Siobhan, the god of dangerous spelling

V, she/her, elder millennial, introvert, acespec, anxious, ADHD. This started out as an Eddie Izzard blog. Heartstopper/Young Royals/OFMD/and more. Main blog is @thewestcoastlady.

[retrieve-the-kraken]

Hey, hello, hola, ciao, it’s me, @retrieve-the-kraken. I was named after an Eddie Izzard joke on Greek mythology. This started out as a blog about my Queen Eddie Izzard, then it also turned into a mental health blog, then it included Pride and Prejudice, and then it also became my beloved fandom blog, where I geek out about all the shows that I love: Our Flag Means Death, Heartstopper, Young Royals, A League Of Their Own, The Sandman, Bee and Puppycat, and much more. It’s also a safe space for topics about sexuality and gender identity. And it’s currently where I post the most and interact with the most people at the moment.

However, this isn’t my main blog, no. @thewestcoastlady is, it is the blog that started it all, the og from all the way back in 2009 (yes, I’m very very old, I’m ancient, an elder millennial). And so because of the way Tumblr works, I can only comment and follow other blogs as @thewestcoastlady and not as @retrieve-the-kraken like I would like to most of the time.

I just thought I would make that abundantly clear, because confusion has arisen before. You can follow me there if you want, I hope you like the very very random content that I reblog or post on a whim (that blog is also a safe space for all the same things, I just probably don’t post about them there, I like to keep things as catalogued as possible), and/or you can follow me here and I hope you like what I post here too.

Just know that @retrieve-the-kraken and @thewestcoastlady are in fact the same person liking your content and following you and commenting on your lovely posts and losing our shit when you like and/or reblog our stuff, and we are very excited that you stopped by (excited and a little awkward and probably very anxious).

Thank you, I love you. ❤️

[therozanov]

His crucifix chain dangled between them

YOUNG ROYALS 1.04 || HEATED RIVALRY 1.02

[grapehyasynth]

If you like sacrilege in the form of sucking on cross necklaces during sex do i have a fic for you

[medievalthymes]

my love language is the same as a crow. if you’re nice to me i’ll bring you useless little trinkets from my travels that made me think of you

[retrieve-the-kraken]

During my recent reHeat, i have been making note of all the Young Royals parallels. Because of course I’m excited for the news today that my baby Edvin got cast in it, fulfilling the prophecy (that Jacob Tierney would be getting Wilmon in HR in some shape or form).

Of course there’s the mutual yearning under the neon lights…

But my favorite has to be the difference in how they deal with jealousy.

Because there’s my neurodivergent sons being anxious and devastated

And my curly-haired children boiling with fury and revenge

(Bonus: my curly-haired children enjoying homemade pasta)

The new season cannot come fast enough.

[danielsarmand]

Leviticus (2026) dir. Adrian Chiarella

[alistairlowe]

[retrieve-the-kraken]

I just watched Heartstopper Forever…

I hated it.

I’m kidding. I loved it.

I should have known, though, that the movie would put me through the distress that the Nick & Charlie novella put me through.

I think it was nicely balanced between the two, what happens in the last volume of the comic and the novella, but still… it was painful.

I like how, through the seasons, the live-action adaptation evolved into a more mature, less cutesy vibe (hello to all the sex scenes, hello to swearing Nick), and it felt exactly like growing up. Like facing a lot more decisions and mistakes and things that are not so pleasant.

I think both Joe Locke and Kit Connor were amazing.

But I’m definitely sad that, since it was a movie, there wasn’t enough time to see more of the other characters… I think they did such a good job of expanding everyone else’s storylines through the show, and it’s sad that we didn’t get to have that this time (though that epilogue was pretty good).

And also I think I needed more interaction between Tori and Isaac.

I cried so many times. I cried at Charlie’s speech for Head Boy (it sounded so much more poignant to hear it out loud). I cried at Elle telling Charlie that she needed her friends at Pride (I felt so much of Yasmin in that speech). I cried at Charlie weeping while looking at how long it’s been since he self-harmed while naming five things he can see (and I also cried because I felt a little robbed from that part in the comic, where they’re together watching it count down to a whole year and then they both cry). I cried at Sarah’s speech about love. I cried at the older couple in the coffee shop (even though Charlie didn’t, like he did in the comic). I cried when Biscuit got adopted (especially when he glanced back at Nick). And I cried at how perfectly they recreated the kiss in the empty hotel ballroom.

And of course, I cried at the credits using the comics illustrations.

I think Heartstopper should win all the awards for casting (and recasting). They did a great job with all the characters from the start, but recasting Sarah and still nailing it is a real feat (how the hell do you replace Olivia Colman??? Anna Maxwell Martin was not on my bingo card but I kind of wish we had gotten more of her). I think the kid who played Alfie was absolutely perfect.

Favorite quotes (not surprisingly, most of them are Tori):

“Love isn’t destiny or fate or some kind of cosmic force. Love is a choice.”

“We’re happy together. That’s all there is. Whether that’s romance or friendship or whatever, that’s everyone else’s problem.”

“Maybe out together isn’t the same as your together, or the normal sort of together, but… it’s ours… and we’re happy with it.”

And to me, the most quotable lines (also all Tori):

“You know I’m asexual, don’t you?” “No…?” “Oh… could’ve sworn I told you that.” (Will be using this in the future)

“I don’t know, probably nothing and then death.”

And now… I’m just sad. I’m gonna rewatch this multiple times and be sad every single time.

I’m also waiting for my copy of Volume 6 to arrive in the mail… I will reread it and be sad all over again too.

I have Heartstopper Syndrome. It’s a real thing. I’m gonna miss everything and everyone.

I do hope that Alice Oseman continues to create amazing characters and beautiful comics (and an adaptation of Loveless and Radio Silence and Solitaire and… basically everything they’ve written, pretty please).

Thank you, Alice.

[retrieve-the-kraken]

In honor of Heartstopper Forever coming out, here’s a list of my precious, tormented, neurodivergent queer boys that I have an unhealthy attachment to, and that I’ve had to say goodbye in recent years (but i will never get over them):

Luckily I still have one left (and he’a amazing):

[hollanderdiaz]

they like each other

me and @fizzseed are not normal about them in the slightest.

[retrieve-the-kraken]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 4 - The Promise

“I shouldn’t have taken it. But I- I felt so weird by then that I didn’t know… what to say or do, and we were leaving… and it felt like-”

“I get it,” Will responded, with a sympathetic smile. “Look, don’t feel bad. I’m sure it’s not a big deal.”

Mike made a face.

“I’m really not good at this,” he mumbled self-deprecatingly. “With El… it’s not that it was easier… I mean, somehow it felt…” He looked down at his hands. “And I just… haven’t really…”

Will watched him as he fell silent again. He didn’t know how to respond, or if he even had to.

Mike looked pensively to the side, staring at nothing in particular.

“How do you know if someone likes you?” he suddenly asked.

Will blinked.

“Oh… well, in her case, I think it was the fact that she was paying all her attention to-”

“No, I mean… you,” Mike looked directly at Will, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. “like… h- how do you know… if a guy likes you?”

It felt like all the blood in Will’s body had rushed down to his legs and arms and he felt lightheaded. He had not expected a question like that, let alone was prepared to answer.

He stared a little too long at Mike, who seemed to avoid his eyes again.

“Um… I, uh… I’m not sure,” Will stammered. “I- I mean… I haven’t really thought about it, but… I guess…” he scratched his neck, “I just… pay attention to the way he acts… like, if he’s nervous… or he… he wants to spend more time with me…” He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. “Um, I… I don’t really know much from experience, but… yeah, I guess… maybe those are the things that I notice.”

Mike nodded.

“And… what do you do? When… when you notice?”

Will’s own face had surely gone pink too.

“I, uh, well… as I said, I don’t have that much experience…” he muttered. He had only dated a handful of guys, and only gotten that feeling from one of them. Needless to say, it hadn’t really progressed any further.

“I guess I just… wing it,” he answered, “and hope for the best.”

Mike opened his mouth to say something else, but then tensely closed it.

NEW CHAPTER UP NOW

Chapters: 4/6 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson Characters: Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Joyce Byers, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Robin Buckley, Steve Harrington, Erica Sinclair, Holly Wheeler, Karen Wheeler, Ted Wheeler (Stranger Things), Original Characters Additional Tags: Post-Canon, byler, Correcting the epilogue, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler, Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings, Mike Wheeler Needs a Hug, Will Byers Deserves Love, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, What epilogue boyfriend? Summary:

It’s been months since they all went their separate ways, and Mike still feels like he’s stuck. A happy occasion brings them all together once again in Hawkins, and a new year’s resolution sparks the beginning of a new mentality. Eventual Byler. Switching POVs.

[spookedstarzz]

me, nearing tears: richard...richard please...please just tell me the fucking story

richard, dreamy eyed: today henry winter's shoulders looked especially sloping as his startling blue eyes scanned his homework with the concentration of a monk, though to me he is more like the god they serve. francis' coat billowed behind him, making him look like a student prince, and i admired the way the sun hit his hair, turning the red strands the colour of honey. i love camilla's boyishness and the way her features mirror her brother's so perfectly, framed by her short hair and masculine clothes borrowed from charles. i'm so heterosexual.

drying my eyes: nevermind gayboy, who cares about the murder

[minimushr00m]

rip Bunny Corcoran, you would have loved chatgpt

[retrieve-the-kraken]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 3 - The Paladin’s Plight

“The last couple of years, I feel like I barely even existed. Like… I could hardly function as a human,” he said.

Silence followed again.

“I know.”

Mike felt his throat tighten.

“I know that I have to move on… But every time I try, it… it feels like it’s too soon.”

Someone else would have told him that he had to, no matter what. He could hear Hopper’s voice in his head, saying something about choosing a path. Mike knew which one he should choose, and yet the other one was so tempting; it seemed easier, and familiar, and it didn’t feel wrong. The other path, the correct one, required a lot more work, and it was exhausting.

Forcing himself down the correct path was hard, and treacherous, and easier to stray off and get lost. And it felt lonely.

Someone else would have told him that he had to, no matter what. He just had to move on. But not Will.  

“Then maybe it is,” Will replied. “Maybe you need more time. And that’s okay.”

NEW CHAPTER UP NOW

It’s been months, and I’m still writing this story… Guess I’m stuck now, until I’ve exorcised it from my system…

Chapters: 3/6 Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson Characters: Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Joyce Byers, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Robin Buckley, Steve Harrington, Erica Sinclair, Holly Wheeler, Karen Wheeler, Ted Wheeler (Stranger Things), Original Characters Additional Tags: Post-Canon, byler, Correcting the epilogue, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler, Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings, Mike Wheeler Needs a Hug, Will Byers Deserves Love, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, What epilogue boyfriend? Summary:

It’s been months since they all went their separate ways, and Mike still feels like he’s stuck. A happy occasion brings them all together once again in Hawkins, and a new year’s resolution sparks the beginning of a new mentality. Eventual Byler. Switching POVs.

[aroacesafeplaceforall]

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL ASEXUALITY DAY!!

-April 6th

[miwiheroes]

WELCOME TO WILLDAY

[retrieve-the-kraken]

I had to take a moment to process everything that happened on S2E11 of The Pitt…

So Nurse Jesse, played by actual nurse Ned Bowers, was thrown down and arrested by ICE, for trying to defend a woman/patient arrested by the same ICE agents, in an episode that was written and filmed months prior to what happened to Alex Pretti in January 24th… That hit hard.

Not to mention all the patients in the waiting room and members of the staff who took off, made me feel so bad. I can only imagine what it must feel like, to be living through that right now in the United States. It’s literally still happening.

Someone pointed out that it was unrealistic that ICE agents would bring someone they detained to the ED for care… and maybe it is, but maybe it isn’t. Maybe one of the (possibly the one without the mask) got a drop of decency left in him (which is a lot for an ICE agent), and it’s clear that the asshole with his face covered did not agree to it, did not want to be there, and he’s ready to take everyone down (he’s the one who arrests Jesse). But it’s excellent that Javadi filmed the whole thing (she’s such a TikTok girlie) and she’s using her platform to make ICE agents famous. I wouldn’t be surprised if it helps resolve the situation with Jesse faster. (Also get Jesse and Robby a lot of fangirls and fanboys).

I liked Robby’s reaction to the ICE agents. It was very “I fucking hate you but I know I can’t do anything right now because that would only make things worse and I have a job to do but get the fuck out of my ED, you absolute scum of this Earth”. That felt somewhat cathartic, but also felt so helpless.

I wasn’t expecting Roxie to die so soon, but I definitely feel that her death, that moment in her room with the husband and Javadi, and him and Al-Hashimi talking to the mother of the heatstroke child, and even more so whatever is happening with his friend Duke, will ultimately be the lethal combo that makes Robby break down again and hopefully seek help. (That moment when Al-Hashimi asked the mother if she has ever thought of hurting herself, and the camera is right on Robby as he hears it…)

And now that Mohan has made it clear that she might not want to be there anymore, I think it will make him face the fact that he’s been contradicting himself, that he doesn’t have a force field for his emotions, that he lets everything in, just like any other human. His attitude toward Mohan and Langdon, especially, signal how much he lets himself be controlled by his emotions. And if he doesn’t accept that that happens, that it’s just being human, he’ll never accept the help that he desperately needs.

I loved the whole interaction between Langdon and Mel, and I know Mel will take some time to readjust, but she will eventually realize that she needs to relinquish that need to control/build her life around Becca. But Taylor Dearden does such a good job of playing Mel, and yet it’s a little painful to watch.

I think I was a little surprised that no one else knows about Langdon being away in rehab. I thought it was widely known. 10 months is a long time for nobody else to find out. And especially for Whitaker, who lives with Santos, to not know… it shows that Santos really doesn’t take it upon herself to badmouth Langdon. She wants accountability, but she did her part and nothing happened. However…

I bet they eventually explain that the guy with the dislocated elbow not wanting to take pain meds is due to having recovered from addiction, or having someone in his life who is or was addicted… and it’s supposed to make Santos feel a little bad for Langdon and his addiction. The same way that McKay tries to explain to Ogilvie to try to be empathetic about addicts, and obviously we know that it has to do with herself too.

I was a little irked by Joy’s accusation to the mother of the heatstroke child, to her face. It shows a side of Joy that we haven’t seen, and I wonder if it’ll be explored further.

I’m so scared for Emma… Not that I condone violence, but I kinda hope Dana comes in and punches that guy out cold. Please don’t let anything bad happen to sweet Emma!

So many questions still to be answered in the last four episodes, most importantly: what will happen to Baby Jane Doe?

[pagegirlintraining]

Happy 2 Years

to the series finale that changed my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it really is true in so many ways, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.

I don’t have any grand words, I honestly didn’t even plan on posting about this at all. But. Especially with all the changes both in the fandom and also my own life, this anniversary feels really significant in that it reminded me of how fucking grateful I am that this is the story we got, and this is what this story got me. So I guess this is me just saying thank you, to the cast, the show, Lisa, but also every single wonderful person I’ve met through this fandom. May we all keep Wilmon in our hearts for a very long time 💜