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raayllum · 6 months

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i desperately need your sweetest headcanons of ez and rayla being Siblings

Mandatory Rayla&Ezran brotp tag drop here & first some rambly meta cause like, a lot of this is based on the concept(s) of Ezran and Rayla fundamentally being more like each other than either of them are like Callum

Like they both grew up friendless (whereas Callum seems to have a lot more ease in actually interacting with new people & I've always HC'd him having less friends out of choice, cause those potential ppl didn't get along wit his brother) and feeling perpetually different, they both (like Claudia) take on their parents' previous paths and feel the weight of it. They also tend to have a lot of similar esque insecurities and hangups ("I feel like I'm letting everyone down" 3x03 —> "I failed them, I let them all down" 3x04 / "It's not fair you have to go through this alone" 5x02 —> "I knew I had to be strong alone" in 5x04 / self blame tendencies with "You knew? I'm an idiot! I should've figured it out" 2x08 —> "Ugh, I'm such an idiot. I should've figured it out" 1x09) and are both very much bleeding hearts. They're also willing to pivot away from prior missions (bringing Zym home) for causes they see as more worthy in a lot of ways — going home to rule (the individual collective) and freeing Phyrrah (the individual stranger) — even if that separates them from others and/or puts them more at risk, cause they're just loyal to causes and ideals and self-imposed responsibilities tethered to those concepts like that? I love them

Like they both are like Callum — Ezran is emotionally open and inclined towards vulnerability, like him, which Rayla is not, and Callum and Rayla, esp in arc 1, take on responsibilities that Ezran do not & all their stuff with adoptive dads and communication etc etc. — but they're also more similar to each other than they are to him. More on that here & here + bonus S5 hammering that in more than ever (Rayla going with Ezran's plan in 5x05 anyone?)

Now onto the actual headcanons

Rayla doesn't have a lot of patience for games (cards, chess, etc.) and will be a sore loser/give up when playing with just about anyone else (including Callum) but she can never say no to Ezran over it, and he's so earnest/having such a great time she can never be a total grump when they do play games together

Ezran is the one who primarily took care of her Shadowpaw, for obvious reasons, in the castle stables until she returned, hence why sweetie pie was waiting for her & ready for the Lux Aurea trip

The little archangel lunaris on his backpack was absolutely chosen with her in mind <3

Both Rayla and Ezran possess an abundance of faith in other people, and this is shown best when they're being supportive of or defending one another ("She'll know what to do" —> "He can do this, we have to believe in him" —> "She's alive. And wherever she is, she loves you too")

Rayla weaving a little braid into his hair and having Ezran weave one into hers as well because braids are for love and family, and they are certainly both to one another

This shitpost, which is really just them getting stuck on and continually adding to dumb bits for each other to laugh at

Playing pranks back and forth on Soren and sometimes on Callum

Mostly they just tag team chores like "making sure Callum has eaten and slept and left his study recently" / keeping their favourite mage out of his head

Rayla giving Ezran stealth lessons and Ezran having Rayla bake jelly tarts with him

They always insist on being on the same team when it comes to snowball fights at the Banther Lodge

Ez loves to infodump about certain things and Rayla loves to let him, especially since his trains of thought and ramblings are a bit easier for her to follow than his brother's (most of the time)

Rayla having Ezran teach her how to notice things about illusion animals so she can have an easier time telling the difference (Soren teases her about it and she socks him in the stomach)

This isn't really so much of a headcanon as it is a canon observation but in battle sequences Callum doesn't really usually focus (outside of when he's using said magic to protect Ezran) on getting Ezran away from the danger, instead trusting Rayla to do so — and she always does (1x06, 1x08, 1x09, 2x04, 5x09)

Because she's just his friend and not his subject (or for now, an official member of his council the same way), Ezran finds himself seeking out when he just needs to have dumb kid fun, and Rayla is always down to help him

On that note she's very good at knowing when he needs space vs when he's okay being fussed over (Callum, Opeli) and telling people that even when he may not be able to express it himself because non-verbal times / feeling overwhelmed

Whenever they go on roadtrips in the future, Rayla does her best to bring special snacks around for him (and teach him how to forage, which animals can help him with too)

Eventually when Ezran is a little older, Soren needles him about learning how to defend himself, and Ezran dreads having to hold a sword and initially refuses. But Rayla plops down beside him and talks him through it and reaffirms that they just always want to make sure he's safe, and that's what gets him to come around to the idea

Ezran and Rayla both being physically affectionate people — Rayla slinging her arm along his shoulders, Ezran often grabbing her hand as a sign of support (most often the one she was going to lose to the binding) and squeezing gently, like a reminder that they're both still here and everything's okay and/or going to be alright

Rayla tears up when she realizes that Ezran is finally taller than her, much to his mild annoyance and amusement

Ezran helps Rayla with her proposal to Callum, and does not tell her (or his brother) that Callum is also planning to propose lmao

#tdp ezran #tdp rayla #rayla #ezran #brotp: it's super annoying #tdp #the dragon prince #autistic!ezran #m4rs-ex3 #thanks for asking #headcanons #requests #maybe i should make my ezran&rayla analysis post #i had one planned forever ago about their dynamics with dragons #but not one characterization wise. hmm

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encyclopediacr · 2 months

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Last month at the wiki — February 2024

Every month, we highlight significant work done in the previous month by our editing community at Encyclopedia Exandria. We're a little bit out of schedule, a week late, but we still take the time to look back at February 2024.

To start, here's a selection of ten articles created in February. You can find more of our newest articles at the 50 newest pages report.

Glove of Storing, magical glove that stores an item by shrinking it

Crafting a Mystery with Aabria Iyengar, special on game mastering Candela Obscura: Tide & Bone featuring @quiddie

Midst Season 2 Roundtable Discussion w/ Sam & Marisha, as it says on the tin with the creators of @midstpodcast

Kreviris Imperium, a government based in Kreviris on Ruidus

Wuukor, bison-like creature on Ruidus

Sia Kresh, expositor of the Cobalt Soul in Rexxentrum

Arborea, an Outer Plane of Existence

Lake Umamu, lake in Issylra

Dragon tooth necklace, necklace that notifies wearers of other paired necklaces that a wearer was knocked unconscious or killed

Phyllis the Pain Elemental, player character of Anjali Bhimani in the DOOM Eternal one-shot

We're continuing to explore ways to cover campaign player character stats over time. In February, levels subpages for Campaign 3 were created to help set that up and start covering this topic as part of our routine coverage. Each main player character of Bells Hells has one, and you can check out the pages for Fearne Calloway and Orym as examples.

A number of early Campaign 2 Talks Machina articles have been updated with answer summaries, including 54: The Howling Mines (2x06), 55: Hush (2x07), and 56: The Gates of Zadash (2x08).

The fourth chapter of Candela Obscura premiered in February, featuring the Circle of the Crimson Mirror. As always, we have articles for our newest circle of investigators.

#Critical Role #Critical Role wiki #last month at the wiki

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aladygrieve · 2 months

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Made, not Found: Buck and Queer Love

I've been doing a just-the-highlights bi!Buck rewatch and I know we all heard Oliver talk about how there have been "crumbs for years," but I wanted to turn everyone's attention back to one in particular: Thomas and Mitchell from 2x08 Buck, Actually.

They've been together for probably 50+ years. We get a gorgeous extended montage of all their adventures, from marching at Pride in their 20s to finally getting married as two elderly gentlemen. Thomas describes Mitchell as "my heart, my everything."

When Mitchell is crushed by his car, Buck is the one to bond with Thomas:

Buck is often the one to bond with queer people on calls. It's not for nothing that he feels a sense of community and connection whenever he's around them. But keep in mind, this is right at the beginning of the Buck 2.0 arc. He's finally moved out of Abby's apartment, he's dating again, and he's experiencing a lot of insecurity and self-doubt about his ability to hold down a loving long-term relationship, worrying that he's going to backslide.

Buck isn't just respectful of Thomas and Michell's relationship, he's downright envious. He wants something like it for himself, and he knows it.

When Thomas dies hand-in-hand with the love of his life despite Buck's frantic attempts to save him, Buck deeply feels this lesson:

I think it's interesting that all the way back in Season 2, in a time of great vulnerability and introspection for Buck where they wanted to show him a model of the exact kind of relationship he's looking for, this is what they went with. To make Buck understand what love really means to him, they showed him two men who've been in love their entire lives.

#evan buckley #bi!buck #911 #9-1-1 #oliver stark #buddie #2x08 buck actually #7x04 buck bothered and bewildered #buck 911

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theriverpointace · 14 days

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i am watching community! on my brother's recommendation

yk how siblings. yk. when they like something, naturally you must despise it. so i rly didn't want to watch it. but god i am a sucker for a found family and also silly people and unfortunately my brother has good taste. so here i am.

anyway i got the test results and despite what the freshman boys at my school think, i am not actually autistic! but i am some combination of processing deficit, adhd symptoms, super high iq, Just Plain Weird, and a complicated relationship with emotions and societal norms. all that to say, abed is my favorite character. but like ... who doesn't have abed as their favorite character??

and i watched "abed's uncontrollable christmas" last night. i got literally a little choked up watching it, especially towards the end, when he froze himself (or ... got frozen?). i could literally see him in my mind at the table in the study room, staring blankly, as his friends defended him. (it was actually kind of cool to have the stop-motion on the screen and my made-up live-action in my head at the same time but that's beside the point.)

but the POINT i am trying to make is about abed trying to force episodes to be something else. i think it's interesting. like in 2x01, where he's trying to rush the relationship drama so they can have the episode be about something cooler. or in 2x08, "cooperative calligraphy," AKA the bottle episode, how much he resists it being a bottle episode, and the disappointment he repeatedly expresses. and most key (to me) in "abed's uncontrollable christmas," where instead of facing the emotions and change, he tries to force the episode to be a silly stop-motion singing christmas special.

and i guess i don't really have much of any other point. no real conclusion. i'm just kinda verbally processing here, lol. honestly the whole deal of auc is really relatable to me: focusing on a hyperfixation in favor of dealing with hard emotions. i do that all the time.

anyway i think i just relate to him a lot so i think he's neat

#community #abed nadir #welcome to my new hyperfixation!!!#talk tag

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goodwhump-temp · 1 year

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Trip Tucker Whump | Star Trek Enterprise

SEASON 1 1x01-1x02 Broken Bow Pt. 1 & 2 - Hits the ceiling, bug jumpscare, knocked down, aggravated 1x04 Strange New World - Bug jumpscare, panic, hallucinating, aggravated, paranoid, infected, standoff, freaking out, stunned unconscious, 1x05 Unexpected - Coughing, high, overstimulated/confused, pregnant!, paranoid, stressed, crying 1x07 The Andorian Incident - Held hostage, held at fazerpoint, punched, very bruised 1x08 Breaking the Ice - Guilt 1x12 Silent Enemy - Sad, exhausted 1x13 Dear Doctor - Crying (watching a movie) 1x15 Shadows of P'Jem - Tackled, chokehold, kidnapped, restrained 1x16 Shuttlepod One - Stranded, denial/aggrevated, freezing, drunk, unconscious 1x17 Fusion - Talks about childhood/regret 1x19 Acquisition - Whipped multiple times, pain, wrestling 1x20 Oasis - Outnumbered/led into a trap 1x22 Vox Sola - Dragged, captured, restrained, panic, squeezed, pain, weak, slowly passing out, unconscious 1x24 Desert Crossing - Knocked down multiple times, bruised ribs, exhausted, collapses, delerious, heat exhaustion, respectfully threatened, weak, heat stroke, exhausted, coughing, knocked down 1x25 Two Days and Two Nights - Led into a trap, thrown to the ground, robbed, stunned unconscious, hangover, restrained 1x26 Shockwave - Shuttle caught in explosion, visible head trauma, unconscious, concussion, angry

SEASON 2 2x01 Shockwave Pt. 2 - Held at fazerpoint 2x04 Dead Stop - Reprimanded, thinks friend is dead 2x08 The Communicator - Forcefully knocked down, wind knocked out of him, arm MIA 2x09 Singularity - Unconscious, infected, obsessive, increasingly agitated 2x10 Vanishing Point - Guilt 2x11 Precious Cargo - Knocked unconscious, hit, crash landing, stranded, scratched, aggravated, thrown against a rock, suffocated 2x12 The Catwalk - Exposed to radiation 2x13 Dawn - Shuttle attacked, crash landing, stranded with an enemy, bruised, multiple altercations, knocked down multiple times, shot unconscious, restrained, kicked multiple times, sliced, bleeding, tackled, choked, blinded, punched multiple times, very bruised face, exhausted 2x14 Stigma - Rizzed up the Docs wife, guilt, uncomfy 2x16 Future Tense - Knocked down, unconscious 2x17 Canamar - Presumed dead, captured, bruised, electrocuted, annoyed, shot unconscious 2x18 The Crossing - Possessed multiple times, body held hostage, headbutted, bleeding, choking on CO2, weak, passes out 2x21 The Breach - Hanging, scrapes/bruises from the slide 2x22 Cogenitor - Reprimanded, insane guilt 2x25 Bounty - Shot unconscious 2x26 The Expanse - Sister dies, all the stages grief

SEASON THREE 3x01 The Xindi - Nightmare 3x02 Anomaly - Insomnia, burned wrist, pain 3x04 Rajiin - Tired, hit on the head, bleeding 3x07 The Shipment - Panic from bomb timer 3x08 Twilight - Dies 3x10 Similitude - Dies, caught in explosion, head trauma, comatose, cloned (o7), emotional goodbyes 3x13 Proving Ground - Talks about Sister 3x14 Strategem - Falls to the ground 3x15 Harbinger - Knocked unconscious, emotional pain 3x16 Doctors Orders - An angry hallucination 3x17 Hatchery - Part of a mutiny, "nerve damage," pushed, 3x18 Azati Prime - Worried x2, chaos in the engine room 3x19 Damage - Forced on, choked, shocked/knocked down 3x20 The Forgotten - Exhausted, nightmare, guilt, angry, grieving, meltdown/cries 3x21 E Squared - Worried, shot unconscious 3x22 The Council - Pulled a muscle 3x24 Zero Hour - Decaying, friend dies, in shock

SEASON FOUR 4x01 Storm Front Pt. 1 - Shot unconscious, captured, 4x02 Storm Front Pt. 2 - POW, badly bruised, weak, body slammed, duplicated: stunned unconscious, restrained 4x03 Home - Heartbroken 4x06 The Augments - Still heartbroken 4x10 Daedalus - Nervous 4x11 Observer Effect - Virus, coughing fit, collapse, pain, manhandled, exhausted, sedated, possessed, weak, dying, shallow breathing, dies 4x12 Babel One - Thrown, stranded 4x13 United - Thrown multiple times, exposed to large amounts of radiation, passes out, weak, jumps out of ship 4x14 The Aenar - Talks about near death experience, worried, guilt, heartbroken 4x15 Affliction - Transferring, daydreaming 4x16 Divergence - Insanely dangerous external ship transfer during warp 4x17 Bound - Agitated, punched multiple times, bruised 4x18 In a Mirror, Darkly Pt. 1 - Alternate reality; radiated scarred face, agitated, imprisoned, interrogated, electrocuted multiple times, mind melded 4x19 In a Mirror, Darkly Pt. 2 - Intimidated 4x20 Demons - Troubled, captured 4x21 Terra Prime - Betrayed, kicked multiple times, thrown, imprisoned, shot, weak, unconscious, protected, sling, sobbing 4x22 These Are The Voyages - Sacrifices himself, explosion, serious burns, difficulty breathing, fucking dies

#star trek #star trek whump #star trek enterprise #star trek enterprise whump #whump #emotional whump #whump list #whumplist #Connor Trinneer #Connor Trinneer whump #trip tucker #trip tucker whump

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schmirius · 6 months

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okay but what if... a different ofmd s2

I tried several times to make a less tl;dr version of this post, but it's not happening. BEHOLD: a season I just like better. It fixes things that I personally didn't like (and I have a strong Ed and Izzy bias). I wanted to do a few major things:

Keep 2x01-2x03, because I love them so damn much. this unfortunately sets the stakes *really high* for the rest of the season, so...

Rework the characters that canon s2 introduced, to be able to focus more tightly on the Revenge's response to the 2x01-2x03 atom bomb.

Give Ed and Stede more focused arcs (individually and as a couple). Ed and Stede were, emotionally, at completely opposite poles in 2x01-2x03, and in canon I think they didn't connect much after that. So in my version, they'll do basic work to understand why their s1 meet-cute failed and how they can move on to having a real relationship.

Address Ed's very vividly depicted violence from 2x01-2x02. I found the amends depicted in canon somewhere between "unsatisfying" and "horrifying." Jesus did I need to fuck around with that!

the three major acts in the season:

ACT 1 (2x01-2x03) – Trauma! These episodes remain largely the same as in canon.

ACT 2 (2x04-2x06) – Recovery I've edited these episodes so Ed + Stede are entirely separated from Izzy + the Crew. This gives the OTP space to work on themselves and their relationship. Likewise, Izzy has space away from Ed to go through his arc of self-discovery and consider if he wants to reconcile with Ed. Izzy and the Crew all get a chance to recover from The Trauma on their own, together as a community. ACT 3 (2x07-2x08) – Reconciliation Act 2 has given everybody time to process Act 1 and how they might come out of it as better versions of themselves and a stronger community. Now the OTP and the Crew reintegrate and, in the 2x08 climax, prove all their work has been worth it by fighting together against an external menace. (It's Hornigold. It's got to be Hornigold. This is so obvious to me.)

* * * THE CHARACTERS:

Each crew member is talented brilliant incredible showstopping spectacular, but in the interest of brevity, the characters in the imaginary episodes are going to be:

Ed and Stede → The OTP – Ed and Stede as a couple. Color-coded red so you can follow their arc.

Izzy

The Crew, who begin in Act 1 as three separate crews: → the Castaways (everybody Ed marooned/tossed overboard at the end of s1) → the Breakup Boat (everybody from canon s2 on the Revenge with Truly Insane Ed → the Girls (introduced below)

THE BOATS:

Most episodes are going to have two plots running, taking place on two ships:

The Revenge

The Pearl Diver (again, below)

Last terminology note: I'm going to be comparing "canon episodes" vs. "imaginary episodes" or "new episodes" a bunch.

Ready? Alright, let's kick it.

* * *

ACT 1 – 2x01-2x03 – TRAUMAAA

Ed + the Breakup Boat: The action on the Revenge remains basically the same, with the torture and the murder-suicides and all the crimes. Stede + the Castaways: I'd cut the Republic of Pirates in 2x01. Instead, I'd start with everyone at sea on the ship that rescued them (which also creates an atmosphere of everyone still being trapped by the awful shit that happened in 1x10). What ship? I think introducing Zheng the historical pirate is a really cool idea, but I also think it's one idea too many. Zheng's objectively cooler and more successful ship is always, implausibly, overshadowed by the lovable misfits on the Revenge, since the Revenge is the workplace that the show is about. This is annoying to me (and probably Zheng). Instead I'd make the rescue ship one of equal goofiness: Mary and Anne's ship. I'll call it the Pearl Diver, just because I can. We can lift the formula from Ed's ship in s1:

s1: gay men // s2: lesbians!

s1 power couple on the ship is Ed+Izzy // s2 is Mary/Anne

s1 crew members who later join Revenge are The Boys, Fang+Ivan // s2 will have the Girls, a surgeon and her competent sailor girlfriend. one of them is a trans woman, I said so

the set is just the Revenge with different props on, lol

Okay, that's our lesbian ship set up. It'll last five episodes and be a very easy foil for the Revenge. Stede: His 2x01-2x02 bit seemed to be "I love Ed, I'll get back to him no matter." I'd push that harder. New s2 will open with Stede as a brave romantic adventurer sallying forth into true love (the same way he was a brave romantic adventurer sallying forth into piracy in s1). So: "I love Ed, I'll get back to him no matter, and the force of our newfound love will be what straightens this all out." The OTP: Ed and Stede are both hopeless romantics, of course, but they're coming at it from opposing genres. Ed thinks he's the doomed villain in a big-R Romantic novel. Stede thinks he's the little-r romantic hero in a bodice-ripper. Their job in new s2 is to shift ideas of self & genre to meet somewhere in the middle.

ACT 2 – 2x04-2x06 – RECOVERY

I think a lot of what s2 tried in mid-season succeeded, but it didn't really add up to anything. In order to advance Ed and Stede's arc(s), I'd isolate them from the Crew. This gives everyone space to start clearing up the Act 1 wreckage.

(quick 2x03 note:) The major change I'd make here here would be moving the Breakup Boat crew off of the Revenge sometime mid-episode so they can recuperate on the Pearl Diver instead. They get to leave the trauma boat, which gives them and us the audience some breathing room as we transition out of the murder-suicide portion of the season. In the Pearl's infirmary they meet the Girls – surgeon and girlfriend – and reunite with the Castaways. There's a palpable sense of each group feeling isolated from the others.

2x04 – really intense cleanup

Time skip: The Breakup Boat crew have been declared physically recovered enough to start repairing the Revenge (and therefore prepared to grit their teeth and return to the scene of their trauma). The Castaways offer to help; the Girls come along in solidarity with their new friends. The Revenge: (this is also 2x04 in canon) Izzy never left the wrecked ship, is doing Bad. The three separate crews do ship repairs, but then come together as one Crew to declare Izzy their unicorn.

The Pearl Diver: (this story has no equivalent in canon)

Ed: never leaves the Pearl's infirmary, is doing Bad. He's trying to come to grips with the fact that he did all that shit, the kind that his dad and Hornigold used to. Stede: is focused on telling Ed about their true love rather than trying to understand how awful Ed feels, to the point that he's telling his newfound love~ story super loudly to avoid talking about Ed's pain.

The OTP: They have a moment where they stop talking past each other.

Ed hears Stede when he says that he really does love Ed. (Ed doesn't necessarily believe it, but he's willing to listen.)

Stede hears Ed when Ed says he feels trapped worse than ever (though he's weirded out Ed thinks he's a doomed villain). (Stede, our favorite Ed stan, literally doesn't care what Ed did except as far as how Ed feels about it.)

2x05 – letting loose

Time skip! Again, everyone looks slightly less haggard. The Revenge: (this is 2x06 in canon; I've moved it to 2x05) The Crew: have Calypso's birthday, paid for with the treasure they wouldn't throw overboard in 2x01 because it's their treasure and not Ed's, ffs. Joyful, queer, "we're surviving, we're getting through this together." Izzy+Ed: I'm aiming to untangle the shitty parts of their codependency and eliminate Ed's outright domestic abuse. I read canon s2 as Izzy fully untangling himself from Ed and then presenting Ed as a gift to Stede, and I did not like that for anyone. I'm aiming to conclude new s2 with Izzy+Ed acknowledging how bad it was at the end (with a little more emotional insight than they might have been able to do in s1 – maybe this huge event in their lives leads to self-reflection and growth!) and how they could move forward maybe as very complicated friends. Izzy's going to be taking the lead on this one, because the codependency very much ended in Ed doing violence to him. He gets to decide what the fuck happens. So: Izzy: is finally somewhere without Ed, first time in 30 years. Now that he's been unicorn'd (feels supported), he has room to unwind and start discovering what he might like to do. So he does drag. And also sings about his complicated feelings for Ed, come on, Izzy has love for him. In new s2, Izzy still gets to bloom, but he remains closer in personality to his grumpy cunty s1 self, not quite consciously understanding how he's changing. The Pearl Diver: (this is 2x04 in canon; I've moved it to 2x05) The OTP: have the bonkers Mary/Anne dinner party (their f/f co-captain counterparts). They do their awkward exes bit. In canon s2, they see Mary/Anne as "these guys are so weird, wtf"; in new s2, they're more like "these guys are so weird, omg. remember how weird we were last year? that was so fucking great." Conclusions:

Ed and Stede have more in common than they'd feared (since, like, 1x10)

They see they can be dramatic assholes in love like these bitches and that's great.

But also: maybe they need to be less self-centered than "burn down your ship which is your entire livelihood without considering that this might kill your crew." Maybe Mary/Anne rowing off cackling in a boat together (to, say, China) isn't the W they thought it was.

also also: caught up in the adrenaline of understanding they're mad lads, Ed/Stede do the impulsive "taking it too fast" (canon: 2x06) and BONE.

Lastly: The OTP ask to reboard the Revenge now that there's no Pearl Diver, mentioning hopefully that they've learned a lesson. The Crew are not convinced. They maroon Ed/Stede on land at close of ep.

2x06 – restucturing

The Revenge: (this plot is similar to Izzy+Stede's story in canon's 2x05)

Haven't thought of a frame story I like here, honestly. But the point of the episode is that Izzy helps Crew to be better pirates. This does two things:

Izzy's getting a chance to choose to manage people for himself, rather than as Ed's minder or Ed's goon.

Crew are getting competent advice from someone who genuinely gives a shit (Stede or Ed do not fit the bill). This allows them to keep running things in a fairly democratic structure where they do make decisions based on actually, for real, Talking Things Through.

Crew: consider what they're going to do about Ed and Stede – who maybe have had time to sort themselves out a bit? – replete with silly company restructuring metaphors.

Izzy: probably does shirtless swordplay considers how he wants to deal with Ed. Talking to Crew he decides that he, too, can try airing grievances with Ed in workplace metaphors. (It doesn't take much to convince him. Izzy will always love being a professional.)

On Land: (this episode has no equivalent in canon)

The OTP: in true OFMD style, they attend a modern couples retreat that has 18th c trappings. It is run by the straightest dude ever (Steve Carell levels of Kinsey 1 in 18th c khakis).

This dude is obnoxious, but he does remind them to strike a balance between demonstrating their love by talking through their needs (e.g. 2x04 infirmary, 2x05 dinner party) and by taking action (which will always be bonkers for them, like 1x09 act of grace, 2x05 impulsive boning). I'm thinking of it like: Ed/Stede realize they're whim-prone (as in canon 2x04), and also there's this tool nearby.

They're like, hey, actually I really love you, and make out sappily for a while then wonder, bemusedly, why they didn't do that before fucking a bunch. ("but the fucking was still good?" "oh yeah mate, we should definitely always be fucking")

Unfortunately: The retreat ends abruptly when they spot pirate hunters closing in on the B&B and have to make a run for it.

ACT 3 – 2x07-2x08 – RECONCILIATION

I really couldn't tell what canon was going for at season's end, starting from about "Stede kills Lowe" at the end of 2x06. I found a lot of it contradictory and kind of ass-pull-y. Major divergences to follow.

2x07 – reintegration

(this episode is similar to canon episode 2x05)

The Revenge: Having spent 2x06 thinking about what they want to do next, the Crew decide they can take on Stede + Ed on their flight from pirate hunters. Everyone's back on the boat. I'd probably make the frame story here something silly and light-hearted like the Cursed Red Suit. Everyone can mingle in groups that are different from the ones they started out in during Act 1 – permutations of people from the three distinct crews, Stede and Izzy and Ed thrown together with people they haven't seen in a while. These different groups can brainstorm deeply stupid solutions to this probably fake problem. I'd probably make the frame story here something silly and light-hearted like The Cursed Red Suit. Everybody can mingle in different groups and brainstorm deeply stupid solutions to this probably fake problem. Ed/Stede: Crucially, Stede and Ed aren't together in any of these groups. They separate and see everyone and understand that they're not, actually, in charge of Crew anymore. It's weird but okay. They both have to legitimately listen like they've been practicing all season. Ed doesn't apologize but he at least doesn't fuck with anyone, so that's... fine. Izzy+Ed: They haven't seen each other since the murder-suicide farrago in 2x02.

Izzy: "You can do the big gestures but you're a shit captain, Ed. You can't be there on the everyday stuff." (with subtext: you need to give a shit about me all the time, not just when I can be convenient to you.) It's not any kind of forgiveness, and Ed can't offer an apology because he still doesn't understand them. But this is Izzy saying he'll talk to Ed (with more pushback than canon's 2x06 "oh look it's scowly face").

Lastly: This has been a monster of the week ep where the first five minutes were like, there's a problem which will affect us in the future! and then the middle of the episode is, but it's not affecting us right now so let's do interpersonal stuff! Sadly, whoever they dump the Suit on at the end of the episode reminds them the problem still exists: the pirate hunters are worse than they thought. Hornigold is on their trail.

2x08 – IT'S REAL PERSONAL

(this episode has no equivalent in canon.) And here we reach the locus of all my frustrations!

Nose Guy doesn't exist in new s2, so we don't need to blow up the Republic with no foreshadowing as in canon 2x08

Zheng's awesome fleet doesn't exist in new s2. The foreshadowing that she was planning something incredible doesn't have to come to nothing like it did in canon 2x08, when her fleet also blew up with no foreshadowing. (what was that badass montage from canon 2x02 of her crew portaging ships thru the jungle even for ;_;)

Canon s2's sudden decision to make the stakes of the entire season "oh, uh, everyone wants to destroy piracy?" and completely ignore all the interpersonal problems set up in Act 1 – that doesn't happen!

Probably nothing in imaginary s2 will be as intense as 2x01-2x03 were. But new 2x08 will be a claustrophobic, high-pressure situation where everyone will have the resolutions they made in Act 2 tested, in a situation as dangerous as the worst of Act 1.

HERE WE GOOOOO Cold open on the Revenge:

A scene that looks about as bad as Ed's storm in 2x02: Izzy is dead from a headshot, Crew are panicking, Stede is alone and can only shout to Ed that he loves him from far away.

Ed is kitted out as Blackbeard at his worst – makeup and all – and seems ready to, again, blow the whole ship up. Viewer is perhaps worried that Ed has, again, lost it. We balance on the precipice!!

TITLE CARD!

Chronological start of ep:

Wind back the action!

Time skip from 2x07: The Revenge has been running from Hornigold for weeks, hiding themselves in ever smaller spaces as they get jumpier and jumpier about the pursuit. (Think on deck → main cabin → galley → the secret fucking deathbed under the galley.)

Ed, off by himself, is beside himself at the thought of meeting Hornigold for real once more. He failed to kill him all those years ago – what must he do now to solve the problem for good?

Intercut with Hornigold's ship:

Hornigold is chasing them, being a dick in his sumptious cabin. It's light on the action, heavy on letting us know who he is.

He's cruel and violent, like Act 1 Ed, except (a) he's less concerned about covering up his awfulness with charm and (b) he's perfectly open about "I hate this guy I used to own and I want to kill him" (about Ed) in contrast to Act 1 Ed not being able to say anything of the sort about Stede or Izzy.

We already know what kind of evil shit Hornigold used to pull because mostly-dead Ed told us in 2x03, so, you know, good enough.

Ed has to kill himself and also his dad again, lol, we get it

Climactic stuff on the Revenge!

Hornigold catches up to them; there's some fighting or whatever; it leads us up to the cold open. But then it pushes through to: it was all a fuckery!!

(do not ASK me what kind of fuckery. they are hard to write, they are both deeply psychological and incredibly goofy. This is just an outline of a fake season LEAVE ME ALONE)

Ed was a distraction, acting how Hornigold expected him to act! It works: Stede kills Hornigold!

The OTP: The murder addresses how each wants to deal with violence in their respective genres:

Ed, when he did patricide on behalf of someone he loved (mum) got caught up the cycle of dreadful murder and trauma he wanted to escape. And now he sees that he can – he's not the doomed Romantic villain!

Stede, in doing step-patricide on behalf of someone he loves (Ed), commits in a real way to ruthlessly murdering bullies. He's a swashbuckler! He definitely likes it! Finally, he's found a way to express romantic love in a grounded* way. (*by OFMD standards.)

It's a deranged pirate sitcom way of turning their tentative courtship into a healthy adult relationship.

Ed + Izzy:

During the fuckery: Izzy is playing murdered-by-Ed, so he's "dead" on deck (vulnerable) amidst the chaos.

Ed throws himself over Izzy to save him from getting shot.

This doesn't erase all the shitty things Ed did! It's a big gesture instead of an everyday thing, just like Izzy was complaining about! But it's definitely an indicator that Ed would prefer not to drive Izzy to suicide and Ed does, even, ask if Izzy's okay afterwards, checking him over, before someone else points out that Ed got shot.

Lastly:

With final approval from Izzy – after a lengthy pause where Izzy looks at Edward panting and bleeding on the deck – the Crew decide to journey forth to find Super Good Medicine to save Ed.

THERE ARE HINTS THAT s3 MIGHT SHOW US:

Blackbeard's historic raid on Charleston (who is playing Blackbeard at that point? who knows!)

Ed and Izzy working on being weird-ass friends again, but without so much murder-suicide

Stede and Ed finally talking about how they want to spend their life together: what's between retirement and piracy?

This is all pretty okay because new s2 ends in a hopeful place where nobody FUCKING DIED jfc where everyone's grown a bit but, as always, still has room to grow more.

the end!

#ofmd s2 #some fic #imaginary s2

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luuuna-rambles · 2 years

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Community gifs - 52/?

2x08, Cooperative Calligraphy

#nbc community #jeff winger #pierce hawthorne #abed nadir #community nbc #community 2x08 #2x08 #cooperative calligraphy #communityedit #communitygifs #joel mchale #chevy chase #danny pudi

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lunar-years · 1 year

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everyone has different interpretations of scenes, but for real that scene with jamie and roy was just plain sexist. roy seriously said "i don't know if we're getting back together because she's a woman and you never know". like what the absolute fuck was that line? they showed up to her house condescending, completely unapologetic about their behaviour, and treated her like a trophy prize. she deserved to beat them up. jamie and roy have always been troubled characters, but they were never (not even in season one) sexist assholes. the show went out of its way multiple times to establish that even when they made mistakes it was due to personal insecurity and not misogyny.

and whenever it was something misogynistic, it was heavily criticised as such, which, in this episode, it was not. a lot of people did seriously not catch the blatant sexism of it at all and went "that's how these men act" (again, what the fuck?). jamie spent season three being respectful of roy and keeley's breakup and not making a move on her, out of consideration of roy's feelings. roy, who knows how abusive jamie's father is, probably better than any other male character on the show, physically assaulted him. despite the fact that throughout the season roy has been approaching jamie with affection, realizing that's what he needs to feel secure (complete disrespect to 2x08 too, one of the best episodes of the series). and while we're on the topic of violence, roy and jamie were never this violent with each other, even when they hated each other's guts. jamie, who gave keeley a truly heartfelt apology about the leaked video, making a point to not victim-blame or engage in literally ANY other sexist behaviour, just brings it up to upset roy in a dick-measuring contest. and one episode ago, one fucking episode ago, they were all getting along, keeley and roy were obviously trying to get back together, and jamie wasn't one bit bothered by it. they were holding hands on his bed and he saw them and smiled! regardless of whether you think the roykeeley arc was rushed (i do), jamie might have been heartbroken or sad, but he wasn't, not once, established as jealous of them. and this entire season was devoted to roy and jamie becoming friends by slowly growing comfortable around each other and actually trusting each other. every single one of those things was thrown into the trash. and yeah, sure, progress isn't linear and perfection isn't possible for people, but that WAS NOT regression. roy and jamie were never sexist dicks. those were two completely different characters.

ALSO, this scene normalizes the idea that it's perfectly forgivable to revert back to sexism whenever emotionally distressed, even if you are generally not like that in your life. it's not. in reality, you're either sexist or you're not, and doing this in one scenario will absolutely mean that you will be sexist in different scenarios too. nobody in real life will be sexist in some areas of their life and feminist in others. implying that this isn't the case shows a very poor understanding of feminist theory and ted lasso has more or less done a good job at not being sexist. i feel like this really excuses unacceptable behaviour that the show itself tells us, with rupert particularly, has very real consequences that perpetuate violence against women. to me, the light-hearted resolution of that whole scene was terrible and poorly written at best. people in the writers' room typed that scene, read through it, and did not find it weird at all. though it's not the first time in the third season, see: forgiving jamie's dad and far-right bigots (???).

and lastly, when people were asking for a love triangle resolution, they meant something fitting for the year of our lord 2023. healthy communication and conversations, mutual respect and love between the charactets, maybe even polyamory (3x11 had a great ot3 set up, too). nobody meant we wanted something from the fucking 1950s. literally the only worse way this could have played out would have been if keeley ended up with the one that caused the other more damage. legit disgraceful ending for roy and jamie as characters, and for the show as well. considering everything it has stood for so far.

(i'm sorry if this reads like i'm calling people out, i'm not, really, i'm just very mad. and also really sad, because i did not go into the ted lasso finale expecting unaddressed sexism. like that was Really Very Bad. for this show especially).

woahhh there's a lot going on here, anon. For anyone wondering, I'm assuming this is a response to this post of mine. While I don't mind discussion or being called out... this does feel like something that could've very well been your own post or an open response to mine instead of an anon note. Because if you've read my meta, you'll probably already know I'm not going to agree with you on this.

Just gonna drop a few short thoughts because I don't have energy to write a think piece when my broader thoughts are already contained in my original post:

I'm not sure where you think I was trying to excuse their words or pretending they weren't being sexist or like they weren't treating Keeley as a weapon in their own games or a prize to be won. I think there's a difference between excusing someone's actions versus trying to understand where they were coming from for the characters and where they are at now.

"while we're on the topic of violence, roy and jamie were never this violent with each other, even when they hated each other's guts" Roy & Jamie were literally beating each other up in the locker room and brawling right out there on the pitch in season 1, anon.

"Keeley and Roy were obviously trying to get back together, and Jamie wasn't one bit bothered by it." this is just not true. Roy was trying to get back together with Keeley. Keeley wasn't shown to be reciprocal (beyond sleeping with him, which is a repeated pattern of behavior for her on the show, and something she in fact did with Jamie in season one), and Roy misinterprets it, as Jamie misinterpreted it. In fact, I'd argue Roy deciding it was a good idea to try and make him and Keeley happen right there in Jamie's bedroom with Jamie crying to his mum one room over, shows he wasn't thinking about Jamie, not when it comes to Keeley. Roy wants what Roy wants and he assumed he was going to get it. And Jamie went through a whole journey of expressions when he opened that bedroom door, so I don't think it's fair to say he "wasn't one bit bothered." I think we've established at this point Roy and Jamie both love Keeley and have always been weird and jealous about it with the other.

"this scene normalizes the idea that it's perfectly forgivable to revert back to sexism whenever emotionally distressed" this scene didn't normalize anything, because the show immediately acknowledged that Jamie and Roy were both in the wrong and had Keeley rightfully kick them to the curb for it. The narrative was not that this is okay or acceptable behavior. I definitely didn't see the scene as light-hearted

"nobody in real life will be sexist in some areas of their life and feminist in others." i am a woman who considers herself very much a feminist. That doesn't mean I've never had moments of internalized misogyny or made harmful comments that buy into a patriarchal narrative, despite myself. Well-intentioned people make mistakes. We are all works in prog-mess trying to get through life as the best people we can be. Jamie and Roy, in my opinion, are fictional iterations of the same principle. I don't think this comes even close to destroying their entire characters in the way you are implying.

All the best x

#asks #roy kent #jamie tartt #keeley jones #ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers

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mlchaelwheeler · 2 years

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Mike, El, and familial coding

I think that one of the biggest arguments against Mike and El working out romantically (besides their fake behavior, the constant lying, the lack of communication, etc) is the numerous parallels between Mike and other familial characters in El’s life. In this analysis, I will be pointing out parallels both between Mike and the parental figures in El’s life (Hopper, Papa, and Joyce), while also highlighting the sibling-like narrative between Mike and El. This is going to get pretty long, so stick with me-- it will be worth it (hopefully)! I also noticed a few of these less-obvious parallels from reading other posts on here, so I’ll tag the op and a link to the post they pointed it out in. Ok, that aside, let’s dive in!

Parallels between Mike and the parental figures in El’s life, act I: Hopper (limiting El's independence)

Mike’s very first role in El’s life was that of a protector and teacher. He found her in the woods, took her to his house, and gave her a safe place to stay while the party searched for Will. This first scene of Mike and El meeting in the woods in S1 is our very first parallel to El and Hopper’s relationship: 1x01 vs. 2x03. In 1x01, Mike finds El in the woods, just like Hopper does in 2x03 (in a flashback). They both bring El to their respective home and take care of her, while also teaching her about the world. Mike teaches her about friendship (”a friend is someone you’d do anything for”) while Hopper teaches her about safety (”we’re not stupid”).

Up until the end of S1 when Mike kisses El (more on that later), he is taking on the role of a parental figure with her. She basically knows nothing about normal life, so the burden falls on Mike to teach her everything he knows. Just like Hopper, Mike teaches El new vocabulary ("promise," "mouthbreather," vs. "compromise," "brat"), how to tell time ("when the numbers read 3-1-5" vs. "it’s 8:15, not 8-1-5"), and what a good level of privacy is (Mike letting her keep the bathroom door open a crack vs. "three-inch minimum!"). At this point, Mike’s just a twelve-year-old kid, but he’s trying his best to be what El needs, as he needs her to find Will.

I also just want to quick mention the eggos here, because they’ve kind of become a romantic symbol for Mike and El among shippers, which I find funny. Sure, Mike made her eggos, but Hopper did too! He left them out in the woods for her and made a triple-decker-eggo-extravaganza as an apology. Also, is liking eggos the only personality trait Mike has cared to learn about El? That was just the first food he gave her-- it doesn’t mean they’re her favorite. Away from Mike’s influence, El has learned to like lots of new foods, such as milkshakes and pineapple pizza (which Mike calls "blasphemous" and is subtle queer-coding, but I digress).

Anyways, despite Mike and Hopper’s teachings, El begins to feel stifled in both relationships and decides to gain some independence. In 2x03, El leaves the cabin despite Hopper’s warnings, and in 3x03, El goes to the mall, only to be reprimanded by Mike. Both Hopper and Mike consistently believe that only they know what’s good for El, not giving her the space to be her own person.

Both situations blow up: with Hopper, they get into a fight and El uses her powers to smash up the cabin and then eventually runs away to Chicago-- she doesn’t see Hopper for the rest of the season until they reunite at the end of 2x08. Similarly, El going to the mall ends up with her and Mike getting in a fight, where she dumps him-- she then doesn’t see him until the group reconvenes to find Billy.

While we’re on the topic of reunions, let’s look at this clear parallel between 2x09 and 4x09. In 2x09, Mike and El reunite after a year of El being "dead." Mike tells El, "I never gave up on you. I called you every night." He first tells her how he felt about her going missing, and then follows with his action based on that sentiment. El and Hopper’s reunion in 4x09 is eerily similar, as they reunite after nearly a year of Hopper being "dead." El tells Hopper, "I never stopped believing. I kept [the door] open three inches." Just like Mike’s statement, El tells Hopper that she never believed he was actually gone, then follows up with an action based on that belief. They also both share a meaningful hug here, but Mike and El don’t kiss, which makes the reunion seem more platonic than romantic.

El also seeks support from Mike and Hopper in similar ways. In the "two days later" segment of S4V2, there is a clear parallel between El leaning her head on both Mike and then Hopper’s shoulder. The way the two shots are framed in position is nearly identical-- El doesn’t even try to hold Mike’s hand, she just leans into him the same way she does to Hopper.

Another thing Mike and El shippers like to claim as their thing is "bitchin.'" However, that’s funny because it started with El and Hopper in 2x09 when she shows up in Hawkins with a new look. Hopper notices that El has a new style and accepts that even though it’s different, it’s still cool. In 3x08, Mike and El have the same conversation, after he comments that he likes her new style. This happens again between them in 4x02 at Rink-O-Mania, which is supposed to be a romantic day for Mike and El, so it’s funny that this parental-type quote was brought up again. Both Mike and Hopper are being forced to confront that fact that El is moving on from needing them in every aspect of her life, and is instead finding her own independence.

In 3x03, Max brings up one of clearest parallels between Mike and Hopper for El. At the GAP, El asks Max how to know what she likes. At this point, El has been told what she likes by first Mike and then Hopper-- she's never even had the chance to consider what she herself might enjoy. Max tells El to think about her own heart, not Mike, not Hopper. This is important because it's dialogue that kick-starts El's independence arc in S3, which she can only do once she's apart from Mike and his overbearing influence.

Even though Mike started out as El's (really) only link to the normal world, it's clear that at this point in the narrative she doesn't need him anymore. Sure, he'll always be special to her-- which is why they'll be great friends once they realize they're not compatible romantically-- but they're not destined to be endgame. Mike was what El needed in S1. However, now she has Hopper, Joyce, Will, Jonathan, Max, and lots of other people who genuinely care about her well-being and support her.

Parallels between Mike and the parental figures in El’s life, act II: Papa (idolizing El's powers to an unhealthy degree)

Now before discussing the parallels between El's relationships with Mike and Papa, I want to make it clear that Papa is abusive. He's evil. He's irredeemable. Mike is none of those things. Does his relationship with El share some similarities though? Yes, yes it does. However, this is not to show that Mike is abusive of El. Instead, it's to show that El has moved past needing Mike, and has realized she can move forward independently on her own. That aside, let's continue!

One of the biggest parallels I noticed between Mike and Papa was made abundantly clear through dialogue in S4V1. In 4x02 after El attacks Angela with the roller skate (good for her!) Mike runs up behind her, and instead of comforting her, helping her with Angela, or being supportive, he just asks, "What did you do? What did you do?" This is also a parallel to go S1, in which after the party sees Will's body in the quarry, Mike yells at El, "What is wrong with you? What is wrong with you?" The exact same line from Mike at Rink-O-Mania is said by Papa in 4x02 after he finds El in the Rainbow Room (in El's flashback after hitting Angela).

Papa is shocked by what El has done with her powers, as she's (seemingly) spiraled out of control and done something terrible. Even though she didn't really kill all the kids, Papa still thought she did and blamed her for it. Similarly, at Rink-O-Mania, Mike is shocked by what El did to Angela, even without having powers. He obviously is not ok with what transpired, and does seem scared of her initially, based on his expression-- despite the lie he tells her during the monologue. Mike doesn't go after El, doesn't attempt to comfort her, and even blames her at dinner with the Byers family, causing her to storm up to her room (Mike doesn't care that this occurred nor does he try to fix it until the next day when he still refuses to take responsibility for his actions).

Another interesting parallel between Papa and Mike is what they actually refer to El as. In S1 and S4, Papa exclusively refers to El as "Eleven"-- it's the only name he calls her, as she's his special little experiment. When El meets the party in 1x02, Mike is the one to give her the nickname "El." The funny thing is, Mike is the character (besides Papa) who calls El "Eleven" the most often. Even though he picked the nickname, he still refers to her as "Eleven" (not "El," not "Jane") multiple times. Even during moments in which they should be comfortable with each other or baring their souls to each other (such as their fight in 4x03), Mike uses "Eleven" to refer to her.

The last stand-out parallel I'm going to be discussing between Mike and Papa in regards to their relationship with El is another dialogue cue from S4V2. When El escapes from NINA and gets her full powers back, Papa attempts to give her a little pep talk, telling her she'll "need to fly." Interesting choice of words, since those are not what her powers actually entail, but it's a throwaway line (seemingly). However, this exact sentiment is brought back in 4x09, during Mike's infamous monologue. About halfway through, he just starts spouting out words (nearly all lies), trying to get El to wake up. He overexaggerates her powers, claiming that "[she] can move mountains, [she] can fly."

Now, we know this is a lie. The closest El has come to flying was in 2x09 when she closed the gate at HNL and levitated. However, flying? Moving mountains? Michael. Let's think rationally here. Just like Papa, who idolizes El for her powers, Mike is once again putting El on a pedastal, only focusing on her superhero abilities when she wants to be loved despite her powers.

To Papa, El is his special little experiment, his best subject. To Mike, El is his superhero, his girlfriend who has saved the world twice. Their love for El doesn't really go beyond that construct. Papa never showed any real love for El, only for what she could be used for. Mike doesn't seem to love anything about El except that she's a superhero-- even when talking to Dustin, he can't find one personality trait or interest of El's to highlight, only the fact that she's a badass with powers. It's sad and stifling, and just like with Papa, El needs to accept the fact that Mike isn't good for her and move past their relationship so she can fulfill her independence arc.

Parallels between Mike and the parental figures in El’s life, act III: Joyce

This parallel isn't really an analysis, it's just more of an interesting observation in which again Mike is paralleled to one of El's parental figures. In this post by @bylerisrequited there is a clear parallel between 1x07 and 4x09.

There really isn't much to say about these scenes, but it is interesting that one of the only times Mike and El are alone during S4 is directly paralleled to a moment between El and Joyce. Perhaps it's foreshadowing that El only wants comfort from Mike in a familial way? It did seem like El was about to break up with him in this scene after all. Whatever the case may be, this parallel seems too spot-on to be accidental. It's simply another case of coding Mike as one of El's family members by paralleling him to her mother.

Narrative between Mike and El as siblings, act I: S1

Honestly, the sibling energy between Mike and El in S1 is through the roof. For almost half of S1, Mike is nothing but nice to El-- he wants to help her (because she'll help them find Will) and develops a fondness for her. However, does he actually like her romantically? No. The evidence? Let's take a look at 1x03, when Lucas tells Mike it's obvious he like-likes El. Mike is at first confused, then rejects the idea. It's clear that up until that point, he had never even considered liking El that way (I talked more about this moment here, if anyone's interested).

Throughout a lot of 1x02 and 1x04, El is paralleled to Nancy (Mike's sister). In the Wheeler's living room, El calls Nancy "pretty," then after dressing El up in Nancy's old dress the next day, Mike calls her "pretty, really pretty." This is a clear parallel that shippers love to call romantic between Mike and El-- it's not! It's just another dialogue cue paralleling El and Nancy.

Furthermore, during 1x08 (the scene that is supposedly Mike and El's "big romantic moment" of the season), El asks Mike if he'll be like her brother minutes before he kisses her. Now, it's important to look at the context here. El and Mike have known each other for less than a week at this point, and El has just started learning about the basics of normal human life and relationships. I'm positive that since she didn't even know what friendship was in 1x02, that she would have absolutely no idea what a romantic relationship would entail. Based on what she's learned from Mike, the only difference between a "sister" and a "girlfriend" is that you can't go to the Snowball with your sister, because it would be weird.

So far, Lucas has told Mike that he should like El romantically. Dustin had told Mike that Lucas is jealous of his focus being on El recently (despite the fact that it's to find Will). Nancy has asked Mike if he likes El. From all of the people closest to him, Mike keeps being bombarded with heteronormativity: meet a girl, develop feelings for her despite having nothing in common, fall in love with her, and date her-- because when you're a normal guy and you meet a nice girl, that's just what you do.

So when Mike remembers the snowball, of course he tells El that he can't be like her brother. The funny thing is, before saying this, Mike describes El as his sister. He says, "my mom will be like your mom, and Nancy can be like your sister." He then reaches himself in his mental list and gets confused, because he sees himself as her brother, but that isn't possible if he's supposed to like her romantically. So instead he says "no," he wouldn't be like her brother. When El is confused, Mike doesn't have a good explanation. He just kisses her because that's what you do next in a normal relationship. She's a cool girl and he's a regular guy, and they're apparently supposed to like-like each other, so the next logical step is kissing.

Another funny familial parallel between Mike and El is in 1x04, when she's introduced to Mr. Clarke as Mike's cousin from Sweden. Why Mike's cousin? She couldn't have been a visiting friend? A cousin of Dustin's? In my opinion (and especially with that wig), El looks more similar to Dustin in S1 than she does to Mike. Yet, the Duffers went out of their way early on to show the audience again that El and Mike are like family to each other-- not romantically oriented, but instead platonic.

One last clear dialogue parallel between Mike and El as siblings is in both 1x07 and 1x08, and was originally pointed out by @paladin-n-cleric in this post. When El finds Will at Castle Byers in the void, she holds his hand and does her best to reassure him. She tells him, "Just hold on a little longer." One episode later, when El is trying to gain back her strength from killing a bunch of soldiers, Mike holds her hand, and in a direct parallel to the earlier episode says, "Just hold on a little longer."

In 1x07, it was El reassuring Will, and they end up becoming siblings (true family) in S3-4. During an emotional moment between Mike and El later on, this exact same exchange occurs. The clear repeat of dialogue is a clue to the audience that hey! These two scenes are connected! Perhaps it's alluding to the fact that Mike and El are really just looking for family-like reassurance at that point, and nothing romantic.

Narrative between Mike and El as siblings, act II: S2

Even though Mike and El are separated for most of S2, their brief moments together are familial coded (in a romantically coded season between Mike and Will, I might add). I already discussed Mike and El's reunion scene in 2x09 paralleling El and Hopper's reunion in 4x09, so instead, let's talk about the Snowball. Despite being a romantic dance that Mike and El discussed in S1, it's actually very platonically coded for Mike and El, with clearly parallels to other character dynamics that are sibling-like in nature.

First, El's attire. It's extremely doubtful that Hopper bought El that dress she wears to the Snowball, or is the one who did her makeup. Now, it's possible Joyce did El's makeup, but where did the dress come from? It's a pretty widely accepted theory (at least here on byler tumblr) that El's dress is actually Nancy's. This is a pretty clear parallel already to the fact that El wore one of Nancy's old dresses nearly all of S1.

If we look at the framing of the actual Snowball though, Mike and Dustin are clear parallels throughout the entire dance. First, Will and Max (who Mike and Dustin are hoping to dance with, respectively) are asked to dance by other people, leaving Mike and Dustin looking forlornly at the dance floor. The way they're positioned make them clear parallels to each other. A bit later, El walks in and Mike, seeing her, smiles and starts dancing with her. In the next scene, Nancy asks Dustin to dance-- something an older sister (of sorts) would do, since Dustin was crying in the bleachers. Sure, Mike and El end up kissing, but that wasn't originally scripted-- MBB asked the Duffers to include that because otherwise "the fans would be disappointed."

Now, it's really interesting that Nancy makes an appearance at the Snowball, especially since Mike spells out this exact situation to El in 1x08 when he tells her you could go to the Snowball with your sister, but it would be weird. Nancy (who's like an older sister to Dustin) asks Dustin to dance because he's sad that Max doesn't love him. Similarly, Mike is dancing with El to get over moping the fact Will got asked to dance by a girl. El is fulfilling the same role as Nancy at the Snowball, which is another parallel to being like Mike's sister.

Narrative between Mike and El as siblings, act III: S3

So in S3 there's not a ton of sibling-type parallels between Mike and El, since they're officially "dating" and spend most season arguing and lying. However, @howtobecomeadragon pointed out a very interesting familial parallel in this post. After Mike blurts out that he "loves [El] and can't lose her again," he immediately regrets saying this. You can tell it was heat of the moment stuff (as Mike explicitly says in 3x07), and that while Mike genuinely does love El (though not romantically), he didn't like that he misconstrued their love to the entire group in Hopper's cabin.

The interesting thing is, once El walks out into the kitchen to ask what happened, Mike tells her they're having a "family discussion." Perhaps this is pointing to his true intention behind the outburst? El is obviously very important to Mike, so when she's in danger, of course he's worrying about losing her! He's already lost her once before and certainly doesn't want to go through that again. Yet when he blurted out his true feelings, everyone in the cabin misinterpreted it to be a love confession (especially telling in a season where codes and masked phrases are of the utmost importance). Mike truly was attempting to have a family discussion, like he told El.

This is also likely the reason why when she brings up this moment in 3x08, Mike at first can't remember saying that he loved her. It wasn't a big deal then, because he was speaking about her like he'd talk about any one of his friends. Yet, El is clearly implying something very romantic happened back at the cabin, which Mike doesn't remember. Probably because Mike didn't clock that moment at romantic at all, but instead as true familial concern.

Narrative between Mike and El as siblings, act IV: S4

So, again like S3, there isn't as much sibling coding between Mike and El, as they're in a (somewhat) established relationship. However, there are three interesting things I want to point out quickly.

First, in 4x03 after the Rink-O-Mania incident, Mike decides to finally check on El. He makes some eggos for her (familial coding in relation to Hopper; discussed above), but for some reason, also gets out the syrup. This is strange, as El has never been shown to use syrup before with her waffles in the show-- she always eats them plain. Now, there's two options for the syrup:

Mike has forgotten so much about El that he doesn't even remember how she likes to eat her "favorite" food. If this is the case, it's showcasing how much of a disconnect Mike and El truly have in their relationship. Eggos were the first thing Mike fed El, and it's apparently the only way Mike knows how to comfort her, and apparently he can't even get that right.

A less likely option, but a parallel to Mike and Nancy's relationship in S1. If you remember back to 1x01, during a family breakfast, Mike pours syrup all over Nancy's food, annoying her greatly. It's a typical sibling interaction, showcased in the introductory scene to the Wheeler family. Now, in 4x03, Mike is pouring syrup on El's breakfast, most likely greatly annoying her-- just like with Nancy, another sibling parallel between the two.

The second sibling narrative parallel was noticed by @naturallybrielle in this post. It's obvious that when the Cali crew reunites with El in 4x09, more emphasis is put on her reunion with Will than with Mike. Furthermore, her reunion with both Mike and Will are framed nearly identically (except for her forehead touch with Mike-- though it's important to note that they don't kiss, which is perhaps a parallel to their reunion in 2x09, which I discussed earlier).

El and Will's reunion-- between siblings-- is paralleled nearly the same to El and Mike's reunion. Isn't this strange if they're supposed to be a main romantic couple that's reuniting after a big fight? You'd think the emphasis would go to their reunion and it would maybe include a kiss. However, El and Will are the emphasis here, as he seems more concerned with her well-being than Mike does. Here again, Mike is given a "sibling reunion" with El-- an interesting choice if they are in fact endgame (here's a hint: they're not).

As a last note, let's quick look at the framing of the monologue. I already discussed this here, but for a quick recap, it's important to note the camera shots used. In a true romantic confession, the shots would be close, tight shots on just Mike and El to convey the depth of their emotion. Is this the case? No. During the entire monologue, Will is mostly in view (in Mike's shots), and there are shots that cut back and forth between Jonathan and Will, as well as Mike. This is just to reinforce the idea that the monologue isn't romantic! It's simply El's family concerned about her well-being and trying to get her out of the mindscape, safe and alive. If the Duffers wanted this to be the "big romantic moment of the season," this scene could've been shot in a much more convincing way. Instead, Jonathan and Will (El's brothers), were also heavily included to make it clear that this is just about family-- not romance.

All together, this analysis should be quite compelling evidence that while Mike does love El, it's not in a romantic manner. He loves her like a sister-- like a part of his family. The numerous parallels to El's parental figures (no matter the role in her life, whether positive or detrimental) as well as the building of a sibling narrative between them further deters the idea of them ending up as a couple.

Why would these parallels exist throughout all the seasons if Mike and El are written to be the big romantic couple? It didn't happen with Lumax. Or Jancy. Or Byler (never once has Mike said he "loves Will like a brother"-- and there have been countless opportunities to do so). Mike and El simply aren't meant to be. They're very important to each other, but unfortunately, they haven't quite figured out in what way yet.

#this took SO long 🫠 i hope everyone enjoys 4500 words of proof that milkvan is not endgame <3 #also sorry about the screenshot quality bc i took this with my phone from netflix on my computer sjdhfhdhd #but. pls enjoy and lmk your thoughts!!#byler #stranger things analysis #sarah.txt

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