#and I actually really like that conflict and the fact that he doesn’t then pressure her to quit | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

azulsluver · 10 months

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I just binge read your bully au for twst and OMG! What if MC ends up cracking, going numb to protect themselves. They still do as told, but they have sky eyes, no emotion. Who would keep pushing to see them fully break, or who would just dump them like trash!?! Hell, who would enjoy them losing the fight in them!

tw: yandere, bully!characters, blood mention, unhealthy relationships/behavior, victim blaming.

Disclaimer, you don’t actually want this n stay safe from people like this!

Continue tormenting for fun:

Leona

Doesn't take you seriously. That's it? You're giving up already, gosh you really can't do anything by yourself...Leona is less than disappointed, in fact he knew good things would come to an end. But you still serve some purpose to him, Leona can't find himself to throw away his favorite toy, some things are just meant worth keeping. Even when broken and used.

Sebek

I don't think he'd catch on very quick, how you follow his instructions yet when the heel of his boot hits your back you make no sound of pain. Sebek should've known humans were too weak to handle his training, being pushed a little really got you that gone? This will only give Sebek the advantage to harm you further, he likes taking his frustration out on you without you screaming.

Lilia

You lasted longer than the others, and he'll applause you for that. Lilia doesn't necessarily hate this new you, embracing it but continues to see just exactly how far you can go. You're only in a shell, and he's not dumb, Lilia will stare longingly into your hollowed orbs, there is still a hint of you. Hiding away from him, Lilia is only fueled to either have you brain dead or back.

Rook

You're absolutely divine, he'll say as he wipes the trickling blood on your lips. You can't fool Rook with those dead-beat eyes, in fact this new look is beautiful. Rook craves for more of this expression you possess, he's seen you smile and cry, he wants to unravel more until you actually break. Rook has done some research on how the human mind can shut down when pushed into pressure, the thought of your alive yet corpse like body not instructing as told, he knows you're still in there.

Jamil

Jamil is conflicted with himself, you're alive but not yourself. A part of him enjoys the fact you won't refuse his affections. But did he really want this? Don't get this the wrong way, Jamil still prefers to beat you into submission, a sick part of him loves you so much yet he can't reciprocate his feelings to you. Understanding that this new you, will help ease his overwhelming emotions, he doesn't need to pretend anymore. Your clouded eyes are what he loves best.

Vil

Recents posts of him explain that Vil absolutely needs you just to take his anger out on. He’s in love with you no doubt, but embarrassment shames him from normally communicating with you. So even if you were emotionless he’d find some use, because he can’t get rid of you no matter how badly beaten your skin is. It’s you, and he’ll have no other person.

Epel

Didn’t know how to react at first. Epel kicks you a couple of times to see how you’d react. I think he because you aren’t responding to any of his criticisms does he ponder. He’s smitten with you, creating a fake narrative on his behavior that what he’s doing is ok, when he’s well aware it isn’t. Keeps you around because your nice to relieve stress from, doesn’t mind if you aren’t screaming and crying.

Toss them away (but he'll start thinking about you then wants you back eventually):

Jade

What a shame...he knew it was a bad idea to share with Floyd. You broke so easily, so fast, just when things were getting good. What good of an experiment if they give the same reaction, you aren't screaming as much as he expected. And the worse part is you listen to exactly what he asks for, there is no hesitation or breaking down to crying, you really are willing to cut off your hand? How boring.

Floyd

Frustrated, acts as if he didn't expected this to happen. Floyd is throwing a huge tantrum once he finds out you don't kick or scream at him. He misses the terror in your eyes when he asks you a question of such, now you're giving him a blank look! Not safe to say, if Azul or Jade wasn't there, you would've been dead for good, Floyd can't handle the fact his shrimpy is lame now. Out of pure anger, he would let his feelings get the best of him.

Kalim

At first he wouldn't notice your change of behavior. But that spark in you is gone now, Kalim doesn't want broken things. You were fun to play with, because he usually got high off the power he held over you, his stress toy won't even give him a proper bark. I mean you do bark, just not with enough enthusiasm. Like a fussing child, Kalim would have you thrown out, until he starts to miss having you beside his feet....

Cater

Makes the saddest noise when he notices how little you react to his touches. Slaps your cheeks a couple of times to make sure. Dramatically mourns over your past self before rudely telling you how you weren’t gonna last long with him either way. It’s been a nice ride with you he says, leaving with a kiss on the forehead. It’s cruel but depressing, because on his end he’s up at night staring at the photos of your more lively self. He misses those terrified eyes..

Enjoys the new MC and somewhat stops:

Riddle

The fire within you finally died, no more to fuel to feed. Just burnt ashes laying pitifully on the floor, grimy and unusual. Riddle is relived, he had proved a point to himself. All of his hard work to make you into the perfect person, docile and understanding. Riddle now has no reason to push you, you're at your fullest degree. You do as told, and no one gets hurt, physically and emotionally. (he's just like his mom frfr)

Ace

At a sense of peace. Once Ace understands that you are no longer you but a fragment he's thrilled. His mean names slowly die down, much more softer and cheesy when talking to you. If you're still there, disgusted or not he'd lay his head on your shoulder and mumble to you how much of a coward he was to confess. But all went well, the paranoia of you rejecting him gone. I mean what else can a lifeless you do?

Deuce

Has no other reason to bully you. You’re doing things just as he wanted and he couldn’t be happier. Like Ace he was paranoid of your rejection. But you don’t stray away from his rough hands massaging your cheek, kisses that bruise your lips. It’s heaven for him, he wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Malleus

He didn’t think you’d break so fast. Malleus barely lays a hand on you yet his words cut deep. Perhaps you finally learned your place, all that hard work and learning how to court a single-minded human like you payed off. You won’t have to face the wrath of his verbal abuse because he’s nothing but sweet to you. You look lovely no matter how bad it gets.

Ruggie

Ruggie didn’t go extreme measures to hurt you that bad. Maybe he got to you before the others could take advantage of your newfound persona. Like he always do, Ruggie takes care of things. By things he means you. Sure you’re practically not yourself anymore but it’s still you in some shape and form. His words won’t mean nothing to damage you, so now you’ll be taken under his care. Best person to be with in this situation.

Idia

Shitty attitude stopped so quick. Was leaning more to tossing you away but Idia gets attached quickly. He would never admit but you’re his favorite pastime everything, he can’t ditch you. So eventually all of his bullying stop because there is nothing to get a reaction from. Much more calmer and talkative around you. It’s nice knowing you aren’t actively judging him as he talks, no cover ups to be douche.

Jack

Once the numbers of people targeting you goes down does he step in. Jack is worried, genuinely. I think reader being emotionless snaps something inside of him, does he claim to protect you fully and run away from everyone else. His guilt that you turned out this way eats him, but he downs it out by telling himself you brought too much attention now he must clean the mess up.

Silver

There is a good case scenario if Malleus wasn’t so attached to you and Sebek left you alone!! Lilia can see how devastated Silver is once he finds out your condition. You’re almost lifeless, Lilia let’s Silver care for you because he finally found the guts to ask. Silver tends to your needs, all those years of standing from afar and watching you get hurt somewhat paid off. You’re dependent on him and he doesn’t wanna admit how good it feels.

Trey

Settles down like some retired man. He’s happy you found peace and stop causing trouble. You’ll be in his full care now, sure he’ll have his usual sadistic tendencies but it’s much more tame and softer. He doesn’t mind however if you come back to him all bruised and sore, he will feed and clothe you back to health. Over and over again. At least he stops his bullying behavior for a while.

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yenalogyy · 3 months

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All’s Fair In Love

A student was found groaning on the ground, having just fallen victim to a prank pulled by one of his peers. He collapsed after dodging what appeared to be a baseball hurled down the hall, which struck him in the face.

His friend, who was beside him, approached and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing," he replied as he slowly rose from his fall. Meanwhile, the individual responsible for his mishap was seen laughing, peering from near the stairs.

"Rei-ah, don't you think you're taking your pranks too far on him?"

"He deserves it. I suggest you also keep your distance from him, Kazuha, for your own good."

She then left, as Kazuha scoffed at the bully's behavior towards her friend.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Kazuha asked, concern evident in her voice as she took a good look at him.

"I'm alright, Kazuha. But are you okay? She just threatened you," Y/N replied, feeling apologetic for the trouble caused.

“She didn’t mean anything by that threat. We’ve been friends since we were children, so I’m sure she’s just saying things. But I don’t understand why she’s acting like this towards you…”

“I guess I did something earlier for her to pull this prank on me.”

“Aren’t you mad? I can tell her off for you if you want me to.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I wouldn’t want your long friendship with her to be ruined just because of me.”

“But doesn’t it- oh no.” Kazuha took his right hand after noticing blood dripping, possibly from a scar due to the fall.

“Let’s get you to the nurse’s office,” she said, holding his hand firmly and leading him towards the infirmary. Other students couldn’t help but stare in envy, with some even gritting their teeth or biting their thumbs. Y/N couldn’t help but let out a small grin, feeling as if he was the luckiest student, forgetting the whole ordeal that had occurred.

“Excuse me,” Kazuha called out, but there was no answer.

“Looks like the nurse isn’t here. Sit down, let me stitch you up.”

He sat in the chair in the middle of the room, as Kazuha rummaged through the cabinet.

“Zuha-ya, you know you don’t have to do this, right? I can do it on my own.”

“It’s my fault that you ended up like this, Y/N. If only I were more straightforward in telling her to stop.”

“I’m telling you it’s okay, Kazuha. Really.”

Kazuha had her head hung low, while dripping a small amount of alcohol onto a piece of cotton.

“Zuha-ya. Are you-“ He looked at her with teary eyes before wiping her tears away.

“Ya, don’t be like this, Zuha-ya.” He helped her wipe her eyes.

“Let’s talk about something else. Oh, Valentine’s is coming up.”

“That’s right,” she said as she applied pressure to the bleeding area to stop the bleeding.

“And I’ve been taking classes.”

“Classes? What do you mean?”

“A chocolate making class. The local bakery near my place opened up a short class specifically on making chocolates.”

“Does that mean-“

“Yup. I won’t say who though,” she giggled. He let out a small chuckle, feeling a bit down that she might have someone she was interested in.

“I hope he’ll like the chocolate I make. I’m gonna put my heart into it.”

“I’ll be cheering for you then,” he replied, as Kazuha put the finishing touches on his bandage.

“Thank you, Kazuha. Tell you the truth, I've actually known her longer than I have known you.”

Her eyes widened, shocked at the fact.

“Really?”

__________

"Ain’t this nice. Greeted by a fellow rival on my way home," Rei muttered to herself.

Caught up in a conflict with students from a rival school, Rei found herself outnumbered and outmatched. The altercation escalated quickly, and as tension mounted, Y/N happened to pass by the area and noticed the brewing confrontation.

“I’m fine. Just leave,” Rei snapped, her pride initially resisting Y/N's intervention.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” He replied calmly, refusing to back down.

Grateful yet prideful, Rei hesitated but eventually accepted his assistance as a means to escape the confrontation unscathed.

After reasoning with the confronting students, they eventually dispersed without further trouble. The presence of a nearby police station and the outnumbered situation worked in their favor, discouraging any further aggression.

As Rei prepared to leave, he noticed the injuries left by the altercation and took her by the hand, leading her to a nearby convenience store. Rei attempted to break free from his hold but found herself unable to resist. She watched him closely, intrigued by his unexpected kindness.

“Stay still,” he instructed gently, applying band-aids to her hand and cheek.

“Thanks… I guess. I’ll be on my way then,” Rei mumbled, feeling a mix of gratitude and confusion.

"Are you sure? What if they come back for more?" He asked, genuine concern evident in his voice.

“My place is just around the corner. I’ll be fine,” Rei assured him, grateful for his concern.

Despite their brief interaction, Rei never learned his name or much about him. However, the encounter left a lasting impression on her, sparking a curiosity and admiration for the mysterious student who came to her aid.

__________

“That’s the whole story. I haven’t talked to her since then, and once I did, well… you know how it is from that point on. Would’ve never guessed that she’d be the violent type. But I suppose I might’ve done something for her to be like this.”

She stood still, looking far out of the window, pondering to herself.

“What is it, Zuha-ya?”

“It’s nothing.” She chuckled. “Your story just reminded me of how we first talked to each other before.

“Yeah… can we not talk about that, please?”

“Oh, so you’re saying it was an unpleasant first meeting?” She scoffed.

“No no no, it’s not like that, it was just embarrassing for me, you know?”

“I’m joking~. Besides, I find it cute actually. I remembered you asking me whether I mind sharing a book with you or not, but as it turns out…”

“But you’re actually happy, right? The fact that I was trying to make a move on you?”

“Wha-? Oh, trying to get back at me for teasing you is it? Let me take off the bandages I put on you.”

He immediately pulled his hand away from her reach, as the two giggled at their first interaction.

“Looks like you’re all good to go. If you’ll excuse me, I will go and have a word with Rei first.”

“Wait, Zuha. Promise me you won’t be so hard on her?”

“I wouldn’t.” She let out a weak smile, before going out the door.

And in a flash, Valentine’s day had arrived.

_________

A/N: Which ending do you guys prefer? Kazuha’s, or Rei’s ending?

#kpopfanfic #kpopimagines #malereader #oneshot #fluff #le sserafim #nakamura kazuha #ive #naoi rei #ive rei

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thegurlwhoisntthere · 1 year

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Okay, HTTYD fandom I’m coming for you.

I want an au where the gang were always friends. Like, they grew up to be just as tight-nit as they are in RTTE, but because of reasons they hide the fact that they’re friends with Hiccup from the adults. Why do I think this could work?

Well:

Hiccup by nature is very forgiving, so when all his friends come to him and say they can’t be friends in public because of one reason or another, he sympathizes, as long as they’re still friends, he doesn’t really care.

Snotlout is the first in the group to start drifting away, and they all ask him why

Spitelout doesn’t like that his son is hanging around Hiccup when he’s so unviking-like

He pressures Snotlout to cut ties with his cousin and to start putting him down for not living up to “what he should”

This backfires

Baby-lout hasn’t yet had the time to really internalize his father’s teachings, so when his friends ask, he tearfully tells them

Most of the group is furious, but Hiccup understands

If it had just been up to him the group probably would’ve disbanded then and there

Lucky for him it wasn’t

They figure that if Spitelout doesn’t want them to friends then they won’t… in public

In private is a different story

In public they treat it like a game, to taunt each other and be as sarcastic as possible

But when they’re alone they let their guard down

The next one to go, surprisingly, is Astrid

After her uncle died her family’s reputation takes a dive

At first, the fact that she’s friends with the chief’s son is a good thing, but as time goes on and he doesn’t grow, her parents start getting pressure, and Astrid, not being as young anymore, feels it, too

Astrid’s extremely conflicted, because on the one hand she doesn’t want to abandon Hiccup, let alone insult him in front of the village like Snotlout

But on the other, she needs to restore her family’s honor

So they come up with Astrid’s cover: in public she’ll distance herself from all of them, working hard to be a shield-maiden, only being a part of the group in an orbit-sort of way

She grows into ignoring Hiccup in public because if she doesn’t she’s going to take the head off the next person who insults him

For Fishlegs and the Twins, there’s no specific moment that they start to distance themselves in public

Overtime, the twins become more destructive and so does Hiccup, so being seen together is a no-go

Fishlegs is growing evermore into the scholar and is completely uninterested in fighting, to the point where, if it wasn’t for his stature, he’d be in the same boat as Hiccup (if less magnified, because he’s not the Chief’s son)

So they all “grow apart” into the roles we see in the first movie, with some noticeable differences

They sit together in the great hall, but to anyone casually observing Hiccup’s excluded from the conversation

In actuality, Hiccup and Fishlegs came up with their own little version of sign language which Astrid forced everyone to learn, though some are more fluent than others (Tuffnut is surprising good at it, but Snotlout’s lucky to understand a full sentence)

Astrid still trains extra in the forest, but usually you can find the rest of the group somewhere nearby doing their own thing, if they’re not needed elsewhere

Similarly, because they hang out around her while she trains, she manages to bully at least Hiccup and Fishlegs into being at least passable with one weapon (sword and hammer)

Snotlout still flirts with Astrid, but it’s far more joking and well timed than in canon (of course he still has a crush on her, she’s Astrid, but he also flirts with her to escape that weird fluttery feeling he gets when Fishlegs gets excited about the book he’s reading)

The twins outward behavior doesn’t change as much as their friends’ perception of them

The group is very aware that the twins are far smarter and more capable than they let on, and are aware that a lot of their chaos is carefully planned and not just violent stupidity like the rest of the village might assume

The gang even joins in a lot, the twins made them far more mischievous than they let anyone know

Due to the closeness to Astrid, Ruffnut is far more willing to be serious about training and other things, even if she still tries to downplay it

In reverse, Astrid is far more willing to chill the fuck out and have some fun, let her creativity take the lead, even if she’s very strict about keeping a mask in public

This is getting really long and repetitive so I’m just going to leave a few more thoughts

Fishlegs is far more confident and courageous because of his friends, but he’s still skittish in public

Hiccup is far less he’ll-bent on proving himself, but he’s still a sarcastic insane inventor so the results are pretty much the same he’s just happier (less lonely and lacking self-esteem)

Snotlout and Astrid are more comfortable with their emotions

Snotlout has less self-image problems (still-there though, fuck Spitelout)

When Hiccup says he shot down a Night Fury, they can tell he’s telling the truth, but they don’t have time to search with him that day, so he still meets Toothless the same

They plan to work together come dragon training, but Toothless kinda throws a wrench in that plan

Hiccup tries to keep him secret, but they know him, so when the Zippleback thing happens, he stands no chance

I have a lot more ideas but this so long

Just. Let them be friends damn it

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alexthefunniest · 2 months

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Funniest mileven arguments to why byler won’t be endgame

I’m sorry if there’s any grammar errors or mistakes, I wrote this angrily at 2 am when I couldn’t sleep.

1. “Its the 80’s”- as if there isn’t any movies that have happy queer endings that were made/set in the 80’s, yall are just lazy and don’t want to actually do any research.

2. “It’s a Netflix original”- ok? And? Like we literally get a new mlm/queer show on Netflix every year, byler is a mlm relationship which Netflix has a lot of, young royals, heartstopper??? Are you guys ok?

3. “Cuz it’s too popular” - we already have over two queer confirmed characters in stranger things, the show that’s about fighting forced conformity ?? The show that focuses on nerds, losers and people that don’t ‘fit in’ ? And y’all find it so hard to see ur two main characters being gay? Read the room respectfully.

4. “It’s one sided” - if it was one sided they would make Mike tell Will he doesn’t like him in s3 and give Will a new love interest in s4 (it has been confirmed that there will be no new characters in s5 and that the producers want every character to have their ‘perfect ending’) Will believed he was a mistake and thought he wouldn’t fall in love, because he is queer so he most definitely will have a queer love interest and it will be Mike.

5. “Mike is in love with el”- is he tho? He never actually said he loved her to her face without the world and her life depending on it, he’s been pressured to say it twice and when she told him she loves him back the man didn’t look happy but conflicted.

6. “Mileven endgame” - it’s really not, the amount of symbolism that points to their downfall (such as everyone calling them the ‘star crossed lovers’ which are basically lovers deemed to fail, and more) is HUGE, they have too many familial parallels it’s insane, why parallel the it couple with family themes and relationships? Another problem I have with this it’s the fact that it’s very rare for the first ‘original’ pairings to stay together till the end of the show (like with Bob and Joyce or Steve and Nancy)

7. “Byler wouldn’t make sense to the plot”- watch the show again, just because somethings more subtle, doesn’t mean it’s not there, y’all will always say that about queer relationships but whenever u guys see a straight relationship in these subtle moments you jump into conclusions that they might end up together, it’s called being a hypocrite.

8. “Mike isn’t gay” - it’s what he’s been telling himself too, the guy was obviously made fun of and called slurs like Will, everyone already thought and knew their relationship was ‘special’ and everyone suspected something, that’s why Mikes own dad was surprised and said “our son, with a girl?” Also your so called straight Mike has a room filled with pictures and posters of buff men, he’s never shown any interest in girls or women (except el who’s been said, looked like a boy in s1) not to mention the first song on his official Spotify playlist being “small town boy” (yk the song about a young gay man running away from his homophobic small town??).

9. Mikes love confession- if u call that a love confession I wouldn’t wanna date u brother, he was pushed to say ily by Will, the same Will that was in the frame of Mike lying when he said that his life “started” when he found El in the woods, which was obviously a lie because Mike called El a weapon and said he’ll “send her back to pennhurst or wherever she comes from” after they found her, also if the love confession was honest why would El be still upset with Mike and not talk to him after??

10. “El wasn’t upset at Mike but was sad about Max” - me when I’m in denial, she wasn’t sad about Max until she found the coke bottle underneath her bed, then we get the flashbacks of her and Max having fun in s3, she wasn’t thinking abt Max before that, its called common sense and logical thinking skills.

11. “There would be no time for byler to develop in s5” - it might seem crazy what I’m about to say, they were literally childhood best friends and it’s been confirmed that Will had a crush on Mike since s1, they literally started to build their romantic relationship MORE in s4, with all the ‘[emotional, tender music playing]’ and parallels between byler and jancy, also even if they haven’t started to build their relationship up in a romantic way in s4, y’all remember how in less than a season Jonathan and Nancy slept together or how Max and Lucas got together in a spawn of a season (mind u they met in the same season). Byler knows each other since little kids and always had potential y’all are just in denial.

12. “Why make Mike queer” - why not? Do y’all actually believe that one of the main characters plot line is just about getting with the girl at the end? Even if it was (which lets be so fr now) why would Mike get with El from the first season (they kissed in s1 and basically u can count that as they’re together wtv) if that was his main goal as a character? Well written shows have something called a “character development” which the producers of st love apparently, so why make Mike just a bland character that just gets with the main girl character, and why have El date the first guy she ever met, I just think it would be very shallow.

That’s all, this was written in a silly way cuz it’s basically me talking to myself, it’s okay if u ship mileven I just really don’t like disrespectful fans that yell at bylers and call the ship disgusting, I don’t care about what who ships as long as we all just have fun and not yell at each other 🫶🏻

#byler #byler endgame #byler nation #byler is real

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thranduel · 2 years

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the big difference between these two relationships

*these are my own personal opinions based on what i’ve observed in the show!! obviously all of these characters love each other so much but i just don't think mike and el work together romantically, while mike and will do (and there are so many reasons why!)

as we all know, mike and will completely understand each other and relate to each other, they feel like equals, they're honest with each other, they have many deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can actually be themselves when they’re together. mike and el don't fully understand each other or relate to each other, they feel completely different from one another (mike admitted he feels inferior to el and el admitted she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere), they lie to each other, they don't have any deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can’t even be themselves when they’re together (they literally prove this in the show).

el believes that mike has been scared of her several times and sees her as a monster (obviously we know he doesn’t actually think she is one), but the point is that she still feels like a monster, and there are several scenes where mike unintentionally triggers traumatic memories of brenner right after he gets angry at el when she does something that scares him (like when she accidentally hurt lucas and and when she hit angela with the rollerskate). obviously mike and brenner are NOT the same at all, they are completely different people, but there are some parallels between them when it comes to how they view el as a superhero and how they put pressure on her to always save the day (“you’re MY superhero!”, “you can fly!”) and how they praise her for her powers more than who she actually is as a person. they’ve both called her “incredible” several times but it’s always about her abilities. but with will on the other hand, mike has always made him feel safe and comfortable for who he is and he doesn’t feel like a mistake at all because of mike. he has always been extremely protective, observant and caring towards will and he knows how to make him feel loved and accepted. the only time mike upsets will is when he excludes him, but the only reason he excludes him is because he forces himself to pay attention to el and then he pretends to be someone he’s not when he’s with her… see, it just shows how it’s not healthy or fair to anyone and mike can only be himself when he’s with will.

mike and el

season 4 episode 3: during their fight scene, el tells mike that she’s different from everyone else. he tries explaining that he understands what she’s going through because he’s been bullied his whole life but she says he never will. this already shows us that they don’t feel equal to each other in the relationship and they’re never on the same page, because unfortunately, they are very different and have experienced different things in their life, and no matter how long they date, they always will be different. obviously relationships can work like this in some cases, but the thing is with mike and el, they don’t have any sort of character growth or development at all. they don’t become stronger as a couple. in fact, i think they’ve only gotten worse. they can’t even communicate honestly or be themselves around each other. they’ve never had a meaningful heart-to-heart conversation or resolved their conflicts properly. they constantly lie and pretend to be people they’re not (el literally lied to mike the entire time they were sending letters and acted like her life was good when it wasn’t) and mike acts so different around el and forces himself to focus on her which results in him excluding all his friends. this isn’t healthy or fair to anyone, and continuing to force two teenagers in a relationship where they don’t understand each other and can’t even be themselves with each other is really weird. anyways, el says “you think i’m a monster too” and mike doesn’t really try hard to deny it, he just lies and makes her feel like she’s being ridiculous like he’s done to her this entire scene. we know that mike obviously doesn’t think el is a bad person at all, but there have been several times where he has been scared of her and she knows that too.

in season 1 when they find will’s body, mike slaps el’s hand away and yells at her because he feels betrayed. he realises that el is just a stranger that he’s been trusting and following around even though he barely knows her, and when he sees the body and believes it’s will, it absolutely breaks him and he thinks she’s been lying to him. a few episodes later, el freaks out and sends lucas flying across the junkyard with her powers, and it knocks him unconscious. mike is understandably terrified and angry because his friend got hurt. he yells at her again and this triggers a traumatic memory from the lab. this shows that mike’s reaction reminded her of brenner (there are actually many parallels between mike and brenner, and even in mike’s monologue to el in season 4 episode 9, he says the same things brenner said to el. they both go on about how she’s a superhero that can fly and she obviously doesn’t want to hear that all the time since she’s her own person as well, but they never seem to mention her actual personality or what she does outside of being a superhero). in season 4 episode 2, el hits angela in the face with a rollerskate. mike looks terrified and it parallels to brenner again because mike's words triggered a traumatic memory. even at the dinner table, mike is still annoyed and makes a sarcastic comment which upsets el. in episode 9 during his monologue, he lies and says he’s never been scared of her which we know isn’t true. that entire monologue was pretty much filled with lies that contradict things we’ve already seen and it just felt like an insult to el. i also didn’t like how mike said “you’re my superhero” and listed what she can do with her powers but he couldn’t even mention anything about her personality, because he doesn’t even truly know her since they can’t even be themselves with each other. they don’t even share any similar interests and hobbies. the only thing mike knows about her outside of being a superhero is that she likes eggos and that’s about it.

you can argue that he tried making her feel good about who she is in his monologue but he was lying during so much of it that it doesn’t feel genuine at all. people also need to realise that it’s unhealthy that mike has an inferiority complex. he literally admitted that he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers. he said it wasn't fate or destiny but dumb luck that superman landed on his doorstep. he saw that el was vulnerable and needed help and he just happened to be there. he also probably feels better about himself for being able to get a girl with powers because no girls have ever shown any interest in him before (and it doesn't seem like he had any interest in girls either). but the entire time he was talking in the car, he was talking about himself and how he wants to be "needed" by el because it boosts his confidence but he never mentioned what el actually needs, especially at that time in her life when he met her. she just got out of a lab and needed to grow rather than being pushed into romance before knowing what romance was. mike had a crush on her but she didn’t have a crush on him. she thought he would be like her brother and she only saw him as a friend that cared for her. obviously mike didn’t have any bad intentions when he kissed her, he was just a kid and it was supposed to be cute and wholesome, but the point is that he did what he wanted when she didn’t even understand the concept of romance and crushes. she didn’t really have a say and she didn't have any time to learn about this stuff. mike is the one that decided what their relationship was going to be without giving her a chance to discover herself first. it was also harder for el because she couldn’t communicate the same way mike could, so everything happened so quickly for her and it just doesn’t feel right that she couldn’t decide on her own. their relationship would've been so much better if it developed slowly and el had time to decide if she liked mike romantically HERSELF, without mike being the one to put things in her head. i think it's also important to mention that there was a literally an entire plot in season 3 that focused on how mike has prevented el from discovering herself and what she likes. max literally encouraged her to break up with him, and when she did, she looked the happiest she had ever been. max actually allowed her to find her own style and think for herself instead of letting the men in her life tell her what to do.

mike and will

season 4 episode 8: during the car scene, will confesses his love to mike using eleven’s name. he mentions how he feels like a mistake sometimes because he’s different but mike is the only person that doesn’t make him feel like a mistake. they were each other’s first friend, they’ve known each other for most of their lives, they have always felt like equals in the relationship, they’ve experienced the same struggles as they’ve been outcasts their whole lives and got bullied at school, they both understand each other better than anyone else and they can be themselves with each other. neither feels superior or inferior to the other (unlike mike and el, where mike literally admitted he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers and he wants to be “needed” by her… the whole thing isn’t healthy or fair to anyone at all). mike and will have only had two fights and both times it was because will felt excluded by mike because he was too busy with el. in season 3 episode 3, will felt called out when mike said “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”. he was obviously already hurt for many reasons here, but hearing this would’ve made it even harder for him. but we know that mike didn’t mean it that way and he immediately regretted it because he just said it without thinking (it also sounded like he was actually projecting because of internalised homophobia). the other time they argued was at the roller rink and it sounds like mike is projecting here too when he says “we’re friends” twice and gets defensive about it. after both of these fights, mike immediately goes to apologise to will because he can’t stand seeing him upset and he had to make sure he was okay and knew that he was genuinely sorry for hurting him. it’s important to note that mike is stubborn when it comes to apologising but he always apologises to will without question. in season 4 episode 4, he doesn't let will try to blame himself either. mike takes full responsibility for the way he treated will and admits that things have felt weird because hawkins wasn't the same without him and he was afraid of losing him. this is a parallel to the scene in season 4 episode 8 where will also admits that if he was mean to mike or seemed like he was pushing him away, it's because he was scared to lose him too.

“if [i] was mean to you or [i] seemed like [i] was pushing you away, it’s probably because [i'm] scared of losing you just like you’re scared of losing [me]”

even though he used el to disguise his feelings, i think mike will eventually realise will was talking about himself here because it's the only thing that makes sense. el never pushed mike away and they stayed in contact by sending each other letters, but mike and will lost contact and pushed each other away because they love each other and they're scared of losing each other. that's why this line during the car monologue can only be applied to mike and will. also, when mike said his monologue to el, he copied a lot of what will said and he was basically responding to will's love confession for him without even realising it.

anyways, the scene where will told mike he doesn’t feel like a mistake because of him also reminded me of the one in season 2 where will and jonathan are talking and will gets upset. he says “mom, dustin, lucas, everyone. they all treat me like i’m gonna break, like i’m a baby, like i can’t handle things on my own”. notice how he doesn’t mention mike? that’s because mike has never made him feel that way. mike stayed by will’s side throughout all of season 2 to take care of him but he never treated him like he was a baby or made him feel bad about anything. he was just there by his side and provided support when he needed it. when will was explaining what he saw on halloween night, mike listened so carefully. he didn't make him feel like there was something wrong with him and he told him that they'll both go crazy together. in season 2 episode 5 when will is talking about the mindflayer spying on them, mike tries making the situation positive by saying how it would be cool for will to be like a super-spy. will almost let out a little laugh because of it even though he was terrified in the moment. it just shows that mike always makes him feel better. and when will was anxious and shaking, mike noticed and put his hand on top of his to calm him down. mike is also the only person that will opens up to when he's struggling which shows how comfortable he feels around him. in season 2 he told him about everything going on with the mindflayer, and in season 4 he's the first person that he spoke to when they arrived back in hawkins. mike also helped will snap out of his upside down trances in season 2 and he would always make sure he was okay and stayed by his side. even after will becomes "the spy", mike never takes his anger out on will or yells at him because he knows it's not his fault, and he stays by his side even though he knows it's risky to be around him. in the shed scene, he was so calm and gentle while telling will the story of how they first met. they were both crying during this scene and it was extremely emotional. it's also probably my favourite scene in the entire show.

there’s such a big difference between both of these relationships and i think it’s really important to discuss. it's obvious that all of them love each other so much, but the difference is that mike and el don't work together romantically at all, while mike and will could be one of the most well-written and genuine relationships because they understand each other better than anyone and they fit together so well. i think mike and el could have one of the strongest and most beautiful friendships too, but they just don't work together as a couple and we've seen why so many times. anyone that pays attention to the show would see that mike and el can’t even be themselves around each other and mike's character got worse the moment he started dating el. he was just reduced to her boyfriend, had no individual character growth and development AND it's just simply not healthy because he feels inferior to her and pretends to be someone he’s not when she's around. he sees her as an awesome superhero with powers but he can’t even name anything about who she is as a person or anything about her personality. el also hasn’t had the chance to grow on her own and make her own decisions. even when she’s starting to finally have her own character development, she always ends up back with mike, and the fact that he needed to say a monologue (that was literally filled with lies!) to “give her strength” while her best friend was suffering in front of her just feels really weird and the entire thing was cheesy. it’s just not healthy or fair to either of them. mike and will on the other hand have the closest relationship in the show and understand each other better than anyone else. it's also just been fully confirmed that will has been in love with mike from the very beginning and they have the most history and build up, even if we don't see all of it on screen. mike can only be himself when he’s with will and that says SO much too. they see each other as equals, they’re always on the same page and they love each other for exactly who they are. obviously mike and el love each other too, i just don't think they belong together romantically because their relationship just simply isn't healthy. i think they rushed into it way too quickly and mike got carried away because she's a superhero, as he's said over and over again. he couldn't even tell her he loved her when she was crying in front of him without her powers, but the moment she gets her powers back and will confesses his OWN feelings for mike and convinces him that el "needs" him, he can suddenly tell her he loves her? i don't know, the whole thing is just messy lol.

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #again these are my own opinions!!#if u disagree i don't care!! that's great!!!!#but i understand basic character analysis and narrative writing and mike and el just don't work together romantically at all #it also seems like mike and will have way more build up that would actually make sense and be better for the characters #i love mike and el as besties but as a couple? absolutely not #will #mike #otp: the best thing i've ever done #byler analysis

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flowertrigger · 13 days

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Favourite Line Game

Rules: share your favorite lines or paragraph you’ve written from your fics, posted or wip.

Thank you for tagging me @a-noble-dragon 💚🐉💚

one week is seven days too long

Patrick is on knees and elbows, forehead resting on the bed as if supplicating to the gods or David himself. His generous ass is high in the air waiting, waiting.

[Sorry this is just 4k of porn.]

in finding myself, i found you

Patrick brings his hands up from David’s hips, the silky material of his blouse whispers under his palms, and settles on his warm back clutching him even tighter. Their hips are in sync, just shy of full on grinding as they move to the heavy beat. As they shift and sway, Patrick loses himself in David’s arms, surrounded by his smell, his heat, his body. It isn’t until he hears David whisper his name that he realises.

He’s aroused.

He’s so hard that he can feel himself pressing against David’s thigh. Heat of a different kind shoots through him, his face aflame with embarrassment as he ceases all movement. Fuck, they’ve only been dancing for mere moments. What must David think of him? A pitiful, small town boy with his first sexual experience.

“Oh my god, David. I’m so sorry,” he chokes out, throat tight with shame. His hands quickly leave David’s back as he tries to step away but David holds tight.

[I still can't believe I wrote something this long. I know it's peanuts compared to most people but it's a lot for me.]

silent in the summer air with you

“Wh-where did the lube come from?” He stutters. Firm fingers drum unrelentingly on his prostate, stealing his breath and heating his skin.

“Pocket. I’ve been carrying it around all day. Statistically, if I fuck you in the morning you usually want it again before the day is done.” He’s so matter of fact about it, like he’s talking about stock rotation at work. David cannot believe this is his life.

“Statistically?” He squawks objectionably. If he doesn’t nip this in the bud now who knows how far Patrick will take it. “Are you seriously talking about statistics while you’re three knuckles deep in me?”

[The idea of Patrick carrying around anticipatory lube is v amusing to me.]

dessert

“Use your words, honey.”

He can’t.

There’s a gag in his mouth, suffocating and subduing.

His lips stretch too thin, jaw locked too tight.

Saliva drips from his chin and pools between his sore knees.

I'll no pressure tag @ramonaflow @beaiola @chelle-68 @jamilas-pen @smallumbrella369

@mostlyinthemorning @obsessedwithdavrick @trickiwooao3 if they have any favourites they'd like to share. 🖤🤍

It took me a week to feel comfortable doing this. The conflicting emotions between pride and amazement that I actually finished writing something with the crippling fear of being so shit actually, is so strong that picking favourite parts of my stories is a lot. You know when you see someone proud about something that objectively is in fact really bad and you're just embarrassed for them? That's how I feel. Why am I like this?

#writing tag game #my fics #schitt's creek fic #sc fanfic #david x patrick

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eliotquillon · 9 months

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just finished the rwrb movie and although i really enjoyed it (and was kicking my feet giggling the whole time) i do have a couple of major criticisms, some of which i think aren’t really the movie’s fault because they had to fit a whole book into 2 hours, but some of which left me kind of disappointed:

-i feel slightly icky that bea and nora got their screentime SIGNIFICANTLY reduced even after june got cut entirely (which i was upset about, but did understand). i loved zahra and adored her on screen but i do think it’s very odd that she is pretty much the only major female character in this movie since bea was nonexistent and nora got permanently spirited away to pez’s bed or something sometime during the second act

-it felt like a lot of the internal conflict in alex and henry’s relationship was very unbalanced and henry heavy - alex’s neurodivergence was erased, his bi epiphany was barely even an epiphany, and him not being explicitly kicked off the campaign after ellen finds out about him and henry essentially killed his whole subplot about realising he doesn’t need to have everything achieved at thirty and deciding he wants to apply to law school instead. which wouldn’t have been terrible but on the flipside it felt weird that we didn’t see very much of henry’s family considering how much they affect and shape his fear of being outed and his feeling of being in a glass cage - e.g bea’s treatment by the media during her active addiction (which was entirely erased), the extent of the tension between him and philip. felt like henry’s pov scenes were a super wasted opportunity for that and we were mostly just being Told about all of these things

-i am not actually that mad about oscar and ellen still being together lol but i felt like in the scene with oscar smoking the cigar on the balcony they were kinda building up to there being significant strain in his and ellen’s relationship that just wasn’t explored. especially since it’s clear oscar would never be able to be president because he’s not a natural born citizen + the sacrifice of his career for ellen’s is so much bigger now that he’s first gentleman in this version

-pacing in general was a bit off but the worst offender was the fact that there was a complete time skip between the alex henry confrontation/reconciliation and the outing. so much of the tension and desperation from that outing scene comes from the fact that the risk of it happening was slowly increasing throughout the book and it felt almost inevitable (the elevator cctv being leaked, henry having to fake date june) and honestly making it so abrupt weirdly reduced a lot of its impact for me

-similarly i actually completely understand why the richards plot / rafael luna plot was cut (i suspect republican election interference hits a bit too close to home after 2020) but my god was miguel a lame fucking villain and him being queer and hispanic erased a lot of the original commentary about racism and homophobia that the richards plot lent itself to. like in general this movie was a lot lighter than the book which is fine! but for a movie where the main subplot is a presidential election So Much of the political themes were heavily neutered or cut to the point that it seemed like the pressure on henry and alex’s relationship was disproportionately coming from henry’s side when in the book it was more balanced

again on the whole i really really loved this movie and i knew going in that certain changed were going to be made. and i hope more movies get made like it! these r just my Thots and i may change my mind when i rewatch it with my friend tomorrow

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #putting this in the tags but the movie actually kind of emphasised a lot of the problems i have with the book #re: gender at least #i remember first reading the book in 2019 and being upset that june giving up so many of her dreams #to support her family wasnt explored more #like with her ex boyfriend who it was implied she still kind of had feelings for but had moced to california #it also feels slightly disingenuous that casey hyped up bea/nora so much after the teaser scene of them talking was revealed #except that was the only scene they ever interacted in. ever #and i know it’s not that deep I KNOWWWW #but i’ve been thinking a lot about fandom treatment of women lately #and weirdly this movie kind of exemplifies a lot of the issues i have witb fandom as a whole and not just rwrb #anyway.

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friendfromdsmp · 7 months

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Are there Marinette Salt takes that you disagree with?

So we’ve established in the last ask that I think Adrien gets a bit of a bad rap with salters at times, but that’s absolutely nothing compared to how I feel about Marinette salt takes. TL;DR at the bottom since this was much longer than I anticipated, as per usual with my constant ramblings

One angle I just really can’t wrap my head around are people who think Marinette is to blame for the LadyNoir conflict overarching season 4 because, in all honesty, I don’t know if Marinette was even made fully aware that there was an ongoing issue. I’m probably misremembering or forgetting some stuff, and I’m about to go on a long-ass ramble, so bear with me on this

The conflict begins with MariBug having constant breakdowns due to her responsibilities piling up, her alter egos bleeding into each other and having zero guidance or even vent options. Back in Truth Chat said that he doesn’t mind Ladybug being the new Guardian as long as it doesn’t impact their relationship/dynamic. But due to how overwhelmed and alone she is, Ladybug can’t always be there for all the patrols and silly little things the heroes do, which leaves Chat disappointed and feeling ignored

Is he entitled to these feelings? Absolutely. Can’t help how you feel. And for the most part he doesn’t bother Ladybug with these feelings, except for mentioning it once that he misses seeing her all the time and she explains herself and promises to try and prioritise patrols more. Healthy stuff, good communication, I’m vibing so far

But Chat continues not to voice his feelings while starting to let them dictate his behaviour, and this is where the problems arise - not just with Chat, but with Marinette salters, too. I was surprised to see how many people were mad at Ladybug for not prioritising Chat more or not being more considerate of his feelings

As far as I’ve seen, Chat hasn’t voiced his concerns to her, so you can’t expect Ladybug to fix a problem she doesn’t know exists, and even then you can see she doesn’t have the mental capacity or available free time right now, every other episode featured her having a mental breakdown. At this point Chat being disappointed that he’s not his coworker’s top priority isn’t… well, a priority

People were also getting mad that Marinette revealed her identity to Alya and not Chat was also a surprise to me. Alya is Marinette’s best friend and was chosen to be a hero for her loyalty and trustworthiness (arguable whether the show does a good job at displaying these qualities but I digress) and Chat Noir, the holder of the only other Miraculous Hawkmoth needs, is the most dangerous possible choice to share her identity with, especially considering what little Marinette remembers about Chat Blanc

Plus, Alya was there. Like, physically right there. And Marinette broke under all the pressure that was put on her. You think she’s gonna break and then sit around peacefully until Chat shows up before she actually acts on the breakage?

Anyway, speaking of Alya, her becoming more involved in the hero work makes Chat Noir feel replaced, resulting in him straight-up ignoring the plan after he was informed of his role in it multiple times by multiple people during Sentibubbler. I’ve seen takes that Marinette should have apologised for him not being better informed or for not including him more in the plan, and that absolutely baffles me

This wasn’t Marinette’s plan. Hell, Marinette herself didn’t even know half the plan, and she was the only other person aware of Alya’s trump card. Not to mention there was a whole thing about how Alya couldn’t contact Marinette, so how do they expect Marinette to have any way of knowing more than what was canonically stated to have been told to Marinette? There’s no way people aren’t just making up issues at this point

Rocketear then shows us something I think highlights one of the previous points very well; Ladybug notices that Chat looks upset after he’s learned that Ladybug broke the secret identify rule by handing Alya and Nino their Miraculous at the same time back during Heroes’ Day

She asks Chat what’s wrong and if he’s okay, and you know what he says? He fkn reassures her that he’s okay and it’s nothing

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen; Ladybug noticed there were signs of a problem and asked Chat about it, only to be told there was no problem. But as all the salters have told me, Ladybug just doesn’t care about Chat Noir or his problems. How do people expect her to fix a problem that she not only doesn’t know exists, but a problem that’s now actively being kept from her?

Now we come to Chat Noir no-showing to fights, which results in Ladybug needing to call in additional backup more often. At first Chat has valid reasons for not showing up; he had obligations as Adrien that he couldn’t escape. But the problem here isn’t that he didn’t show, it’s that he took the temp heroes showing up as a sign of Ladybug replacing him as her partner rather than filling a vacant but necessary role

And the problem only worsened when Chat stopped showing up to fights even when he had every opportunity to, opting out due to being depressed that Ladybug was relying more on the temp heroes… which in turn forced Ladybug to rely more on the temp heroes. He was creating his own problem

And it stumps me how so many Marinette salters decided that it was her fault for letting things get so bad between them that he was sitting out akuma fights due to depression. Dumber still, people agreeing with Adrien and saying that Ladybug is replacing Chat and she shouldn’t keep bringing out the temp heroes and instead rely more on Chat

Guys, I’m sure she’d love to rely more on Chat, but right now she can’t even rely on him to show up to his job. What do you realistically want her to do? Fight akumas all alone, without any backup? Not fight the akuma until Chat shows up first, thus enabling the akuma to run rampant and unchecked through Paris until then? Somehow figure out Chat Noir’s identify, show up at Adrien’s house and beg him to help her fight? What’s her realistic alternative to the temp heroes?

Kuro Neko is where this comes to a head. To start we have salters saying that Ladybug’s interview was insulting to Chat, but I don’t see it at all. Her exact words were “Of course [Chat and I aren’t at odds with each other], it's just that... umm, he's a partner like any other! The most important is to pick the best superheroes for each mission, with or without Cat Noir. No matter what, we've got a great team and we'll always be here to save Paris.”

She’s saying that Chat Noir wasn’t necessary for the fight, not that he wasn’t wanted or missed. Could she have phrased it slightly better? Yes. But she was put on the spot to answer a question she doesn’t know the answer to but probably secretly fears the worst for, all while knowing that she needs to reassure the public that they’re safe and that she and all the other heroes will transform back any minute now

She was trying to say “Chat Noir’s absence isn’t because of any fights between us, and I can assure you that with the help of the team, Paris won’t be any less safe than it is when we work as a duo”, not “Chat Noir is useless and I’m phasing him out in favour of all these other heroes”

Chat finally shows up and addresses his issues, albeit totally out of the blue for Ladybug since this is the first time she’s actually gotten some form of confirmation that something is, in fact, wrong. Chat shows up out of nowhere after missing a ton of akuma fights, wants to hang out and chat while Ladybug is already on the clock, then offers to help her out by going to all the meeting spots to collect the loaned Miraculous

The problem here is that Chat doesn’t know half of their identities, so in order to help Ladybug, he needs her to break the identity rule in a non-emergency situation and reveal secrets that aren’t hers to share

He tries to argue that he already knows some of the heroes, which is fair, but even then it’s made pretty clear that Ladybug doesn’t have time to work out which heroes Chat knows the identities of and then tell him where these specific individuals are currently located

They’ll all be turning back any moment now, Ladybug included, and if she turns back then it’s game over for them all. At very least King Monkey would have only lasted another three or four seconds if Ladybug had gotten his Miraculous back, and he was left dangling from a chimney

Seems to me that Ladybug is not currently in a position where she’s able to accept Chat Noir’s help, but she has made it clear that she’ll talk to him after everything is taken care of and she’s no longer racing against the clock

But because she’s turning down Chat Noir’s offer of help, regardless of circumstances, the salters blame her for it as if she and all the others wouldn’t have turned back before she even finished sharing all the heroes’ locations

There’s also an argument going around of ‘she should have told him all their identities before’, but this is ignoring that, while it’s Ladybug’s job to know this stuff as both their Guardian and not Ladybug’s place to share the secrets of others, we’ve also had several episodes detailing how dangerous it is to break the identity rule; Queen Wasp, Heroes’ Day, Miraculer, Miracle Queen, Optigami, Sentibubbler, Rocketear. Hell, three of those happened just the other week or something

And just to clarify, Ladybug still doesn’t know that this is part of an overarching issue; as far as she knows, he showed up out of nowhere after a fight, she told him multiple times that she has to rush around gathering these Miraculous and that she didn’t have time to explain where she needed to meet everyone, he was teasing and making puns while interrupting her and then she snapped that “If you want to save me time, stop wasting it in the first place!” since he was being pushy at an inappropriate time when she didn’t have the time to talk it out calmly or anything

It’s an understandable reaction when you’re trying to do something very important and someone swoops in out of nowhere and pesters you with puns and demands while you’re already on the clock, and frankly Chat did need her to snap a bit to show she was serious

And all I have to say is… that’s it? That’s all she had to do to be the bad guy in this situation, according to salters? Yes, she could’ve been more polite, sure, but Chat was the one keeping her from doing her job. Showing up with the intention of helping doesn’t absolve him of causing further disruptions. At that point he was the one disregarding social convention

And then immediately after that, Chat tells her that she should just take his Miraculous away from him as well, to which she just gives a barebones acknowledgement as she rushes away, then expresses that she doesn’t know what he meant by that. She still thinks this is just him wanting to be helpful and not taking her responsibilities seriously in favour of being playful

This is an extreme overreaction to what she perceives as just a minor bump in the road, if anything, which is probably why she didn’t catch on right away what he meant; he wouldn’t really quit being a superhero altogether just over her not having the time to talk to him right this second, right?

Plagg is the one to break it to her that there’s an overarching issue; Chat’s co-dependency issues making him struggle with the idea that he’s not necessary because job-wise he can be replaced with the temp heroes and his struggles to healthily communicate this due to his stunted social development resulting in his bottled up feelings spilling over… wait, what? He said it was because she broke Chat’s heart by not being in love with him? When the hell did that become relevant?

But some salters ate up the idea that Ladybug rejecting Chat is a moral failing on her part and all this would’ve been solved if she just dated him already. The love square isn’t even a contender in these issues, why is this the explanation? And why are people falling for it? It’s clearly just another excuse to make Marinette ‘learn a lesson’ and blame her for all this while absolving Adrien of any perceived imperfections

And to clarify once more; MariBug is now finally aware that there is some overarching conflict, but she believes it’s just Chat being butthurt that she’s still not in love with him. So nothing new. Same conflict as always

Oh, and a bit of a tangent but what the hell were the salters thinking when they blamed Marinette for going to London in Hack-San? We saw her make several attempts to get out of it, then when she couldn’t she called Alya - the second most experienced superheroine after herself and someone already familiar with Tikki and already aware of Mari’s identity - to take over for her to ensure Paris still had a Ladybug hero

Even after she was long gone, Mari was still texting Alya non-stop to provide tips for being the Ladybug hero, including special tips on how to make Chat feel valued and happy. Girl thought of everything, did all she could, and you’re still managing to complain that she should’ve just… what? Confessed to her parents that she’s Ladybug so they’d have to let her stay? Run away? Destroy all their passports?

Look, even Tom was vibing with not going, but Marinette tried every trick in the book and it all failed, so she ensured she appointed the most qualified replacement she could. That’s called being responsible

I bet those salters are the same people that got pissed off when Ladybug yelled at Chat for abandoning Paris in the New York special, despite the fact that he left completely unannounced yet pre-planned and willingly, while knowing Ladybug wouldn’t be there and without appointing anyone to fill in in his absence and as such knowingly leaving Paris undefended

Anyway, things come to a head again in the finale when Chat is yelling at Ladybug mid-battle for keeping secrets from him and being too reliant on the temp heroes rather than him and all that fun stuff. Now remember, this is once again coming out of nowhere for Ladybug, who has managed to reach the season finale without actually knowing that she’s in the middle of a season-long conflict as opposed to just same old, same old

Ladybug is trying to defend herself from both the sentimonsters and from Chat’s accusations and insults, with no idea where all this animosity has ‘suddenly’ come from

More salters argue that, once again, Ladybug should’ve caved to his whims by now, and all I can do is wonder why the middle of a huge fight is seemingly their definition of an appropriate time for that conversation, let alone any time at all being appropriate for spilling secrets that aren’t yours to share and are being kept for the purpose of child safeguarding

Salters really need to understand that while LadyNoir are equals in terms of a team unit going into battle, Ladybug is still effectively Chat’s boss due to her Guardianship role. They don’t have to be equals in absolutely every aspect, and Marinette doing her job is not a flaw in Marinette’s character or an argument towards her being a bad person who doesn’t care about Chat Noir

Then we get to the big risk of giving a Miraculous to ‘Adrien’, and salters love to claim that it’s all Ladybug’s fault because she chose Felix and not Adrien. Can you guess what I’m going to ask how, guys?

As opposed to what???

Ladybug was knowingly under the influence of an akuma that impairs judgement. She came to a very logical conclusion given the information she had that ‘Adrien’ didn’t have a mark, and thus was the only person in Paris not judgmentally impaired. She was, need I remind you, correct

The only problem is that she didn’t know - and had no way of knowing - that at that moment, Felix was pretending to be Adrien for completely unrelated reasons, just so happening to get caught up in the crossfires of whatever the hell MariBug was getting up to that day. Her logic was ‘I can’t trust myself to make a smart decision, so I’ll go to someone who I can trust to make a smart decision’. And just because Felix was already acting the part, a fact she couldn’t have possibly known, suddenly she’s to blame for the fuck-up?

Anyway, when we finally begin to conclude the LadyNoir drama, it occurs when Ladybug realised that she’s been tricked and Felix steals her yo-yo. Adrien gets in a snide comment about “If you’re gonna trust me once, please let it be this time!” which should make exactly zero sense to Ladybug

And then we get to the final scene, where Ladybug breaks down crying and apologises for lying to Chat, not listening to him, keeping him at a distance and refusing his help

And I just… what? Chat’s done all these things without context to make it understandable or called for in the moment, yet the Marinette salters are just nodding along and agreeing that she’s the one at fault. So many of them have said that Ladybug didn’t deserve his forgiveness or his loyalty or his pep talk, it baffles me

And that brings me to conclude my biggest gripe about the LadyNoir drama and the Marinette salters that go with it; MariBug was almost solely blamed by the narrative and the salters alike, but she didn’t actually know anything at all was going on until Kuro Neko (episode 23 of 26)

From there she figured it was just some of Chat’s habitual pouting on the job over his advances being rejected until the very last episode of the season but never got clarification on what exactly had been bugging him for this long, then it all magically resolved without apology or explanation

He didn’t bother with that because, by the end of the episode, Chat had gotten his way; no more temp heroes. Ladybug was now forced to rely on him and only him, so he instantly quit fighting her and carried on as though nothing had ever happened. Ladybug must’ve been reeling, no wonder she was just listing off all the bad stuff she could think of that she might’ve done; she was trying to see which one stuck. Girl lasted the entire season drama without knowing what the drama was

Marinette salters to that extent don’t take into account her perspective of many situations, and a lot of it is from Chat stans getting mad when MariBug doesn’t bend over backwards to his every whim, even when he’s actively keeping them a secret from her. She’s just supposed to telepathically know what the problem is and is expected to fix it simply because ‘they’re partners’, when even that isn’t an obligation to care for him beyond a professional capacity

Sorry I know this one is long as all hell but it really annoys me how certain Marinette salters will practically invent problems to blame her for - the show’s writers included. And to be clear, I’ve done my share of Marinette salting before, she’s far from perfect, but I do think that a lot of the salt she gets is pretty baseless

TL;DR is that my worst issue with Marinette salters is how they often blame Marinette entirely for the season 4 LadyNoir drama despite the fact that a lot of their problems with her behaviour don’t really have a reasonable alternative and she didn’t ever actually work out what the drama was truly about, having not even known there was drama until episode 23 of 26

#ask #miraculous ladybug #ml ladybug #mlb #miraculous #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #chat noir #ladybug #ladynoir #mlb season 4 #ladynoir drama #writing #marinette salt #adrien salt #miraculous ladybug salt

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maddy-ferguson · 1 year

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it’s NOT that serious especially when it’s clearly a joke (haha will self saboteur #1 mlvn shipper!) but I kinda hate it when people act like will was “pushing mike back to el when bro was trying his hardest to leave” I fully believe mike was looking for reasons to get out of dodge… but saying that about Will… You mean… encouraging mike to be honest/brave and say what was on his mind? ‘Whatever you didn’t say, you can say it to her then’ ‘[it’s scary to open up] say how you really feel… what if they don’t like the truth?’ Fuck, if this was Lucas coming to Will over Max, Will would be dispensing TOP bro advice: trust yourself. be honest. you got this. Even ‘don’t stop. you’re the heart!’ was not ‘Say you love her!’ Because Will didn’t KNOW Mike couldn’t say he loved her, it was lending under pressure ‘remember who you are! Believe in yourself! Believe you can inspire someone!’ Literally the ONLY time will ‘put words in someone’s mouth’ was El, reassuring mike that El needed him, specifically BECAUSE will went ‘you’re scared of losing her’ and mike NODDED. So he assured ‘El will need you, so don’t let that make you too afraid to talk to her’ not ‘El needs you so in fact stay/don’t change a thing about your actually hunky dory relationship’. If I tell my bro ‘you can be honest with your girl’ and not ‘Seems you should maybe break up’… AITA? why would it ever be his place to call that if mike never asked for that input? And the first doesn’t contradict the other anyway?so wild to act like mike was pulling out the fucking light show stops that he didn’t want to be with his girlfriend, and Will was wilfully dismissing them just because he was overcompensating for conflict of interest feelings. Like I said, Will saying the same to Lucas who loves Max would be being a GREAT bro. Tldr; Will couldn’t have known Mike was seeking a kind of permission to break up, even if he did then he never said anything that didn’t go ‘whatever’s there in your heart I’m rooting for you to be able to say it to her’ which is SO far from ‘shoving mike back towards El when he’s running screaming away’ that it’s NOT funny for me that people paint it that way like Will was guilting mike to stay. ‘Speak from the heart’ only ever got interpreted into ‘I love you’ because Mike knew it’s been what El wanted before = their key to win and save the world with downside of him committing to their relationship. ‘Will made it sound like El loved Mike too much for him to be able to leave’ is a wild interpretation when Mike made his impossible ‘choice’ to stay as to stop several friends from dying and also the apocalypse. Sorry Will couldn’t mind read and conclude Mike secretly wished to dump his long term girlfriend ig

WHICH IS WHY THEY'RE GONNA FIGHT. sorry. which is why they're gonna fight. will has this nasty habit of lying and not saying what's bothering him that ends up making everything worse (whether it's upside down related or personal) and that combined with mike...being very unclear and never even saying that the issue was him not saying i love you...it's not gonna be good

but anyway yeah it's not like mike told him "i wanna break up with el", he just...complained about the relationship and about the fight. will isn't a mind reader. of course lying about the painting wasn't the right thing to do but him just telling him he loves him would also have been a very strange course of action.

mike: i think el doesn't need me :/

will: bummer...you know who does though? me. i'm actually in love with you. surprise!

that wouldn't really work. idk the idea of him telling him he's in love with him while he's complaining about his problems with his girlfriend (which he does in most of their s4 conversations) is just absurd to me. i know literally no one said he should have and people are just like "he could have...not lied" but i'm just saying

and it's not like he KNEW mike wanted to break up and liked him back and made the choice for him by taking himself out of the equation and saying the painting was el's in spirit. that would be a very different situation. but the end result is the same! mike is gonna feel like he did make the choice for him by effectively taking himself out of the equation. which is why they're gonna fight!

#notice how i said will has a 'nasty' 'habit' fighting off the i think will is always 100% in the right allegations one ask at a time #very proud of myself for circling back to my first words #ask

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ambriel-angstwitch · 2 years

Text

Back with my Sofia the First thoughts. I just watched Day of the Sorcerers which is actually a first time watch for me as I only got up to season 3 when I was a kid. And boy oh boy do I have some thoughts.

First of all when King Roland says they can no longer trust Cedric anymore and then Sofia goes “When I first came to the castle Amber…” and it jump cuts to amber making a face that very clearly reads “Why are you bringing me into this?” Like she looks so annoyed and concerned. Of course Sofia is talking about how she was mean but then she became the best sister ever too which Amber responds with “Oh Sofia” in a tone which seems like she’s not sure whether to feel insulted or complimented.

Also Cedric’s whole internal conflict. The fact that he actually doesn’t really want to conquer the kingdom/be evil anymore but then feels the need to go along with the plan because he’s been planning/wanting to this for so long and just because Sofia likes/respects him doesn’t mean that anyone else does and that he no longer has something to prove.

Also the whole thing about the fact that he could only do wrong in their parents eyes. That people only noticed or cared when he made mistakes. Sure he made a lot of mistakes, but they all did, they were kids. But Roland and his Sister were seen as perfect. Like I am now this close 🤏 to kinning Cedric because what a mood.

Also Sofia and Cedric’s dynamic is so cute. Like she was who convinced him to stop and what made him not want to do it in the first place. Sure he only got close to her to steal her amulet initially but he really does adore her now. And she looks up to him, she wants to be able to use magic like him and she genuinely believes he is a great sorcery. And then despite him complaining about being just a party truck all the time he’s happy to do a magic show for James as long as Sofia joins him as his assistant. It’s just so cute.

Anyway continuation of my thoughts I also find it great that Miranda is the only other person to stand up for Cedric (also probably the tipping point to get Roland to forgive him) and essentially what she said was “You know I’ve just now assessed what Cedric said, and I’m sensing he needed more encouragement growing up.” Like her mom senses just activated and she realized he do have that childhood trauma. Also she does make a good point in the fact that the best way to deal with a Villian who’s whole motivation was the fear of not being enough is probably not to further degrade them and strip them of anything they’ve gained.

Also I love the fact that Roland afterward does acknowledge there is a lot of pressure and fear that comes with having a famous and great father because he probably had the same problem giving the fact that his father was the king and he holds his name. The big difference was that Roland could live up to expectations to some extent

#sofia the first #princess sofia #cedric the sensational #cedric the great #cedric the sorcerer #queen miranda #king roland #prince james #princess amber

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notoneglance · 11 months

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Why the takoyaki amnesia doppelganger episodes???

So I think we can all agree that this whole plot line in Blade was wild and peak Inoue and definitely a comedic break in between two emotion heavy arcs. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t do anything for the narrative. Despite being a huge departure in tone from the rest of the show, it does actually fit thematically and in terms of character development.

As a refresher, the arc I’m talking about happens in episodes 29 and 30 of Blade where Hajime briefly loses his memory and meets an identical-looking guy who convinces him to switch places for a bit. This guy, Mikami Ryou, is the heir to a takoyaki-making group in fierce competition with a taiyaki group and knows nothing of the Undead.

As silly as this whole premise is, the “prince and the pauper” style identity switch thing is a well-established trope often used to explore a character and their situation, just as it does here in Blade. There are intentional parallels between Ryou’s life and Hajime’s, despite their completely opposite personalities, and by switching them around, this arc both gives us a new lens on Hajime as a person and foreshadows the ending of Blade.

So let’s recap Ryou’s situation:

He’s the son of the head of an intensely competitive takoyaki-making gang, the Iroha clan, and was raised into this job. He doesn’t seem to have anything against making takoyaki itself—we first see him enthusiastically working at a stand—but he isn’t actually part of his father’s group. In fact, he hates the pressure to be involved in the conflict to the point where he switches lives with some random stranger just to leave it all behind. Part of this is because he is dating Michi, the daughter of the head of a rival taiyaki-making group who also seems a bit distant from her family. Both Ryou and Michi’s fathers discourage them from being together, each believing that their child is being “deceived” by their competitor.

Does any of this sound familiar?

The Battle Fight has way more going on than the simple two sided takoyaki vs taiyaki rivalry, but from the pov of the audience, it can be simplified into an Undead vs Human Kamen Rider fight. The show explicitly draws parallels between the two fights. When Ryou’s father says he wishes that Ryou would join the Iroha clan so that they could “win and survive”, Hajime despite his amnesia is instantly reminded of the Undeads’ motivation to do exactly that.

Like Ryou, Hajime was raised in this competition but does not particularly want to fight, instead forming a connection with someone on the other side—Kenzaki.

Actually, the whole “win and survive” thing is really interesting. Because of their circumstances, both Ryou’s father and Hajime fully believe that their survival is dependent on winning. It’s a kill or be killed world out there, and even if Hajime is starting to wish that there was some other way, neither of them are willing to let themselves lose. I’ll come back to this point later, because neither actually end up needing to win in order to survive.

Anyway, we have a bunch of similarities between Hajime and Ryou’s situations, but what does that actually tell us about Hajime (other than that he and Kenzaki are in love)?

Well, first off, having those similarities sets up space for a distinct contrast to highlight some aspects of Hajime’s character. The plot going on with the Blade squad and the fake Hajime centers around Hajime’s humanity. In the beginning of episode 29 before Hajime loses his memories, Kotaro accuses him of not having enough human emotion to care about what happens to Shima’s bird Natural. When he is replaced by Ryou, Kotaro thinks that the personality change was due to Hajime taking his words to heart.

These episodes emphasize that Hajime isn’t human and he’s definitely not the friendly and open person that Kotaro seems to want him to be. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it doesn’t make him dangerous.

Most of the people besides Kotaro are just confused by Hajime acting so out of character, and Amane actively rejects this false Hajime. Even if Kotaro is happy about Hajime acting differently, he’s an outlier, and probably the only one in the group who has ever really held negative feelings for him.

Just like how Kotaro prefers the new Hajime, Michi initially prefers Hajime to the real Ryou, actively choosing to claim that this imposter is Ryou despite knowing otherwise. Ryou’s father goes along with it too, even after it’s implied that he has also figured out that this man is not his real son. Unlike Ryou, Hajime is focused and strong—a fighter. In the rivalry between the takoyaki and taiyaki groups, Hajime is the one who has the determination to “win and survive”, to fight for the Iroha clan.

We see the opposite on the other side as well, that Ryou is not a fighter. When thrown into a situation where an Undead attacks him, he runs away screaming rather than holding his ground. Which is a perfectly reasonable reaction for a regular human!

The part where the idea that “Hajime is superior to Ryou” to the people in Ryou’s life falls apart is when it comes to the emotional bonds.

Kotaro might be wrong about Hajime not caring about people in general, but there’s no reason for him to specifically care about the people Ryou loves. When Michi asks the fake Ryou if he loves her, Hajime replies that he doesn’t know what love is, upsetting her. Hajime spends most of this arc confused and not really invested, vaguely going along with the events without particularly asserting his own will, whether others are expecting him to be a takoyaki maker or Michi’s boyfriend. He doesn’t have any real stake in all this drama because he doesn’t actually know them—he’s not their Ryou.

However, things get switched up when Ryou comes back and declares himself as the real Mikami Ryou.

Both Michi and Ryou’s father initially insist that Hajime is the real one, culminating in a takoyaki vs taiyaki bake off competition between the two Ryous, where both characters that previously seemed disinterested become fired up, breaking out of the lover/fighter dichotomy that has thus far been set up.

Despite running away from the fight, despite running away from his life, Ryou does actually care about his girlfriend and father, and he wants them back. He doesn’t actually want to leave them behind or for them to leave him, so when push comes to shove he stands up and puts his whole spirit into the competition in order to get back his life. Later, when an Undead comes to interrupt the competition, Ryou stands his ground this time, risking his life to defend Michi.

Afterwards, Ryou puts a stop to the fighting between their two families by uniting them through marriage—something that Hajime was never capable of doing despite also almost getting married to Michi—because Ryou is the one that genuinely loves both Michi and his father. And when it comes down to it, they choose the Ryou they know and love over Hajime even if he seemed outwardly better.

Ryou isn’t naturally a fighter, but that’s fine because he can when the situation calls for it, and his reluctance to fight is what allows him to find a solution to this rivalry that benefits everyone rather than just one side.

Meanwhile, Hajime also participates in the “who is the real Ryou” competition not because fighting is just what he does, but because he cares about people in general.

Even though these are strangers that he has no real personal ties to, Hajime feels a connection with Ryou’s dad and his motto for the clan to “win and survive”. Which makes sense, since it’s basically the whole idea behind the Battle Fight, even if he does not remember it. The first time that Hajime made takoyaki, it was extremely half-hearted, just knocking ingredients over into the pan with a confused frown, but now he is fully putting all of his effort into this competition because of his desire to see the Iroha clan succeed.

When the people he loves are threatened, Ryou acts against his nature to protect them. We don’t see this parallel on Hajime’s end here, since none of the Blade squad are in danger this arc, but we’ve seen it happen so many times before with Hajime saving Amane and Kenzaki and even Kotaro that one time. Even without showing it, by having these parallels, the show reminds us of this aspect of Hajime’s character.

The point of the Ryou/Hajime contrast in these episodes is to show that Hajime is an Undead, a fighter—and that he also is someone who cares about people because these two things are not actually mutually exclusive and in fact tie into each other.

In the end, the thing that brings Hajime’s memories back is twofold: the memory that he is the 53rd Undead who will cause everything to be destroyed if he wins, and the memory of Amane saying his name.

That is a good set up for the next arc of the show where the other characters find out that Hajime is the Joker and what exactly that entails, and we start seeing more of the conflict in Hajime between his instincts to win and destroy and his desire to live a human life with the people he cares about. Having this more solid understanding of Hajime, of his strengths and shortcomings and the way he fits among the other characters, is important groundwork for the new set of information and conflicts.

But there is one last thing these episodes do, which is to foreshadow the ending of Blade.

The interesting thing about these episodes is the way that the taiyaki/takoyaki rivalry gets resolved: not by one side winning over the other, but by both sides surviving through Ryou and Michi’s marriage.

In Japan, when two people get married, legally one of them is no longer part of their birth family and is instead becomes a part of their spouse’s family. It can be either the husband or wife, though in practice it’s usually the wife that marries into the husband’s family, as it appears that Michi does here. Socially though, marriage can be viewed as more of a merging of two families, as is seen with Michi’s father also calling Ryou his son.

In the end of the show, the Undead/Kamen Rider conflict is resolved in a similar if more tragic fashion.

There does not have to be a winner to the Battle Fight for both Hajime and the world to survive. Just like how Michi joins Ryou’s family to bring peace, Kenzaki ends up physically changing species into an Undead. Meanwhile Hajime does not physically (or legally) change his status, but he socially becomes human by living among them.

Despite the goofiness of the takoyaki episodes, Kamen Rider Blade as a whole is a more serious show. Their conflict—between the Undead and humans, between the characters and destiny—cannot be so easily resolved. While Michi and Ryou join each other’s families and get to live happily together, Kenzaki and Hajime can only partially trade places as species and are unable to ever see each other again, not really resolving the conflict of the Battle Fight but only putting it on hold.

Still, even if Hajime and Kenzaki are left separated and connected only by the violent demands of fate/God/the Overseer of the Battle Fight, there is a lasting bond between them. It’s not for nothing that the ring designed off their combined character motifs is called “eternal marriage”.

TL;DR: The takoyaki episodes are important in how they set up Hajime as a character in preparation for the Joker arc and also foreshadow how Hajime and Kenzaki get symbolically married to bring peace

#i’m not saying that these episodes were *the best* way to accomplish these goals #i’m just saying it does contribute to the plot and themes even if the tone is wildly off haha #kamen rider blade #tokusatsu #aikawa hajime #kenzaki kazuma #blade #toshiki inoue #i spent way too long writing this essay #anyway please talk to me about blade i have So Many Thoughts #my post

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himbos-hotline · 1 year

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smut prompt: “are you..are you blushing?” “NO physical activity just makes me red okay”

hangmatt?

Show the method of your selfless tongue [Give me a sermon]

Word count: 3910 words Ship: Matt Jackson/ "Hangman" Adam Page, "Hangman Adam Page" & The Dark Order Characters: "Hangman" Adam Page, Matt Jackson, John Silver, Alex Reynalds Triggers: smut, unprotected sex [dont be like hangmatt.], feminisation, praise kink, blowjobs, Top!Hanger, Bottom!Matt, no verbal consent. Authors note: This fic hit me like a train at like, Five in the morning and it is now seven in the morning. The elite reunion on Dynimite made me insane, how the rest of us Elite girlies feeling? If this flops I will cry. Read on AO3

Adam doesn’t want to talk about it. He definitely doesn’t want to talk about anything that just happened. But as John presses his hand into his shoulder Adam snaps his eyes up to stare at him through his eyelashes. “So…” He starts, thumb stroking the curve of his shoulder blade. It's a soft looping moment that stills the anger in Adam's mind, soothing it until it simmers and tempers down into something tight and tired in his stomach. “Do ya wanna talk about what happened out there?”

Adam pauses slightly, lips pressing into a thin line. He looks like he's thinking but he isn’t. He knows he doesn’t want to talk about the Elite standing beside him again or the small quip in Matt’s lips when they made eye contact, or the fact that for the first time in a while, Adam actually felt anxious. He doesn’t want to think about the fact that Kenny walked away, left him when he needed him the most. Again.

The pressure on his shoulder; heavy and comforting, brings him out of his own thoughts and John looks down at him, head tilted to the side. “Where’d you go?”

Hell.

Home.

Adam thinks, eyes creasing together slightly at the two conflicting statements. The Elite wasn’t his home anymore. Maybe they never were. They never really wanted him, he was always second best, always the cow, never the cowboy. “Nowhere. Just tired.” Guilt bubbles at his stomach as he lies to the beaver boys through his teeth. Alex and John had been nothing but good to him, he can trust them so why was he lying to them? “I’m just gonna hit the hay… it's been a long day.”

Alex nods slightly and stares at Adam from the corner of his eyes. He opens his mouth, closes it before taking Adam’s face in his palm. “Are you gonna be okay?” His hand sneaks to the back of Adam’s head, stroking through his tangled hair, letting the soft blond curls slip through the gaps between his fingers. “A lot of stuff happened tonight; we lost.”

“Uno got sent to the hospital.” John’s leaning against the headboard of Adam’s bed, hand resting on the small of Adam’s back, fiddling with the tassels on his jacket. “And..”

“Yeah the Elite. I know..” Adam flails, squirming to sit in the middle of the bed. Legs crossed under him, Adam picks at the invisible patches on his jeans. “I’ll be okay. Promise.” The two of them look at him unconvinced for a few seconds and Adam pushes his smile wider , tries to blink the sleep from the green of his eyes until there's a small glimmer of acceptance in his friends eyes. “I’ll call if anything goes wrong.”

“You promise.” Alex asks, raising an eyebrow in slight concern. Adam knows they are worrying because they care. He knows they care but he just wants to sleep, their worry makes the anger twist up into a ball of anxiety in his stomach and it's not purposeful. Adam knows what so he presses a hand against his stomach, the ball of his palm pressing into the scarred fat around his hip. “Adam, we love you.”

Adam’s words are blocked off with a yawn that opens his mouth so wide, that there's a dull pain that tingles through his mouth. The Dark Order boys chuckle, John reaching over to lightly tug at the tip of Hangman’s boots. “Love y’guys too. Now scram before I change my mind.” He chuckles, rolling off the hotel bed. It’s only polite that he walk’s them to the door, even if it is only a few steps. They make smalltalk, Alex pressing his nail against the tacky skin of Adam’s wrist as he pulls open the door and says goodbye. “Text me when we find out anything about Uno, yeah?”

John nods, wrapping Adam in a tight hug, hands pressing into the small of Adam’s back. “You promise you’ll call if anything goes wrong?”

“What's the worst that can happen?” Adam states, chuckling his way through the sentence. He grows to regret that statement a few minutes later. He’s standing barefoot and sleepy in the small hotel bathroom, toothpaste foaming over in his mouth where there's a sharp knock at his hotel room door. At first it startles him, his body flinching into alertness and he pads over to the front door.

Adam all but nearly chokes on his own minty-flavored spit. He wipes his chin, gasps in a few small lungfuls of breath. “Matt?” He stares at his former friend and Matt doesn’t quite stare back. Brown eyes the color of sea-smoothed pebbles scar across his bare chest before falling to the hem of his striped pajama pants. “What uh-” He mentally curses at himself, for opening the door, for not having the right words to talk to his former friend. “What are you doing here?”

Matt startles almost like he’s surprised that Adam is talking to him and hasn't just slammed the door in his face. “I…” He pinches at the skin between his thumb and forefinger and Adam cocks a small smile, he’s almost endeared that Matt hasn’t fully grown out of the quirks that Adam used to find adorable. “Nick and Cole are uh..out somewhere and Kenny is..”

“Oh.” Adam can’t help it. He steps forward slightly, trying his best not to crowd Matt in on his doorway and glimpses down the hallway as if making sure he wasn’t going to be randomly jumped. He can’t help but look down at Matt when he picks up the small anxious sound that the smaller man makes when Adam squirms into his space. “Are you..okay?” It’s a stupid question because Matt has started chewing on his bottom lip, pulling at the skin until it comes off in small see-through slithers that he drops into his mouth. He’s anxious and by the way his eyes are flicking across Adam’s face, wide and helplessly annoyed, stressed and inside his own head.

Some twists in Adam’s mind, that stupid southern politeness that makes Adam step back and hold the door open for Matt, gesturing with his head when Matt tilts his confused and opens his reddening lips to protest. “Make yourself at home?” Adam mumbles, raising his hand to gesture around his small hotel room with his toothbrush. He feels his cheeks blanche slightly when Matt makes an effort to smile. “Sorry about the mess..”

Matt looks around, spots the small collection of messy clothes and the outfit neatly folded on the chair beside the bed. “Yeah..it's really messy…” He tries to put laughter into his tone but it only quips up with anxiousness. He’s not exactly sure why he came to Adam, they’re not really friends, hell they haven’t really spoken since Kenny returned. But he needs someone outside the Elite to drag him out of his own head, and they were friends. Once.

He perches awkwardly at the edge of Hangman's bed, smiles at his boots tucked under the wooden bedframe. Adam’s always been a man of routine and structure. “A place for everything and everything in its place” he used to tell them in Japan, picking up and folding Matt’s boxers into small squares to tuck neatly into the front of his suitcase. The memory makes Matt smile, warmth pooling in his stomach. He misses Japan sometimes, with its bright lights and streets and rules and food that he couldn’t really eat. And the one hotel room where Adam would curl up between him and Nick, nose pressing into his collarbone for comfort when his anxiety brought loudness to his brain. He misses Japan and trust and Kenny the way he was before, the way he was with them under Kota’s warm gaze- loving and caring and gentle.

“Hey Matt, what's wrong?” Adam talking almost scares him, he straightens his spine and stares up at him like a meerkat watching a hawn before his brain registers that he is in fact that hawk; the predator coming into Adam’s space. Sitting on his bed like he belongs there. Matt slumps again, stares at the floor until Adam’s weight makes the mattress groan under them. “Matty. Talk to me.”

Adam’s looking at him with eyes as green as emeralds and summer nights decorated with fireflies and the healthiest crops. Adam is looking at him with softness and concern in his eyes and Matt sighs. “I lost.” His voice is small, rough from disuse. “I keep losing. I’m bringing the Elite down! I keep making us lose and it's all my fault and Kenny is getting more and more frustrated and it’s upsetting Nick and I just don't know what to do anymore. I’m trying..I’m really trying!” Now that Matt’s started, the tsunami of words won’t stop. They’re flooding out his mouth and over his teeth and collecting on the carpet floor of his former friend's hotel room. “I don’t know if I can keep going..I can’t keep letting my family down..”

“Matty.” Adam’s voice is barely above a whisper, so soft against Matt’s heaving breaths and rough voice that he almost misses it. Until Adam takes his hands between his and squeezes tight enough that it makes Matt look up from the floor, teary eyes blinking at him. “Oh Matty, you don’t let anyone down y’know that right? Ya lost the trios titles, but you’ve never needed gold to show people how great you are.” Adam takes one of his hands off Matt’s, raises his chin with his knuckles and wipes a stray tear off the apple of Matt’s cheek. “Kenny’s getting frustrated because it’s Kenny. But he loves you, more than…anything-”

“Not more than Kota..” Matt admits, eyes flicking over Adam’s. He smiles sadly when the greens of his eyes flicker with understanding. “He loves nobody more than Kota..” He hears Adam sigh and it draws his eyes down towards his lips. There’s toothpaste drying between his top and bottom lip and Matt leans closer, eyes closed as he rests his forehead against Adams. “I’m so tired, Hanger.”

Adam feels Matt’s hands trembling under his, spots his blown out pupils when his eyes open halfway. He lets Matt search his eyes, lips perfectly parted and red. Adam is the one that's brave enough, that's foolish enough to let Matt kiss the toothpaste taste out his mouth, lets Matt whine into his mouth as Adam licks across his bottom lip, across his teeth when Matt opens his mouth. He tugs at Matt’s hair slightly when he pulls away, heart hammering and lips tingling. “Matty-”

“I-...” Matt’s blinking at him all slow and cat-like and the fire that’s burning in Adam’s stomach, anger and lust and bereavement shaking up and opening his veins. “Adam?”

“You’re not failing Matty.” Adam breaths into the gap between his mouth, grinning when Matt shifts forwards to try and close into his space. He shifts away, straightening his back and looking at Matt through his bottom eyelashes; green eyes dark summer leaves. “say it.”

“I-I’m” Matt hiccups out, tongue feeling heavy and useless in his mouth. He’s shifting, squirming in his space on Adam’s bed, pulling at his shorts. He feels Adam’s fingers tangle into his hair, nails brushing against the crown of Matt’s scalp and it’s enough to turn his brain to mush in his skull. “I’m not failing…” He breathes out and it feels like a small weight is lowered off his shoulders when Adam smiles satisfyingly.

“Good.” Adam breaths and Matt nearly preens, all brown eyes and brown out pupils sparkling with the praise. “Ya doin so good Matty.”

“Doin’ good.” Matt gasps out, legs falling jelly-like and numb. When Adam smiles into another kiss, Matt nips at his bottom lip, giggling when Adam gasps. “Please?” His eyebrows crease and he shifts forward. “Wanna be good! Please? Please!” He feels pathetic for begging in his shakingly tearful voice, but Adam presses his finger against Matt’s lips and nods.

He settles kisses against his forehead, one heavy and calming before resting his hands on Matt’s shoulders, toying with his hair. Adam wraps it around his fingers, letting it fall around his fingers and hums pleased. “Always so pretty baby.” He whispers, shifting Matt to straddle his hips. Each movement is slow and well placed, like Adam’s trying to drink Matt in with all his garish patterned clothes and reddening face. “Y’want me to get ya undressed baby?” Adam’s words are slurring together, lust drunk and nervous as he gazes up at Matt like he’s something important; a championship title hung fingertips out of reach, an angel standing at his bedside. Matt nods slowly, grinds into Adam’s lap with a despertness that makes him moan.

“Wann do good!” Matt complains again, impatiently. Adam’s fingers are toying with his shirt buttons, lips brushing against the tanned skin of his chest, stubble scuffing up the skin over his nipples as Adam takes one in his mouth, tongue tracing over the small bud. It makes Matt feel drunk, head spinning, heart racing. He grips at Adam’s hair, his shoulders, anything that Matt can dig his round nails into while Adam works. He feels like he’s going to float away. There’s a chill that hits Matt’s sweating skin when his shirt is dropped casually onto the floor beside Hangman's boots.

“Doin’ so good baby girl-” It slips out on Adam’s exhale, rips swollen and pinked and Matt nearly keens, arching his back into Adam’s warm fingertips. He hears Adam giggling and stares down at him through barely open eyes. “Nobody’s called you that in a while hmm?”

Matt doesn’t answer Adam’s question. Keeps his lips pressed perfectly together as Adam unbuttons his shorts and carefully rolls his hip. His weight is crushing Matt into the mattress and it’s the only thing in the world that matters; not the flurry of snow that brushes against Adam’s window or the fact that Matt lost the match. Again. Just Adams shoulders pressing against his hips as his lips press kisses against well-trimmed hair. His skin comes up in red fireworks and it feels like heaven. He’s doing good because Adam keeps glancing up at him, smiling at him against his skin and Matt feels a coil twist in his stomach.

“Please?” He can barely manage the word; the letters come out a garbled groan as Adam strips his boxers off the rest of the way and kneels at Matt’s feet, still in his pajama bottoms. He’s looking at him, fingers working over a smudge of self tanner into his thigh. Matt whines and Adam laughs, large hands just holding his legs, massaging knots of self-doubt out of his muscles.

“Are you blushing baby girl?” Adam asks through a small fit of laughter. He’s no longer on the bed. He stands by Matt’s face, untangling the strings and letting his pajama pants drop around his ankles. There’s no longer the glimmer of shame in his eyes that Matt distantly remembers whenever Adam would strip for him, he’d try to cover the scars on his hips with his hands or squirm away when Matt would try to sink his teeth into the fat of his hips. scars or the fat around his hips. Matt always thought Adam was beautiful; a perfectly mirrored statue of Aphrodite made out of heavy bones and marbled eyes that Matt could stare into and find something new every time.

He presses his face into Adam’s crotch, letting the wetness soak through the black cotton of his boxers and onto his cheek. It’s dirty and makes Matt feel like a whore but it’s all worth it because Adam whines low in his chest and pets at Matt’s cheek. “Not blushing.” Matt mumbles, tongue brushing against Matt’s clothed dick. He knows he’s teasing but the way that Adam stumbles, rests his hand on Matt’s leg like he’s able to support him, makes him grin. “Physical activity makes me red.”

Adam tugs his face away from suckling at the head of his cock through his boxes, takes his face in his hands and smiles down at him. “Ain’t done nothin yet baby girl.” Matt’s soft in his hands and it takes Adam no time at all to have him sitting up against the pillows, kissing him back as he drags his hand slowly across his cock, grinning when Matt moans into his mouth.

“Whose fault is that?” Adam mumbles, hooking Matt’s leg around his hips, hand trailing against his hole. The sound Matt makes is enough for Adam’s ears to turn red. “Needy girl, y’doing so well baby. So good, I’m gonna reach over and get the stuff yeah?” Adam waits for Matt to nod before moving, slowly rummaging through the pocket of his suitcase.He tosses lube onto the bed, watching it bounce from the corner of his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Wanna.” Matt replies, rolling onto his side to stare up at Adam, lip puckering out when he sees his eyebrows knitted together. “Wha’sup?” Matt crawls to lay his head on Adam’s lap, massaging his thumb across the pale blonde hair just above his dick. He watches Adam’s stomach tighten.

“No condoms baby.” Adam whispers, voice wound tight as he stares down at Matt’s hand then up at Matt’s face. “You wanna continue? I’m clean….its uh been a while.” Lust makes his tongue loose and heavy in his tongue and by the quick nods and hyper whines that fall from Matt’s lips, it's been a while for him too. “Okay, shh now, shh. Go lay back down.” Matt nods again, pressed his lips just above Adam’s leaking cock against his stomach before crawling on wobbling arms and legs, back to where he was laying, half propped up against Adam’s pillows.

With his tanned legs spread and cock leaking across his stomach, Matt looks like an angel, he always has in Adam’s eyes. For a moment, he just looks at him, eyes soft and filled with love as he crawls to sit between Matt’s legs. Adam strokes himself a few times, trying struggling to keep his eyes open. He wants to commit this moment to memory; Matt laid out and needy and his. He takes Matt’s tip in his mouth, tongue tracing over beads of pre-cum that leak down his throat and the world fades away. It’s just Adam and Matt.

He sucks until Matt’s whining, legs draped loosely around Adam's shoulders and his cum is leaking over Adam’s chin. His dick lays neglected against his stomach, leaking and sore but it doesn’t matter. He’s making Matt feel good. He makes Matt know that he’s good. That he isn’t a failure because he’s the only one that turns Adam’s brain into a quiet mush. He slowly pulls off Matt, letting his mouth hang open. He shows Matt his mouth full of cum, and lets his throat flutter as he swallows it down.

“Need you..” Matt gasps, tears bubbling over in his eyes. Adam crowds his space for a few moments, leaning on his elbows and pressing his hips into Matt’s. He brushes his lips across his cheeks, licking at his tears and it makes Matt smile, blissed out. “Why?”

“Y’too pretty to cry. The prettiest girl I've ever seen.” Adam whispers, laying his head against Matt’s chest. He uncaps the bottle, squeezes lube around his fingers and drags them slowly across Matt’s hole until he feels like Matt is wet enough that he can slide one finger in. Matt’s back arches and the moan that slips past his lips is one that Adam’s only heard on porn. It’s enough to make his head spin as he lazily fingers Matt open, letting him slowly ride his fingers until he’s open and begging, spit running down from his open mouth.

Adam’s careful to line himself up, forehead pressed against Matt’s. They’re staring into each other's eyes as Adam pushes through Matt’s tight ring and instantly feels his brain shatter as he bottoms out. Matt’s so warm around him that it almost feels like home. He could stay like this forever; inside Matt while he pants into his mouth and twitches around the end of his cock. Adam wants to stay like this forever but Matt starts thrusting backwards, groaning as he opens up around Adam.

He knows that Matt’s not going to last long, he can feel him leaking over his abs, their cum mixing together on their stomachs as Adam shifts and thrusts tiredly into him. “So good- fuck Matty so fuckin good!” He groans, trying to keep pace with Matt’s eager thrusts as he tries to ride Adam while on his back. It’s a beautiful sight and Adam wants nothing more than to just stay here, but the coil is tightening in his stomach and the glorious pressure is starting to tingle in his back, rising through his hips. He stutters, moaning into Matt’s ear. “Close baby.” He gasps, angling his hips differently as he thrusts into Matt harder, chasing his own growing orgasm. Matt’s nodding, choking on his own pleasure as tears rolled down his face.

“Daddy- hurts good- so good! Please! Please! Wanna be good! Please- ah!” Matt’s voice is high pitched and trembling, rocking out through his lips like Adam’s fucking it out of him. He’s so close and he takes Matt’s face in his hands, kissing him as the coil snaps and Adam feels himself fill Matt, his hips stutter and Matt’s face smooths out as Adam pumps into him, gasping and trembling against his cheek.

Adam’s desperately slow to pull out of Matt, badly repressing the groan that punches out of him as Matt’s tightness slides away and his own cum leaks out of Matt. “So pretty Matty. So good.” He gasps, leaning down to kiss Matt. He feels Matt’s dick leaking neglected and sore against his stomach and Adam feels guilty for not making him cum.

He pulls Matt closer, letting him lay on his arm and snuggle into his side as Adam strokes him slowly, fingers rolling and smeering pre-cum across Matt’s swollen head. “Cmon baby girl, cum-” He has to remind himself to breathe, Matt copies his heavy intake of air and grins stupidly when they release it together. “Cum for daddy.” Adam keeps the same lazy pace as Matt spills, warm and gorgeous, across his knuckles.

“See how important you are baby?” Adam whispers after they’ve cleaned up and Matt’s fixed his hair. He’s dressed in Adam’s shirt and a spare pair of boxers that are a size too big for him. “You always have been important, y'know that right?” Matt nods against his chest, nose pressing into his chest. Tiredness has washed away any desire of around two.

As the Canadian weather plunges, Matt curls closer to Adam and smiles, finally feeling weightless. He may keep losing but he won something that night. He won Adam’s heart back. And that’s better than any championship title. Adam watches his phone flash up, shifts to look at it and Matt whines at the movement. “What is it?” He whispers, tucking his head deeper into Adam’s neck, lips brushing against his pulsepoint. “Can’t it wait till the morning?”

Adam sighs, sinking back against the pillows as Matt straddles his hips again. “Yeah, I don’t wanna talk about it tonight.” He leans up, lets Matt kiss him messily, sleep making his movements sloppy. “It can wait till the morning.”

Taglist: @allelitesmut @homoeroticgrappling @dustinslovehandles @paradoxunknown @katries @mrsmatt @echoxshxrx @malewifemoxley @kass-the-kitten @itsnoosetome @racerchix21 @jacedoe @chuckstaylors @old-no7 @thekadster @mandiableclaw @tahiri-veyla

#matt jackson #hangman page #hangmatt #all elite wrestling #aew fic #aew fanfiction #mouse writes

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aemiron-main · 2 years

Text

I feel like we don’t talk enough about how finding her in the woods, the yellow t shirt, is the best memory that mike can think of to try and save El??? With Will in s2, he was pulling out the tears, spilling out how alone he felt, how happy he was that Will agreed to be his friend, but with El, he focuses on a.) the night they met and b.) that yellow Benny’s burgers t shirt. Two things that are traumatizing to el, considering how terrified she was in the woods, and the fact that Brenner and co terrorized/chased her at Benny’s.

He could have talked about any of her “superhero” feats, considering that he literally calls her a superhero. He could have talked about romantic moments between them, like kissing at hop’s cabin, or the sno-ball: but he doesn’t. Why? Because those aren’t good memories for mike., and, although not intentionally, mike is being selfish. The superhero ones, obviously, are tinged by the trauma of near death. The sno-ball is tinged by mike’s clear upset at seeing Will dance with a girl. Kissing at hop’s cabin is tinged by mike’s embarrassment when El shuts down his singing, and his discomfort when she puts her hands on him, to the point where he takes them off.

This might be controversial, but: what good, happy memories do El and Mike actually have once they’re in a romantic relationship with eachother? Like just between them? Using memories like max and El at the mall as an example, are there any memories like that for Mike and El? Genuinely? Maybe I’m missing something, but I can’t think of any. El saving mike at the quarry was shared between El, Mike, and Dustin, and even then, that was traumatic because mike had literally just tried to jump to his death.

The only small, happy moments they have are things in S1 before they kissed- things like Mike showing El the la-z-boy. But that would mean admitting that all of the best moments between them were before their relationship- that they were better off platonic.

Where’s the small happy moments in their relationship amidst all the pain around them? Because I can list a million of those moments for pairings like Byler, Lumax, Elmax and Jopper. But I genuinely can’t think of any for m!leven.

And I don’t mean this in a “they hate eachother,” way, but more in a “the heteronormative pressures surrounding them that have pushed them into a relationship have prevented them from really truly getting to know and befriend eachother,” especially since it’s established in S1 that El isn’t interested in any of Mike’s interests, and in S3 that mike feels like he has to grow up in order to be with El. (And also feels like he has to be with El.) Their romantic relationship is getting in the way of any genuinely happy moments between them.

The sno-ball could have been a great platonic moment: but instead, Mike and El both felt like they had to be romantic together, which caused Mike some issues when it came to grappling with why he was feeling upset about seeing Will dance with a girl, even though he’s the one that encouraged Will. If Mike and El were platonic, that conflict wouldn’t have been as difficult for Mike to process imo, because he wouldn’t have to juggle both “why do I feel this way about Will,” and “why don’t I feel this way about El.”

Seriously, I can’t think of any genuine, happy moments just between Mike and El that come after they’re in a relationship. Because their relationship keeps getting in the way!! They stop being themselves, stop being individuals when they’re in this relationship with eachother, which makes it impossible for them to get to know know eachother as individuals. Even when it comes to things like Mike’s apology in the grocery store aisle, that moment goes from happy to frustrating/anxious for both of them because Mike can’t say the word “love,” and El can’t figure it out. Not to mention that mike didn’t even apologize for lying, which is what upset El in the first place.

Maybe I’m missing something, but if El and Mike are so good for eachother, then where’s those happy moments? The answer is that there isn’t any. Max had memories with Lucas to run to. El doesn’t have ones with Mike to run to, especially since even considering the handful of “cute moments,” before their romantic relationship started, El was still afraid that Mike was going to send her to an asylum. As far as I can see, of her memories with Mike are tinged by some sort of trauma, which happens, especially considering the supernatural circumstances, but even then, El and Max have those happy memories. So why don’t mike and El?

Mike pulls from the Benny’s burger memory, the yellow shirt, because that’s his best memory of El. And he’s being selfish, not thinking about what’s best for El, what her best memories are. Seriously. Based on his warped and unfair perception of her + his subconscious focus on Will thats always been there, maybe it is the day his life started. Because that’s the moment that there was hope for finding Will. His life ended the day Will disappeared, and started again that night they found El. That’s the moment that spurred everything else (finding Will) into motion. And yes, ‘not everything is about byler,’ but the monologue is so strangely written, that it’s worth looking into.

#stranger things #byler #mike wheeler i know what you are #mike wheeler #will byers #byler endgame #st4 #stranger things s4 #byler canon #byler analysis

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bluiex · 1 year

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All this talk about mayor Mumbo n father spore and their conflict and father spore corrupting Grian I’m surprised you guys haven’t said this yet (that I’ve seen!! Maybe someone did say it n I didn’t see it!! Don’t mean to step on any toes here!!) but

Mumbo handing himself over to the resistance, as a final bid for the war to end. He offers himself shackled and bound to Father Spore, asking in return that he stop the invasion. Let everyone else go and he can have Mumbo. Grians already trapped as well, and Mumbo doesn’t expect Scar to give him up. But everyone else. Please, he can have them, if everyone else can leave, and the invasion ends.

Father Spore agrees, because really, that’s all Scar ever wanted anyway.

Except, while Mumbo comes with them willingly, no matter what Scar does, or what Grian does, he seems to almost deteriorate with them.

It doesn’t matter how much they touch him or kiss him, the spores don’t latch onto him. And he just stares at them with those blank eyes, detached and resigned to his fate as Mother and Father Spore’s bitch. Despite the fact they don’t take him to bed.

Mumbo just wants his friends back and his home safe. In the end, it was clear to him only one of those things could be achieved. But still, even having moved in with Mother and Father Spore, sleeping in bed with them, having meals with them, he can’t help but wish it was Scar and Grian.

Because no matter what they say, or what they do, he cannot trust it’s actually them talking. He cannot trust that this is them. Because Scar and Grian love Hermitcraft; they would never do this of their own volition. Not like this.

And Grian and Scar don’t know what to do. Mumbo is like a robot, mechanical and devoid of life. He follows requests like theyre orders. He only moves, or eats, if prompted to. He doesn’t even kiss them back unless they ask him to. And even then it’s just pressure returned. It’s not a kiss.

Hell! The one time Grian and Scar tried to initiate some more adult activities, Scar started kissing Mumbo’s neck. Mumbo started to cry silently. Scar immediately backed off and they started to try to comfort him. But he never once leaned into their touches, never offered up any part of himself to them. He just cried and shook his head, stiff as a board, as they tried to hold him.

Even as Grian cried into Mumbos chest that day, not understanding where their perfect, bumbling mayor went, tears seeping through his suit. Even as Scar breathed spores unevenly directly into his hair, trying not to cry himself, even as his face got splotchy and his throat burned.

And Mumbo just sat there, unable to relax, and unable to stop crying. He just wished it was Grian and Scar, really them, just just. Not mushrooms disguised as them, or them being controlled by mushrooms, or them sharing headspace with mushrooms even! And he knew they didn’t understand. That they couldn’t understand.

(A week later, Mumbo propositions them. As an apology. He mumble about playing pretend, just for one night. It’s the most alive he’s acted in months—which is really saying something—and they cannot accept. Because he’s not doing it because he wants to. He’s doing it out of desperation as his mind sort of fragments, and they don’t know why. The reality is, it’s the grief of losing someone who isn’t even dead.)

Not once did the mycelium take root in his body. No matter what they did, he remained physically unchanged, even as his very essence broke down like paper mâche.

— abridged anon

PS) if you didn’t catch it, the bolded line works both ways: for both Grian n scar looking at mumbo and mumbo looking at Grian and scar. I’m quite proud of that line tbh !!

OW MY HEART

I love this take so much.. Mumbo sacrificing himself. Just never the same afterwards.. Hhnngngnh I just wanna hold him

#bluie gets an ask poggers #long post #father spore au

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electricbluebutterflies · 1 year

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Jess/Leto + even if it takes 500 years, i will prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that i loved you.

Early-era, PG-ish, also on ao3.

He’s starting to suspect this may be his defining mistake.

Leto had once wondered what might cause such undoing, what unknown fate might define him in the expected ways. The tendency towards fatal ambition runs in his blood too strong; there is no fighting this, only waiting to see how it will manifest in him, only-

If he is destroyed by love, he thinks, that will somehow count as a quiet ending.

It is love, he accepts as months turn to years, as the fascination of her blossoms instead of fading as he’d suspected at the beginning. There is something inherently compelling about that woman – it may not be real, he reminds himself, there is always that chance that any little thing she does might just be a manipulation, but he wants it to be real. He wants the complications of her, not just her beauty in half-light but the personality starting to peek out from beneath her veils, how perceptive she is and also what might be a darker sense of humor than he expected, the knives in the seams of her skirts and how she kisses him like she might actually want to and-

The problem with all of this, the glaring potential catastrophe, is that he has no damned idea if she understands any of this. That she trusts him as much as she’s probably capable of trusting anyone is becoming apparent; the amount of sharp objects he finds within her layers have developed a correlation to how formal the rest of the day has been, no longer anything he suspects might possibly be meant to protect against him. They are working on casual conversations and a clearer integration, but he’s not sure…

Too much of his life has been decided for him by other people and by systems centuries older than any of them. Trying to court his witch-concubine, while decidedly a strange and unnecessary choice on paper, is at least his strange and unnecessary choice.

At least that part is understood, he thinks on an afternoon he’s managed to find a little time to check in with her. He has accepted that he will never fully understand that woman and their lives will have to go on accordingly, but he’s at least starting to identify her emotional range to the extent he suspects she has one. Instead of the normal human spectrum, so far he can safely guess at “not actively homicidal but one comment away from that changing”, “bored”, “definitely up to something and doesn’t want to talk about it right now or probably ever”, and… “overwhelmed” is starting to become a dominant one, and that shouldn’t be so visibly possible for a woman like her, and-

“I don’t know what you want,” she says, too casual in her cold voice, like some part of her does not understand the potential pleasure of just being around someone. No projects, no intimacies, no obligations, just moments as they come and-

“What do you mean?” he counters. There is something too cautious in her – he recognizes it as if looking at a mirror, that familiar tendency to be formal and indirect to avoid unnecessary conflict. The difference between them is that he’d like to think he’s moved beyond such habits, whereas she…

“You seek me out and you don’t… do anything.”

Delightful, they’re having that conversation again. Recurring topics of petty fights is a sign of domestic progress, Leto is pretty sure, but the fact that his partner doesn’t know how to act in a moment where no one is asking anything of her is… troubling, to say the least. She’s not this visibly worried when his hands are on her or when she’s giving her perspective on a political issue, but take pressure off her for a heartbeat and something in that woman just breaks and-

“Looking at you and trying to talk to you don’t count?”

For that he gets a well-deserved glare, and to think that this counts as softness and plausible affection from this sharp object of a woman. “You’re not really asking me to do anything,” she says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, like he ought to, like-

“Is it not enough to want time with someone I love?”

He knows that word gets under her skin, knows by now that it compromises her further, knows he shouldn’t say that regardless but even worse given her reactions, but he can’t… he will not live in perfect silence, he will not-

“You don’t need to.”

No. Not today.

He doesn’t want to pick a fight right now, but he doesn’t want to let this go either, doesn’t want to ignore how easily she minimizes herself. Maybe that’s how they should be, but they aren’t. Instead… he doesn’t know how to define what they have become, but-

“Don’t need to do what, exactly?”

“Pretend you care about me. Pretend any of this is normal.”

There’s a bitterness to her voice that feels like poison, like a defense mechanism gone wrong and he can’t let himself believe she actually means it, can’t let himself-

“Is this not clear enough?”

“I don’t know what you want from me,” she says again, and oh how cold and sharp she is when provoked, desperate defense mechanisms of a corned animal, and yet-

She gives countless reasons not to fall in love with her; he does anyways. This is what convinces him it is real; this is what convinces him it is the most important thing he will ever do.

He wants her to be calm for three damn seconds he isn’t either asking her to speak fluent admin or do other enjoyable things with her mouth, he’d say if he thought she’d actually listen. He wants to find out whatever he did wrong in the early days to make her trust issues so bad, or… no, he’d know if this was by his hand, she was like this before him she will be like this if there is any life after, she is…

“I want you to trust my intentions,” he says, because he needs to say something, because he hasn’t yet encountered a situation he couldn’t at least try to talk his way out of and a stubborn damaged woman is not the worst thing in the world. “I want you to understand how real this has become for me. I want… even if it takes five hundred years, I will prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that I loved you. Whatever that looks like, whatever I need to do, whatever-“

“You don’t,” she breathes, and her voice breaks, and she is out of reach and he can’t change that, not with how she’s looking at him like this will be the last thing she ever sees. “What part of that do you not-“

“We went right past obligation months ago and you still think-“

“I still don’t see why you’ve-“

“What part of love do you not understand?!”

This is enough to focus her, enough to get him a look that he suspects would make a lesser person bleed. Cornered animal, he can’t help but think, and all the more dangerous for it.

“The part where it’s directed at me,” she says, at once deeply wounded and as even-toned as if she were discussing the weather outside.

“Let me try,” he counters, and he’s not sure he’s enough, he’s not sure anyone could get through all her barriers but dammit she makes him want to try, she makes him feel alive like nothing else ever has, she makes him-

“You’ll burn out before you get anywhere,” she murmurs, and if she’s capable of affection that’s about as close as he’s ever heard it. “I’m supposed to prevent that from happening, I think.”

“Treating you like a normal woman is not-“

“You’re constructing an illusion. It’s not…”

“I still know what you’re capable of, or at least… enough. Who could ever see you and want to make you small?”

She laughs, a low sound like that of his heart melting even further. “I suspect you’d be surprised how long that list is.”

“I don’t want to know. I just… I do care for you. Complications and everything. And however long it takes for you to understand that…”

She clears the distance between them in a fluid movement, a twirl in how her dress barely keeps up with her body. Who could ever see her like this and look away? Who could ever-

“I do believe you,” she says, even quieter now as she reaches for hands, as she knows in that way she does how to calm both of them with the lightest touch. “I think you’re making a terrible mistake, but I don’t… want to stop you.”

He’s not so convinced it’s a mistake, but whatever it takes to calm her, whatever it takes to let this bloom.

“You’d… say, if you did?”

“I would do much more than that,” she breathes. “You’d forget you ever wanted me, if it came to that.”

Not a mistake, he repeats over and over again in his mind as he lets whatever she’s doing with her hands take the edge off his emotions. A dramatic decision, but not and never a mistake. Not for him. Not-

“And you’ll say, if your heart ever…”

“I don’t know if that’s possible. But yes. If it makes you happy.”

#ebf writes fic #leto x jessica #queue

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