indifferent. Knowing that this is something he just has to do.

Yeah, because this is definitely the actors' expressions and lighting and scenery you want for a first kiss, right?

So not only has Mike promised to go to the Snow Ball with her, he has also promised to save her, he has promised to be with her. And he can't break this promise, ever.

Even when his feelings change:

The writers separated Mike and El and put Mike with Will in season 2 for a reason. They used it to build up a good development of Mike and Will's dynamic of course, but it was also to change Mike's feelings.

It eventually becomes apparent to the viewer that Mike has resigned himself to not finding El. In season 2 episode 2, the last time we see Mike on the walkie, he walks away. Music swells and El looks onwards. Instead of looking happy, she seems disappointed that her bond with Mike is not as strong as she thought.

Mike, after his talk with Will in the same room, has begun to give up.

And over time, he figures out that maybe... maybe finding and choosing to Will's friend is the best thing he's ever done instead. Once he figures this out, he cries, he's not loud, he's not angry. But it's at least the thing to bring Will's message forward.

Then El comes back, and Mike feels like a liar.

I've never really figured out why Mike shouts 'LIAR!' many times towards Hopper when he's clearly projecting as he starts to cry. Until now. It's the guilt that he didn't keep his promise. The promise he had made back when El had almost died, back when El had clearly thought promises could never be broken. EVER. Even when feelings change.

Of course he'd felt pissed at Hopper. Hopper was the one to keep El safe, not Mike, which is not the thing he had promised.

When El returns, Mike says:

"I never stopped looking for you."

Woops, Michael, that's a bald-faced lie, and you know it. But he also knows what a promise is, something that can't ever be broken.

Mike is now committed into this relationship. He's ready to keep El as his girlfriend for many reasons, but the next commitments he makes (i.e. saying 'I love you') are not intentional.

In season 3:

Saying 'I love her' happens on accident, she's never meant to hear. The next time he's asked about it, he fumbles and wants to deny ever saying it. But when El says it back, he realises... oh shit. I really am in this now. I can't escape, even though I know my feelings are different.

In the famous words of Hopper. "I don't want things to change." "[I want] to go back to how [we] were."

Throughout summer, before the Mindflayer, his relationship with El was easy, it was fine. He could deal with this because he can still go to movie theatres with Will and his friends and El can't go out in public. His relationship isn't real, and the fights they have are just 'silly, stupid fights'.

But then she says she loves him too and now what? He realises this is real, he can't go back on what he's said again. Because no matter what, a promise can't be broken.

Now:

He has to reject childish things and pretend to be 'normal' (but only around El).

He has to keep away from Will, who has the potential to break his promise to El forever.

He still can't say 'I love you' because of this great big commitment, this potential for change, and El clocks him, despite his best efforts to keep up the same relationship he was trying to have in season 3.

When he no longer has the threat of this great big PROMISE looming over him, when he feels that El has no broken up with him through that note signed 'From, El', he now suddenly has the ability to act close to Will. When he's confident that El's safe and that they just need to get back to Hawkins, he's able to express how he really feels.

He can finally, finally work with Will without feeling guilty.

That is, until El's in danger again. Until Argyle reminds him of the ramifications of his girlfriend being missing, reminding him of the promise that he's always made.

That's when this intimacy with Will suddenly feels taboo again:

The next time he needs to make a commitment towards her, it's through pressure. The bottom line is, Mike likes being a hero, he wants to be a saviour, but he was never ready for it to feel like this.

When Will reminds him that he's the heart of the Party in Surfer Boy Pizza, he believes that it could never be Will that needs him, but that Will's telling him that it really is El that still needs him. And that she always will.

So he holds her hand, exactly like he did back in season one, and makes his Promise again, this time, knowing that he's trapping himself.

Now, instead of a naive kid, he's a teenager, he's changed, despite not wanting to. He's resigning himself to a life without truly being able to express his feelings. He's not just some kid going to the Snow Ball with a girl that he cares about, he's promising to love her, knowing he's trapped himself in this promise again.

After all, he's already promised to save her, and if he thinks saying 'I love you' will save her, he's gotta do it no matter his true feelings right?

In season 5, someone, someone needs to tell this poor boy that he does not need to keep his promise. El needs to tell him about her growth, what she has learned from her time at the lab---that is, that she does not need Mike to love her, which she seems to have understood. She has already accepted that her lover won't arrive at the train station.

And Mike should realise that saying 'I love you' did not in fact save El. It was the reminder to fight, that Max is in trouble, that there are more important things, bigger than their relationship, that allowed her to escape the vines.

So when Mike hears that he no needs to keep up this promise, that he no longer has to hate himself for being a 'liar' to someone he cares so much about, that he can open himself up to happiness and understanding again, he'll probably feel pretty complete.

What do you think?

#byler #byler endgame #byler nation #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #stranger things 5 #byler evidence #byler proof #byler analysis #mileven is bones #anti mileven

423 notes · View notes

arciam · 3 months ago

Text

Underrated JayVik moments/lines (13/∞)

"You should come up with me. We're partners!"

...This well-meaning, painfully oblivious himbo is2g.

Don't get me wrong; it's great that Jayce wants Viktor to be included. But that scene as a whole, to me, has always been one of the most brutal when it comes to the developing disconnect between Jayce and Viktor.

It's the most unguarded with Jayce Viktor will ever be about his anxiety regarding the precarious spot he inhabits in Piltover and society as a whole, his damaged self-image... and yet there is not a shred of recognition on Jayce's face as to why Viktor would decline to make a public appearance in front of "all of them".

After all, they're partners, equals (and in Jayce's eyes, Viktor was never broken), so where's the issue?

This right here is a running theme throughout season 1 - time and time again, Jayce fully fails to assume Viktor's perspective and see what the world looks like through his eyes. Jayce knows he thinks the world of Viktor, but sadly, this blinds him to how differently they are treated, how broken Viktor views himself in anticipation of people's disdain, and above that, just how lonely Viktor feels.

How fully and truly forsaken he feels whenever Jayce fails to support him.

Jayce doesn't understand that Viktor needs him at all.

Once you recognise this, you see it in almost all of their scenes throughout acts 2 and 3. Even in some they don't share, such as, infamously, the sex scene.

(Even the one time Jayce appears somewhat close to this realisation, he says "now he needs me and there's nothing I can do" ...Jayce please. Even Mel understood that the only thing he would have had to do for Viktor was to not leave him alone, yet this pure-of-heart, dumb-of-ass boyfailure keeps wanting to do the most and thereby accomplishing the least. I love my man dearly but Christ alive...)

Thankfully though, it doesn't stay that way.

Because not only does Jayce eventually learn – in a very hands-on way – what the world looked like from Viktor's perspective by losing the function of his leg, clawing his way from the depths of the Fissures to the top of Piltover in maddening solitude (save for the gawking of unsympathetic entities). And not only does he learn that the „impossible dream“ as his mother put it, the beauty and the salvation he was chasing his entire life was Viktor all along.

He also learns that this same dream literally bent time and space solely to set Jayce on his path to Viktor. To save him from himself, to save him from loneliness –

because Viktor needs him.

"Only you can show me this." - Without you, I am lost.

And I believe the moment Jayce realised this, understood the depth and scale to which Viktor actually needed him, that's all there was. In the end, when given the choice, of course he was going to stay with Viktor over abandoning him ever again.

(Disclaimer: When I refer to Jayce as a himbo or a dumbass, I am not downplaying his intellect, only questioning why he's not using it sometimes.)

Part 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/7½/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20

← Prev | Next →

#JayVik #JayVik meta #Arcane meta #Jayce Talis #Viktor Arcane #Jayce x Viktor #Arcane #Underrated JayVik series

286 notes · View notes

marikamlp · 3 months ago

Text

Pit Girl Feast Analysis (season 3)

Possible spoilers I suppose

Before this season is over and we all know for sure who is who during the feast, I want to make my contribution to the analysis of who is who here. (This is a long post but bear with me, please)

My analysis will not include Misty because, obviously, we all know she is playing the so-called "Overseer" in the original script, who prepares food off-screen.

So let's start off with...

Tai

Tai is a pretty easy one because we were pretty much told who she is during the promo for the panel in Brazil

There are two characters that are wearing pretty similar outfits. The one on the left and the one in the middle on the right photo. However, only one of them is wearing the green gloves. So the one on the left would be Tai.

Melissa

I do think Melissa survives at least up until Pit Girl feast. And I think Melissa is the bunny costume, as both the bunny and Melissa's character in the winter BTS photos from season 3 are the only ones wearing the Yellowjackets uniform

But I also find it very interesting that Melissa is wearing a mask that is visibly resembling a rabbit given Shauna's history with rabbits in the adult timeline and their connection to Jackie.

Gen

In the BTS photo, Gen seems to be wearing the same kind of raccoon fur and green bandana as the middle character in the second photo. It's definitely an interesting choice to make Gen a survivor for that long given how unimportant she has been up until this point but I think it also makes sense since she seems to be on Shauna's and Melissa's side. And it makes sense because I think that...

Shauna is the Antler Queen

Since season 1, Shauna has been struggling with envy and greed for power. And I love her, but she is a queen of blaming others for her falling to the background. We know she's been angry at Jackie and blaming her for putting Shauna in the shadow. And she seems to be doing the same with her envy over Natalie's position. However, Natalie is clearly not doing well as a leader, girls are not really listening to her and she seems to be unable to actually grasp how to execute the power that is connected to her position. And we know that these scenes will take place in the near future:

Which for me seems like Shauna will question Natalie's leadership, and she might actually rise to the power and take up the position as the new leader.

I've also got a photo proof for that:

I don't think that any of the other characters' outfits seem to fit this closely to the Antler Queen's attire.

Van

She's a hard one. I'm somewhat sure and unsure of my choice at the same time. The BTS photo of Liv is not really showing much however I feel like the little part of the shirt is looking a bit similar to the shirt of the "Hunter" (Now I know this name does not fit Van and I agree but let's remember this is the name that has been used to describe this character in the scrip of the Pilot episode, I don't think it was ever set in stone and as we have seen with Javi, all of the girls take on the "hunter" role during the hunt)

But what's more, look at the hunter's shirt. It seems to be looking like the one Van is wearing both in season 3 and season 1 and might also be in season 2 but I don't remember it from season 2 so don't hold me up on that:

We can also see Travis wear that shirt in season 2

but I think it's mostly associated with Van's character or at least she's the one wearing it the most.

My last proof is the face mask sweater pattern. Because in one of the teasers for season 3 I believe, we can see Van wearing a sweater with the same pattern as the one on the face mask:

Misty has also worn a sweater with a pattern like that, might be the same one to be honest

But again, we know who Misty is already, as it was revealed in the pilot episode and Van is the only one who has been seen wearing both the face mask and the shirt of the "Hunter" throughout the series. And also in season 3, and I wouldn't take that for granted.

Travis and Lottie

Both of them are a question mark for me. There are only two places by the fire left and I do not think Nat is present for the feast and I will discuss that in a while. So solely based on the similarity of the hair, I would put Lottie as the pink hoodie character

Which would leave as with this seating:

Where is Nat?

We do know that Nat is one of the survivors in adult timeline so she has not been eaten and sacrificed to the Wilderness. But I think she might not be a part of the cult. Shauna has a history with throwing people out and even though Nat doesn't die the way Jackie did, I think she will be exiled to survive on her own as Shauna's punishment for Nat. Which would explain why her outfit in the BTS photos from what little angle we get seems to be looking more civilised and less culty than other girls

Now, does that mean there are 9 survivors or does it mean Pit Girl is in fact not the last sacrifice? I don't know honestly, and I think we might not find out during this season. We can only wait, watch and speculate.

If you've gotten this far, congratulations and thank you for indulging me

390 notes · View notes

stormythalamus · 8 months ago

Text

agatha finale rant

so I’ve been seeing a lot of people complaining about the finale of Agatha and I wanted to give my two cents on their main points:

1. “they used agatha’s show as a way to promote a man!!” well yes! that’s how marvel tv works im afraid. or any tv, really. wandavision was used to introduce agatha and monica, which led to their projects in the mcu (aaa, marvels). agatha introduced billy, leading to his future in visionquest or his solo series, which will introduce tommy and vision, which will lead to children’s crusade to reintroduce wanda. this is common for any tv show, but especially a big, connected franchise like marvel. i find it so concerning that even after all the promotion that showed us billy and agatha as co-leads, people were STILL shocked when the finale sets up a future story centered around him. like i hate to break it to yall but marvel wants money. and more shows means more money.

2. “they killed off a lesbian woman and not the gay man!” first of all, in the comics, agatha is a spirit guide for the scarlet witch. this form is her most comic accurate yet. also, did yall really think that was an unfair ending? or an ending PERIOD? all her death made me think of was the possibilities for the future with both billy AND rio. and again; rio was promoted as the ‘antagonist’ to agatha since the beginning. i don’t know how people went into this excepting a happily ever after for these two. they were always depicted as tragic lovers, and i honestly think the kiss of death was beautiful and poetic. i also don’t think this is the last we’re seeing of rio. and, as a side note, homophobia is still not okay! it doesn’t matter if you’re also gay; lesbians can be homophobic towards gay men, and gay men can be lesbophobic towards lesbians. and i’ve seen wayyyy too much of both in this fanbase. you can criticize characters and critique actors without bringing up their sexuality. we have enough incel homophobes doing that for us

3. if you’re still complaining about wanda not coming back i have no hope for you

4. this show, since day ZERO, was promoted as a show with billy and agatha as coleads. while i wish we had more backstory for how agatha and rio met, the salem flashbacks involving nicholas, the road scheme, and the song were much more important to the show. the parallels between nicky and billy were explored throughout the season a lot more than agatha and rios story (whether or not you like it, it’s still true (i personally wish we had a bit more on how they met 😭))

5. sending hate to actors about things their characters did is STILL not okay! and never will be!

6. this might be a hot take but if you’re only watching a show for a ship and don’t care about the story at all your opinion is irrelevant to me. like people who started watching after it was revealed in the show that agatha and rio were lovers (because, correct me if i’m wrong, this was never revealed before the episodes dropped) have no right to be upset when the show focuses on other things. and this is coming from a MASSIVE fan of agathario. and a lesbian. i loved the fact that i was watching characters who just happened to be lesbians have their own story. yes, i wish there was more agathario in the flashbacks. but i’m really not upset at all by what we got. and don’t get me wrong, people have every right to be disappointed, but they don’t have the right to hate on the creators and actors of the show. that’s not cool.

this is way longer than i thought it was gonna be 😭😭 hope everyone enjoyed the finale

#agatha all along #agatha all along finale #agatha all along spoliers #agatha harkness #rio vidal #agathario #wiccan #billy kaplan #billy maximoff #joe locke #kathryn hahn #marvel #hot take #mcu #rant #sorry in advance

512 notes · View notes

txttletale · 3 months ago

Note

hello...what is this "eidolon playtest". i thought it was perhaps some kind of MTG since you like that and "playtest" but then i keep seeing like.....random character art. is this a tabletop thing. is it mtg and i just dont understand mtg. i know i can probably google this but jt seems like something you wnjoy and id like to hear you talk about it :^)

eidolon playtest is an actual play series in which the creators of the ttrpg 'eidolon: become your best self' and their friends -- as the name implies -- playtest aforementioned TTRPG. it has a pretty interesting format in which the same GM runs two separate campaigns for two different parties which slowly become more and more intertwined until they start crossing over directly. so far they have two pairs of campaigns finished, eidolon POP and ROCK (seasons 1 & 2) and eidolon SKA and DISCO (seasons 3 & 4), and season 5 (eidolon VGM and EDM) currently ongoing. they also have a couple of short mini-campaigns of 3-4 sessions each, which i'm not going to list all of because there's a lot.

eidolon playtest is really good for so many reasons i can't possibly provide a comprehensive account but here's some:

the tables are really, really good at taking something and running with it. the number of goofy, seemingly one-off jokes that get called back to and built up and end up becoming extremely serious and plot-critical has to be in the double digits by now

there is very much a lack of... for want of a better word 'preciousness' to the play -- like, one of the things i really don't like about dimension 20 is that because there is an entire production staff making all these little minis and sets, right, there is an investment and a need to put the money in front of the camera, it's basically impossible for e.g. combat encounters to be skipped or for anything to go too 'off the rails'. meanwhile in eidolon everyone will get excited when someone pulls a fucking insane plan out of nowhere that radically reshapes an encoutner, or when someone rolls/draws badly and something awful happens -- i fucking love that kind of play, where everyone is excited to see cool shit happen whether it's bad or good, and the eidolon playtest team do it really well

the characters are really good and bounce off each other really well. something i commented recently is that i love diska for the fact thaqt nonoe of the players are afraid to have their character just be a huge cunt sometimes. every campaign has some amount of interpersonal drama and it always seems like the players are really excited to have it, too. there are conflicts, some get resolved, some don't, some spiral into irreconcilable differences, some pave the way for extremely close bonds.

eidolon, the system (especially the 2e version that's used for diska onwards) is a great system which encourages fun and cool things to happen. every character has a jojo-style extremely specific power, which means that fights aren't boring slogs of people rolling dice (i hate combat in actual plays that use wargames, lol, even games with well-balanced combat systems that are fun to play often make horrible audio) but instead wacky and consistently dramatic encounters where the players make clever and creative use of their powers to take on a freak-of-the-week

the cast is just really damn good! i mentioned how the characters on all the shows have ineresting and complex dynamics, but even apart from that there's just so many characters on this show that i'm genuinely attached too, so many memorable and interesting pcs and npcs.

the show is funny as fuck!! constant laugh out loud bits throughout every campaign, often alongside the extremely heartfelt or dramatic ones. i've been refernecing a bit from eidolon disco so much recently it's been driving oen of my gfs crazy (you can buy rat poison for free at the store)

i, yknow, go back and forth on whether to mention this when recommending it bc i'm sure that the eidolon playtest folks don't, like, want to be pigeonholed as A Trans Podcast or whatever, but, like, when it feels like every AP podcast that advertises itself or is advertised as 'super queer' is like, two cis gay people and maybe one transmasc if you're lucky at an otherwise super cishet table -- it is such a breath of fresh air to listen to an actual play with a legit preponderance of transfem and nonbinary players playing all kinds of trans and queer characters.

tldr: its like homestuck but good

#ask #eidolon playtest

265 notes · View notes

seiwas · 1 year ago

Text

grow on me like a dog loved fondly: prologue | kamo choso

wc: 1.0k

summary: your regular to the flower shop is more than what he seems.

contains: written with f!reader in mind but can be read as gn!, animal shelter employee choso x flower shop owner reader, implied that reader is shorter than choso, flowers, small talk.

a/n: the promised choso drabble! depending on how this is received, i intend for this to be the prologue to a longer choso fic i have in mind!

You have a regular on the weekends.

Business in the flower shop tends to be slow during winter, with less occasions having the need for flowers and even less buds blooming during the season.

But even with the expected decline in customers, Saturdays always guarantee one—

The bells attached to the store doors jingle, allowing in a gust of cool air that tickles your cheeks from where you’re crouched down. The peonies in your hands were delivered just yesterday, the ends of the stems needing a slight trim to keep them fresh for longer.

You turn, standing up to face your visitor. A purple scarf is wrapped high around his neck, with white fleece running down the length of his arms—a sort of undershirt to the short-sleeved uniform worn atop it. The outfit is familiar enough, but what truly distinguishes him are the two spiky pigtails on the sides of his head.

There are a few things you’ve managed to pick up from four-line exchanges with your regular (six if you’re lucky): 1) he works at the animal shelter a few streets away, 2) the flowers he buys are for the front desk, a weekly replacement he deems necessary to keep the place looking alive, and 3) who he is, his name—

—‘Choso’, if the tag on his uniform says anything.

The tag that is now, also, just a hand’s reach away from you.

You look up, pocketing your plant nippers. The peonies dangle between your fingers.

“W-welcome!” you stutter, focusing on the thin metal chain running across his nose.

It’s new, an addition that intrigues you more about the man in front of you.

The look he gives you is lazy, gaze deadpan, almost empty. Anyone else might find it snobbish and off-putting, but you’ve gotten used to it—an almost magenta puffiness that surrounds his eyes, bags of fatigue that usually hang underneath.

He continues to stare, unmoving.

Considering all your previous interactions, you’ve realized, he isn’t scary or rude or anything of that sort—he’s just awkward.

A bit quiet and unbothered, maybe, but still just awkward. You don’t think he’s ever started an interaction with you first.

“Is there any flower in particular that you’re looking for?” you ask, motioning around your store.

The selection is limited this season—a few camellias and clusters of Japanese primrose with an abundance of peonies and daffodils.

His head turns as he glances around the store, pigtails bobbing slightly with each movement. When he faces you again, he shrugs, voice deep and firm as he asks, “Do you have any recommendations?”

It’s an odd feeling, borderline awkward and nervous; you have no idea why your mind is blanking.

“Um,” you clear your throat, tucking the peonies between your fingers into your apron pocket, “daffodils are bright and friendly, good for entryways and front desks, I think.”

He eyes the daffodils to your right, buckets of stems holding yellow and white. The store stays quiet for what feels like a good minute before he nods, agreeing to your suggestion.

“The usual?” two clusters, wrapped in newspaper.

Your question echoes throughout the shop, lingering while you pick at which daffodils look best.

“Yes, but two of them.” he answers in monotone, before adding on, a soft hesitancy, “Please.”

You smile to yourself, picking more daffodils for another bunch.

Both of you make your way to the cashier, another bout of silence surrounding you as you crumple newspaper and pull at tape. He always watches, you notice, his focus set on your practiced handling of stems and leaves.

You look up momentarily, seeing that he keeps his head down, “The pigtails are cool.”

He doesn’t say anything, and for a while you’re afraid you might have offended him, but he responds, voice low; it’s soft, gentle in a way you never expected it to be.

“Thank you.” you catch him shifting his weight from your periphery, hands digging deeper into his pockets, “The dogs think they’re chew toys when I wear it this way.”

You most certainly were not expecting that, either.

This is the most initiative he’s taken to add onto the conversation.

You grin, chuckling under your breath, “That must be fun.”

It’s faint, but you think you hear him laugh a little.

When the flowers are completely wrapped, you set them aside, making your way behind the cash register. You punch in the cost, ready to bill him before he speaks again.

“Actually, would you happen to do deliveries?” he seems shy asking it, barely looking you in the eye.

“Yes!” You nod, grabbing a pen and paper to hand over to him, “Just write down your contact details, the address you want it delivered to, and when you’d like it to be delivered.”

Another thing you’ve realized, is that despite appearances and what he seems to be, Choso handles objects gently; the pen and paper you’d just given him were taken lightly from your fingertips. Even the strokes of his penmanship are slow, the tip of the pen barely creating an indent on the small sheet.

“Will you be having both of these delivered?” you ask, holding up the bundles of daffodils.

“Just one.” he answers promptly, before adding on again, “Thank you.”

And you know you shouldn’t ask, shouldn’t be so nosy, but—

“What’s the occasion?”—

Flowers are rarely in demand during the winter season.

—“If you don’t mind me asking,” you follow-up quickly.

The immediate quiet makes you think you might have gotten too comfortable again, made him feel weird about your questions—but he answers.

“My brothers,” he finishes the final curves of his writing, “they’re coming to visit.”

The piece of paper is handed to you, and you hum, acknowledging his response. You go over his details, reciting it to him to double-check. But when you land on his address, your eyes go wide, a little ‘oh!’ slipping out.

He furrows his brows, confused.

You definitely, most certainly did not expect this.

“Sorry,” you shake your head, your cheeks heating up in embarrassment, “Just—“ you chuckle, “I think we might be neighbors.”

thank you notes: @twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat for sending me lil prompts that somehow birthed into this!! + @yemmuishomeforthementallyunwell for feeding the choso brainrot 🥹 + @mysugu @soumies for being my angels, lights of my life!! listening to me ramble abt this and helping me pick music, hash out plot, pick title, everything! ily

comments, tags, and reblogs are greatly appreciated ♡

#choso x reader #choso kamo x reader #choso x you #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #choso fluff #jjk x you #jjk fluff #choso x y/n #jjk xyou #shotorus.writes #jjk #choso #im also still too lazy to do the banner #ill add it tomorrow #if this doesn't work out i'll still write the longer fic someday!! just wont be a priority!!#but i have lots of themes i kinda wanna touch on alr

2K notes · View notes

sparrowlucero · 11 months ago

Note

ik you were joking but I would be genuinely interested to hear about the flux cowriting credits strife if you feel like going into detail on it

So I have a big conspiracy theory about season 13 of Doctor Who ("Flux"), namely that there's a lost episode was scripted and even possibly filmed in near entirety, but ended up being cut and cannibalized in post production due to behind the scenes issues, and the fandom has yet to pick up on it.

For anyone who doesn't watch the show: Flux is a miniseries of Doctor Who; a full season was not commissioned because it was produced during Covid. The most important stuff about it for the purposes of this post are:

It's 6 episodes long (¹). The episodes are all directly continuous and could not be shuffled around. (I should clarify here that, no, the showrunner can't simply choose on a whim to make 10 episodes, or only make 4; they had to stick to 6, as that was the amount they were picked up and scheduled for)

The showrunner, Chris Chibnall , wrote every episode apart from episode 4 (Village of the Angels) which he has a co-writing credit on.

(More subjectively but perhaps relevant) The season is largely considered to be kind of a structural mess and (less subjectively) there appears to some abnormal and consistent production issues (²)

So the first thing I need to evidence here is that Chris Chibnall, aforementioned showrunner and writer of the entire season, was late. Like, really late.

Word of mouth gossip had been circulating for a while that there was some sort of on-set problem involving filming having to be paused because he was still finishing scripts: (³)

This would later be confirmed at a Gallifrey One panel (⁴) with Matt Strevens, the executive producer, who suggests that filming stopped to allow Chris Chibnall to finish scripts; he further implies that large swathes of episode 5/Block 2 weren't written until Episode 4/Block 1 (in which Kevin McNally debuts) was filming:

So with that context, let's talk about that Episode 4, "Village of the Angels", the only episode not attributed solely to Chris Chibnall. Co written by Maxine Alderton.

The filming pics reveal an interesting bit of trivia for Village: namely, the clapperboards show that the story was actually filmed as episode 5, not 4:

As the above tweet suggests, this doesn't make much sense. The miniseries is, again, a single continuous plot. It's not like they flipped Village and the current episode 5, Survivors of the Flux; the latter explicitly takes place chronologically after it. And yet, Village having been intended as the penultimate episode 5 is further evidenced by the original trailer for it, in which a character states that the story takes place on the 28th of November. This line is dubbed over in the final episode and subsequent trailers to instead say the 21st:

Why is this line important enough to dub? Because that's meant to line up with the air date of the episode. Episode 4 aired on the 21st and 5 on the 28th. But something happened in post production, and now it's episode 4 on the 21st instead (⁵):

So if none of these episodes were moved around but it does seem like Village was meant to be episode 5, where and what is the original episode 4?

I have a theory.

Flux has a recurring subplot involving two side characters, a married couple (Bel and Vinder) who have been separated by the titular disaster and are traveling the universe to reunite with each other. This story is told through segments sprinkled throughout the episodes. These have a different writing style (including a diary-esque narration only present in these scenes) and an internally consistent visual style that looks somewhat different to the other parts of the season.

Village of the Angels, for instance, is a moody, dark episode set in a village in the 1960s:

However, Bel and Vinder's segments in the episode have a somewhat different look:

On top of this, they never intersect with the episode's A plot (literally or in any clear thematic way), and the majority of these segments piece together into one single scene that seems to have been cut up.

So, what I think is that the bel and vinder scenes across the middle of the season were originally a single full story, an episode 4 that took a breather from the main plot and characters to follow the lives of these two side characters; the differing visual and writing style is due to it originally having been filmed separately and with a somewhat different artistic intent. I believe Chris Chibnall's cowriting credit on Angels exists because these specific scenes are from a script he wrote, but that otherwise the Angel script can be credited solely to Maxine Alderton by normal cowriting standards.

"But wait," you might say, "I thought there were already 6 episodes that are all plot relevant? If no episodes existing right now can be cut, how could this 7th episode exist?"

Remember this tidbit:

The adventures in question comprise a large amount of the next episode (Episode 5: Survivors of the Flux), nearly 20 minutes of a 50ish minute runtime (and frankly, much of the rest of the episode is somewhat fluffy build up that feels like it's taking advantage of an extended runtime). A version without this added plot would, in my opinion, only warrant one final episode rather than two.

I think the showrunner, still scrambling to finish scripts as the episodes were being filmed, and making a snap decision to include a new major subplot (⁶), wrote a finale script so long and with so many plot threads that the only way to keep all this material of was to split it into two episodes, 5 and 6. And because they only could only make 6, he had to get rid of one of the previous 5 episodes - the already scripted and filmed ones - to make room for this new episode 5. A tough order when it's a plot-heavy miniseries... if not for episode 4 being a standalone divergence from the main plot about the lives of two side characters, one that could, in theory, be cut up and dispersed throughout the season without continuity issues for the main story.

(Some notes and clarifications under the cut)

(1) some sources initially reported the episode count as 8; this wasn't inaccurate - the 2022 new years/easter special were part of the episode order. Flux itself was always meant to be 6 episodes long. (2) A few of the production issues include: - episodes filming without a second draft:

- the fx team that had been on the show since 2005 abruptly leaving midseason (because they "didn't feel like part of the team anymore") and returning as soon as the creative team changed, including the head of the studio implying they weren't properly credited (mild vfx body horror warning in link):

- people working on additional projects such as books not receiving clear information on the characters they were assigned to write:

- and likely a director who was put on hold due to a script being rewritten:

Among other things I can't directly cite at the moment, including vfx artists having to do whole episodes solo in crunch time and writers not being told their work was massively overhauled until it aired due to major changes being extremely late in production.

While I don't wish to pontificate too much here and many of these things are pretty normal by themselves, I do think it could paint a picture of a production where an episode well into filming may genuinely be cut on a whim and without consideration for the crew, artists, etc. working on the show. (3) This reddit post comes from a leaker who was known to be consistently accurate. (4) Gallifrey One does not allow filming of panels. I know Kevin's livetweets of panels to be accurate. (5) It's very, very unlikely the entire season was moved back a week, as the premier is a Halloween special that was certainly always intended to air on Oct. 31st. (6) I don't wish to insinuate Chris Chibnall is, throughout his career, an inherently poor showrunner, but I do think that maybe his jump from police procedural - a genre that doesn't involve quite as much concept art, vfx work, marketing, convention panels, set building, episodic storytelling, and keeping in touch with expanded universe producers - to flagship science fiction adventure show may have contributed to some of these issues, especially when he was already in the mindset that things could be changed on a whim (perhaps not such a major issue when it's broadchurch and no new sets need be built)

(source) Basically I don't really think this is "the showrunner's fault" or anything; more that a perfect storm of a showrunner who was habitually late on scripts, used to writing lowkey cop dramas, covid, an entirely serialized season, etc. may have led to these issues

#sorry this is insane #thirteenth doctor #flux #doctor who #long post #thank u to my friends and allies who helped me track down those sources for the scripts being late. i remembered them but couldn't find any #talking tag

560 notes · View notes