hector is really far too old to feel so nervous about this. luckily, he arrived home late so the first thing he did was sleep like a log, skipping those doubtful thoughts which rise with the moon. it’s a saturday, which means the professor is going to be?? at home, hector hopes. his plan is just to turn up at adam’s house. that’s still romantic, right? oh god. what if times have changed and it’s suddenly obnoxious? but adam’s a traditional kind of romantic, otherwise the letters would’ve been lost on him. okay. fine. so that’s the plan. hector showers and has another miniature meltdown that remind him how THRILLING it is to be alive: what the fuck does he wear? something kind of smart, just to look nice. casual plaid slacks with the ankles turned up, a pullover sweater, loafers. easy! classic! he knows he looks good! add a watch, some shades, look at that. any self-respecting playboy tycoon would ask him for fashion tips. god, he looks ridiculous, doesn’t he?
okay. that’s what he’s wearing. out the door. he’s clean, freshly shaven, hair needs a bit of a trim but it’s adam, he won’t care. on the drive over, hector shuts himself off and runs in auto-pilot. he’d caught himself second-guessing the letters, second-guessing everything. but that’s ridiculous. just because it’s been more than a hundred years since his heart had done flips, that doesn’t mean hector doesn’t know how he feels. he trusts his decisions, and trusts his heart.
the house is exactly how adam had described. it’s homely, familiar. hector’s nosy all of a sudden: wants to know the story behind every object lying inside. GOD! is he nervous as he walks down the path! he almost doesn’t want to knock, but he does. then he steps back and rubs the back of his neck. he knows roughly what he’ll say, but plans dissolve as adam opens the door. hector’s face lights up in a friendly grin, the hand drops to his side. everything is fine again. “hi. uh. is this a bad time?”
sometimes i start to feel byler not happening is fine its totally okay. mileven isnt that bad either. its fine. but then i remember the type of shit they pulled in the actual show. and it really is that deep. they used all their queer characters (will and robin and vickie) to build this narrative and uplift the worst het relationship ive ever seen. mileven is literally built on the back of queer love and suffering. im not kidding.
robin both got together and broke up with vickie offscreen. they kissed ONCE so will could see it and get hopeful. all of the rebelwise convos are about finding love. they couldve made robin a true queer mentor and have them talk more about their experiences growing up in a town like hawkins but they dont really – its just one conversation where robin assumes mike is straight. they try to make it seem like it was all about will accepting himself when his entire arc was centered around finding love, specifically with mike. this is them literally overwriting what they did in the last 4 seasons.
will is out here doing all the emotional heavy lifting of being in a tumultuous relationship all while he isn't even in one. mike and el's relationship gets magically fixed with this painting that symbolises will's love. they dont even have to talk it out ever in the show. will's love is so pure and powerful that it can save the lives of his friends, give him magical powers and fix mlvn but in the end its just a crush coz ofc gay love is so damn stupid isnt it. theres no way it could ever be reciprocated? only straight love is serious.
(like ofc none of this means ANYTHING at all)
bro i cant. im getting mad all over again. omg this show sucks. wonderful characters with sm potential trapped in the stupidest narrative ever istg. i still remember most of the ga being so on board with byler back in november. everybody making reaction videos and being all like – OMG MIKE IS IN LOVE. its been 5 months and i cant move on. i feel so strongly about this ship. it was right there. its like somebody stole it from me. im so mad.
Are you an artist looking to improve your skills? Well, I made a ttrpg to help with that!!!
My Little Muse is a ttrpg where you create a little friend, a Muse, that you feed and take care of by drawing! It is basically a tomodachi that is sustained by art :D It won't die if you stop drawing because it knows everyone needs a break every now and then and it only wants you to thrive.
The TTRPG provides you with a study guide to examine different aspects of art such as studying the human face, body, gesture or color theory and composition! What skills you choose to work on is up to you as every aspect of art grows your Muse.
Every day that you complete the prompted art studies grants your Muse Experience which is used to level up and gain new abilities. What are these abilities for? Community games of course!
There are 5 games in the base game that you play with your community in which you pit your Muses against each other or work side by side to accomplish different goals. These are the Arena, a Parkour Race, a Treasure Hunt, Hide and Seek, and Fishing! Because everyone loves fishing (myself included ;3)
The game is still in development but I plan on releasing it next week and starting a discord server where we can all hang out, talk about our Muses, and play games with them!
If this sounds interesting to you, follow for updates and share! I want to build a little community of artists all trying to encourage each other and grow our skills. Studying consistently is hard but I hope this TTRPG and your Muse will help :D
Since we are taking inspiration from Epic the musical, imagine if non-Mc knew the Lis before her council pushed them as her suitors. How could she not when she grew up with them in her uncle, the kings court. You adored them but of course they only had eyes for your beautiful cousin MC and were constantly vying for her attention. Many suitors sought her hand and your uncle didn’t know what to do until your future husband suggested that all the suitors swear an oath to protect and provide aide to whomever MC chooses. This avoiding war. In exchange for this wisdom, he asks the king to grant him the hand of his niece, non-mc. Imagine the shock of the Lis when in the midst of the competition for MCs hand, they hear of your marriage to the king of a distant nation. For some reason, they assumed even if they weren’t chosen you would always be there. It’s only when they see you sailing away to your new home, with your husband beside you that they realize their feelings. So when news reaches them of non-mc looking for a suitor, they are ready to meet the challenge.
yes!! that’s definitely one of the possible versions to explore. more drama-filled, a tinge of angst, a lot of yearning/pining. something that i was thinking about instead of working below, lol. implied fem non-mc, themes of misogyny and the patriarchy (this alone should explain it all) because of the source material that this is inspired by. this isn’t a proper fic (more of a prequel than anything) and is based on my previous post where i talk about the basic premise, if you are curious.
because you’ve always known. or rather, it has always been made clear to you who you are and what you’re meant to do in life. imprinted into your very being, drilled into your head over and over again, through dreary lessons and unsolicited advice: duty and responsibility above all. anything for power, strength and wealth - all things that connection begets.
it is why in courts such as your uncle’s, contests for marriages are still so common. the man will get riches, the bride will provide sons upon whose shoulders will rest the fate of the future. it’s in this particular way, that you and your cousin are much alike. at least, you’re not alone in this regard. at least, the both of you could despair together over the endless suitors and the exhaustion, which seems to be the only thing you two get in return. young men who you know are not really after either of you, but what the two of you can bring. a fate that neither of you could avoid, to be fought over and coveted as if you have no wish nor whim of your own.
your cousin, widely known for her grace and beauty and lesser known for her mischief, had patted your hand lightly as she lead you to the windows of your room. it takes you no time to realise her intentions for just below, milling about and joking around within the palace courtyards are the suitors vying for her hand. she says very little at the moment but the grin on her pretty face tells you plenty.
there are a number of strangers, but they don’t matter too much for you know there is only a select handful that have her attention. each one more different than the next, all very different but with their own charms. stable positions, men of power and wealth. their eyes catch on you, always at your cousin’s side, though they never linger too long.
and there are stolen moments of fleeting happiness. where for a while, it seems like there is no pressure from anyone and laughter flows freely. in the training field, or the library or the gardens. somber nights where you contemplate a fate other than being handed off like a parcel wrapped in golden robes and sparkly jewelry. gentle and kind mornings with your cousin and the man that has her eyes.
is is the same man that you have your heart set on? or perhaps, it’s a different man who has drawn your attention, who has long pined after your cousin? it matters very little. for you, and your wandering eyes and your clenched jaws, have a dreadful and clever mind that understands why things unfold the way they do. understands the most that no matter how hard you clench your fists and hold onto things, it is never up to you. your life has never been your own, after all.
it’s why, inevitably, you are so quick to relent. duty and responsibility above all. your cousin gets her husband, and you get yours.
the man that wins your hand is a man whom they claim to have cheated in the competitions. knowing that he could not win the hand of your cousin, he had decided to strike a deal with your uncle: wisdom and in return, he would get you. they say he is clever, but you are also made to understand that it’s something one says when they lack other, much nicer things to say about a man.
your uncle eagerly sends you off to your new husband’s kingdom, small and rustic. word spreads that it’s only because of a grudge he has against your father that he chose to allow it. so that your uncle could rule peacefully, without the possibility of you or your husband or his sons interfering.
at the end of your life in this palace, before you trade one gilded cage for another, you clutch at your cousin’s hands. make her husband swear to you: that he will keep her safe or you would make your way back somehow, whether that be from your husband’s kingdom or from the land where the dead dwelled, and you will end him yourself. your cousin laughs, yet you know, she is far more capable, far more cunning and perhaps far stronger than you are.
and you allow yourself one last look backwards. one final stolen moment for you to commit the finer details of his face, the intensity of his eyes, the curve of his jaw. from this point onwards, you will have very little time to ponder over possibilities of what might or what should have happened. the memories will have to be enough. as your strength and pillar, as a reminder, as a way to propel you forwards into the terrifying unknown.
unbeknownst to you, however, that would not be the last time you see him. those eyes will continue to haunt you in the years after.
