#you wouldn't like me if you met me

[asyouleft]

ME: *gains 5 followers on A03 overnight*

ALSO ME:

#talked about this in therapy this morning lmao #how I am unable to comprehend that people enjoy talking to me #or like anything i do #like really? me? you must be mistaken my dude #you wouldn't like me if you met me

[aroaceleovaldez]

i still think a lot about how technically, it's implied Anubis and Walt started dating each other before they asked out Sadie, and if Sadie had said she wasn't interested they would have gone "Entirely fair have a nice day" and proceed to just go continue to date each other.

Cause like, that was the entire thing. They decided that themselves. That things would work best if they were together (as in both physically sharing a body and also relationship-wise). The "asking Sadie about it" part was secondary. If she had said no, they would have stayed together, because among other things Walt would kind of die if they didn't. Walt and Anubis are technically the first gay couple in the Riordanverse. AND they're in a polyamorous relationship with Sadie. Why does no one talk about them ever.

#tkc #the kane chronicles #riordanverse #walt stone #anubis tkc #sadie kane #saltnubis #< great ship name btw #and for anyone who says ''i dont think Rick intended that'' mind you this book was released like #six months before HoH came out (and. subsequently also. Nico.) #like. Rick was not ignorant of queer stuff at that time. he was actively writing it into HoO/HoH while writing both simultaneously #if Sadie had said no they wouldn't have just gone ''okay Sadie pick one of us and the other will cease to exist on the mortal plane'' #they would have gone ''okay well good luck we have a coffee date scheduled so we're gonna go do that'' #saltnubis is still probably the most entertaining solution to a love triangle in middle grade media i have ever encountered #even some YA media. just ''yeah so we solved both our major problems by dating but like. we know you like both of us sooooo...?'' #also hilarious that meanwhile Carter's romance arc is ''so turns out my first girlfriend was a clone made of pottery'' #''and the actual girl has never met me and this is kinda awkward''

[oifaaa]

Bridgerton is one of my comfort shows mostly bc I think its so funny that the Bridgerton family is just the worst they're all deeply unlikeable insufferable people and watching each of them find love despite how utterly horrible they all are gives me hope

#im rewarching the show rn and GOD #daphine if i met you irl itd be on SIGHT #the man told you #he couldn’t give you children #so if you married #you wouldn't get children #and you were like fine unhappy but you love him #the second you found out it was a person's choice you do that to him #no nope no #also i just found out that gregory names all his children after his siblings #which i am choosing to believe means #the whole bridgerton family is wiped out in the great fire of london #leaving Gregory the soul surviver #do not correct me if im wrong #this is what im choosing to believe

[owlpellet]

i know there's a lot of ego and assumptions about my own susceptibility to manipulation going on here but i truly think i am immune to most cults. not even from a bullshit detection standpoint, but from a standpoint of every account i have ever heard/read of someone finding themselves in a cult or mlm includes descriptions of social situations that would overstimulate and stress me out so bad that i would vomit and leave immediately. a road trip with strangers? a self-improvement seminar? giving out my phone number to someone i met in an aisle at target? having to host a recruitment party? the constant hype machine behavior? love-bombing? the pressure to socialize? unpaid morning zoom calls? maybe it's because i never went to church as a kid but i have no concept of "faith" in something unseen nor do i ache for a "community" larger than a handful of fellow hobby-havers, so the idea of manufacturing a new passion just to fit into a crowd i otherwise have nothing in common with sounds like a type of psychological torture customized for me specifically. i barely muster passion for the things i like.

i can understand completely how people get sucked into them and don't think it's something on which character should solely be judged. most people actually do ache for that community, and most people are actually flattered and not freaked out if someone begins to fawn over them, because we are social creatures isolated by capitalism and crave comfort and validation from others. but on my mother, if a new friend dragged me to a "show" that turned out to be a motivational speaker my departure would be so rude and abrupt. i am too fucking autistic to chant affirmations with an auditorium of 1000 people.

if i am ever victimized by a "cult" it'll probably be more of a final fantasy house low-scale personality cult sort of situation. while i would hope better for myself, a charismatic online person warming up to me until i'm sucked into their little circle of sycophants they have collected is not outside the realm of imagination, and all i can hope is that my true friends will be honest enough about catching bad vibes that it never happens.

#can't sleep just thoughts #binged a lot of videos last night about cults and mlms since grifts are a special interest #and every single time without fail i'm just thinking #god this wouldn't work on me #what the narrator describes as a fun time with a group of new friends sounds like actual Hell to me #what do you MEAN you attended a seminar with someone you met on a layover??? #no it's the niche fandom spider queens who collect pet artists that will get me one day

[bluewlnteroses]

i just keep thinking about harley getting to know the truth about why peter is alone and finding out why people don't remember him and for a moment thinking he's glad he got to meet him after everything went down and immediately feel guilt and shame because its not fair peter went through so much pain and had to leave everyone he knew behind but,,,, just thinking about meeting each other before and getting to know peter and then completely forget him makes his feel sick

#but harley my baby you did #there was another crying teenager at the funeral that knew exactly what you were feeling in that moment #you just don't remember him #i feel like the world could have ended right there and peter wouldn't have notice #theres a blank space since the moment tony died until weeks after the funeral so can u blame him for not remembering harley? #they met in one of the worst days of each other's life #i just can't stop thinking about them realizing they met before and being absolutely devastated on how close they were to losing each other #because yes they met they talked and acknowledge their bond with tony but they were grieving #they talked for a couple of minutes but they didn't keep in contact they didn't become friends just like that #but now they can't possibly think about not being in each other's life #and to think they were close to lose that without even realizing it.. #ugh im sad don't pay attention to me #once again i do NOT care about the english language so dont bother i know there might be typos #harley keener #parkner #but platonic parkner works just fine too

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

Ignore all logistical considerations of "would they ever meet each other under these circumstances". If you don't think Jules Bashir would have chosen to join Starfleet, imagine he is on the station for some other reason, or they meet in some other location.

I wanted to make this poll because I've seen various fics where Garak reassures Julian that far from being upset over him being augmented, Garak is grateful for it, either explicitly because (he thinks) they wouldn't be able to have their usual conversations if it weren't for the augmentations, or simply because he likes Julian "just the way he is" and wouldn't want him to be "different". I disagree that Garak would think like this (or at the very least, I think Julian would react negatively if he did, rather than be reassured), so I wanted to hear everyone else's thoughts.

#garashir #Star Trek: Deep Space 9 #this is not just a shipping question btw so please answer whether you view them platonically/romantically/whatever! #Julian Bashir #polls #Starky's original posts #I'll admit. to me there is a very clear right and wrong answer here. #again not in terms of Garak's characterization so much as in terms of JULIAN'S. #I would be fine if Garak said this and Julian felt at least somewhat conflicted about it but I've never seen even that........ #I've wanted to make this post for SO LONG but it's a very common thing in a lot of fics that I otherwise REALLY LIKE #from authors that I REALLY LOVE AND ADMIRE #and I have no idea if I'm just being completely insane and oversensitive OTL #but I just read yet another fic where Garak was like ''I have no choice but to be grateful you were genetically enhanced #because Jules would never have joined Starfleet so we never would have met.'' #and I just want to yell WHY DO YOU ALL ASSUME THAT #like not even getting into assuming that Jules would be permanently significantly intellectually disabled #based on limited information about his early childhood developmental delays #but more importantly assuming he wouldn't (read: couldn't. because I KNOW that's what you mean.) end up on the station #You! Star Trek fan! Do you think people with intellectual or learning disabilities are allowed in Starfleet? Answer quickly! :) #sorry I told you I've held onto this for too long. and now I'm a deranged bitch about it :|

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

Growing up in an extremely ultra religious, cult-like family was a mindfuck for multiple reasons but that doesn't stop unfortunately, even when you escape. For example, see: The overwhelming feeling of boiling hatred and shame for who you used to be.

The angry hatred for the past person I used to be, the version of myself that mindlessly parroted my family's beliefs and listened to their every command, constantly simmered under my skin and invaded my every thought. I was embarrassed of what I used to be- even as I made friends of different ethnicities and faiths, as I listened and explored new ideas and worlds that I never knew existed, as I started the first LGBTQ+ club at my school and volunteered with kids who deserved so much more- there was always a little voice in the back of my head.

"They would hate you if they knew what you were. They would hate the horrendous teachings that were seared into your mind, the things that you used to say and believe. You are nothing but a pretender."

And it is true that my beliefs were bigoted in all the worst ways. It is true that I believed truly heart-wrenching things without a second thought and judged others in such harsh and unfair ways. I told myself that there was no coming back from that, not really. There was nothing I could do to ever make up for it.

Then I remembered that the person who said those things wore velcro light up sneakers and collected finger puppets that the librarians handed out as awards for reading picture books. The person that held signs at pro-life rallies and anti-LGBTQ+ protests had a cherished sticker book and hunted minnows in the creek after school and adored their puffle on club penguin and was really into greek mythology and had skinned knees from climbing trees at recess and knew every Disney song by heart and was absolutely terrified of the dark.

That person was a child.

I was a child.

It took a really long time. Years and years of reflection and distance, but I've decided that I can't hate the past version of myself anymore. I feel pity and remorse, I feel anger- I feel so much fury and violent rage- at what my childhood was and I grieve what could- no, should- have been, but I no longer resent who I was.

I'm not ashamed.

I am so, so, so unbelievably proud of that little kid. For being brave enough to leave the comfort and safety of what I was told was right. For not being afraid to be wrong. For seeking out information and knowledge in a culture that praised ignorance. For questioning everything, relentlessly.

I am by no means a perfect person, I never have been and I never will, but I am proud of myself in every iteration that has ever existed because I know that I have never stopped trying to understand and learn and grow, and I never will.

If you have ever been in a similar situation and feel similar things, first of all: My condolences on your lost childhood. Second of all: Please be nice to that past version of yourself and recognize all the hard work they did to make you who you are today. That person was a survivor and an inspiration. They deserve nothing but love.

#started anti depressants recently. kinda had an epiphany. i can't hate who i was. if i met me now i wouldn't blame that tiny child #for their rancid beliefs or for being dragged to protests. because thats a CHILD. i HAVE met kids in that position and i feel nothing but #pity and anger on their behalf. so why am i holding that version of myself to a higher standard? #i could not have known what i know now at 6 or 8 or 10. the same way that i could not have written a college level essay at that age #but i did what i could. in my own 8 y/o way. i believed in love and humanity and happiness. i was just misguided in the 'hows' of it all #and i am so so so so so proud. of every single microscopic step that i took. every question i asked. every thought that i hid and protected #and pondered secretly at night until new ideas and doubts bloomed like a dandelion through the pavement #and I'm so proud that i chased that doubt. that i asked why why why why until their ears bled and their voices were raw #until their answers stopped adding up. until i sought knowledge elsewhere with a mind dehydrated and malnourished and begging for knowledge #in any form i could get. i just. if i could hug that kid? if i could right now reach out and give that terrified and lonely child a hug? #i would. a million times over. #anyway sorry for the intense personal rant I'm just going through it rn and I'm like.... actually feeling alright #its wild. did you guys know about this??? anti depressants make you NOT depressed??? shits insane fam #irl #personal

[time-is-restored]

im seeing so many people say that sophietexas said shit she unequivocably Did Not Say so like. just for my own peace of mind.

when dream asked what she'd said about him/george, she explained that she had tweeted a friend's misogynistic experience with george (without details), which she took down because it 'caused more harm than good' and 'it was becoming more about me [than the victim]'.

they shared a screenshot of the tweet with him

dream, assuming there was more to the story (apparently he'd been told she was talking shit about him?) asked what else she'd said. he also asked why he/george wouldn't know what incident she was referring to if it was 'that bad'

sophie clarified they only tweeted about george, and said the interaction in question was not assault, and they wasn't accusing george of that

dream asked for more details, accusing them of not wanting to 'hear another perspective'. basically saying it wasn't fair that they'd say this shit when it could be a 'miscommunication' or not true

sophie said again she wasn't going to say anything else because it wasn't her story to tell

dream said that was ridiculous, and asked why they'd had positive interactions in the past if she was so negative towards them now

sophie explained george had ignored them + therefore been rude, didn't mention the context, and DREAM said it 'probably happened' in an among us lobby. made a comment about how he'll 'never know' why they don't like him

sophie said she didn't like his attitude. dream said it was hard to have a nice attitude when he was getting texts from people asking why everyone on twitter thinks he's a 'serial rapist'

sophie said that the conversation was getting unproductive, and that she wasn't going to expose her friend. she said she doesn't wish for dreams downfall, and she just wants the creator space to be safer

now, about what she DIDN'T say/do:

she did not accuse george of 'being a misogynist because he ignored her in an among us lobby'. she mentioned that they had been in among us lobbies when dream said he didn't remember her. separately to that, she said that george had ignored her when they'd spoken. seperately to that, the misogynistic behaviour accusation was her sharing a friend's personal experience. all she ever said was that george was rude to her.

they did not accuse george of assaulting anyone (aside from expressing support for caiti), and they clarified that their friend's negative experience was Specifically Not Assault before they deleted all related tweets.

she did not accuse dream of literally anything. i cannot emphasise this enough. dream clearly thought/was told that she said something abt him, and kept asking what 'else' she said apart from the tweet (which she willingly showed). again, all she said about dream was that she thought he was nice, and now thinks he has a bad attitude.

sophie did not share her friend's story in detail because that wasn't what the friend wanted. if you think that's shady, please consider that dream went public in order to accuse connor + sophie of saying shit about him/george without having proof. if sophie had named her friend, or given details, that knowledge would've become public too. then please consider the reaction that caiti has received these past few weeks, after accusing george of something george admitted to. consider the ways people are still calling her a liar, or a clout chaser, or of exaggerating/changing her mind and calling it assault after the fact, after george has agreed that what she said happened happened. would you, knowing that context, want to expose your friend (who already didn't want to come forward personally!) to that level of scrutiny and judgement?

leave sophie the fuck alone come on guys. their 'crime' is not liking george or dream and expressing that to dream's face. they made a tweet on behalf of a friend which they took down bc they felt it was detracting from caiti's story. that's literally it.

#anyway if anyone looks at this interaction and genuinely cannot understand why sophie wouldn't give more details #like. i don't know what to say to you. a statement as mild as 'george ignored me' was met with interrogation #downplaying and acting as if she was incorrect for feeling hurt. that's not how interpersonal conflict works interestingly enough #anyway. sophietexas PLEASE get behind me holy shit #ppl are acting like they cussed him out and accused him of war crimes. she literally said he had a bad attitude can we please get some #perspective #sophietexas #sa cw

[sciderman]

Sometimes i remember a comics moment i randomly came across somewhere, where Sam Wilson mentiones a musical and Steve Rodgers says he doesn't like musicals, to whitch Sam goes "Guess that means you really are straight" and even tho i don't care about Cap America or the Avengers, the moment stuck in me for that quote by Sam. And like....Sci, any ideas if straight men actually don't like musicals or is that bullshit?

actually i think i know more gay men who hate musicals than i know straight men who hate musicals. i've had a drag queen stop me point blank when i was about to sing a barbra streisand song, and i know so many gays who pointedly hate abba. so based on my experience i think the inverse is true. most of the straight men i know are kind of impartial about musicals, but gay men? hate.

my theory is that a lot of gay men don't want to fall into stereotypes, maybe. but thaaaaat's just a theory! a gay theory.

#sci speaks #i'm trying to understand the gays. they are a mystery to me. #i've seen a lot more toxic masculinity coming from gay men than i have from straight men. #i think it makes sense. they have less women in their lives. so they reckon with a lot more masculinity. more dick measuring. #also gay men have some of THE most unhealthy romantic relationships i've ever seen in my life. #this isn't a blanket statement on everyone but just from what i've seen. it's such a strange pattern i've observed. #lesbians? healthy. straights? usually healthy. gay men? universally a tire fire that makes me say “if you hate each other so much ??” #“why are you together??????????” #i have never met a cis gay mlm couple in real life that was healthy. every single one of them made my eyes widen in horror. #i want them to be healthy. please treat each other better. #the number of bitchy bitchy fights i've seen between mlm couples in public that make me so terrified #but i know mlm relationships in general are usually less... affectionate than wlw relationships. even and especially friendships. #just an observation. #i hate to say that there is a definite difference between amab vs afab experiences when it comes to relationship dynamics but. #of course there is. there is. as much as i want to say gender and sex do not matter. it really does. #it makes a difference. it does. #which is kind of why i'm glad i was born in the body i was. when people say “trans means you feel you were born in the wrong body” #im like.. i don't think that's true. i don't think that's true for me. #i wouldn't be me if i wasn't born the way i was. and i want to be me. but i'm a boy. i'm a boy but in the body that i have. #my body is still a boy's body. because i live in here. #sorry this went off on a tangent. #but yeah i know my brain would be different if i was amab. and i don't want all those other issues. #i think the only reason i'm so peaceful and serene is because i'm afab. and afabulous. #i see cis guys and im like.. yeah i don't want what you got. #once again! lucky to be me! i'm lucky. im lucky i have a vargooba. thank fuck for that! #couldve been so much worse off. could've been born with a dick and would be fighting for my life right now.

[catilinas]

Hey as the foremost cool classics person I follow I was wondering if you could help me - I have searched everywhere and I havent been able to find anything other than brainyquotes as a source. Do you know whether the quote "There is no such thing as pure pleasure; some anxiety always goes with it" attributed to Ovid is actually BY Ovid? Its a good quote but is this another Troy (2004) fake homer quote scenario? Have i been hoodwinked?

hi hello i have had a look also (a long look) and i am Pretty sure it's a misattribution. but i can't find the actual author And i havent Read And Memorised All Of Ovid so i can't be Certain. the oldest place i found it attributed to ovid was the forbes quote of the day page (??) from 2001. i had a look in the 1998 oxford world's classics translation of the metamorphoses and it wasn't in there, but like. there are other pre-2001 translations of the met, and also other ovid. so it still could be out there. the earliest place i found the quote at All is in whatever the fuck this website is ??? i have no clue what's going on there but it Seems to be from 1995 and does not mention ovid. i think you may have been hoodwinked :/

#as always mutuals who know more than me about ovid HELLO if you recognise this! #i would say He Would Not Fucking Say That but internal narrators saying things he wouldn't is like. his whole thing #AND i have only read book 3 of the met. so who can say!!! #ovid #beeps

[bugbugboy]

"Crowleys hair gets redder the more love he gets so in season 3 it will fade" blah blah blah blah blah you're arrested what if my man just wanted to change things up new hair new me whatever it doesn't always have to be so deep what if he just saw that the colour was 66.6 and had a giggle to himself and bought it what if he just felt like it what if aziraphale said it suited him what if-

#im just saying if that were true crowley's hair wouldve been different throughout ages #according to that his hair wouldn't have had colour when they met #THAT BEING SAID IF YOU LIKE THIS IDEA THEN IM NOT SAYING YOU CANT OK #i hate that i have to say that 😭 #also if you write a really angsty fic about this then... just... give me a shout #i love me some angst #good omens #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #david tennant #michael sheen #good omens 2 #good omens s2

[izpira-se-zlato]

just watched Alessandra's new MV and listened to the song, and -- yeah, okay, that got me right in the feels.

The song resonates on such a personal level... like. It describes my 2023 so well; and of course it wasn't the same as Alessandra's, but it was because of her and the cool, amazing people she became friends with (and shared a small part of) that I went out, that I got out of my shell, travelled on my own, met incredible people and --

Maybe I've cried Maybe I've laughed And maybe it's sad It was the best year of my life

Yeah I've been so mad Yeah I've been so reckless But when I look back It was the best year of my life

#yeah sorry I-- #I am not okay #I briefly considered tagging the people I met #but it's so many that I wouldn't trust myself to tag all of them #but like #thank you #thank you to everyone who shared a bracelet with me in a queue #who grinned at me inside the venue #to everyone who chatted with me while waiting #who squeed together #who sang Käärijä and Joker Out songs in impromptu renditions #thank you to the friends in my pocket #thank you to all of you #thank you to the rollo clowns and to the friends who joined me in my madness #I'll be in my corner and crying if you need me #isz speaks

[bumblingbabooshka]

One of Tuvok's charm points is that in any other series he'd be a one-off Vulcan antagonist that our main cast shows what's what through the power of friendship or the human spirit or what have you. I love him dearly for that.

That didn't happen!

#& I love Janeway for charming him into becoming her ride-or-die despite this #I wish we knew more about their friendship - like...how they get along even outside of work #bea art tag #Spock #Tuvok #star trek #st voy #I think who a character is close to shows some of their personality #and it's interesting to me that- wait I think I should just make a completely different post #Anyway in this one ... I like how Tuvok was a bit more loudmouthed and brash when he was younger #In a rebellious way when he was a teen and in a narc way when he was a young adult #I know Tuvok probably didn't meet Spock face to face but wouldn't it be funny? #Everyone: Wow! You met SPOCK!? / Tuvok: ...........(only spoke to argue against him) Yes.

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

AFTERMARE WEEK: day 3- light and heavy

a wedding ring; usually made of gold, platinum, or silver. it's given by one partner to the other as a symbol of commitment

such a small and deceptively light object should not be very heavy, but that does not prevent it from holding the crushing weight it's promise implies.

aftermare week is hosted by @bluepallilworld

#illustration #my art #aftermare week #aftermare week 2023 #utmv #geno sans #geno #fem!geno #aftermare #me: aren't the clothes too modern for the medieval times story you wanna go for- #also me: well all the clothes i tried on her looked off and i don't even KNOW the era they're in so figure that out later!! #hope that ring metaphor makes sense cause i sure as hell doubt my english was 100% correct hhhh xD #also i'm sorry but the more i think about this made up au of mine the more i wanna flesh it out and tell you guys about my headcanons cause #i imagined how they met; the dialogue- geno's illness- the angst and the fluff- and my two braincells are just fighting eachother hhh xD #half is like 'well write that story!!' and the other just whines 'nooo i don't have the storytelling skills for that' and i'm like!!! #i'll just do a compromise and draw the full designs first once i have the time >:) #no promises for the writing tho cause i know not many would like to read that and it's been a while since i touched notepad so yknow xD #anyways blue if you're reading this please take all the time you need before reblogging anything!! #i know your heart wouldn't be into it otherwise and i get that >:')c don't forget to look after yourself you precious bean<3333

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

Adorned by stars | Changing States

When he hits the I-70, Jeremiah slots George Michael’s Faith into his ’98 Accord and drives with the windows down. His mother would chide him for two reasons: a) he’s wasting fuel and b) it’s begun to storm. But he likes the way the wind shears through his hair like a nail breaking drywall and he likes the way spats of rain settle on his skin like constellations because on the road, he isn’t just a hand for someone else to hold, a body to handle, a man who looks at another man and fears how much of himself he’s lost in his reflection. No. On the road he is the sky, adorned by stars of his own making, relentless in his abundance, blinking in the absence of any other light.

A little Changing States aesthetic & excerpt!

i'm so normal about him i'm so normal i'm so normal i'm so-

#i can't wait to explain more about this project when I actually get into it #like there's no plot rn but the vibes are impeccable #BUT I DO HAVE A LOGLINE: after a whirlwind romance devastatingly ends #jeremiah moves back to his hometown in maryland for support #only to receive word there’s been a death in the family the day he's set to arrive. #“WHIRLWIND ROMANCE DEVASTATINGLY ENDS” YEAHHH BYEEE #harrison fucked this man up i'm MADDDDDD #you know that scene in BB where harrison's pissed off at the congregation and turns and goes DO ANY OF YOU WANT PITCHFORKS??? #the answer rn should be yes BECAUSE WE'RE HUNTING HIM FOR SPORT (quoting That Post) anyway let me be serious #CW: death/grief talk #like i said this is a little autofiction-y in the sense that last yr my family had a maryland trip planned and right before we left #there was a death in the family (I didn't know the person well but it affected my parents/grandparents/uncles a lot) #so what was a trip to just see family was a trip to go to a funeral #anyway I was thinking about those circumstances and what that's like (like packing funeral clothes when they weren't originally in the plan #and what that funeral was like/how interesting it is that times of grief are also times where family reuintes #as I saw people who wouldn't have ever met me or last met me when I was very little #it was also joyous in ways etc while also being incredibly sad to witness the grief anyway so I was drawn to write about that #because I think about that trip a LOT (I was getting back into SV at the time) #and that was the first time I'd been in MD in a long time (just like this is the first time Jeremiah's been in MD in a long time) #for me it was 4 years so maybe I'll make it a similar timeline for him! #anyway Jeremiah means so much to me ughhhh I’m so grateful I created him #changing states

[maddy-ferguson]

controversial opinion but i dont think the duffers set up byler well, lets be real most of the fandom outside of our echo chamber doesn't think byler is going to become canon. and like idk but i agree that they should have at least broken up mlvn and resolved the monologue issue (preferably not include it even) if they were going for the byler route. same for will's importance or even mike's importance for the plot. removing them from the show's main narrative doesn't make a good case for their importance in the story in the penultimate, esp when they received minimum screentime in this season. it's not the audience's fault to think mlvn is endgame or will or mike are unimportant when the way they've been handled were lackluster and when cali plot.... Was Like That. plus they gave it all to el's character lol. ofc ppl gonna think she's the protagonist when she was the one who opened the gate and created vecna and when mike spends the entire season talking about her. redpill but it's not making much sense here when the narrative is criticized in the byler fandom, acting like the writers did a perfect job in terms of setup is just being wilfully blind atp.

i think people not expecting it is the point though. like yeah it's obvious because when they did the same thing on a smaller scale with nancy's love triangle at the end of season 1 (her spending most of the season with jonathan them bonding and her and steve fighting but then still being together in the epilogue) most people could see that jonathan and nancy were gonna be together and not one person was called delusional for thinking that. but i really think the juxtaposition is the point, it's a queer couple so even with a similar storyline people don't expect it because of heteronormativity etc which is kind of depressing but it's also what's gonna make it happening even better...#imho

for the monologue, obviously i don't ENJOY IT but i don't hate it because i think it's interesting for el? whether you think she believed him or not, whether or not you think she was gonna break up with him at sbp, i think having him tell her he loves her makes it so no one can be like "but if mike had said he loved her everything would've been fine!" i like them going all the way in that sense. i think it's good for us as an audience to have that, this way there's no what ifs. it makes it apparent that their relationship couldn't be fixed by mike saying i love you and also that their fight in lenora wasn't only about mike and about their relationship, like mike never thought she was a monster that was all el, and him telling her that she's not a monster won't fix that internal struggle for her. and it also won't help her grow beyond the monster/superhero dichotomy.

i don't like will and mike being away from the supernatural plot either but yk i do think it's because they're important for the resolution of that storyline and that that's also supposed to come as a surprise. for mike well i don't actually know that he is, but i certainly know will is and i think they did set that up pretty well. he's not in episode 7 but they reveal that the upside down is frozen on the day he disappeared, he's in hawkins for five minutes but the season ends with him talking about his connection to vecna and everyone and their mother is reminded of the fact that will is a vital part of the supernatural plot. people don't necessarily think he's gonna be the key to resolving the upside down and vecna thing for good (no matter what that looks like, i'm expecting it to be both el and will because it kind of is the el show + we'll fix it together + lucas and erica (siblings) being the mvps of the basketball game and the dnd game that has a lot of foreshadowing in episode 1 etc) because el's the one who's always done it pretty much by herself...but it's also never worked. not for long anyway. i would say that like byler (but not as shocking because it's not someone assumed to be straight turning out to be gay) it's supposed to make people go oh why have i never thought of that of course will would be an integral part of the ud resolution this makes so much sense!!! when it happens. and characters also always expect el to be the one to fix it just like they don't expect byler to happen. meta.

and again i don't LOVE mike and will's thing being the conversational roadtrip only in season 4, but i get why they did it like i see the vision. i see where you're coming from and i agree that most people not seeing byler coming isn't necessarily their fault (even though i said it's similar to nancy's s1 triangle and everyone expected it then. nancy never gave steve an i love you i've loved you forever i'll love you forever speech, major difference), i really think it's NOT supposed to be that obvious. even though it is kind of. i get wishing they had broken up mlvn in volume 2 and i certainly would've liked not having to see bylers be called delusional 24/7 but i think mlvn breaking up would've made byler endgame wayy too obvious and if they wanted it to be obvious to the girls that get it only i think they've accomplished that. same with will and the supernatural plot. and everyone is free to not like it still, i just don't think that means the set up isn't good.

very last paragraph. i don't think everything they've ever written is perfect. i don't even think every decision that's been made by the st team regarding WILL's queerness is perfect like (this is another conversation) having noah deny the gay allegations on will's behalf a month before having him say oh yeah he is gay it's obvious is crazy to me it's no surprise that people feel like it's an afterthought and like byler is never gonna happen. even though i obviously disagree with them. fin.

#parenthesis inception #obviously i think the monologue is also interesting for mike and for byler and for will depending on how they deal with it in s5 (can you #imagine hearing your bff that you happen to be in love with tell your new sister who saved your life a bunch of times that he's in love #with her that's bad enough but also that his life started the day he met her which also happens to be about 24 hours after your life change #4ever in the worst possible way like you were fighting for your life in the ud and he makes it sound like #he was having a great time and falling in love and yeah he was #looking for you but also finding himself a girlfriend and that's the thing he'll remember for the rest of his life. you're being mean stop #it wouldn't even be enough in this situation like i would have a very hard time believing that my bff i'm in love with loves me back or #even cares about me at all. but yk i'm not the duffer brothers' oc who knows what they'll do) #el fixing it and it not lasting long is also true of everyone trying to fight the ud with guns btw like yeah nancy is very badass and it's #great that she...likes firearms? idk. idk how to say it but i get that it's a positive thing for her character but at the end of the day #vecna literally walked away lmao like that was not a win #ask