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robynrocksforbrains · 8 months

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Mike Wheeler is important and there's nothing wrong with analyzing him

Since y'all wanna be insufferable bitches about it I'm gonna explain to you why he's important, why Will loves him, why his struggles should be acknowledged, and why his character depth is pivotal to byler endgame being a satisfying conclusion for both Mike AND Will. Deal with it!

We are not seeing smoke where there isn't a flame. We are seeing smoke where there is a literal fucking forest fire.

Starting off with something a lot of people aren't ready for but I've seen more people talking about: Mike is the main character of s1 at the very least. He is the character that brings us into the world of stranger things. He is the character that the writers chose for this. Mike is the main character of s1 and it was an instant hit. The writers love Mike. Contrary to popular belief, giving a character an arc where they are struggling and their behavior changes from what is normal for the character we know and love does NOT mean the writers hate that character. It means they deliberately chose to give that character complexity and depth. Your inability to like characters that do anything wrong ever is not the fault of the writers. Your decision to act as if a character is not important is not reflective of the actual narrative because it in fact is in direct opposition to the narrative. So just to be clear, if you genuinely believe that Mike isn't important, or that the writers hate him, or don't care about him, or that his story "takes away" from any other character's - ESPECIALLY WILL'S - you are simply wrong.

In s1 and s2 Mike is established as an extremely caring person. He's loving, loyal, brave, intelligent, and trying his best. He is also established to be hot headed, someone who speaks without thinking quite often, someone who is capable of hurting his friends despite that being the last thing he wants to do. He is all of these things and more. He is a human. He is a kid. So in s3, when suddenly he is entirely different, it is completely logical to assume that there is a reason for that. He did not just wake up one day and decide he wanted to be an asshole, push Will away, make his friends feel abandoned, and echo the same sentiments their bullies held. Something is happening with him. He has so much going on in his head and it is painfully obvious. He's holding something in, he's hiding from everyone and from himself. We see glimpses of what he's trying to hide after Will calls him out on his behavior. Will gets through to him. Mike is usually unresponsive to tough love, except for when it's coming from Will. After their fight, it is obvious that he's trying to be better. But he still doesn't wanna face certain things, and he doesn't know how to navigate that. Because he's 13 years old.

There is a reason for all of that internal conflict. There is a reason it comes pouring out of him at certain times. He's crumbling. He is quite literally falling apart because he's holding on to too much. It's not a stretch to assume that, it just takes basic media literacy. Why would the writers have Mike act this way if he was just supposed to be a one dimensional character? Why would Finn be directed to portray Mike the way he does if there was nothing more going on? There are times where Mike looks like he's in physical pain because of his internal conflict. There is a reason for that. And acknowledging that DOES NOT mean people are taking away from Will. That's the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Do y'all seriously not understand that more than one character can have emotionally complex storylines? Genuinely asking, is this a new concept for you?

Will's love for Mike

Will is head over heels in love with Mike. That is very much established. So when you're dismissing the emotional depth of Mike's individual arc because you think acknowledging it "takes away from Will" you are actually diminishing the significance of a huge aspect of Will's emotional arc. By taking away the significance of Mike, you take away from the significance of Will.

Let's do a quick recap of the very significant role Mike has played in Will's entire life:

Mike is Will's first friend.

They have grown up together and it can be assumed that they've reached important milestones together.

Mike has always been a safe person for Will. He's been a constant in Will's very chaotic and unfair life. Until the summer of '85, Mike had always been something good in Will's life. (That's not to say he is no longer something good, but it can be assumed that the summer of '85 is the first time Mike has been a causal factor in Will's unhappiness)

When Will went missing, Mike did not hesitate to search for him. It wasn't even a question of if. The moment he knew Will was missing he knew exactly what he'd be doing that night. He spearheaded the search amongst the party. He was the leader.

When Will came back, Mike was the only person that didn't treat him like he was gonna break. He cared for him, and he was there for him, but he didn't treat him differently; Will tells us as much. Which means we can infer that the way Mike was with Will in s2 - how gentle and loving he was - was nothing new. He had just always been like that.

When Will was possessed, Mike stayed by his side. Even when it was scary, even when it could've gotten him killed, he stayed. Because once again, for him, it wasn't even a question. That's just where he knew he needed to be. He was in the shed when they were trying to get through to Will. He was set apart from Lucas and Dustin, but he also wasn't equated to family. And his retelling of the story of the day they first met was the final push Will needed to find a way to communicate.

After a year of things being "weird" between them, Mike tells Will that he didn't deserve to be treated the way he had been. Mike tells him that he wants them to be okay again, and for the rest of the season he puts in the work.

Things get rough in s3, and at the beginning of s4, and despite all of that, Will confesses his love (albeit veiled). In a moment where Mike is feeling awful about himself, he tells him that he loves him and needs him, and he tells him why. And to him it doesn't matter that he's breaking his own heart to do it, because it's Mike. Mike, who makes him feel like he's not a mistake at all, and that he's better for being different. For Will, there was no other option. The person he loves was hurting and he knew how to help, and so he did.

Mike is the first person Will tells about Vecna still being alive. Because they're back to being a team. He knows he can trust Mike, and Mike seems to be very determined to prove him right.

SO.

These are all real and canon aspects of Mike's presence in Will's life. Will falling in love with Mike isn't something that just happened for no reason. Will fell in love with Mike because of who Mike is. When you acknowledge that, and when you acknowledge the reasons they've set out for why Will loves him - the reasons Will literally told us - you can better understand Will. But when you dismiss all of these things about Mike, you are dismissing a large portion of Will's emotional and romantic arc. You aren't being a Will Warrior. You are erasing so much of him and his feelings and his lived experience. That is not the hill you wanna die on.

Will loves a person. Not a feeling. Yes, he says that Mike makes him feel like he's not a mistake and that he's better for being different. But that's not why he loves him. He feels that way because he loves him.

Mike is a fully fleshed out character with his own feelings and struggles and fears and traumas and motivations. He's not a plot device. He's not just an accessory to Will's arc. He's not a character that was written only to be Will's love interest. He's Will's love interest because he's Mike.

If Mike didn't matter, and if Mike didn't play a significant role in byler, then they would be able to write in a love interest for Will in s5 and have it be somewhat satisfying. But they can't do that. Will's love for Mike has so much depth because Mike has so much depth. It is genuinely crazy that this has to be stated and that I have to back up this claim because it is simply a canon fact.

So yes, the rain fight affects Mike's character development and his involvement in it is important. Yes, the van scene literally could not exist without Mike and therefore his involvement in it is incredibly important. Yes, every single byler moment has an impact on Mike, and Mike has an impact on it because they are BYLER moments. Yes, Mike will have a lot of significant moments - with Will AND on his own - in s5 because his arc deserves and needs as much attention as Will's in order to execute byler endgame in a satisfying way.

No, none of these facts negate Will's importance or take away from his story. If anything, they add to it because Mike and Will's arcs are corresponding and intertwined.

Mike's struggles

To name a few

Dysfunctional family

Has been bullied his entire life

Extreme self worth issues

Inferiority complex

Hero complex

Lack of self preservation

Suicidal ideation (has been on display since SEASON ONE)

Internalized homophobia

To get this out of the way: Mike's internalized homophobia is allowed to be discussed. Discussion of it is not the dismissal of Will's internalized homophobia. Surprise surprise, two queer kids in the 80s have internalized homophobia! Who'd'a thunk it?! Their internalized homophobia presents in different ways but it is there for both of them. I personally relate to the way Mike's is portrayed way more than I relate to Will's. So why is it that we can't discuss it without being accused of erasing Will's experience? Or without people saying that we're "copy and pasting" Will's story? Because quite frankly, that feels dismissive of my - and likely many others' - real and lived experience. So please for the love of all things that are good just stop with this talking point because it will never hold up.

Moving on

I'm not gonna do a full breakdown of all of Mike's issues. Because contrary to popular belief, there are a lot. And that would be exhausting and I'd get carried away and it's not the point of this post. The point of this post is to defend the acknowledgement and mere existence of them.

If you're a byler that for some reason thinks Mike only exists to be Will's love interest and his trophy as compensation for his trauma, let me ask you this: Have you considered how awful it would be to have a queer character's individuality and emotional depth completely ignored for the sake of focusing on the queer character that "really matters"?

If Mike's own issues, with his queer identity and otherwise, aren't thoroughly explored... What's the point of all this? If Mike really is insignificant in this storyline and his individuality has no effect on it.. where's the emotional payoff? If his perspective doesn't matter... Why have the writers gone to such great lengths to ensure we don't have that piece of the puzzle yet?

Analyzing Mike and understanding Mike is very important to understanding byler. Once again, I think it's crazy that this needs to be said.

I also think it's important to note that characters can have similar struggles. There's no rule against that. Just like real life. Characters having similar struggles is not a bad thing, and acknowledging that their struggles are similar is not dismissive of either character. We're talking about STRANGER THINGS. Jonathan and Nancy's thing is "we've got shared trauma". They have literal matching scars. Shared experiences are some of the main building blocks for this show's romances. Byler has a TON of shared experience, basically their entire lives. We already know that. So wouldn't it be so beautiful for them to learn that they've been struggling with the same thing this whole time? That the entire time they felt alone in what they were going through when really they had each other and they never even knew it? Wouldn't it be so beautiful for Mike's acceptance of Will and Will's love for him was also a step toward accepting himself? Wouldn't it be beautiful for Will to learn that his love makes Mike feel like he's not a mistake? None of that would be in the realm of possibility if Mike didn't have emotional depth and if his individuality wasn't important.

And that leads me to my concluding point...

A satisfying execution of byler endgame hinges on Mike's individual emotional arc being handled well

God I hope this isn't controversial to say. I sincerely hope most people haven't forgotten that.

Here's a hypothetical:

Imagine season five has been released. You're watching it, and you notice that Mike has been relegated to just a supporting character for Will. We don't get any of his perspective. We don't get any explanation for his s3 and early s4 behavior. His breakup with El doesn't have any real tangible effect on him, it's really just used for El's character development. We never see him pining for Will like we saw Will pining for him. And then suddenly Mike is learning about the painting and then suddenly he's confessing his love and then suddenly byler is canon and official.

Now wouldn't that just be awful? Wouldn't that be unfair to the audience, to Mike, and to Will? For us to never learn just how much Mike had to go through to even be able to say it out loud? For Mike to never get the chance to prove to himself through word and action that he is the heart? For Will to never get an explanation for why things did get so "weird" between them? It would leave us with one big, nagging question: What was the point of everything Mike has said and done throughout the entire show if his conclusion is that lackluster?

Disregarding Mike for a moment (I know that's incredibly ironic given what the entire point of this is but just bear with me) - how would that be a satisfying conclusion for Will? I mean, Will's s4 arc was basically dedicated to showcasing his struggle with his sexuality and with his love for Mike. We were shown just how deep that love is. We were shown how patient, unselfish, unwavering, and beautiful that love is. So how would it be satisfying for Mike's love for him to not be shown with just as much depth? How would it be satisfying for Mike to just be a one dimensional character whose s5 arc is essentially "break up with girlfriend, wait to find out best friend is in love with him, say he loves him back, then they live happily ever after"? I think Will deserves for his love to be returned with the same intensity at which he gives it. And I think it should be clear to the audience and to Will himself.

Back to Mike!

Mike has been through so much shit. I don't think anyone that is denying that actually believes he hasn't been through shit. Because you'd actually have to watch the show on mute and with your eyes closed to think this kid hasn't had just the worst time. It's so ignorant to act as if this stuff hasn't affected him. There's stuff we've seen but there's stuff we also haven't seen. There are issues he has that date back to his childhood pre-canon. Just like Will, Mike has been a queer kid growing up in 80s smalltown conservative america. Acknowledging the pain he 100% carries because of that is so important. His perspective has been withheld from us, not because it's unimportant, but because it's the final puzzle piece. If we had Mike's perspective in s4, byler wouldn't be a "will they won't they" (even though we all know they will). If we got his perspective in s4, byler would be a "100% certain without a doubt they will". But the thing about his perspective is that it's so much more than just loving Will. It's fear. It's pain. It's insecurity. It's doubt. It's the belief that his happiness just doesn't matter all that much. All of that has to be explored. All of that has to be laid out in the open for us in order for byler endgame to feel earned. Mike's emotional payoff will lead to byler's emotional payoff.

Mike has known he loves Will. In s5 we will see him make a deliberate and active effort to overcome the things keeping him from doing something about it. And then he will do something about it.

And so when it finally happens. When both Mike and Will finally know that their feelings are requited, and when their arcs end with us knowing that they will face whatever life has in store for them together, that will feel earned. That will feel like the logical conclusion for both of them. Not just for Mike. Not just for Will. For both.

And Mike is just as important to that conclusion as Will is.

And one last thing...

Some people are going to talk about Mike more. Some people are going to talk about Will more. Because newsflash, people have preferences. Some people just relate to Mike more, or they find his emotional arc extremely compelling, or they just like him. It isn't an attack on Will or any other character. No one is saying Mike is more important than any other character (I'm sure there are people that say that but they are a vocal minority and they are simply wrong). We are just saying that he is important. If you wanna engage in media analysis, please understand that "main character" or "central character" does not mean "only important character" and "only character that should be analyzed". If you wanna talk about Will and only Will, that's fine. But you don't get to act like people that talk about other characters are doing a disservice to your fave, because that's not how any of this works.

#mike defenders i need you to back me up on this #i hope my points come across well #anyway #the way people have been talking about mike lately is so infuriating #its called BYLER analysis because its the analysis of BYLER the ship involving will AND mike #st fandom consistently proving that they have absolutely no idea how fandom works #its almost like people wanna talk about things they care about and you dont get to tell them to shut up #if you dont wanna see people talking about mike you can just mute tags about him #but if you dont wanna talk about mike youre missing a huge part of the byler puzzle and thats your loss #please just let people discuss whatever they want to discuss as long as its not ACTUALLY harmful #sometimes i think y'all are allergic to fun #byler #mike wheeler #mike wheeler analysis #will byers #< this is about him too #byler analysis #byler endgame #stranger things

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actual-changeling · 8 months

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Aziraphale, in his new position as Supreme Archangel, could make his job a lot easier by delegating most of the tasks to whomever he pleases.

He doesn't.

There is a modest office opposite the Earth Observation Chamber and its archive, a golden-yellow touch of colour in an otherwise sterile white building, and in that office is a desk that has never had to listen to the laws of physics and never will. After a few initial moments of hesitation, he had miracled a suggestion box right next to the door that, for the most part, remained open.

It is in this office, with an overflow of paperwork to his right and a portal link straight to the archives on his left, that he first receives notice of a miracle performed on earth by Muriel, 37th-order Scrivener and current representative in London.

'Frivolous miracles' only exist in the minds of the other Archangels, and so he barely looks at it, ready to put his signature at the bottom and send it to be sorted into its section, when a familiar name makes him pause. His breath hitches despite the fact that he has not taken a single breath since re-entering heaven, and he slowly, slower than he needs to, reads the details of Muriel's miracle.

Leaving out corporate details, the note can be summarised as follows:

'The angel Muriel miracled a 100% cotton blanket in the reinstated Embassy for the demon Crowley.'

Don't, he tells himself, vision blurring, don't go looking for him.

Long, dark evenings, wine-red cheeks, high on each other's company and the warmth radiating off their skin, bodies falling onto the couch, close, closer. They shouldn't, they really, really shouldn't. Aziraphale places his glass on the coffee table, talking before he leans back again, just to be interrupted by a sudden weight on his shoulder.

"Maybe we sh- oh."

Crowley, fast asleep, his wine glass empty but precariously balanced in a limp hand, his face pressed into Aziraphale's neck. He can feel the gentle, regular ghost of his breath caressing his skin, the smooth locks of hair long enough to fall past his collarbone tickling him whenever he exhales.

There are moments in which choices need to be made quickly and without regret, and this was one of them.

They shouldn't.

Aziraphale plucks the glass from his grasp and carefully frees his arm without jolting Crowley, wrapping it around him and holding him in place.

He really shouldn't.

With only a thin shirt between his palm and Crowley's skin, the heat seeps deep into his bones, inviting him to stay, and so he does. Making himself comfortable, he reaches for a book and dims the lights with an absent thought, glancing down at the demon with fluttering eyes and parted lips.

He really, really shouldn't.

The note, which remained unseen by some stroke of luck, contained the following information:

'The Principality Aziraphale miracled a 100% cotton blanket in the earthly Embassy for the demon Crowley.'

Aziraphale gingerly positions the blanket so it covers as much of Crowley as possible, giving into the urge to rest his cheek on top of his head just once. Melted candle wax, smokey campfires, and a smidge of ginger that may or may not be his shampoo; his hair feels exactly as soft as it looks. Crowley stirs, pressing into the touch, and mumbles something he is too scared to admit is angel.

Somewhere on earth, Crowley is fast asleep and kept warm by a blanket Muriel thought to summon.

Aziraphale signs the notification and watches as it disappears into the archives, leaving not the slightest trace. Then, with a tremor in his hands, he stands up and closes the door to his office, waiting until the lock clicks shut and a floating 'do not disturb' appears on the other side before sliding down the wall.

He thinks of a familiar heartbeat next to him, sparkling golden eyes, soft, sleepy breaths, and cries.

#alex writes good omens #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #ineffable divorce #see i can torture aziraphale too!!!! he is NOT having a good time either #please tell me how much i hurt you with my angst this time it's absolutely delightful and keeps me going

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electrozeistyking · 2 months

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DID YUO SEE THE GIF GLITCH JUST DROPPED-

I DID NOT AND DO NOT WANT TO.

Allow me to explain: I want to watch any and all Murder Drones episodes blindly without knowing or seeing anything on them. In fact, that's how I enjoy watching this show. Why, you may ask?

Because that's how I first watched the pilot.

I knew literally nothing about it. I didn't know who voiced in it, what it was all about, who created it... nothing. I just saw a thumbnail for a show that had to do with robots on the internet, and decided to watch it on a whim.

I was blindsided by everything. The first thing I did when N spoke was to very loudly exclaim "MICHEAL?!" And you know what? I enjoyed what I saw! It may have taken me two separate occasions to finish, but I enjoyed my experience watching it!

Did I know episode two came out? I was hyperfixating on something else at the time, so I only found out about it months later. And like with the pilot, I knew nothing about it. I hadn't seen any teasers or anything on it, so once again, I was blindsided by everything I witnessed. So on and so forth, for each and every episode.

It was easy for me not to see anything, because I didn't have reliable internet at the time. Therefore, I was completely unaware of release dates, I didn't see any teasers, I didn't see anything for any episodes.

Obviously, I could not avoid the one featured in GLITCHX, so it was unavoidable and is therefore the only exception to this rule. I am willingly choosing to commit to how I watch these next episodes, because it's been an enjoyable experience for me to get slapped in the face by every episode of this series so far.

And I'd like to keep it that way.

Okay, this is turning out longer than I meant it to be, so let's get to the point I wanna make: while this is the first news we're getting in a long while and it's certainly exciting, I am purposely trying to avoid seeing it so I can continue enjoying it this way.

Anyway, here's N playing the trumpet as an apology if I came off as aggressive at the start there. :3

wait shit was it murder drones related i blacked out when i wrote this

#Zeisty's Askbox #murder drones #murder drones n #promise me you guys won't send me any pictures of the news or tell me about it unless it's a release date or something #if it's a teaser i do not want to see it and won't look at it #thanks for respecting my discussion :3 #you gotta be specific with me too #like this was so vague that I panicked #I know there's going to be news and I know it's circulating tumblr UNTAGGED AND NOT UNDER A READ MORE #but I know not of any gif #if it's digital circus related you can definitely tell me about it though #I saw its first teaser and trailer before the pilot #and I definitely knew all about it #so I don't mind seeing any leaks or teasers or anything on the amazing digital circus #basically please be specific? I misunderstand things if you're too vague with me :(#zeisty’s goofs

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quietwingsinthesky · 1 month

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in the amelia pond au, amelia’s aunt does still send her to therapy between doctor adventures, but since amelia is now secure in the fact that he’s Definitely Real since both rory and mels have also met him and because she lost a tooth last week from tripping on the stairs of the tardis, she doesn’t bite any therapists this time around. and besides, her therapist is a very funny lady. she reminds amelia of her doctor, with how her voice will flip and jump in volume and accent and tone on a whim, with how she’ll talk to amelia like they’re conspiring together. she keeps the pictures amelia draws of the doctor and their adventures for her, even hangs one or two on the walls. she listens very intently to every detail, which no adults in amelia’s life do save the doctor himself and river song, whenever she’s around. and best of all, whenever she tells amelia’s aunt that amelia is doing just fine, don’t you worry, she’ll grow out of this, she winks at amelia so that amelia will know her therapist is only playing along to wave away her aunt’s suspicion.

it is a little odd, though, that she insists on only being called Missy. but amelia is quite used to odd by now.

#not the point of this post but. please do imagine amelia and rory and mels and the doctor all having escaped from Real Actual Danger #rory has the energy of a cat with its fur all puffed up and looks like he’s either going to start crying or yelling at the doctor #mels is standing on the box the doctor got her so she could see the tardis console better and studying the way he flies it very intently #and amelia is still full of energy and adrenaline and can’t stop racing around the tardis like a hyperactive gerbil. because if she stops #she might have to be scared instead but if she can run long enough she’ll forget to be scared at all and when she collapses exhausted all #she’ll have left are the exciting happy memories #and then she misteps racing up the stairs. shouts! the doctor and mels and rory are all at attention immediately. mels moves first but rory #is closer and helps amelia back up. and then the doctor is crouching down in front of her. ‘let me see. oh that’s a lot of blood. that’s.#how much blood are you able to lose again? its more than this. probably.’ amelia’s whole face hurts. but the doctor’s rambling is familiar.#it helps. and he’s only so talkative when he’s sure he has a solution. besides. rory’s head’s nestled on her shoulder and mel’s got her #hands. the doctor wipes blood off her nose and her chin. tilts her head up and goes ‘aaa’ sticking his tongue out until she does it too.#and he tells her to feel her upper row of teeth with her tongue. she does until she finds the gap.#it still hurts. hurts more when she nudges it with her tongue all bleeding and raw. but she just lost a tooth! and you know what that means.#they have to find it. or else how will the tooth fairy leave her any money?#(the doctor hears her say that to mels as they search. and he glances off to the side and makes a note to go back and make sure it *was* her #aunt leaving her those coins. and not something else. which he does. and finds out her aunt wasn’t leaving her any coins at all.#he can’t just let that stand! so the doctor becomes amy’s tooth fairy as well.)#and that is how amelia loses a tooth on the tardis.#amelia pond au

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jareicanon · 9 months

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I don’t know what I’m doing for the record I’ve never tried animating before but I got An Urge to try it bc I have had this silly little idea in my head for over two weeks now…

…and now it’s 4am. What do I have to show for it?

Well, my dear mutuals/friends, I present to you, my wip:

this is literally 7 frames looped I wanna cry it’s been 6-7 hours :’)

well.

it’s been 6 hours but there was a period where i lost most of the entire thing and something hadn’t connected either so there were no backups and GRAAGGGHDHDHWJJD

basically I am still redoing frames bit by bit, frame by frame bc :) something :) corrupted :)

I :) want :) to :) die :) !!!

annoying! but i’m having fun with it hehe

it’s nowhere close to finished (compared to what I have in my head as The Idea), but yikes. who knows if i will get that done because!!! my attention span is awful LOL

let me know if you like it (?) or if you have any tips or suggestions AT ALL I am desperate and Do Not Know What I Am Doing!!

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aroaceleovaldez · 4 months

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obligatory intermittent post once again requesting more people make pjo askblogs. pretty pretty please. they're very fun I promise and askblogs are a dying species. i'm very sad that for like the past 6 years there's usually only been one or two riordanverse askblogs active and I'm one of them.

"but i can't-" there's options! text-based askblogs! illustrated/drawn-response askblogs! cosplay askblogs! voice acting askblogs! combinations of the above! whatever else your heart desires! get funky with it! getting funky with it is really cool!

also do your local askblogs a favor and send them some asks sometimes. here's a list of illustrated pjo askblogs I have curated, and a list of other formats of pjo askblogs. I'm also working on another list of general askblogs so if you have any other askblogs you should tell me about those ones too.

#pjo #riordanverse #askblog #askblogs #STARING WITH MY BIG OL' EYES. PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE MAKE PJO ASKBLOGS #also did i make this post half to link askblog examples because i will take any opportunity to promote askblogs especially friends?#....perhaps. reyna if you see this i know your blog isnt an askblog anymore but i love u friendo #and you have one of the best clear pjo examples of the typical cosplay askblog format #also i know you and none of the other cos askblogs are. alive. and i didnt want to link to a stranger's dead cos blog that feels rude #plus i know you still cosplay pjo #i would link Gray's Alex askblog as well but there's a lot of reblogs and not a lot of ask-responses on there so its a less clear example #love u too though Gray your Alex blog is very nice and it is also in my other list so it's still there kinda #anyways ASKBLOGS YIPPEE #askblogs are so cool #tell me about your askblogs if you have them i love hearing about them #i dont follow all of the ones i linked but theyre all good examples of what's typical for that format #or an atypical format thats neat (utahlive & infinityroom)#wireman is also kind of atypical for a text-based askblog but it's a VERY nice example of what you can do with that format #besides the typical chat response format

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a-s-levynn · 5 months

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"Even if the sky cracks in mourning / And the heavens just won't open up for me" A Series of Small Offerings - II/12 - day20

#a series of small offerings #sleep token fanart #elaboration on this piece further down in the tags because this one may confuse people i think #(also please note that i firmly believe that the from the room below version of this song is the superior one)#(so the art was made with that version in mind because that is the version that lives rent free in my brain for reasons)#i've been thinking so much how to approach this one.. i knew pretty much since i've made the challenge that i will go with this line #specifically because i refuse to hear it as the lyrics sites and spotify tells me to hear it (as it appears in the post) but instead #i don't hear the 'the' in any version of the song i'm sorry that is just not there #so i'm convinced it is 'as the sky cracks in mourning'#(sky cracking-lightning;sky mourning-rain)#which is also exactly how the song feels to me #being a sad wet cat of a person standing bare feet in a strom and just crying 'why i was i so blind to my own hubris'#specifically in relation of finally (and far too late) understanding you fucked up a relationship so bad it still hurts years after #if you've ever felt anything remotely similar you know what i'm talking about #and you get why i refuse it being 'in the morning' instead of 'in mourning'#vessel i #vessel #vessel sleep token #vessel fanart #sleep token band #sleeptoken #levynn tries to draw #sleep token #edit: i don't mean to offend those who stand behind the line being 'in the morning' btw i just don't hear it #and i don't think i'm correct. i'm correct for me. not in your stead. half the lyrics can be heard at least two ways #edit2: appearently i'm actually right about something for a change.. a truly unusual turn of events #see comments for referrence pls #also edited this post to the correct lyrics #but leaving the tags for context 'cause thw original version of the post has been rb-d before editing i think

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b4kuch1n · 8 months

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dip pen ink comm batch 4 complete! for Ezechiel, @ohwwhuv, and Leo :]

#bakuspecial #commission art #the grayscale for these were done on a train with my laptop track pad fksdjhf it was! manageable! but not desirable condition #that was before I got my new current tablet too... thank you my old huion. you served me well. Im so sorry I chipped ur paint to shit #ngl the texture on the new one's better off the bat. the grip's better and it has good kinetic feedback #too bad abt the touch buttons tho... I was confident I could make use of them but alas #things need actual feelable buttons again please I can Not tell where anything is when Im drawing and cant look at the tablet #my eyes are on the screen!! Im bad at gauging distance!!! please give me buttons I can find in the dark. please #even the old huion which has actual buttons I still couldnt use them. bc theyre not raised #theyre flat to the tablet's surface. you know what I shouldve tacked raised stickers on them I was stupid there #well! the more u learn. the more u learn #I'm happy with the current tablet tho!! buttons stuff aside it's nice to draw on. and thats what important. wrists dont hurt no more #almost said ''I miss the wacom eraser end" I don't. not really. every time I used that thang I was like wow you are so imprecise and blunt #litcherally why would you want basically a mappable stylus end but it's 50 times the size of a normal nib and you cant see where ur drawing #especially on a screen tablet. the dynamic there makes absolutely no sense #I can really do the same thing now by mapping one of the stylus buttons to swap foreground color to transparency #anyways. this has been my testimonies on tablets. in the tags of a dip pen ink post lmao #well! this is a late post I shouldve posted this before art fight. thank u again to that anon who reminded me #have a good day lads! we can answer emails together. hands in professional hands

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esteemed-excellency · 6 months

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Here's a post about Hiram and the Deviless, under the cut because it got a little long. Their story follows the Intimate of Devils storyline, but I wanted to elaborate on my headcanon too.

They meet at the Brass Embassy around 1870, not even a decade has passed since the Fall, and Hiram is still in the process of rebuilding his life (again) after his first arrest. He's also in the process of studying the Neath and the Correspondence, and he decides to keep in touch with the Deviless to learn more about the neathy languages. He's often at his Brass Embassy guest room, the only lodging able to withstand the incendiary side effects of his studies. He had enough experience in dealing with the devils, having resorted to spirifage to make a living in the past, to know that the Deviless is only after his soul, but he's after information, and she's charming, so he doesn't mind indulging her.

Their meetings are always pleasant, and things progress smoothly, in a mutually beneficial arrangement that results in a series of empty gestures of politeness and tenderness. It's only after some time that he has his italicised "Oh." moment, which is more of an italicised "Oh no." moment, as he realises that even if she's only after his soul, he's not exclusively interested in information anymore, and their meetings are something he looks forward to.

Things progress with less and less empty gestures on his part, until she invites him over for the Abstraction. Hiram knows enough about spirifage and soullessness, and he considers the option very carefully. The violant incident is still recent, and soullessness would probably help him get rid of headaches and flashbacks; nightmares are becoming very inconvenient and dampening their effect without always resorting to laudanum would be ideal. But most of all, he knows he just can’t say no to the Deviless, and he knows she knows it. His soul would make a lovely gift, she adores it so much, after all. He wonders if she knows his heart belongs to her, too.

Meanwhile, the Deviless is having a really good time meeting this random human who seems to be in posession of a very nice soul. Their meetings are always pleasant, Hiram is an interesting interlocutor, he's always asking the most peculiar questions about the languages of the Neath and the nature of Hell, and she always responds truthfully, entertained by his curiosity. He can't seem to get rid of headaches and nightmares but that's not her problem, even though she sometimes catches herself wondering how he’s doing. One time, he even manages to give her a flashback and a mild headache, immediately excusing himself. He shows up at their next date wearing an irrigo tinted monocle, and she gets the distinct impression that he commissioned it just for her sake. She doesn’t mind the attention, or the gifts, or the conversations, or even that one eventual headache, it all makes his soul so very alluring.

It's not always easy to charm humans into giving away their soul, and Hiram is no different at first, but he's always looking for something and, whatever that is, the concept of Abstraction won’t interfere with his plans. As they talk about it, she notices an eagerness on his part that she never noticed before, but that's what happens when humans mess around with things they don't understand, and he has a tendency to do that a lot. Maybe that's why his soul is so alluring.

Her very own italicised "Oh no." moment happens right at the Abstraction. As she sees his blank expression, she realises she might have made a mistake. Admittedly, she cared very much about the attention, and the gifts, and the conversations, and yes, even that one headache. She gained one lovely soul, but a soul all by itself can’t bring her roses, or dance with her, or invite her out to dinner, or read her poetry, or play with her bat. It just floats in its little bottle. She realises she was in fact as interested about the man as she was about the soul, which is frankly baffling and somewhat embarassing if you are a soul snatching being from outer space. But the damage is done. She seals the contract with her ribbon and she leaves a little rose with it.

Hiram wakes up the following day not feeling tired, or sore, or scared, or particularly alive. His memories of the evening are a little fuzzy, but he knows exactly what happened as soon as he sees the contract. He doesn't feel particularly anything actually, but for the first time in months his night wasn't plagued by nightmares. The Deviless left a ribbon and a rose with the conctract, and he presumes it to be a sweet gesture on her part.

As the days go on, he still gets flashbacks and headaches. Sometimes he still feels the flashbacks, but they don't bother him as much as they used to. Nothing feels consequential, as inconsequential are his conversations with friends and acquaintances, his affairs, his studies, the evenings at Mahogany Hall, and his usual routine. What doesn't feel inconsequential is the little rose drying on his desk. He finds himself coming back to the little rose trying to figure out how he feels about it. He remembers how he's supposed to feel about a drying flower, and about the person who left it for him, but he doesn't seem to be able to pinpoint what he's feeling now. Whatever he's feeling must be strong because it's enough to get him a flashback and make him feel something. The little rose seems to make him very upset for some reason. He decides the unpleasantness derives from the fact that the little rose is losing a petal, and it should be dried properly, or at least substituted. It would be a pity to buy another rose and don't get at least one more, though.

As the days go on, the Deviless gets a little disappointed about not receiving any more gifts, and not being asked about the specifics of hellish Laws. All her new human acquaintances seem to be lacking in hubris, she notices. The exquisitely brilliant soul on her shelf is still floating in its little bottle but it's not capable of doing anything particularly interesting, except floating and being mesmerising, so after a few days she decides to sell it away. It makes a valuable collector item, but what use have collectors items if they won't bring you out to dinner, or ask you to a dance. Life can get boring sometimes if you're a soul snatching being from outer space.

After two weeks she starts asking around the Embassy about their regular visitors, but it's Hiram who finds her first at her house. He's wearing her satin ribbon and he brought a few roses. "It would have been a pity to buy a new one and not get at least one more." he says, handing her an entire bouquet. He's more detached and distant, but their day goes swimmingly, and soon enough they fall back into their usual routine of dates, dinners, soirées, dances and outings. His mannerism falls very flat every now and then, and she wonders how much of it is rehearsed and how much is genuine. Whatever the answer is, he could have asked her the same thing weeks ago, and it would've been the same. But neither of them minds it.

Eventually, she asks him how much does he actually care about the Neath, and London, and everything in general. Oh, he's very interested, especially about the everything in general, he says. The Neath holds much more everything than he thought possible, and it has been truly marvellous to figure it out so far. There are so many things to figure out, and he's interested in every single one of them. But, at the present time, what he truly cares about, the most marvellously intriguing thing to figure out is if she would be amenable to meet again tomorrow? Maybe at Dante’s? She would love to.

#usual disclaimer: english is not my first language so if you see some spelling mistakes please be merciful and tell me #this is very lovey dovey for my standards but the brainrot is real so i had to elaborate #the deviless: i can make him worse ;)#the deviless after the abstraction: oh no i made him too worse #fallen london #oc lore #hiram lore #hiram hargrave #hiram x deviless #my writing #backstory

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