#and tbh it did kind of feel like nate would go that way

[terrainofheartfelt]

Sort of inspired by your discussion of Jenny needing to go to London alone to really grow into herself and mature as a person, in an ideal world in which none of the main characters were forcibly tethered to the UES or its more toxic inhabitants post-high school, how do you generally - like broad strokes - imagine them developing as people in college and throughout their twenties? I always wonder where everyone might have ended up had they not been constrained by the type of narrative they were living in, and I’d love to hear any headcanons you have on the subject!

I've been thinking about this on and off since i received it (an embarrassingly - for me - amount of time ago) and now finally feel like I can answer.

because, like, what if we weren't constrained by the harsh realities of making tv? what if the rules meant that they could leave new york?

well, first, let's dovetail off jen moving to london and blossoming, and send eric along with her. he can go to cambridge, or any of the other big name universities in the area, and he and jenny would be flatmates and live their own hilarious queer sitcom of being students in london.

I've already plugged nads' yale au in my answers this evening, but I still really like the idea of dan and blair attending yale, and outside of the maelstrom of manhattan drama, they settle into their own selves and learn they could actually...like each other? and then they fall in LOVE as far as careers, they are the most driven. and we've talked about novelist dan and editress blair and art historian blair and college prof dan.....but lately I've been thinking about blair working in costuming. It's not high fashion design, but I think it's a great synthesis of the things we know blair loves: literature, film, history, art history & fashion history, Evil Dictator of Good Taste, being a specialist and big boss on a niche subject...yeah...

i still enjoy the idea of vanessa being at nyu, or at another arts college in nyc, and making her own way and building her own story (without being boxed in to the secondary character of anyone else's story!) I like the idea of her attending Tisch too, and expanding her skill set into screenwriting in that way.

to plug another au by a friend, S's goodbye stranger introduced the concept of Serena attending Berkeley, and I LOVE it. I love that for her. Berserk-ley. I think that school in that part of the country would be where Serena would really thrive. She becomes a full glamorous SF queen. perhaps she opens a coffee shop. Blair is outwardly mortified but inwardly very proud.

As for Nate, I think he is the character who really should take a gap year. It's never questioned, but the way he is yanked around by the collar those first two seasons, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that nate would decide that he needs some time to figure out what it is he wants. sidebar: bc the serena gap year felt disingenuous in many ways, yk? serena was so eager to leave new york and go to school and study. she likes learning, we see it, and the opportunity to reinvent herself that college would provide....why would she walk away from it? except for TV Reasons. so, I like the thought of nate taking at least a year. traveling, volunteering, maybe he takes a community college course or two. he falls off the grid for a while and he realizes how healthy and how happy he feels without the constant eyes and pressure of his family & gossip girl. and after that time, he's found what he actually wants to do, and goes to school to do it. -- as always, I'm fond of nate working in health care, as a nurse or pt or something, but it could really be anything. teacher? chef? social worker? children's librarian? (actually culinary student nate has come up in convos with ivy & cherry before and I am into it.)

and uhhhhhh i guess chip wiskers can crash his inherited business and money into the ground bc lets be real that fucko would try to launch his own cryptocurrency and since he seems to hold such disdain for education and self-betterment, he stagnates and falls off the face of the earth byeeee

[sciderman]

i think deadpool 2 is funnier cuz we’ve seen it less repeatedly, yk? like deadpool 1, the best jokes were in the trailer that i saw constantly, then the movie came OUT and i watched it constantly, random repeating the jokes in fanfic, gifs etc or whatever. deadpool 2 is funnier cuz it feels more fresh (as in the i have seen repeats of the jokes less) , but i think deadpool 1 is the better movie tbh. feels less like a cluster fuck , when in deadpool 2 is a cluster fuck in a… bad way. but that’s just my experience. i can literally recite about 70% of the deadpool 1 jokes from memory

deadpool 2 is SUCH a cluster fuck. the editing, the plot - it's all so. so messy. it's a sloppy, messy bitch. it falls apart once you poke it.

literally why does nate only have two charges. one to get him there. one to take him back. they say it in the movie. lazy writing.

they could have literally saved wade's life by just fuckgi. taking the collar off. nate did NOT need to do thE TIME slide and get stuck in the past to save wade. unless.

like everything with nate and wade there is no heterosexual explanation for it. but also it's lazy writing to justify a sequel where nate sticks around which we might not even GET because marvel is going to ruin everything

i think everything is kind of dumb. vanessa's death being wade's motivator is. horrible. i don't think he needs that motivation to save a kid. i really just think they didn't know what to do with her, so they just... turned her into a source of man pain. that's all she ever gets to be. and it sucks.

i feel like all the issues i have with the deadpool movies would be solved with a script doctor of deadpool 1 where vanessa doesn't wind up with wade at the end. it would be a genuine subversion of the genre! "hero" doesn't get the girl. actually, he has some work to do. she walks away. you get to write vanessa out, without killing her. AND she gets agency beyond being a damsel in distress and eventually getting fridged. love that. simple fix. her walking away from wade, she gets to be a character with agency AND a source of man pain. sexy. love it. so! simple! and it already happened in the comics. you have the blueprint right there.

if only the deadpool movies were actually clever and actually wanted to subvert the genre

[not-poignant]

Hi, I wrote your earlier assuming Christian had some best interests at heart. I took me awhile to even accept what you wrote about him in response, likely because, I'm realizing, I was abused, but I'm a patron, so I read your later moments of "Underline." You're right. Entirely. And you're helping me rethink prior issues I had. Again. Thank you. I'm sorry it took so long to realize.

Hi anon!

You don't need to be sorry at all! It wasn't a bad thing, everyone can only view characters through the lenses of their own experiences and thoughts (and sometimes empathy). And that's normal!

Tbh, I feel like a few people would give Christian the benefit of the doubt at least initially, simply because most people have never actually met an abuser like Christian, or known people like that who have existed (or at least not been aware of it in passing when it's happening).

I'm so sorry that you're the flipside of that in your experience/s anon, where you're possibly recognising that there's some more pain around a certain person (or people) than you realised. It can be a really horrible thing to learn about something, though hopefully it might mean letting go of any blame that you've carried towards yourself in a situation where you were abused and were convinced that everything was fine and normal.

It's honestly just a completely normal thing to view characters a certain way. When I get asks about characters that don't click with how I think of a character, I'll usually just talk about the character through my lens, how I see them, and how I've conveyed that through the story. I don't expect other people to necessarily agree with me, because we each have our own way of meeting the story and the characters, there's a different version of Gary in every single person's head, even if they're all reading the same story, for example, so it makes sense that the same thing will happen with all the other characters too. Also sometimes people are emotionally invested in seeing a character a certain way, that's also normal.

You did nothing wrong at all, and it makes complete sense that it also took a long time to accept another view on things and that it came through reading more of the story, in context of experience/s in your past. You owe me no apologies at all! <3

But I am very sorry in turn for that slow realisation of things that our minds have gone 'that's normal' or 'that's okay' and then one day we have to stop and confront a different reality, and it's extremely difficult. Remember to take care of yourself while reading Nate's story, because that's basically going to be his journey as well. Be gentle with yourself, anon! You did nothing wrong, you just had your own experiences and thoughts about a character, and gave me a chance to share mine too, and I hope you can be kind to yourself about what you're realising about your past <3 When we have to survive a difficult situation, it's very normal to tell ourselves that what's happening is just... fine / normal / our fault etc. to get through it.

[direwombat]

6, 12, 15 (SFW) & 2, 6, 14 (NSFW) + Charlie & Paola

oughgalkjdf thank you for asking about them, they’ve been on my mind quite a bit recently 

SFW:

6. Going out to eat: Who pays? Who orders the most food? And who has desert?

honestly i think in general they prefer to get takeout or street-food, but every now and then charlie convinces paola to enjoy a nice night on the town with him. they usually switch off who pays (altho most of the time the check get’s placed in front of charlie because he is A Man), but at the more expensive places paola definitely pays. her income is a bit steadier than charlie’s so she can usually afford to take the hit. and you’d think charlie would be the one ordering more food, but ever since she learned about the american concept of a “doggy bag” she’s taken to ordering an extra meal to-go just so she won’t have to cook (or order out...again) the next evening. and they both get desert to split.

12. Can they stand silence? Who talks the most? Who talks the least?

i don’t think either of them mind silence. paola is a quiet woman and not a very good conversationalist, and while she may not act like one, she’s a very good listener and retains everything. if charlie really wants to get her going though, all he needs to do is ask about her students/colleagues/research and he’ll just sit back and listen to her dish all the unprofessional gossip and ramble on at length about developing technology and techniques allowing for better preservation of cultural heritage. 

15. Vacation ideas: who decides them? Where would they go, if anywhere?

lmao they have very conflicting ideas of vacations i feel. paola just wants to relax in her pajamas and not do anything. she travels quite a bit for work, and she did so much travelling during the brief time she worked for rafe and she found it exhausting. but charlie is and forever will be an adventurer at heart. they end up compromising quite a bit and end up sticking around the mediterranean. she shows him around cairo and alexandria and he shows her around syria (”and right here is where i broke my leg running from marlowe’s men,” | “excuse me, what!?” | “don’t worry, they weren’t after me, they wanted drake. the other one. nate. the one you don’t hate.”)

NSFW: under the cut

2. Who brings ideas? Who initiates?

for some reason i love the way ‘who brings ideas?’ is worded because it immediately conjures up the image of paola sitting charlie down with a goddamn dissertation of all the things she wants to try, complete with diagrams and it’s all presented in the driest, most academic way you could possibly present your partner with sex ideas. but charlie finds it so utterly endearing and he listens to her lecture and takes notes, and highlights things as needed, and they keep a copy of that dissertation tucked away in the bedside drawer and pull it out every now and then both to refer to and to cross things off as they try them. this also brings up the mental image of them fucking and then immediately afterwards paola writes up a reflective assessment of how it went which is also, objectively hilarious. 

and initiation varies. sometimes it’s charlie, sometimes it’s paola, sometimes it’s a mutually agreed upon thing that they plan out. it all depends. 

6. Dom/top? Sub/bottom? Any switches

tbh i feel like they mess around with roles depending on what they’re feeling, but generally things tend to lean more towards femdom with paola being in charge. she’s kind of bossy and authoritative in a way that frightens most of her students but makes charlie’s insides turn to mush, and he is more than willing to get on his knees in front of her and do whatever she wants. that said, there are certain circumstances where charlie goes on brat-training duty, usually when A) he’s riding the high of a successful heist and he’s feeling good and powerful, OR B) when paola’s academic life just gets so overwhelming and stressful that she just needs to be pulled from her head.

14. Lights on or off? Do they look at each other or is someone embarrassed.

a (not very secret) third thing: lights turned down low. i think they’re both fans of “romantic/mood” lighting, so sex typically happens under ambient/candle light. and their first time paola was definitely embarrassed. culturally, nudity isn’t a big issue for her and she’s been naked around other people in a non-sexual way many times. but having that kind of attention paid to her body was weird for her, but charlie was very good at helping her feel comfortable. once she gains her confidence (and she does pretty quickly), my god there’s so much eye contact.

[troglobite]

OHHHH ASDLKFMASDFY CUKGINF ASDLKFJLURAGLKJDFJ

more abt the shows i'm watching ONCE AGAIN please do not judge me for the shows i watch

okay ted lasso spoilers for the newest episode

OH MY FUCKING GOD I FUCKING KNEW IT I KNEW KEELEY AND JACK WERE GONNA GET TOGETHER IN SOME WAY AHHHHHH I LITERALLY SCREAMED AND FIST PUMPED IN THE AIR AND STARTED HYPERVENTILATING HOLY FUCKING SHIT ALSDKJFA LSDFHLASDFHLAKSDJF;AOSDFHLIAUSDFKLASJD FLK

okay also

TRENT HAD A FUCKING RAINBOW MUG IN THE OPENING SCENES

AND HE WAS HOLDING IT WHILE TALKING TO THE COACHING TEAM AND HIGGINS

AND THEN ROY WENT ON HIS GIANT RAGE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU DO TO BULLIES

AND THEN TRENT OUT OF SHOCK AND TERROR DROPPED THE RAINBOW MUG

i mean it was frustratingly not a PERFECT gay rainbow, but it WAS a rainbow and it said IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO

WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, POSSIBLY GAY TRENT MUG, PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME

also the looks at colin when ted mentions shame

colin talking about musicals and the others joining in

colin refusing to partake in saying that anastasia is beautiful

trent walking around with higgins just for some reason i'm like !!!!! OKAY!!!! PART OF THE TEAM/FAMILY!!!!

also i am VERY COMPELLED abt rebecca's journey

i KNEW her main closing journey was going to be abt becoming a mom

and now it's not possible for her to carry or conceive HOWEVER!!! GUESS WHO HAS A FRESH BABY!!!

BEX

do it, rebecca. DO IT. GET HER TO DIVORCE RUPERT, SELL HER SHARES OF THE CLUB, AND CO-PARENT THAT LITTLE BABY, DIANE!!!!!

also compelling that the green matchbook and shite in nining armor were about past relationships, not abt the "RIGHT" one!

it's reflective!

and it's moving BACKWARDS.

which makes me think--

further backwards yet again is BEX

so raise her baby with her!!!!

okay once again i would like to FUCKING SCREAM ABOUT KEELEY AND JACK GETTING TOGETHER FUCK YES!!!!!!!!!!

I KNEW FROM THE SECOND THAT SHE WAS INTRODUCED WITH A "MAN'S" NAME AS A BAIT AND SWITCH

AND THEN WITH KEELEY IN THE TOILETS

AND THEN THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AT THE BAR DURING THE GAME

i am.

EXPERIENCING HAPPY QUEER FEELINGS

THANK FUCKING CHRIST

I'M SO FUCKING THRILLED

KEELEY CONFIRMED BISEXUAL!!!!

JACK CONFIRMED BISEXUAL OR FORMERLY-DATED-MEN-LESBIAN!!!!!

i guess technically the same for keeley as well! but it seemed like she really loved and was very much into jamie and roy, so i'm definitely on Team Bisexual over here.

okay anyway

HINTS OF TRENT

that sleeve roll and his little bracelets so fucking gay, my dude, especially WITH THAT FUCKING MUG

and then jamie and roy still committed to working hard together i am LOOKING. WITH INTRIGUE.

okay that was a fascinating episode.

i also i called it as SOON as ted got that text abt henry that HENRY was the one who bullied the other kid.

i was anticipating MORE abt that storyline, but apparently it was just to show how far ted's come in terms of managing his anxiety and his panic attacks, which like, okay, sure. i appreciate them showing henry learning from his mistakes and trying to do better. that's lovely.

i WAS anticipating more. i was anticipating henry to have participated in like homophobic bullying or something. bc tbh we still don't know what he did. to some kid named doug. we didn't really learn anything. and i am INTRIGUED by that lack of detail.

anyway.

also yay for nate! i didn't actually expect him to end up dating restaurant girl--what the fuck is her name again? i legitimately forget even though i JUST watched the episode, which is genuinely hilarious considering her bit abt not remembering nate's name, etc.--but it actually kind of. makes sense.

nate does need someone who can keep him in check--but also they sort of know each other, and the restaurant is special to him. it's not like they have NO history, or their only history is her being rude to him.

quite frankly she's like the classic "be mean to the person you like" bullshit from childhood.

which is funny considering nate's like. behavior and modus operandi.

ANYWAY. i hope that gets more compelling and interesting, but yeah they've both been rude to each other and it's. interesting.

it's a good ego check for him.

and it was really nice for him to be able to recount all the good things that've happened to him! the fact that he ENDED that sentence w talking abt being promoted at richmond! that's really nice.

i don't have incredibly strong feelings abt him but i find the story is being handled p well.

nuance and critiques abound for various parts of the show, including nate and his storyline.

BUT.

that was. a really fucking good episode.

also bye zava! lol

i was really fucking worried that he was gonna out someone or say something shitty abt richmond, but truly, he's a self-important wishy-washy dickhead, but he's not a cruel person. and i appreciate that! very interesting character, v fun for the time he was there.

and unfortunately i can understand exactly how dani ends up hero-worshipping him. lol he speaks exactly the kind of language that dani would find super compelling. lol

anyway holy SHIT there are still seven episodes left AHHHHHH FUCK!!!!!!!

this was a good episode and FUUUUUUCK MEEEEEEEE KEELEY AND JACK ARE TOGETHER!!!!! well, they're fucking. who knows what any of it means. BUT FUCK YEAH!!!!! CONFIRMED BISEXUAL KEELEY!!!!!! FUCASDJFLKA SKLFJHAELIUAHDLSFHAILS EFJADSKFLJ

no. fuck. wait.

the next episode title and summary:

sunflowers

a friendly match takes the team to amsterdam, where one night out unlocks truths for many.

for MANY?!

HOW FUCKING MANY?!!

[SWEATS IN STRESSED OUT LESBIAN]

FUCK!!!!! AIDJ GKADHGCKAEHRLFGKADHKJGHCF ADLDHFKJFSD LKFJAD LFKJ DSOH FMADFYASD LFAJDLFKJASFLJ

[rqgnarok]

The thing about nates redemption is that I expected it to be a big focal point of this season and i was looking forward to it given how well they tackled rebecca’s and jamie’s but….ive been disappointed in the way its played out. There are things ive liked, like the way they show nate gradually becoming more self-confident and hating himself less, and how this causes him to treat other people more kindly, too. And maybe if this wasnt the last season then that would be enough. But i think the fact that nate hasn’t actually taken any strides to make amends (with ted, at least) is what’s making the whole arc feel a little incomplete. And i know it’s coming, i know he’ll obviously apologize to ted and maybe even beard. and I think the apology he gave to will was great. But it just doesn’t feel like enough. Idk for me maybe its less of a Nate specific problem and more of a ‘this season a whole has felt directionless.’ They wasted so much time on zava and shandy and didn’t spend nearly enough time actually like. Really focusing on Nate and Ted and the specific pain of that betrayal and their relationship as a whole. And I guess I also dont like how jade plays into it all either. Idk sorry for rambling on in your inbox but i guess my point is its ridiculous for people to be upset that nate is getting a redemption arc, something that was always going to happen given the kind of story this is. But I understand people’s frustrations with how the show has actually gone about it.

i do agree they wasted a lot of time in the zava/shandy storylines- zava i understand his purpose, making the team come to terms about their bond and getting to play the way they are now- shandy i do think was completely useless lol.

every time one of the main characters breaks from the group, in this case, nate, i'm always afraid that the show won't do them justice when trying to divide the time between the main characters now that they aren't in one same place or environment. most of what we've seen of nate has been pretty meh, him being an asshole and having small and rare moments of "huh, maybe i'm being an asshole" but him saying no to rupert and then suddenly quitting with no explanation did feel like going from a 0 to a 100. i would've liked seeing abetter build up to that and not waste time with shandy like we did (literally, what was the point of her at all?).

also, the roykeeley break up not being brought up until this week's episode and seeing roy getting "unstuck" from whatever was bothering him when we hardly talked about it (other than the speech he did about enjoying himself instead of leaving chelsea) didn't sit right with me. the lack of sharon also makes me a little sad tbh, i feel like she could've been of great help around ted and michelle's storyline (like, she was there but not really? and suddenly hanging up on ted like she does feels a little out of character tbh), along with colin and isaac's, sam's, roy's...... we have what, two episodes left? i hope they tie all these loose ends and have many many important conversations we haven't had yet.

i completely understand not liking how they're doing nate's redemption arc, but people who are mad he's getting one is like ???? you do know what show we're watching, right?

and don't worry about rambling! it's always nice to talk ted lasso with someone who understands!

[a-aexotic]

i want platonic hc’s for being besties w// euphoria girls 😍

—cw’s: mentions of getting high —a/n: i just did my favs, rue, jules, maddy, lexi and kat

rue

you guys definitely became friends like 8th/9th grade

rue usually doesn’t get along with most people, but you just were funny and like… entertaining yk

also being a trio with fez, rue and you 😣

getting high w rue >>>

rue spends the night at your house almost if not every night

rue does your makeup, you does her outfits, that’s how your friendship works

also if your bffs with rue, it’s 10000% ride or die

she’s willing to die for you

MOVIE NIGHTS WITH YOU GUYS AND GIA!! UGH 😩

her mom treats you like a third daughter and a part of the family

jules

i just know you guys would have the best deep late night conversations

she likes playing dress up and likes dressing you like a little model 😌

she’s the type of friend who would never ever judge you for anything whatsoever

she also will have your back for anything

like even if you’re in the wrong, she will defend you

you guys have too many inside jokes

some aren’t even funny, like … it’s just funny cus you guys were there yk?

she trusts you with her life tbh, you’re the only person she 10000% likes you

there’s nothing that would make her hate you ever

maddy

you guys have been friends all your life and honestly, maddy wouldn’t have it any other way

she grew up with you and her childhood was 100x better with you in it

ik this friendship is the best 😩

the shit talking is real, you guys love it

anyone you even slightly dislike, maddy would hate them too

she goes crazy on anyone who says anything bad about you

she’s also a ride or die, but make it 10x more

no matter what, she will back you up too

she doesn’t care, in her mind, you’re always right

i don’t think you and maddy would ever disagree—in the best way possible, you guys have the same brain

the only time you disagreed about anything was the nate thing

since nate was manipulating her, you couldn’t “help” her

that was the first time you and maddy had drifted a part

but when they broke up, it was like a storm—you both went crazy on nate 😭

lexi

i feel like out of all the girls, she's the most dependable

like if you need something, lexi will always help you

she appreciates you and your friendship bc she doesn't have many close friends

she's so incredibly kind, like seriously

she will back you up no matter up!! but only if you're right—she always hold you accountable

def the mom friend 😭

movies with lexi >>>>

your hangouts consist of binging your fav tv shows and talking about the future

you guys made plans about moving in together when you guys go to college

if you didn't do the assignment for a class, lexi will give you the answers

I WANNA BE LEXI'S BESTIE PLSSS 😓

kat

PLS SHES SO FUN

she's so funny and i feel like thats how you guys became close

you guys have very similar humor

you guys were each other's first kiss in the seventh grade because kat said she would rather lose her first kiss to you than one of the stupid boys

she's very real—so if you are best friends with her, be prepared for the truth and nothing but the truth

ik i said getting high w/ rue would be fun, BUT IMAGINE GETTING HIGH W KAT

i feel like you guys would hang out every single day and never get tired of each other

you guys don't talk the entirety of your hang outs—you just enjoy being with each other yk?

[malfoystilinskii05]

My opinion on Euphoria S2E3...

⚠️Spoliers⚠️

warnings: brief mentions of r*pe and abu*e, sex (not rlly tho), cal and nate jacobs

-i honestly believe marsha wanted to get preggo bc of this scene right here^

-i think she may have known something… i mean look at that stare 👀

-they both look like they hate each other

-he looks jealous

-like superrr jealous

-i mean cal was just telling him how he loves to go down on marsha

-(hence the stare while walking out)

-and derek was also hella aggressive on the mat towards cal…

-rue has disappointed me so muchh

-like gaslighting gia?!?

-being a bitch to ali…

-like you rlly made a whole power point on gaslighting

-if ali relapses cuz of rue i’m done man

-this scene was lwky funny💀

-don’t know how to feel

-i honestly feel like they might all have like a threesome

-just me? okay.

-the sexual tension with all of them is like 👍🏽

-especially this scene^

-i feel like they bonded

-and i think that elliot might die too

-with all the easter eggs

-at first I thought it was a stretch but now…

-where do i start with ms.cassie

-it’s honestly embarrassing sweetie😳

-okay so i think the makeup look in this one^^ resembles jules

-and the hair too… i feel like that’s something jules would rock in S1

-this scene was just so sad to watch😭

-i pity cassie tbh

-like he looked at her with disgust almost…

-but i think the only reason why he actually glanced at her was bc of the fact she dressed like maddie yk

-with every episode she finds a way to embarrass herself🤕

-love my bby fez

-HIS EYES ARE BEAUTIFUL😍

-okyyy so this plan?!

-so confused honestly

-like did she only come up with it so she can take the drugs…

-i don’t think so but she took fentanyl

-we didn’t get no lexi and fez in this episode… so sad

-but let me tell you, i love them

-seeing them together is just therapy

-how he gets all nervous around her (:

-like we all know fezco isn’t that type of man

-so to see him act this way towards lex is so adorable

-when i say my jaw dropped at this scene😱

-i wish she had actually confessed

-but ofc it ain’t gonna be that easy

-look at ms.lexi bby in the back😍

-honestly i love lex

-anyways… unpopular opinion… i thought cassie saying ‘rue rue’ was the cutest

-and maddie “you relapsed?!”

-she cared

-love seeing them all together tho

-i felt a sense of comfort yk

-this boy has my heart fr❤️

-him and his guns are like🤞🏽

-ash is also one of my favorites

-lwky feel like he’s underestimated bc he’s so young

-like the kid never had the chance to have a childhood😭

-its actually sad

-but the fact that he’d do ANYTHING for fezco warms my heart

-he’s loyal and amazing

-this boys deserves the wrld🌍

-anyways…

-this whole scene was funny af

-had me rolling🤣

-fez’s outfit looked fire on him

-faye was lwky funny asf as well

-and ash was once again a g

-cal is such a stupid idiot man

-he straight up just ratted himself out🤦🏽‍♀️

-plus ash didn’t want to let him go

-wouldn’t surprise me if ash ended up killing him lmao

-i’ve been waiting for this one…

-i feel like this one’s kind of obvious

-nate only wants to be with her life cuz he wants that disc back

-and i love maddie

-but she’s not all that innocent

-need i remind y’all she let tyler go to JAIL for ra*pe and abu*e

-so when it comes to comparing cassie and maddie, maddie takes the cake

-but cassie is pissing me off

- you claim maddie’s your bsf, you wouldn’t do what you did/keep doing if you actually care about her feelings

-i hope maddie has some major character development

-i believe in her🙏🏽

-

-

-

(pls no hate, just my opinion)

[izzielizzie]

I don't remember if you've already made a similar post but what is your opinion about all the changes they made from the book in oouil? And your opinion in general about the show

oh god i genuinely stopped talking about the show like three episodes in because i was mad but i think it's been enough time to talk about it without sounding insane

#1: Detention

there was no reason to make the b4 have different reasons for getting detention. the phones was a good red herring when nate was a suspect, and a good way to show that none of the people in detention should have been in detention. all the different reasons were boring tbh

#2: The Distraction

the car crash added a lot of drama, but also it was a solid lead. it was the first time anyone other than maeve realized simon was involved.

#3: Keely/Cooper

i actually liked this change? a little? cooper's relationship with keely and his brother was a lot more interesting to watch, and only made sense because of other changes (namely, the popular groups' secrets). however, i'm sad cooper missed the chance to really step away from expectations (the perfect girlfriend) to what he wants (kris).

#4: Vanessa/TJ

i didn't really like vanessa as a character in the show tbh (she was funnier than book vanessa i'll give her that) but her relationship with tj kind of took away from the whole point of having tj in the book: tj was an outsider. he was sort of a reprieve for addy. everyone in her friend group was sitting passively while she struggled with jake, but tj, who, for all intents and purposes, wasn't really part of the group, was able to say "hey. what jake is doing is wrong. everyone can see that". this tj is too busy being vanessa's bf to do that properly.

#5: Addy/Jake

tbh i kind of liked jake/addy as a couple in the first episode. they were adorable. the trouble with the show was that there was no way to see jake was a bad boyfriend. in the book, jake did things that made me feel uncomfortable. he didn't let addy around other boys. he didn't want her to wear a sweater at night because it wasn't cute. those are small things that definitely show ho unhealthy the relationship was, and makes everything that happens make sense.

#6: Addy/TJ

i sort of hate the fact that tj was a suspect. his entire character was supposed to just be a friend to addy. not whatever he was.

#7: Addy

i know, i know that this is a tv show and we don't get internal dialogue and that's where addy mostly grew but seriously? going back to jake? ahhhhhh i can't even talk about it i hate it so much

#8: Bronwyn

i never really loved bronwyn? i mean she's a great character and she's super important but she's never been my favorite narrator or rojas sister or character tbh but here she was sometimes insufferable. i don't even have a reason it was a vibe? also the way she treated her sister? the fact that she thought maeve was a murderer??? book bronwyn would never.

#9: Maeve

speaking of the rojas sisters... WHAT THE HELL??? maeve's character was ruined which is so sad because melissa is an amazing actress and would have really captured book maeve so well. i sort of hated her outfits? she was always described in jeans and t-shirts which fits her vibes more than whatever she wore in the show. and her cancer trauma wasn't talked about at all unless it was about simon? and the whole simon friendship was stupid because she hated him. the fact that she outed cooper was... i can't even talk about it, it makes me so mad. and her and janae? book maeve hated janae for very valid reasons. am i happy that there is a universe in which it's cannon that maeve is bi? yes. but i hate who she's paired with.

#10: Cooper

cooper was so agressive? and angry? and not coop at all? i didn't like it.

#11: Kris

kris?? babe??? what??? he was supposed to be a haven for cooper, someone who loves him unconditionally even though cooper was too scared to tell the truth. dumping cooper because he wasn't out yet was the opposite of what kris would do.

#12: The Bayview Four

the whole allure of oouil is that they band together to solve the murder and that if they hadn't then their lives would have gone downhill. maeve even says so in the first chapter of oouin. they spent the entire time arguing and it makes no sense. they're still not close and a whole season has passed

#13: Jake and Simon

a dare?? a fucking dare??? and now they're both dead?? it makes no sense

#14: Vanessa

i don't even want to think about her tbh. it's all just messed up.

#15: i'm done for now but i'm also me so... Luis

luis supported cooper when no one else from their group would, luis supplied important information, and luis was a good fucking love interest for maeve.

okay that's all i have i don't even know if i answered the question lol

[golbrocklovely]

snc have been doing collabs after collabs after collabs for years now and nothing interesting has come from most of them. i’ve been kind of drifting apart from their content those past couple of months/past year because it felt like i was just watching sam & colby & kat & stas & co even tho i only followed sam and colby for sam and colby content. i didn’t know they came with luggage. i hated jake, cory, elton and the others and when they were out of the picture i was so damn relieved, was beyond done with their childishness and thought finally sam and colby will take off and do their own thing and it’ll be sam and colby again. and then the multiple empty collabs started. i’ll give seth a break because he has his own content and he knows his stuff and partially i’ll cut nate some slack because he tries to do stuff, adds his two cents in, he tries to be involved in some way, doesn’t complain or scream much, pays attention to what’s being said, etc. i was hoping this new season would bring something, anything different to the table — even if just for one video of snc alone. but more collabs are happening. what exactly is kallmekris going to do? girl’s a great tiktoker, love her characters but she has nothing to bring to the table when it comes to paranormal investigation, that’s not her niche, she doesn’t know stuff. celina, Amanda, seth, nate, fazerug, stas and kat we’ve all seen before. can’t name a video most of those characters truly added something that was like “oh okay, fun, some history, some facts, some knowledge”. not even amanda playing pretend and hyping herself up. most of them just cry, complain and scream saying they’re scared. so honestly after watching that trailer it just feels like it’s more of the same. idk i just don’t feel like snc are bringing much to the table. it still feels like a bunch of dumb kids going around playing ghostbusters and not knowing a single thing about what they’re doing. i don’t even have the feeling or impression they studied more about paranormal world and activities. not even one out of the duo-turned-quartet-with-other-appendages. so it feels like they’re getting those amazing opportunities and places and wasting it away by doing more of what they’ve done before and was seen before. and at one point it just becomes a thing of like “yes ok you’re going to a place that’s supposedly haunted, some noises and devices are going off. now what? what are you gonna do? ask the same old questions? why are you screaming? isn’t that what you were hoping for? isn’t that what you wanted? wasn’t that what you were asking this supposed maleficent spirit to do? so why the hell are you running around, screaming and crying?” type of feeling. sorry for the rant. just wanted to get this out of my chest cause i’ve just been really frustrated with that lately. doesn’t feel like it makes sense to follow them anymore tbh. feels like it’s just some empty videos with over the top editing and reactions and not much solid content, knowledge or an aftermath to hold on to.

may i ask, and i do genuinely want to know, what do you want from sam and colby? like what content are you looking for them to make? i get the solo stuff, but what else? bc it seems like, no offense, that you don't like their content at all. so… what exactly do you like about it currently? or are you just sticking around bc you like them?

nonetheless, i don't see snc doing solo ghost hunting trips anytime soon. i have a feeling it's bc if you think about it, they haven't really done any videos solo that weren't exploring related. they did the conjuring, sure, but even then they had ppl with them in the beginning, and then half way thru called amanda. i personally think they are just scared to be by themselves in these haunted places, so that's why they bring along friends or new collabs.

also… views. that's probably a decent amount of it too lol

and like i said in a previous ask, i think it's fun and is snc's niche that they bring along ppl that haven't experienced the paranormal yet and you watch them see it all for the first time. i think there is something so interesting about seeing someone start to believe in something they may not have dreamed of before.

but i also understand why ppl don't want to see that.

and the ppl they collab with, while yeah, they don't technically tell anything to the audience that snc themselves haven't already said history wise, i do think there is a purpose for them to be there regardless. no offense to the ppl they have on, but i don't want them telling the history of a place unless they really know it. snc barely know it themselves.

and as for their reaction to these places, while i would like for them to tone it down, i think at the end of the day they are always (regardless of who they are with) are gonna freak out. even if they asked a ghost to touch them and then they feel it, they're still gonna be scared. i think when someone is genuinely scared, you can't help how you react. sure, you can maybe try not to freak out as much, but even then… you're still gonna freak out

this coming season they told us that they did do more research into the paranormal and that they also have plans to do some more "experiments" (or just things they haven't tried out yet on the channel) so i think we should all just try to keep a positive mind going forward into this season. but if it doesn't seem interesting to you, you don't have to watch it. or maybe just watch it haphazardly, if that makes sense. watch it like it's a movie more so than real life if that will make you tolerate it more.

and again, if you can't stand it regardless, don't watch. it's not worth getting upset over. it's supposed to be entertainment, and if it's not doing just that, then don't watch.

also i'm not saying that anything you are feeling is wrong or that you shouldn't feel that way. i'm just trying to give a different perspective :)

[terrainofheartfelt]

What fic do you really want to write but have been struggling to put any words down with?

How much time do you have? Lol but really I’ve been feeling that way over pretty much everything I’ve tried to write lately, life, both personal and professional, has really been hanging heavy on my head and shoulders so not much writing has gotten accomplished. Like, I thought I would have finished all the prompts in my inbox by now rip. 

So there’s….a few weeks back I mentioned that I wanted to write/was trying to write a s5 au in which to get away from the toxic men in her love life Blair convinces Dan to lie for her and they say that her child is his. Friends to coparents to lovers. Angst abounds. I got like, an incoherent outline, a fraction of a scene with Blair & Alison, and the big italicized oh moment for blair (which consists of Dan writing letters to their kid ala the climax in Beach Read—except nothing like that, but kind of like that, you’ll see. Hopefully. I ran out of spoons because I was tired and I wasn’t sure if, upon finishing it, anyone would even care. 

Another is I started a Hart of Dixie-flavored au that sort of aligns with the last ep of s3 and the frist 3ish eps of s4 in HoD. the central couple that has the Zade journey would be Vanessa/Nate, and there’s of course van der humphrey shenanigans and a side-helping of Dair (I’m me I can’t help it), and Serena being the AB to Vanessa & Blair’s Zoe & Lemon (the bathroom scene in 4x02 is really what inspired me). It was coming along pretty easily but I just ran out of steam and it’s been on ice ever since. I know how I want it to go, it’s a matter of timing now. Hopefully talking about it helps?

Like I told S in her ask box last week-ish, I know where I want to take the MoF series next: it involves Dair coming out as a couple over Rufly’s fifth anniversary weekend, and there’s lots of Feelings involved on all ends, plus Dan’s last year of grad school and his sophomore novel coming out, plus Dair figuring out their future, plus the VDH gang and co. going to Scott’s wedding, plus more of dilf!Nate living his Lorelai Gilmore plot, etc etc. I’ve been thinking about it forever, but have put virtually nothing down, because I didn’t know if I updated the series if anyone would care? I put a lot of soul into the last multi-chap work, and it felt like the emotional heavy lifting I did for it didn’t really match the engagement I got in return. And though I write first and foremost for ME, idk it was still disheartening.

I think I mentioned this before, which is why I’m ok talking about it now, but for the holiday season I realllllly want to finally write the nancy meyer’s Holiday AU I’ve wanted to write for two christmases now. Dair & Natessa. With some Milo on the side. After I finish the last however many prompts I may just block off the rest of fall to work on it very slowly. Because I want! To! Do! It! 

And in that vein I have mentioned kinktober but tbh I have like 3 ideas on the smut stove that I haven’t been able to take anywhere. So who knows. You’ll def get the Dan/Carter I have banked but after that, possibly nothing.

[cellsshapedlikestars]

Did you see bachelorette last night? Hayden was such a jerk, thank goodness he’s gone. First he said some things about Rachel and Gabby that were disrespectful and had the audacity to lie about it (bruh it’s on tape) and then if that’s not enough, he talks about his dog Rambo who is sick and that made me feel incredibly ill because 1. If he loved his dog so much why would he leave him for the show and 2. Why did he take his favorite toy from him?!? If I had a pet who was going though sickness especially if it’s really serious I could NEVER even think about ever leave him/her/them like this for a tv show. Like woah. I cannot stand him. Glad he’s gone

And as for Logan, he sucks too.

If Logan wanted gabby why did he accepted Rachel rose knowing good and well that he has no interest in her? He’s basically being manipulative and that’s a jerk move

Say what you want about Rachel during this season so far but she doesn’t deserve this

If men especially these two have nothing else, they always have the audacity

Usually animal narratives get to me, but ooh boy did I not care about Hayden's dog. I don't even know if I believe it, tbh. It felt extremely performative, in a "look what I gave up to be here, so you should appreciate me" kind of way. It didn't even hit me while watching that yes, he took his sick & dying dog's favorite toy with him as a story prop for Bachelorette sympathy. Yikes. Especially since he also has the foot he apparently always carries around? Just show her that??

It's always buckwild to me when people on this show lie about things they said that are on camera. I don't think Hayden even cared if it was filmed, I think the point of the lie was to maintain control in the current situation. Especially considering that he started the conversation with Rachel immediately aggressive about how she cut their conversation short.

I have no idea about Logan, but I am glad he accepted the rose from Rachel this week just so she didn't have a complete mental breakdown. I feel so awful for her, she absolutely does not deserve this. And I think she's extremely sensitive and so every little slight just builds and builds. Like the men not making eye contact with her? I think if the 3 rejections hadn't happened, she wouldn't have thought anything of it, but now she's reading into every single thing.

I hope she finds someone decent. Gabby better pick Nate or I will riot. He is perfect and I love him and I stg if something comes out where he's secretly horrible...

The audacity of men, especially on this show, never fails.

(an example of The Audacity)

[sollucets]

it’s ocposting hours again but in a different direction than last time. forgive me. this is much less anything i think anyone wants to read than even the last time i did this but i am sorting out very important issues /s

so i used my kids ivy and aster for twc, for n and m respectively, and i kind of want to use someone different for m. i didn’t have a full handle on all the li’s characters yet (and frankly i still don’t have it 100%, i’m looking at you f we will be dating soon what is Going On in that head of yours) and now that i do, i have the urge to change the configuration

so, right now i have ivy with n & aster with m. ivy is an extremely correct choice for n, to be clear, i have no intention of changing that. nat(e) x ivy is godtier, actually, and i’m so excited to play through that route. but i think that aster x mason is.... not correct, irritatingly enough, which is sad, because aster’s the only one of the original tree name gang who i think would use the bold mason flirts. this is kind of why i’m considering making a new oc for m? because of my four that i commonly use for this kind of game, ash doesn’t fit well, and bri... i mean let’s not lie, briony would 100% let morgan ruin her life, that is one free ticket to useless lesbian hell, but like, the blushy flustered responses that would suit bri x m are just not that interesting to me, and (more importantly) i have some... Thoughts... about bri x ava.

see aster is not... a bad choice for m, like, compatibility-wise? they’re h-word as all get out and they’re an outrageous flirt (aster is my angel, you understand) but aster is one of my more emotionally intelligent ocs, and, uh, therein lies the problem. do you see the problem. admittedly i have not yet tried to play m’s route in a ‘no i will not have Just Sex’ with you kind of way so i don’t know how that..... like, works? but tbh the specific dynamic that i like so much about m is ‘yes i know it is a bad idea but i am both horny and whipped’ vs mason’s ‘no thoughts head empty what could these feelings possibly mean hmm ok let’s fuck’ and truthfully i know, i just know, that aster wouldn’t do that to themself

so...... a possibility i have been considering (pretty intently actually, the more i think about it the more sense it makes) is my boy kieran, who is currently my rdv sweetheart oc. he has both the horny energy and the balls to bold flirt with mason, and his general vibe of calm assuredness would suit them in their quieter moments. AND he has poor enough emotional awareness to do the yes of course we can be fuckbuddies. no it is not enough for me but i will take what i think i can get. plus plus given original kieran is an *investigator*, this suits him. i am liking it more the more i think about it. that said i have heard that m calls boy detectives ‘handsome’ instead of sweetheart which is... sad, especially for kier. :(

so as it stands... kier or maybe a full new kid for m, and then briony with ava & ivy with... nate? the gender doesn’t super matter for ivy and i am interested in seeing nate, as i have as of yet only encountered nat. i know the differences are not huge but, eh, idk, let me switch it up. as for f, i think i’d like to try some of their route before i decide Who Shall Be For Them

this has been silly rambling. i am using this to sort out my thoughts so it’s not very coherent, pardon me

[fraks]

LEVERAGE REDEMPTION 1x15 THE MUDDY WATERS JOB

- i can't believe this is the first part of the finale already. @cminerva and i have been speculating about the finale since the episode titles + descriptions were released. well, since before that, really, but the titles and descriptions gave us so much fodder, oh god. my prediction was that they'd do another first/second david job that would wreck us completely. so. you know.

- i watched all eight eps in a row, the night they were released, but @cminerva only got to watch the first two, so i had be very vague and spoiler-free in the texts i sent her when all i wanted to do was YELL, but once i got to the finale, i couldn't possibly be vague anymore, so i stated typing up my reactions in a notes file. that's gonna be super useful for this post now.

- ok let's do this! harry's daughter sneaking out, interesting start. harry's ex is beautiful. but jesus she REALLY traded down.

- harry delivering their mail. :') and eliot fixing the place up. EVERYONE IS SO AT HOME AT THE BASE. 😍 omg sophie's wearing a shirt that could definitely belong to harry.

- uhhhh wasn't tom baker nate's alias? side-eyeing the writers tbh. miss river song—hardison c'mon. LMAO TEDDY BEAR. harry and soph are so delighted, i love it. fjsjfhskdjfjjdjdjd "MISS SOPHIE DEVEREAUX, FROM ALL THE WAY FROM ACROSS THE POND!" harry your accent is ATROCIOUS. but THEY'RE FLIRTING!!! "stop it!" fjakfbskfjksfj HELP ME I AM DYING HERE. (now we've had him saying her name while she's actually in the room, but in a horrible accent, so like. all i want is one soft "sophie" right to her face. bonus points if they're naked.)

- "i need to give you some dialect lessons." - "i'll take 'em." i'm sure you will, harry. 😏 the only time i was ever this eager to learn things from someone was when i was head over heels in love with them, so. just saying.

- nooooooooo. sophie can't leave. SHE CANNOT. ugh parker's reaction is everything. she loves sophie so much and has been fighting to keep her with them since 1x01. and i don't think sophie has realised how much it really means to parker to have her there.

- i also live for harry's reaction. he's so crushed because he thought they had something. not the something he wants, but a friendship, at least. and she just talks so casually about leaving them all behind it crushes him. you can actually SEE his heart breaking.

- and then later he sends parker off with eliot and specifically assigns sophie and himself to a task, TOGETHER. i'm guessing he either hopes he can change her mind or, failing that, he wants to spend what little time they have with her before she goes.

- but first, harry's daughter shows up. lmao because she used the tracking app harry tried to sneak onto her phone to track HIM. :') i like breanna's nerd girlfriend, but if they'd made becky a few years older, breanna would currently be falling all over herself trying to impress HER instead. (yes, this was originally on my wishlist for s2. also yes, i am okay with not getting it.)

- "he never did business with really bad people like—" - "...like i did?" CALLED IT. @cminerva and i figured the strain in their relationship would have been harry's work, and not just the many hours of it, but more that he defended so many evil people. "i get it." oh maaaan it KILLS him to know his daughter thinks so badly of him. because he IS a good man, at his core.

- "what, was the monopoly man busy?" gjajfjskfjekd PARKER!!!

- lmao harry defends ethan so eagerly, sophie's little smirk makes me think SHE thinks harry and ethan might have been an item. before he drops the bombshell of ethan being married to harry's ex, that is.

- breanna going on strike is... idk, i'm torn. it's obviously mostly played for laughs, giving harry and sophie the task of hacking (😂), but also, the last time they weren't sure what to do, they voted, and the majority won. there was never any talk of strikes? it feels kind of weird and ooc to me that breanna just says no and basically abandons them, especially after harry's asked for help. and her attitude about the whole thing... not helping.

- but lmao harry planning to learn hacking from the binders. what a NERD. a clueless, naïve nerd, but a nerd nonetheless.

- "how hard can it be, hacking?" oh sophie, sweetie.

- lmfao "stupid little lawyer man." - "breanna!" - "i did something wrong..." you think, harry? 😂

- omg when eliot and parker come back to the base and ask what happened, sophie says "we (!) tried our hand at hacking", but harry points to himself while she says it. this is one of the many, many reasons why i love this character: he's so absolutely willing to own up to his mistakes—not just the big, obvious ones they're all trying to redeem him from, but just the small ones, too, and i think that's mostly noah's acting choices, i doubt any of that is scripted. it's making me very emotional because it's obvious noah loves this character, too. and the WAY he takes the blame for the things he did wrong just reinforces my headcanon of anxiety disorder harry who has had therapy.

- you REALLY left harry for this dude, grace? really? i mean i know looks don't mean anything in the long run, but jeeeeesus. this dude doesn't even come across as a good guy.

- lmfao parker carding harry i cannot. "oh look, he's human." i love her.

- that red top on sophie looks amazing. my wishlist for s2 had her in another red dress, but i'll take this, too. red on sophie is just... [chef's kiss]

- OUCH. that ethan guy is a piece of work. "i believe in being civil." okay two things. a) i like that harry doesn't, idk, hate his ex and that he didn't make it hard for her to leave and find someone else, someone even he considered "better", cause even back then, he KNEW what he was doing was wrong. b) but also, this "being civil" thing i think might just have been another symptom of his attitude of "never picking a side". it's a really easy way to make sure nothing ever touches you, that no one can ever blame you. if he HAD fought for his ex and made it hard for her to leave him, she could have thrown that back in his face. by staying "neutral" (or as he calls it "civil", cause lbr, there is no true "neutral" in a breakup like that), he made sure none of the immediate blame could fall on him. SHE left him. SHE asked for a divorce. stuff like that. but he knows now that it was precisely that, his INaction, that put the final nail in the coffin of his marriage. which ties in very nicely with what he says to sophie in that one scene in jackal job.

- "probably doesn't hurt that because of me, you don't have to pay alimony or child support." YOU LITTLE TWAT. harry has made a LOT of mistakes in his life, but i don't believe for a second that he would've minded paying alimony, let alone child support. i mean, he's a lawyer, for god's sake. if he'd wanted a pre-nup that would've kept him from paying alimony, he probably could've had one. and we KNOW he's loaded. and especially now, he no longer cares about the money. i mean, he's been living in a room in a slightly run-down old theatre with four housemates, basically, instead of staying at his presumably huge and fancy own apartment or house.

- another "sophie". i want harry to say her name all the time thanks. 😭

- EVERYONE EATING TOGETHER AGAIN! lol i can no longer watch these guys (or any other fictional characters) eat chinese food without thinking about the audio commentary for the original show. 😍

- oooh good plan, parker. you go to the platform and take eliot and breanna with you. it'll give harry and sophie some time alone. 😏

- "the security of my family" u g h harry listen. your daughter is your family, OBVIOUSLY. but your ex is not. if anything, this TEAM is your family now. this is what @cminerva i were afraid of, that by making harry's ex's husband a bad guy / mark, the writers would open the door for harry to go back to his ex. and i'm 100% against that, and not only because i ship h/s. that's not even my main reason, actually, though i will admit it plays a big role. no, the main reason is that harry is a different person now. and going back to his ex would throw him back into a life that he once had but left, even just by NOT acting when she left him. and if he's back in that situation again, well. it's very easy to fall back into old patterns once you're back in a familiar environment, isn't it? i'm not saying his ex would drive him to doing bad things, or that she did that when he first went crooked. no, that was HIS choice. but thanks to harry and now ethan, she's always had a certain standard of living that she no doubt wants to keep, and harry would fall over backwards trying to make that happen, and lbr, these guys don't exactly make money from conning bad guys. as far as we know, the original team still lives off their one big score from nigerian job, personally. hardison probably makes sure leverage international has some income for bases and clothes and props and whatnot, but personally, i doubt these guys would take so much as a penny from a mark if that penny could instead go towards helping people. so harry has not had any official income since the beginning of the season. he probably has assets that generate income for him, but the money he got from being a lawyer was probably his main source. and he'd want to make his ex happy, so he'd probably slip back into doing bad things, and i DO NOT WANT THAT FOR HIM. my little baby thief who's been working so, so hard on his redemption.

- SOPHIE WITH A PONYTAIL. i was so looking forward to this and it's just as hot as i expected. what is even hotter than i expected is that PINSTRIPE VEST SHE'S WEARING.

- "why would you be covered in oil?" ghskfhsifhkehfkejf 😂 it only just occurred to me that these bits are 4th wall breaks, in a way. i just hadn't realised because they're DONE SO WELL. (i ususally hate 4th wall breaks.)

- "oil happens." gjskfbksfnksbfjefbjdnfjeke I CANNOT.

- lol i have absolutely no notes about this upcoming h/s scene from the first time i watched the ep, so i'm guessing i was too overwhelmed.

- "i thought i might find you here." SHE LOOKS SO GOOD. and she knows where his ex lives, which i assume is where they used to live together.

- "when i lost grace, i reconciled myself to the fact that i lost her to a better man. a decent man. maybe i didn't deserve her." OUCH. and exactly what i suspected. there's no way that this wonderful, wonderful man doesn't have anxiety over all the bad things he's done.

- "is that it? have you been seeking redemption for grace and becky?" GOT IT IN ONE, SOPH.

- "if you can't use the law as a guideline to show you what's morally right and wrong, then what do you have?" a) leverage asking the TOUGHEST questions since 2008. b) he's not wrong. c) i don't think i can imagine HOW hard it must be for him, this whole redemption process. i mean, he knows he did the wrong things. but how does he know that? because it FELT wrong. and because he saw other people's pain. and then because the crew has been telling him. but the law, the thing he's spent his entire life on, tells him the exact opposite. so all this time, all these months now that he's been with the leverage team, there has always been a part of him that has told him what he's doing NOW is wrong. because it's against the law. and i think a part of him is always going to be struggling with that if he stays with the team.

- "mr. wilson, i think you need to recalibrate your entire thinking about morality. life isn't always as clear-cut as we'd like. life's complicated." THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE DEFINING QUOTE. OF THIS ENTIRE SHOW.

- "how did you recalibrate your thinking about morality?" - "well. there is honour amongst thieves. i started there." i am SOBBING. i know this episode and this entire season really is about harry, but my GOD. sophie has grown SO much, since nigerian job obviously but also since the end of leverage 1.0 and even since the beginning of 2.0—so, so much. talking about harry and his arc comes to me fairly easily, but talking about sophie is just. hard. she means so much to me. i might come back to this in another post. i do want to talk more about her arc in this entire season.

- on a more shallow note, JEEEEESUS gina is gorgeous. and idk if that was a coincidence or ~filming magic, but it's overcast in this scene EXCEPT for the moment when sophie says "there's honour amongst thieves". it's not a lot, but you can tell that the sun comes peeking out for that one second and hits her face and she just GLOWS. JFC.

- also i know it probably doesn't mean anything, but when sophie leaves, the way harry turns and looks back at what i assume is his old house (i.e. his ex and his old life), then turns back to sophie and looks at her and then walks after her DOES THINGS TO ME. it could be such a beautiful metaphor for the way he's being torn in half.

- awwwwman, the kids talking about sophie leaving. "she's gotta find out who she is." !!!!!! I JUST!!!!! i think i've got something about this in my "yell at @cminerva" notes for the next ep, so i'll just. stop for now. but i have all the feelings anyone has ever had about this.

- nooooo i think harry just got all dressed up to meet his ex. GDI WRITERS WHAT ARE YOU DOING.

- yeaaaah they've just tanked the ot3. i am UPSET. "i've always admired you and hardison's relationship." AS IF YOU'RE NOT PART OF THAT RELATIONSHIP YOU DUMMY.

- "i think the reason hardison and i work so well is because he's the first person who saw me. i mean, he really knew me." is such a sweet thing to say, parker.

- awwww but. that was an eliot+parker scene that would be SUPER cute family vibes if it weren't for that bitter anti-ot3 aftertaste...

- LMFAO SOPHIE IS HAVING ELIOT'S BABY 😂 i know at least one (1) person who will appreciate this tidbit. i love how sophie just like, goes with the "sweetheart". you can almost SEE her thought process. "ah, eliot's not alone. guess i'm having his baby!" and lmfao breanna "baby?" dhakhfksbdjejd

- harry doing actual lawyering in court? HOT AF. i don't have a secret thing for lawyers or the law, but watching someone—anyone—be super competent is always crazy attractive. (yes, this show makes me sweat a lot.)

- lmfao "how did you meet the missus? was it romantic?" what this episode DESPERATELY needs here is a flashback to the first time eliot saw sophie, playing lady macbeth in chicago back in nigerian job, and a shot of his horrified face.

- ugh harry don't run after grace. if this were any other show, or fanfic, grace would now ask harry about that gorgeous woman in the red dress. "oh grow up, harry. what did you think was going to happen? i was going to leave him and come running back to you?" wow maybe it was harry who deserved better all along. yes, it was naïve and frankly wrong of him to assume or even hope for this. but it was a GENUINE hope, a genuine wish, and i can't blame him for that. if he really HAS been trying to find redemption so his ex would come back to him (which i don't think he has—maybe that was part of it for him, but he's been wanting to be better for himself, too, and above all, for his daughter), it's going to be even harder going forward, knowing that outcome he hoped for isn't going to happen.

- "where's harry? all his stuff is gone, he cleaned out his room." oh shit they're doing it THEY'RE REALLY GOING THERE THIS IS FIRST DAVID ALL OVER AGAIN, ONLY IN REVERSE. oh jesus christ i did not expect this.

- PARKER+SOPHIE CUDDLE I CAN'T. 😭 I LOVE THESE PEOPLE SO MUCH. "you always knew that this was gonna be my last tour. i'm just not the same person i used to be. i need to go and figure out who the person is that i'm going to be." I AM A WRECK THANKS.

- and so is eliot ugh. these people threw him a baby shower like, YESTERDAY. leverage redemption really not pulling ANY punches, are they?

- oh fuck. OH FUCK. "well, let's just say that i've decided to recalibrate my entire way of thinking about morality." OH FUUUCK.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

I know you’ve mentioned before that you don’t like Nate getting into politics, and I totally agree with you! I even remember watching the finale when I was 12 and finding out that he was running for mayor and I was like, that’s not right...

But I literally have no idea what I would want him to do??? Like, at all???? So, I was wondering if you had any thoughts on that, cause your gg opinions are literally always on point.

I also to this day can’t decide what I think about the Spectator arc. I mean, journalism def feels better than politics, but that whole thing was also started with William and Diana thing, which was... yikes. But in the end he DID break away from them, and I feel like that piece he wrote after William tried to use the Spectator to further Tripp’s career was a real high point for his character. Can you see may dilemma here? What do you think?

Idk, Nate’s just my favourite character (out of the mains who stick around through the whole show), and I very much relate to him on like a neurodivergent level... I just need to replace canon with something better in my head.

hi, sorry about taking a while to come to this! i've been kind of unwell, RIP, and wanted to answer when my brain was like, more present & all that. nate being mayor sucks, because it has such a vibe of him giving up what he wants for whatever his family wants from him ("darthmouth, law school, blair, that was the plan nathaniel," etc etc).

i also don't like the spectator arc for nate at all? like it was so opposed to what nate was actually passionate about, it just didn't make any sense. if he really wanted to break free from his family and do something for himself, why would he choose journalism? from whatever we've seen of nate in the show, i think it's safe to say that'd actually be a really unfulfilling career path for him. he could've chosen to break free from his family by getting a job that's more aligned with things he likes, or at least, things he doesn't vehemently dislike. imagine how much fun it would've been if he'd decided to try his hand at becoming a professional chef! or something new and unexplored, for him, like that.

& your point re: the spectator arc/nate's family.. while i get what you're saying about him trying to break away, it didn't feel like that to me, tbh. it felt so much like he wanted a fresh start, but his grandfather did everything he could to control nate & get nate where he wanted him to be, if that makes sense. and yes, in the situation nate tried to make the best of things, but to me it feels tragic as fuck. and kind of horrible - the sense that no matter what nate tries to do, no matter how far away he tries to get from his family, they're right there, breathing down his neck. they just won't let him be his own person. it makes me wonder what happened to nate during those 5 years of fast-forwarding before the derena wedding & finale... did he try and escape his family more times before realising there was no way he could get out of their grasp, and is that why he succumbed to running for mayor? dammit, i'm sad now.

anyway! i skipped the first question so that i could come to it last, and i've put it under the cut here. so... potential careers for nate that i actually really like, under the cut, here you go:

i like the idea of him being a physical education teacher in high school, like, a lot. i think he'd be really good at it, and unlike some of the absolute garbage instructors i've seen, he would like... be mindful & considerate of kids' feelings and not comment on their bodies or fitness levels in disrespectful ways? you know what i mean.

he could also become a professional athlete? dude was the captain of three different sports teams in high school, come on natie, join a sports team as an adult for REALZ

horseboy!nate is very close to my heart so. i love to think of him doing some job that involves that. riding instructor who works in the stables? racehorse trainer? i don't know, i'm very much not a horseboy. but. yeah.

kindergarten teacher natie!!!! this one is really beloved to me. i am gonna write milofic with date endgame about it someday... milo's in kindergarten, nate's his teacher, dan's the hot single dad, you see where this is headed....

i like the idea of nate running vlogs, like "how to" vlogs, for people who are new to adulting, or whatever? i think he'd find it satisfying AND he'd be good at it. stuff like "how to cook if you're living alone," "how to file your own taxes," "how to assemble furniture from ikea" (bonus video: "how not to assemble furniture from ikea"), & i think he'd have a really good brand of like. humour & sincerity? like he would have "how to cook" videos but he would also have "i burnt breakfast again" kind of videos. idk, i just like natie being able to leave the sheltered bubble that is the van der bilt hivemind & do his own thing - and find joy doing his own thing! and share that joy!!

in that line - an arc i LOVE for nate is nate deliberately working jobs like customer service/retail & all that just so that he gets that experience and learns what that is like. cashier natie my beloved... i'm actually writing that one into a fic, lol. but just stuff like that.

nate & vanessa working in a coffee shop together.......

flight attendant nate...

okay, this one is a favourite: tour guide nate!!! like, one of those guides who escorts a group of tourists around a city and tells them about the history and monuments and shows them the sights. i mean, he canonically did do this with raina, but of course, as a tour guide, there'd be... less romance in his job, LOL.

im suddenly thinking of nate being a cab driver and i'm really into it, idk what to tell you.

mechanic nate! but mostly just for the potential datefic. dan's car breaks down and nate's there to fix it and dan can't stop staring at nate's arms, good lord,,

jokes aside, there's something really good about nate specialising in repairs of some sort. any sort! hardware repair, clock fixing, plumbing.... it doesn't matter whatever it is, i love the idea of nate making broken objects better.

nate would be really good at being an actor or a model i feel, but i think those jobs would make him miserable, so unless we're looking at angsty/whumpy fic premises for him, that's not what i wanna see him doing

i know that both S & liz have mentioned social worker nate at some point, and while i personally don't really see it, i do think he has the right skillset for it & that it's a cool headcanon!

someone - i don't remember whom, i think it was leila but i could be totally mistaken - said something about nate being one of those counsellors who work in school & yeah, he's definitely got the right skillset for that.

i definitely forgot some, & if my mutuals want to reblog + add please go ahead!

[greeksorceress]

oohh i need to hear your euphoria opinions for that ask game

OOOH! I LIKE THIS! i've been keeping so many things to myself that i'm going to pop off dghjgdsaj! thank you, love <3

Favorite character: the howard sisters, cassie and lexi! and fez too! ❣️

Least Favorite character: mmmh... my least favorite/most hated characters overall are nate and cal, but i didn't like elliot either :(

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): OH, GOOD ONE! honestly, i'm not a big fan of most of the canon ones, and i only like a non-canon one so my only two ships are : fexi (fez + lexi) and maddy+cassie (the writers were COWARDS)! i kind of liked kat and ethan before kat did him dirty tbh :(((

Character I find most attractive: maddy, without a single doubt.

Character I would marry: UGSAJHGDJ they all have so many issues lmao i guess lexi, because she's really smart and nice and interesting and beautiful and she's the least questionable/problematic (i know fez is an angel of a man, but his business tho...)

Character I would be best friends with: i think rue and i would fit each other's personality! i also think lexi, rue and i would be a good trio friendship like maddy/cassie/kat in season one.

a random thought: a lot of people complain about euphoria for being very popular, and say "i'm the only one who hasn't seen it" as if it was an admirable skill or achievement, but i bet they would have seen it if euphoria had been made in the 90s. most of euphoria haters dislike the fact that it's so popular, not the series itself. there are lots of things to dislike about euphoria tbh, but being "the show that everyone's into lately" is not one of those. people always do the same, they did it with game of thrones and they did it with IT. not watching a series doesn't make anybody look quirky or unique.

An unpopular opinion: i don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but i really think the only purpose of nate and cassie together was to make nate look a little bit "redeemable". the writers truly went and ruined a good friendship such as cassie and maddy's just for the sake of writing yet another story about two girls fighting over a guy that has done them both so wrong. the writers made cassie's personality take a turn for the worst, and showed her in her lowest moment in such a purposely deceiving light while nate "deals with everything calmly, you start to empathise with nate, even". nate and cassie happened out of nowhere, and went absolutely nowhere expect making maddy and cassie fight. nate had never paid attention to cassie before, and he has abused both maddy and cassie through the series so much. yet everyone is focusing on cassie and "how terrible she is for backstabbing her bestie like that". a woman portrayed as "hysterical" and "unstable" to divert the negative attention and blame away from a male character? wow, never heard that before, right. (i'm sorry, i'm just so angry at the writers sagjhdgsahj)

My Canon OTP: FEXI <3

My Non-canon OTP: MADDY+CASSIE!!!!!!

Most Badass Character: maddy, for sure! tho lexi really popped off with the play!!!!

Most Epic Villain: laurie... i feel she's gonna do something big next season 👀

Pairing I am not a fan of: nate and cassie, because of the reasons i stated before! also, jules and rue have always been terrible for each other, like... they truly kept bringing the worst parts of themselves and the other when they were together.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): they did cassie and jules so dirty.

Favourite Friendship: rue and lexi! lexi and maddy! fez and rue! maddy and cassie before they ruined it!

Character I most identify with: lexi! also, cassie in some aspects too (my friends always say i'm season 2 lexi and season 1 cassie lmao).

Character I wish I could be: maddy! she's powerful and confident, i love and admire her!