Latest Posts by trd12345 - Page 6

Byler doubt has seeped into my mind and the thing about it is I see an argument for Mileven and Byler.

I will briefly mention that the fact we hardly see Will and Eleven interact onscreen kills me. These two understand the Upside Down and supernatural crap in a way the whole group does not and it kills me we don’t see them talk about it. Not only that, but they are among the most selfless of the group and they have received nothing in return.

Anyway, here’s my reasoning for both:

Originally I was like “Y’know what? Yeah, Will hasn’t got a single good thing going for him like the entire show, he deserves something good and Byler canon would be perfect.” But couldn’t the same be said for Eleven? She’s suffered just as much if not more. If anyone deserves someone romantically I’d argue it’s her over Will.

However, I am not saying Eleven needs a man. What Eleven has always needed most was a sense of belonging and an exploration into who she is. In support of Byler it would make the most sense that she needs to explore her autonomy and figure out who she is and what she wants. Her whole life has been for everyone but her. As much as Hawkins needs Eleven’s help, I hope we can spend some time for her to discover herself and gain control of her life in Season 5. Her best future would be without Mike romantically, it would be with Mike and the party platonically. She needs support and love from friends and family. She needs to know she has value beyond what she can do for others and beyond her powers. She needs to know she matters.

Eleven wants to feel like a normal teenage girl and doesn’t want to feel like she’s wrong or a mistake. Max gave her the chance to be a normal teenage girl and Eleven’s happiest memories are from time spent with Max. I’d also like to add that these moments with Max subvert the makeover trope because she wants Eleven to discover what she likes rather than Max choosing for her. Max has always wanted to give Eleven exactly what she wants: autonomy and normalcy.

Will needs romantic love. Eleven needs support and platonic love from those around her, and while Will needs support as well, him receiving romantic love would help him justify his existence. He feels like a mistake and that his love for Mike is wrong. Will gave up on Mike’s love in an attempt to save Eleven’s relationship. Will needs to feel like he matters, especially to his best friend and possible love interest Mike. Will receiving Mike’s love would complete his arc with him understanding he’s not a mistake, his love is normal and natural. He has been pushed aside for too long and the boy needs some serious love, care, affection and attention. At this point in the story Will must feel incredibly hopeless and without a future. His friends no longer have interest in his interests, he doesn’t appear to have any friends in California, he’s given up on his crush on Mike and the world is quite literally ending right before his eyes.

Mike’s love saving Will from Vecna and the end of the world and finally understanding what has really been going on between these two best friends would be a gorgeous choice narratively. “Yes we can play D&D and Nintendo in my basement for the rest of our lives, I love you.” This narrative would disprove his idea that he would never fall in love. It would be a beautiful message to all gay people, you’re not a mistake, you’re worthy of love. It would also explain to Will it was never about wanting to leave “childish” things behind, it was always about fear and internalized homophobia.

Now, let’s talk Michael Wheeler. Will and Mike have a falling out over Mike and Lucas not wanting to play D&D with him in ST3. Then Will leaves and suddenly in ST4 the remaining core four members are playing D&D again? My theory is that Mike playing D&D was his way of connecting with Will. D&D was their medium to be their true selves and when they stop playing D&D and Will leaves, Mike feels like he lost Will. I think Mike was the first to show interest in the Hellfire Club and by playing it with his friends he hoped to recreate the same feelings of happiness when he used to play D&D. However, it doesn’t work which is why Mike doesn’t appear happy in early ST4. When they beat Eddie’s campaign we don’t see him celebrating with his friends and that’s when he begins to realize what’s wrong: It doesn’t feel the same. He doesn’t miss playing D&D, he misses Will. It was never about the fantasy role playing game, it was always about how he was able to spend time playing with the boy he loves.

Anyway, here’s some honorable mentions and details I’d like to talk about:

Max and Eleven the duo you are 💗☹️ I really wish we had more moments for them as friends, I feel like Eleven would’ve really been there for Max while she was depressed following the events of ST3.

I feel like Eleven’s supernatural plot for ST5 should be focused on Max, it would make more sense that she and Lucas are trying to free someone who meant so much to them. Max was the most positive influence on Eleven next to Hopper. Beyond that, Eleven should have some time to discover her wants to some extent this season. She’s more than a weapon.

I think it’s so interesting how Will and Eleven are almost foils. In ST1-2 it’s almost like they cannot be on the same place at once (Will gets taken to the UD, Eleven has to save him, Will is saved, Eleven replaces his spot in the UD, Will is possessed, Eleven returns to help him, Will is freed and Eleven must return to hiding until the Snowball. It’s a very interesting choice), they need the opposite forms of love and Eleven is empowered to fight while Will is only able to flight.

There are a few parallels between the two, such as Mike’s “love” hurting both Will and Eleven and strangely enough the love they need from Mike is the opposite of the love they’re receiving from him. They also both feel like monsters or “othered” because of things that they aren’t in control of.

My recent obsession has been Mike Wheeler edits with “Like Him” as the song

I need Stranger Things 5 trailer now right now please please pleaseeee

This was written way better but I was outside the app too long so my progress was lost 😭🤚

i love the enthusiasm, but mike was canonically specifically styled to look like eddie per the stylists who work on ST, not to mention them both being party leaders and dms. mike admired eddie and looked up to him. meanwhile gareth has the light brown bowl cut like will, and he doesn’t take the dm role up, much like will rarely takes up the dm mantle in the boys’ party.

and I love your enthusiasm anon. It got me in a thinking mode. 

Since you seem to like the Mike-Eddie parallel so much, let me give you a better nugget : Eddie plays the guitar and Mike has the guitar. 

you are suggesting HAIR, DM, Mike's admiration for Eddie makes for a better case for eddie and mike parallel. so let me address them one by one. reasons why i don't agree with it:

Hair theory. Let's just say, hair is the dealbreaker. The scene where Chrissy is unable to remember Eddie as he used to have short hair. So his hair theory is inconclusive. 

Also, I am sorry but I never came across such a specific mention by the creators about Eddie and Mike being canonically similar. Not even Stylist, I looked it up and I didn't find anything. This is from the official stylist and she doesn't mention the eddie and mike connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI3j673h0GE&t=37s

2. Mike as DM. Let me remind you of s3 which specifically showed Will as the DM. Him and eddie take their d&d way more seriously than any other party member. reflected in their over the top d&d setup and prep for it. (Will must've broken his back, the whole season 3 he was only setting up the damn game) Mike on the other hand is easily distracted by phone calls and Letters(el suggests will may have replaced him and even after they win at eddie's satanic campaign he seems distraught). His commitment is more towards Will than the game itself. so i don't see him and eddie on same plane there. not questioning mike's proficiency though.

3. Mike admiration for Eddie and looking up to him: Just think about it this way. Mike is shown to have a tiny crush on Eddie.

I don't know why they would choose to show this, unless he is a narcissist who likes himself or people like him or maybe simply because Eddie is nothing but another version of Will. 

If you recall Will and Eddie have been aligned together since S4 aired, see the old posts of 2022 and I pinned this parallel because I knew some would argue.  

Will & Eddie parallelism

focus on Nuances: in the context of d&d. (Bear with me)

Authoritative mannerism of eddie and will. 

Eddie: "it's the championship game?" "Can i level with you"?

Will: “is it? is it early Michael?” 

2. Will and Eddie’s speech: Words of encouragement to become heroes. 

3. Mike's Act of Pacification : its a rarity to see Will pissed. Angry Will also overpowers Mike within fragments of seconds

During their fight Mike was defensive and right after will left He went out of the way to fix things. He does not enjoy angry will. Apologises to will and goes out to find sub for eddie.

4. Missing Member: Eddie and Will are both pissed about a missing member. And lash out at mike for ruining the party. 

5. The Erica connection: s3 shows dustin and lucas giving Will's D&D to Erica. and right after that s4 she joins the hellfire where eddie is the DM. its a little telling.

6. s5

You’re not a freak. Yeah, I am.

I love Byler because El deserves so much better than Mike, but Will deserves exactly Mike.

Now, I don't think Will deserves less than El or anything like that. I'm just saying that El would deserve to have Will's Mike, but instead she gets her Mike.

El's Mike calls her ridiculous and can't say he loves her.

Will's Mike bikes under the pouring rain to apologise to him and says stuff like 'Hawkins is not the same without you'.

El's Mike crumples her letters and throws them away.

Will's Mike keeps every one of his drawings.

El's Mike makes her feel like a monster.

Will's Mike makes him feel like he is not a mistake at all.

All in all, El's Mike is an asshole, but Will's Mike is worth falling for.

Mike’s lack of personal journey in a Mlvn reading of the show: why so many people complain about Mike’s character

Something just occurred to me…I actually would challenge any Mlvn to tell me about a character motivation/internal conflict of Mike’s that does not revolve around El. What struggles does Mike as a person deal with throughout the series? When trying to build an effective, realistic, well-rounded character you can’t have their biggest fear be ‘loosing this particular person’ as Mlvns love to claim is Mike’s. As a writer you have to understand your character’s deepest desires and what drives them at their core, they cannot be purely motivated by an external force. A character such as that will feel hollow, boring and difficult to connect with. This is basic character development stuff.

Examples (simplified to get the point across):

For the whole show, El struggles with finding her place in a world where she feels fundamentally different

For most of the show, Will struggles with his sexuality and feeling like a ‘mistake’

Dustin in s2 deals with his self-esteem and understanding that he is good enough even if he doesn’t have a girl’s approval

Lucas in s4 wrestles with a desire to be popular and to ‘fit in’ which we see him overcome

Max in s4 deals with depression and the process of wishing to no longer be here to realising she actually wants to live

But…what about Mike? A brief Mlvn interpretation of everything he does through the show and why he does it:

S1: he saves and looks after El because he fell in love with her. He also looks for his friend Will.

S2: he is heartbroken because El is not with him anymore, and then madly in love again once she’s back.

S3: he has ups and downs with El because teen relationships are just like that, and then they get back together because they’re truly in love. He’s also too in love with his girlfriend to care about his old interests.

S4: he fights with El because all couples fight, and then rescues her from Nina while taking friendly advice from Will. Finally he confesses his love, which he didn’t do before because he’s terrified to lose her oh and he’s not good at feelings (but they won’t digger any deeper into that last one 🤐).

Like…yeah they acknowledge Mike also helps with the supernatural stuff, he’s smart and observant. He generally takes charge of the group and looks out for his friends, and (at least in earlier seasons) he’s the leader. But those are character traits. Everyone has them. (Max is sarcastic and kinda scary when she needs to be, Dustin can be cocky but is highly intelligent, Lucas is very headstrong and follows his own judgement, Will is sensitive and empathetic). I’m talking about character conflicts/journeys. Can they tell us what journey Mike has gone on as his own person???

And this, this is why lots and lots of people complain that Mike’s character revolves around El (especially since they started dating). This is why people say Mike is the Duffer’s self-insert and is just meant to be a blank slate relatable character. This is why Mlvns characterise him as El’s obsessed loser boyfriend. Because if you view the show through a Mlvn lens then yeah, Mike looks utterly two-dimensional with no drive other than screeching El El El when she’s in danger (sorry it had to be said).

The problem is when you try to dig into what Mike’s deeper motivations could possibly be, it gets very bad for Mlvn very fast:

‘Mike is scared to lose El because he’s worried she won’t need him’

Let’s detach El from that and figure out the root of this problem, what is really going on with Mike here (we already know but just for the sake of my point), because he is a character in his own right and this was a large focus of his story last season.

What do we know? Mike expressed feelings of worthlessness (‘I’m just some random nerd...’) and feelings of inferiority (…‘who got lucky superman landed on his doorstep’) in his relationship. He acknowledges that his and El’s relationship was fundamentally built on her just needing someone. Also, throughout the series we see Mike has a strong desire to help and serve and save those close to him, it’s who he is.

Mike is so clearly driven by a need to feel needed and fears being an unimportant nobody. He doesn’t think he’s special or useful next to El and it hurts him, his self-esteem is very, very low. But Mlvns never acknowledge that, because that would require admitting that a) Will’s words in the van showed he recognises & loves the Mike as the brave and inspiring leader he wants to be, and in doing so soothed Mike’s personal insecurities (because those do exist, and the talk wasn’t just ‘relationship advice’) and b) Mlvn’s relationship makes Mike feel shitty.

Another example:

Common Mlvn interpretation: ‘Mike was spending all his time with El in s3 because he’s in love with her and he is growing out of childish games’

What do we know? (1) Mike didn’t truly loose interest in DnD, he just neglected his interests when he got into a relationship, super healthy (2) He tries to act cool around El (‘Sorry that made me sound like a 7 year old’ / feigning disinterest in Dustin’s inventions) (3) When arguing with Will, Mike frames him getting a girlfriend as being the inevitable progression of life, the opposing choice from ‘sitting in his basement playing games’…but then he joins Hellfire in s4…as soon as El leaves. He didn’t truly believe anything he was saying to Will, he just can’t juggle being himself and having a gf simultaneously 😬.

Mike’s internal conflict here is clearly feeling like he has to grow up, and has to suppress his true identity in the name of achieving that. (And this continues somewhat into s4 with the fake, not-at-all-his-style Cali outfit in El’s fav colours). But again, understanding that requires understanding that Mlvn as a couple is not a safe space for Mike to be himself, and what Mlvns characterise as a normal teenage ups and downs is actually indicative of an unhealthy relationship.

Basically what I’m saying is it makes so, so much sense why Mike is one of the most disliked characters among the GA (aside from like the actual villains) and why he always ends up on those stupid lists. People are sick of him existing just to be El’s love interest. And that is not true in the slightest, but when you aren’t looking deeper than Mlvn…yeah it does look pretty bad, and I understand where they’re coming from. And as much as we say El is the one who Mlvns are obsessed with making everything about her boyfriend, the real victim of this treatment from them is Mike. Even his heart-to-hearts with Will are actually Mike thinking about El, apparently.

This is another reason why I’m so sure about Byler because Mike is essentially the original main character (aside from El I guess). I’m sorry but there’s no way he is the only one the writers managed to mess up this badly when they are capable of adding deeper personal development to characters who are much less central to the story. Even Finn himself said we’ve not been as personal with Mike recently but s5 will remedy that and people will be happy with his journey. The day Mlvns and GA are forced to look deeper at Mike’s personal internal conflict outside of how it relates to El is the day I will know peace 🙏🏽

Byler Proof Master Slides

Google Docs

Byler Proof

Byler (Will Byers and Mike Wheeler) It is undeniably real and I am going to explain why in an overwhelming and excruciating amount of detail

I compiled all of the byler evidence I have ever found into this 210+ page google slides. I mainly made it for my own brain to have all the evidence organized in one place, but also to share with my friends so I can explain to them why byler is real LMAO. I thought I would post it here too in case anyone else might like it!

I know it's a lot of slides, but I wanted to make sure it was really detailed and extensive! I promise it doesn't take super long to read :) (edit: ok well now it's over 300 slides and it actually does take a while to read)

(I just want to preface that several of the edits in here do not belong to me, and I am not taking credit for them. Most of them I found on pinterest where I couldn’t find credit given, but I know some are from @kaypeace21)

Reblogs much appreciated! :)) I worked on this for like 4 full days LOL

edit: explanation on how I made these if you are worried enough credit isn’t given :)

edit: ALSO, if for some reason you need the slides to be shared with you to access them, please use a personal email and not a school/company one because they usually don't accept shares from outside the organizations!

This fic added like 10 years to my life, give it some love

List of Palestinian GoFundMes

Below are a list of fundraisers that I have been sent. All of these have been vetted by either @/90-ghost, @/el-shab-hussein or @/nabulsi. If you see this, please help in anyway you can and if you can't assist financially, please reblog this post.

Dated: 4th August 2024

rehamyasirr: GFM ($565 raised of $40,000)

wafaaresh: GFM (€11,749 raised of €100,000)

omarhilles2022: GFM (€8,829 raised of €23,000)

musababed: GFM (€2,344 raised of €10,000)

elbalawi: GFM (€30,313 raised of €50,000)

mohammedalanqer: GFM (€49,053 raised of €58,000)

mahmoudkhalafff: GFM (€17,570 raised of €30,000)

bisanalbalawi18: GFM (€30,533 raised of €50,000)

hadeelmekki: GFM (€10,047 raised of €35,000)

aymanayyad82: GFM ($30,492 USD raised of $35,000)

ahmed-mohammed1: GFM (€2,088 raised of €30,000)

abdelmutei: GFM (€4,945 raised of €50,000)

emanfamily: GFM (€3,637 raised of €38,000)

ahmed-ziad: GFM (£8,225 raised of £30,000)

salem-baker: GFM (€2,149 raised of €38,000)

lenarafat15: GFM (€3,270 raised of €30,000)

yahyaahmed5: GFM ($645 USD raised of $50,000)

musababd: GFM (€2,349 raised of €10,000)

abedalazeiz: GFM (€18,685 raised of €50,000)

amlanqar: GFM (€4,868 raised of €50,000)

kareemyounes10: GFM (€4,727 raised of €80,000)

hamouda-az: GFM (kr10,701 SEK raised of kr200,000)

ranin3344: GFM (€4,237 raised of €80,000)

helpfamily: GFM ($2,953 USD raised of $60,000)

girlquee: GFM (£7,294 raised of £20,000)

saveyouseffamily: GFM (£7,294 raised of £20,000)

aya2mohammed: GFM (€19,161 raised of €50,000)

mohamed-mikki: PP ($451 raised of $20,000)

ashraf-family2: GFM (€14,920 raised of €20,000)

as-maa-56: GFM ($1,186 USD raised of $50,000)

fatma93-gaza: GFM (€2,094 raised of €20,000)

heba-baker: GFM (€745 raised of €60,000)

ahmeadhilles: GFM (€1,820 raised of €80,000)

It's with a heavy but hopeful heart that I watch Palestinian families fundraiser on here, slowly accumulating the precious little money to go around that they need to survive. However, not everyone is so lucky. A lot of Palestinians that have not had that kind of luck, that did not get early verification, that did not get massive platforms behind them from large bloggers, have approached me in my inbox, asking me kindly to do what I can for them. It kills me that I have so little to give myself, but I've seen this platform collectively raise enough to change someone's life. I've made a list of Palestinian fundraisers that are extremely low on funds, in the hope that drawing attention to people who have not been lucky at all can help turn that luck around. I know most of us can't possibly give enough to get all of these families safe in one go. But please, reblog this list. Pick one or two fundraisers, give what you can, and then keep track of it. Slowly, collectively, we can make a difference in these people's lives. Share and donate as much as you can. https://docs.google.com/document/d/178EGDFKkHlh3y4TMVX82kqgITHsqtoMdNccI2f_94Os/edit?usp=sharing

Strangers?

An au. Where Harry is the local sheriff, and Draco is a wanted criminal, who’s currently on the loose. Harry’s job is to capture him but surprise surprise it was his own heart that was captured. (Feel free to write about this if you want (this is me pleading for someone to write this)). This is like pt 1 of the illustration. I try to draw the part 2 maybe.

(This was kinda unfinished? But I lose my motivation a while ago (apparently sleep deprived can led you to that). I try to redeemed myself on the next piece instead)

Doodle exercise

Template

Nobara and Maki showing off their matching outfits (Yuji took the picture) Went outside my comfort zone with this goofy drawing. Hope yall like it :). Reference poses/outfits from @\waffletea_ on tiktok!

So my tumblr-bro Mel made THIS POST and then it was four in the morning and this seemed like a good idea for some reason???

(p.s. I imagine this being sung and beat-boxed by whichever members of the pack happen to be present. I bet Erica is a better beat-boxer than me. I bet everyone is a better beat-boxer than me.)

LYRICS: 

You got the power, you do what you want Red eyes and tight jeans You know what that means Gotta go out and bite some motherfucking teens, ya heard?

Right in the side, ‘cause that’s my style, bitch Stick with me and live a life worthwhile, what Got a Camaro and I still can’t smile Hostile, now line up single-file 

Everybody do the Alpha Strut say heeeey 

All the betas in the club go There’s a wolf I can get behind Look at that swagger

Do the alpha strut All the betas in the house now Take a look at my eyebrows I can somersault!

(The kanima was not my fault)

EDIT: To properly dance to this, put on skintight pants and walk like you’re suddenly bowlegged and exaggeratedly nonchalant: 

Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling in using rumors and titles to protect what's important to them.

I've been obsessed with Jiang Cheng since halfway through my first watch of cql, and here's why. He always keeps doing better than I expect him to.

(wow, this got long. rest is under the cut!)

He's introduced as the brother-killer, the ruthless sect leader with a reputation for being merciless. Then cut to the flashback, a Jiang Cheng who is fifteen, surrounded by his sister and brother and happy about it, occasionally doing stupid teenager things, trying so very hard to be Ideal Heir, while Wei Wuxian is the prodigy that keeps stealing his thunder effortlessly. And you go, "oh, I know this story. It's a tragedy, because these brothers loved each other once, but one's ambition will eventually breed jealousy which will fester into hate and end, tragically, in the death of the better half." It's Cain and Abel! You've seen how it ends, it's the first scene you see, of course that's where it's going!

And then you see how the three siblings help each other survive a frankly horrible and abusive household. They try to do for each other what their parents couldn't; Yanli tries to be their mother, Jiang Cheng doesn't believe the rumours about Wei Wuxian being jfm's illegitimate son or hold it against him as he very easily could've learnt to from his mother, and Wei Wuxian does his darned best to get jfm to acknowledge and love his son as he does for Wei Wuxian.

You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop!! Yunmeng burns, Jiang Cheng chokes his brother in the rain, and you think this is it, this is where it finally breaks. But he sticks with his brother and sister, he makes some stupid decisions in his grief and pays dearly for it. When he wakes up without a core he is broken, his 'ambition' is destroyed, and you remember him choke his brother and think this is it, and then... it isn't. Other than the one grieving rant in the rain, he never blames his brother for their loss, never demands that he fix it all. When Wei Wuxian does come with a solution, Jiang Cheng doesn't act like it's something he was owed. It's his brother, his brilliant genius brother, who miraculously fixed this impossible thing! He's the most Jiang of them all, of course he achieved the impossible!

And then he's the young sect leader in a bloody war, needing to win, needing to prove his worth and his sect's worth at every turn. This is where he becomes the ruthless, powerful man we meet in the first few episodes! Only.... he finds Wen Qing, who is the enemy in the eyes of the Jianghu, and offers to protect her (only her because he knows his limits, he can't protect all her people and his own, and his duty to his sect is first). He goes looking for his brother, months on end, haggard to the bone.

Then Wei Wuxian shows up wielding a power that's the worst taboo in their world, a power frighteningly similar to the power-drunk villain that they war is being waged against! He's doing unspeakable things, terrible torture in the name of revenge! Ah, so this is what it finally is! The moment they finally fall out for good, where Jiang Cheng cannot abide to tarnish his sect's reputation with Wei Wuxian's, and their love turns to hate.

But.... Jiang Cheng sees what he's done, and the first thing he does is to hug him tight. He asks about Wei Wuxian not carrying his sword, but even after the diplomatic nightmare of a war council, Jiang Cheng is just worrying. It's the most open, the most honest we've seen him so far, and he is concerned for his brother. He shuts it down when Jin Zixun tries to pick a fight. He takes responsibility for the person everyone's wary of, because that's his brother and he trusts him! He's hiding things, yes, but one day he will be ready to talk and Jiang Cheng will wait till then.

Then the war's won (by Wei Wuxian, of course!) and he has a sect to rebuild. And his brother is not at his side. First he's slacking off and drinking around town, then he runs away with the Wens to the Burial Mounds. It's terrible for the sect's and Jiang Cheng's own precarious position in Jianghu. Surely, this is the last thread of Jiang Cheng's love for his brother, the beginning of the man we were introduced to? But it's fucking not! Yes, he's frustrated. Yes, he's mad. And yet, he doesn't force his sister into a diplomatically advantageous marriage (which I strongly believe is the bare minimum of being a decent human being, but is something that wouldn't have been a questionable or dishonourable thing for him to do in the culture and world this story is set in) because she is not a pawn and he respects her choice above the politics! He tries to defend his First Disciple, his brother, and is overshadowed by much more powerful leaders who are bigoted and/or afraid of his power. And when it all goes to shit, they fight! This is the end of it, surely? But no! It's all fake! They fight, make up a lie about how the Yunmeng Jiang has supressed Wei Wuxian and his Wens in the Burial Mounds so they can live without being under attack for however long, and then have shady meetups to discuss their nephew's name!!

In the carnage of Nightless City, their sister dies at his hands, and the horrible realisation dawns that this is what pushes them over the brink, literally. And then!! AND THEN!!!!! EVEN THEN IT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR HIM TO KILL HIS BROTHER!!! The first scene was a lie, WEI WUXIAN HAD TO THROW HIMSELF OFF!!!!!! And when he's finally back, what does Jiang Cheng do? Kill him? ban him from ever returning to their home? No! He wants to drag him back home and make him apologise, explain himself!!

A lot of this is very focused on the brothers, but even outside of that, Jiang Cheng keeps subverting the expectations that the story builds for him right in the beginning. For all the talks of 'disciplining' his nephew (which could unquestionably entail some form of corporal punishment, as we see in other parts of the story) and the childhood Jiang Cheng himself had, the idea of his Jiujiu raising his hand against him is unthinkable to the point of incredulity for Jin Ling. When Jin Ling has his breakdown over Suihua on the Lotus Pier docks, I was full bracing myself for Jiang Cheng to yell at him for crying in public without any shame or dignity, but what does he do? Calls his nephew to his side and demands to know who made him cry, so he can fucking wreck them for daring to do that! He has a mere day to process the Golden Core reveal, and after all the yelling, he actually apologises to his brother!!

Then, in the mother of all sucker-punch moments, we find out that the one grief-riddled, frustrating moment of apparent stupidity whose domino effect this entire thing has been, was in fact Jiang Cheng willingly sacrificing himself, sect be damned, to save his brother and sister. And like!! How do you have such a character who simultaneously is and is not what he seems to be!!!

I (and a lot of the audience) immediately played into the simple brotherhood-destroyed-by-jealousy plot that it seems to be at first, but that's the intention! The entire story keeps showing how misleading, how vicious rumours can be and how horribly it can affect who someone is in the eyes of society. We see this happen in the story, of course, but the narrative also relies on the audience to make the same mistake, to take the tropes that seem obviously implied at the start, and then unravels the true complexity of the story as it moves forward. We got played by the narrative and it was so worth it!! Wei Wuxian is the prime example, of course, but cql (and mdzs from what I gather, though I haven't read the books) does it with such nuance and brilliance for Jiang Cheng, how do you not immediately lose your entire mind about it for the rest of forever!!!!!

Since I posted Extremely Sad art of Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling last week, I am now legally required to post this Significantly Happier art of them this week. 

See? Look! Jin Ling gets to meet some puppies! Jiang Cheng ALSO gets to meet some puppies! Little Fairy and her little paws get to meet Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng! (Can you tell which one she is?) This is NO HURT ALL COMFORT material

A missing Ross later

losing my mind over this, shinkai I am so sorry for giving you shit over this when the producers are to blame

epilogue

elected fic of the year

bared fangs by sapphicjasper

We started from the bottom

And now we’re here

Nanashima and Shinomiya (7x4/4x7): The Real BL Couple of Kiss Him, Not Me

Since the manga ended a couple of months ago and there has yet to be a 2nd season, I was exhilarated by the news of Junko penning another special chapter dedicated to Nanashima and Shinomiya’s reunion mid-timeskip. Now that the chapter is out and they have officially become canon, I’ve taken the liberty of re-reading the manga to take note of the goodies Junko provided for us.

NOTE: This is not meant to invalidate the other relationships in the series! We all have our preferences when it comes to pairings, and it’s fun to pick apart and identify what we love about them! So if this ship is not your thing and you are more inclined toward other ships, feel free to ignore and scroll past, simple as that! <3 But in case you’re interested, hell yeah :) 

Keep in mind though that this is only my personal opinion and in no way am I stating that what I say is canon or completely accurate so if you disagree, that’s totally fine! Everyone has different interpretations of a series and its characters. But any aggressive comments against my POV will be promptly blocked.

WARNING: Contains manga spoilers past Chapter 29! And blatant signs that I am just reading too much into shit. Also use of TV Tropes logic.

Nanashino may not be the deepest relationship in the series as most of their scenes together are for comedic effect but they have some cute behind-the-scenes interactions worth looking into a second time.

Keep in mind that this will not be 100% objective as it is Nanashino-centric for the most part but I do hope the points as to why Nana and Shino work for me as a couple come across.

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SenGen AU Ko-Fi ~ Commissions ~ Redbubble

in the modern au senku is only friends with all those guys cause he made friends with kohaku and everytime she came over she brought somebody with her minus Chrome who he probably met in the science lab

Ginro is big lazy energy and hes glad to have him around

DRAWTOBER #21 - Delicate and Poor (and Bullied By An Enormous Maine Coon) by @guqin-and-flute​

What did the nice, attractive man from the grocery store ever do to you, cat? Let Mingjue live, this date had been going so well…. – Modern NieYao, cat!Baxia, and a bit of a rocky 4th date that has more blood in it than Mingjue anticipated

I guess you could call this illustration “expectation vs reality”? yeeessss I know I gave the prompt for this one but I love it very much and it is SO FUNNY. poor Meng Yao, seems semi-immortal giant maine coon Baxia must remember you from your previous life and has yet to forgive you 😆

Nie Huaisang becomes an uncle and immediately sets out to be a jokester about it

@rated-r-for-fear and sent me this catcrumb comic with the comment “Nieyao” and she’s 100% correct.

if we were dating we would be a unmovable chaotic force together

we would, bestie

Part 10.2

I really liked the webtoon style. Im sorry for the late update, I end up overworked like always and my sleep habits turn in to shit this last month XD But we are finally here in the hosu arc ;)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10.1 / 10.2

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