#straight face? more like...queer face...haha

Lets start with episode 1 (not including the hospital scene cause we've talked about it a lot already)

They emphasize on Mike's expression here WAY more than I expected them to. They actually quiet the music down for a second so your senses are more focused on Mike's face (seriously! Go rewatch with headphones if you can!)

Also this ENTIRE part here

Now episode 2

I already mentioned this but the rainbow imagery with Mike here was very obvious to me lol

Episode 3

this part specifically is SCREAMING byler endgame to me. You can see the confidence he has now that he knows he's not alone in being queer, you can just see that little bit of hope in his eyes. You can just tell that he wants to TRY with Mike

Episode 4

How do I say this without just saying "haha penis joke".... Uh I can't. Haha penis joke

Ok look. They're funny to me because I have the humor of a middle school boy but holy SHIT there may have been 1 or 2 too many

Now here's the obvious. Mike helping Will gain access to his powers. I MEAN SERIOUSLY! We get this whole talk

then Will's powers being unlocked after Will sees Mike in danger!?

That AND ROBIN'S SELF ACCEPTANCE SPEECH PLAYING OVER IT!? AND A MIWI FLASHBACK!? GUYS OMG WE WON SO HARD

About the "Mike/Tammy" parallel, I really don't see it like that the more I think about it. The point of Robin's speech isn't just for Will to accept himself and move on from Mike. Will accepts himself HERE. IN THIS SCENE WHEN HE GETS HIS POWERS! We have a whole second volume and the huge ass finale left to go and you mean to tell me that the arc of the main character is just finished already?? That makes zero sense. And the only way for is arc to progress for him to GET WHAT HE FUCKING WANTS AND HAS BEEN WANTING THIS WHOLE TIME.

Summary: You and your best friend Tommy have always had each other’s backs, starting with high school and continuing into the workforce. And now, Smosh Summer Games 2025.

Word Count: 1.2K

CW: brief mention of past bullying/growing up queer in a small town

AN: Thank you to everyone for sending in summer games requests! Love writing for Tommy, I’ve been really enjoying him on the channel lately so this was super fun!

The title is a Harry Styles quote but for the longest time I genuinely thought it was Tommy so I’m sticking with it haha

Based on these requests in the authors not at the end!

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Growing up in small town Florida had been…interesting. It was especially interesting when you realized that the feelings you had for boys extended to girls as well. Of course there was no such thing as a gay/straight alliance at your high school.

But still, somehow, all the LGBTQ+ teenagers in town somehow found each other. And that’s how you met your best friend, Tommy Bowe.

He was truly your rock throughout your teen years. No matter what problems you were having, he always supported you, either with a shoulder to cry on or a joke to cheer you up. He held you when your first girlfriend broke your heart, and fiercely defended you when people would make hurtful comments.

queer! fem reader x vi from arcane

summary: you and vi are really close best friends, but she doen't know something quit important about you.

a/n: I can't get vi out of my mind.

it's almost impossible to be best friends for more than 5 years and not be close. you and vi went through a lot of fucked up situations together, being there for each other every day, getting to the point of living together after finishing college. some of your and her friends find it kinda suspicious, teasing both of you every time about being in love. everyone could see the way vi looked at you, with glistening eyes, and how you would do everything to make her happy and safe, from cooking her favorite food to take care of her wounds when she fought with random people when you two went out for drinks. but vi and you were oblivious of these things, continuing to believe you acted like a normal pair of best friends.

"I think I need a nap, vi" you yawned, feeling your eyes growing tired.

"my god, cupcake, can you at least cover your big mouth?" vi stood up, grabbing your arm to get you out of the couch.

"big my ass" she looked you up and down, with a smirk on her face, entering your room.

"I mean, it kinda is"

"that's why everyone think that we are a couple, vi! you're such a tease" you laid down under a blanket, moving closer to the wall, "big spoon or little spoon?"

"yeah, right, I'm the one asking about being cuddled or being the one who cuddles, genius" vi moved closer to you, turning around and grabbing your free arm, placing it on her waist, "which, by the way is a stupid question, I prefer being the little spoon, you should know it by now"

a laugh left you lips, getting even closer to vi, your faced buried in her neck, breathing slowly, "right, sorry about that" you squeezed her a little tight.

"does it bother you? the couple stuff, I know some people can feel uncomfortable and shit" her back got stiffer, almost like she was afraid of the answer.

"oh god, no, never"

"okey, I just thought it may be weird for a straight woman, that's all" your eyes got bigger and a loud laugh interrupted the silence of the room. "why are you laughing, you weirdo?"

"You must be joking!" vi turned around, almost being completely under your body, "vi, you really think I'm straight? like, heterosexual?" you whispered, a big smile decorated your face, looking at violet like the just said the most strange thing in the world.

"yeah?" her face showed how confused she was, "you are not? I mean, you didn't say you weren't, how would I know?" her eyes wonder your face, looking confused by how entertained you were by the situation.

"I'm not straight, vi, that's outdated" your finger tapped on her nose, getting on your old position again. "I'm queer, I think, at least, I just know I'm not straight." your fingers played with her shirt, "what about you?"

"haha, you are so funny, cupcake" vi closed her eyes, an involuntary smile forming on her face.

"we can talk about boys latter, if you want"

Having just watched @teambyler most recent video on the shockingly cruel queerbait we have been put through by the duffers, the thing that stuck out to me the most is where he show us an excerpt of him reading out comments detailing the positive impact of byler.

Surmise to say it really touched me. The impact that byler has already had on the queer community has been beautiful and deeply moving. For me, byler was an escape of the shambles of my own life and the painful crush (which i have since gotten over thank GOD) I had on my close friend. For me now, it connects me to the other queer people in my life who, whether they were a stranger things fan or not, are raging about the finale. It also connects me to my crush, while she probably doesn’t like me back, who I now have an excuse to talk to.

However, now we as bylers are left mourning what could’ve been. Byler has done so much for us, but it could’ve been so much more. There are so many more queer people who would’ve been seen and been uplifted by byler. It would’ve shown those still closeted, afraid that they can find and deserve love. That we deserve to see beautiful and complex love in our media.

Instead Netflix, the Duffers, and Shawn Levy chose the easy option. To deny what they have been building up/ hinting at, in favour of not upsetting their conservative audience. They insult our intelligence, and call us noise and compare their own straight experience to the queer one, actively spitting in the faces of the Mikes and Wills out there in the world.

This conservative pandering course didn’t matter anyway. Due to the finale’s countless plot holes, unsatisfying character arcs, poor writing etc etc, the audience reception has been widely poor. (haha) They chose to sabotage the queer community, taking down their show with it, in favour of writing a good story.

Nonetheless, the one thing I do hope is that the queer people who have been positively impacted by our ‘noise’ don’t lose that. Watching our lovingly dubbed ‘byler lawyers’ video made realise that so many people were helped the hope of byler, and how those people must be feeling now the hope has been taken away. The sad truth is there is really nothing we can say to fully heal that wound. We have been cheated and lied to, a vulnerable community that, especially in times like these, needs uplifting.

However, regardless, I implore us to hold onto what we have had in byler. Don’t beat up the version of yourself that dreamed of byler but comfort them. Remember the joy, the hope, and excitement and bottle it ip to keep because one day, one day, we’ll get the representation we need, and the representation we deserve.

TAGS: Canon divergent - Eddie Lives; Canon Divergent - Vecna defeated; switching POVs; alcohol use; Cigarette use; implied drug use; flirting; ambiguous sexuality; use of queer as a term; jealous Steve; bratty Eddie; payphone flirting; angry driving; sexual pressure from OC character; fist fight for honor; confused snuggling; staying the night; eventual smut; babygirl Steve; top Eddie

RATING: Explicit

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Part 1: Steve

The phone ringing jolted Steve out of a dead sleep. He had managed to pass out on the couch with the cable on, alone in nothing but a ratty, cropped t-shirt and sweatpants on a night when all his usual friends were busy. Not even Robin had been available, due to an engagement with Nance.

Steve stumbled off the couch and bleary eyed made his way to the still ringing phone by the fridge, using the light above the sink as a guide. The clock on the oven declared it 1:30am.

“The fuck?” He muttered under his breath. Panic twinged the back of his mind. With all the chaos he and his friends had endured over the past few years, late night phone calls usually meant supernatural danger.

With a click, Steve picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Harrington!” Eddie Munson’s charismatic voice buzzed through the phone line. “I did have the right number.”

“Eddie? What the heck man? It’s past midnight, you okay?” Annoyance and a deep unnamed feeling bubbled up a little. I swear if someone is messing with you Munson…

“Sooooo, I may have gotten myself stranded at the Green Star off Route 50. My van is done for, kaput… uhhhh major bummer…” A slight hiccup noise made it through the phone.

Steve sighed. “Are you drunk?”

“Hahaha what tipped you off, gorgeous?”

“The hiccup, and that you’re calling me at 1:30am…”

“Hate to break it to you, Steeeeve,” Eddie retorted, “but you’re the only person I got who I can call at 1:30… can’t call Wayne, he’d kiiilllll me. An, an… you’re, responsibilities, you know?”

“Responsible?”

“That’s what I said.”

“What’s the name of this place?” Steve pulled out the phone book from the junk drawer and began looking for clubs.

“The Green Star… off Route 50 north, took like an hour to get here? Straight shot…”

“I don’t see it in the phone book,” Steve muttered as he looked.

“It’s not in the phone book…” Eddie suddenly sounded tense, slightly more alert. “It’s… I’m… it’s unlisted.”

“Why? Shady place?”

“Not exactly… it’s a friend of Dorothy…”

Steve blinked. Friend of Dorothy? “What—?”

“Look, can you just… stay on the line for a minute? I don’t want to be alone…”

Steve paused. This was odd for Eddie, the vulnerability. The asking for connection. He never did this. Drunk Eddie was soft…

“Okay… are you safe?”

“Uhhh, when am I ever in this shithole of a town? I think I saw a poster of me with horns the other day. Wayne still gets hate mail. Safe is rela-,relativistic.”

“Relative… I meant right now, with the phone call. Are you safe?”

Faintly through the phone, Steve could hear other people talking loudly, arguing maybe, being rowdy.

“Why, you wanna come rescue me?”

“Do you need rescuing?”

“You offering to save me, King Steve?”

Heat trilled up the back of Steve’s neck. Something about the way Eddie’s voice rumbled out of the phone and into his ear settled deep in his gut and lit a fire. He had been mulling over feelings and looks since the spring, when they saved Hawkins and defeated Vecna. Eddie had been hanging out with the group more, as he should, now that he was privy to the horrors of the upside down too. But his presence felt like a weight on Steve’s chest every time he got close or singled Steve out. Something hot and good, but dangerous, close.

“Haha funny. I’m trying to be serious, man.”

“I’m stranded but okay. Missing you…”

Steve clung to the phone. He’s drunk, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. “Oh?”

“Yeah, missing your face, your smile… fuck, what I wouldn’t give to see you shirtless again… sorry. I should keep my mouth shut.”

Steve barely breathed out. This felt sacred. Intimate. And yet: Eddie wanted to see him shirtless? Definitely drunk…

“Yeah well, you’re the only one who does. No action for me in like months.”

“I’d volunteer…”

“Eddie… you’re drunk.”

A laugh bubbled through the phone. “Doesn’t make you uglier, big boy… how do you like it? Hot and fast, or slow, sensual?”

Steve felt his knees buckle a little as he slid down to the floor, back to the oak cabinets as he settled to the linoleum floor, cold beneath his feet. “Like… like what?”

“The deed, genius… s*x… which is it? I promise I’ll shut up…”

“Uh… both. Depends on the girl and the time. I… aim to please who I’m with. Why are you asking?” Steve loosened his t-shirt neckline by running a finger around the inside of the collar and pulling a bit. Suddenly he was hot in the face and hot everywhere else.

“Like I said… I’d volunteer…” Eddie sounded soft, shy. Not the big bravado, rockstar attitude he usually put on for the world. “Wanna know what I’d be in for… in another life.”

Steve couldn’t breathe. Eddie Munson was fantasizing about having sex with him. What wormhole had he dropped into? But wasn’t he straight? He admitted to having a crush on Chrissy at some point, over drinks during the summer. And Steve knew he himself liked girls… and occasionally had dreams about Eddie. Steve shook his head. This was decidedly the weirdest phone call he ever had.

“Shit, running out of time and quarters,” Eddie laughed off the heavy silence.

“I’m coming to get you okay? Just stay put and don’t go anywhere. Be safe…”

“Ha, okay… I’ll be fine. Just gotta hope no one picks me up. I’m very susceptible to flattery and drinks. Not the smartest, this one…”

A gnarly thing roared from Steve’s gut, an angry emotion. “Be smart, Munson. I’m coming. Be there when I get there.”

“I’m the one in black,” Eddie teased. “Remember, Green Star, Route 50–“ the call dropped with a jarring dial tone.

Steve clambered to his feet and slammed the phone back into the cradle. That same feeling, twisted and urgent, settled into his chest, strong and burning. That idiot still better be there… Steve rushed around the foyer, grabbing shoes and a jacket, as well as some water and aspirin. In about 5 minutes, Steve was pulling out of his driveway in his BMW, heading towards what he hoped was Eddie and not an empty parking lot of a bar.

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I'll be brief on this because I have to get back to work on stuff haha

One Piece does unfortunately suffer from mainstream shonen problems regarding its fanservice and same-face-syndrome (especially for the female characters) but overall from a design standpoint, Oda is great at coming up with wacky and unique concepts that are both fitting of the setting and regularly challenge it in a way that still feels sensible and consistent.

While One Piece has been one of the "big three" for decades, it's still done a great job at differentiating itself from other bog standard shonen, it isn't afraid to push its character designs and concepts to extremes and even when they're doing WEIRD shit, it still fits right in with the logic of One Piece's world, because One Piece's world is one that bleeds weird - and most of all, fun.

Overall this has allowed Oda to keep pushing the limits of what he can get away with, whatever makes his story more fun, especially when it comes to his action sequences which often go out of their way to break and play with the rules of sequential storytelling. Like the fact that he committed to Luffy being a literal rubberhose character who can break the physics of the world around him, within the medium of manga and anime, was genius, and it's really what sets One Piece apart from other big anime franchises like Naruto and My Hero Academia.

(he's literally re-attaching his scars after they 'fell off' in the previous panel, he's a menace LMAO)

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Re: JoJo's Bizarre Adventures, the fun thing about that one is that its original designs were heavily inspired by Fist of the North Star and it's... not subtle.

But JoJo's creator Araki took that inspiration to the next level by putting more of a focus on fashion, music, and sex appeal. It's why so many of the characters' names are puns or direct references to 80's rockstars and bands. And this obviously worked in its favor, because while its inspirations are obvious, it was able to turn those inspirations into something new and iconic.

And the irony is, JJBA is also full of fanservice like One Piece, but it feels a lot more intentional and designed to make a point, rather than circumstantial of the creator only being able to draw one type of woman or doing it as a consequence of working in the industry.

It's almost very clearly making fun of the male gaze that would have spawned something like Fist of the North Star, by giving us these big beefy male characters who also aren't afraid to be emotionally sensitive or seen wearing the most skin-tight and revealing outfits possible, the same way a woman would often be subjected to wearing to please straight men in mainstream media. It's very reminiscent of the culture of the 80's in that way as well, as the 80's were a time of sexual ambiguity and redefining gender expression.