#sorry brad but if I have to suffer so do you

[brad-bakshi-loves-bugs]

one of my absolute favorite bugs, antares (my scolopendra dehaani centipede), passed away last week and it was pretty embarrassingly upsetting for me considering the fact that I had him for less than two full months, but he was so calm and sweet especially considering how bad of a place he came from before I rescued him so I got super attached. anyway, to work through my own Issues, here's my headcanons on how brad handles death among his own pet bugs:

for starters, brad shuts down VERY easily (it's a survival tactic, one that many people who have suffered abuse are intimately familiar with), and something as devastating as losing a beloved pet is no different. as bad as it sounds, he would do what im doing right now with antares - refuse to touch the enclosure or the body for the first several days, hating himself whenever he accidentally glances at it because he somehow manages to find a way to blame himself for the death regardless of the pet's age or prior health. that's the worst part of keeping bugs: there aren't any vets you can turn to for help, so you'll never truly know who to blame for a bug's death.

once he's done avoiding the pet and their enclosure, it's time to discard the body, which is always the part he hates the most. he hates touching dead bugs, hates the way they're limp and lifeless and can't fight back or run or stop him from handling them. he doesn't want pets that won't snap back at him for disrespecting their space, and a dead body can't do anything at all.

brad always buries his bugs. he doesn't have the heart to throw them away like trash (they're so much more than garbage to him, even dead), but he cares too much to feed the bodies to his other pets, so he goes to the local park a few blocks from his apartment building in the middle of the night and buries them. he always buries them beneath the mulch where trees are allowed to grow as they please, hoping that one day, fifty years in the future, they'll become a tree and live on and thrive without him.

brad isn't naïve or stupid. he knows the dead bodies of his beloved bugs won't turn into trees. but sometimes, when he loses a particularly close pet, he allows himself to believe they will. because then, even if they suffered under brad's care because he somehow fucked everything up (he has a funny way of doing that), at least they can have a new life, free of suffering and walls. a life where they can be admired and appreciated by thousands of people, rather than by just brad.

a life away from someone who may or may not have accidentally killed them because he has a nasty habit of losing (killing) everything he loves.

a life away from brad.

[itachanta]

Okay, so, I was in bed looking for Tristamp fanart, and I came across a comment online that said Meryl's voice reaching Vash in chapter 12 was cheap, and it happened only because she is "the girl". My mind went immediately ballistic so hard i almost fell to the floor. Like, did we watch the same show at all? (screaming in a fit of rage)

Here i'm going (rolls up sleeves) beware spoilers. (and sorry for my broken english)

Meryl was the start of the show. She was our eyes, the narrator, the witness, and the rope that first tied the main group together (pun intended).

She started following Vash out of curiosity, then by admiration, her beliefs, and a big determination to help him and learn more about him, through danger, even not knowing how to fight or even lift a pistol.

Vash, despite loving humans, was, at the same time, distant to them and closed off. Almost every time, sooner or later, he ended up bringing some form of misery, hurt or loss to the humans around him, or they ended up betraying him. That's why he was called the "humanoid typhoon". We have Jenora Rock as an example. After the downfall with Knives, even Rosa, who seemed to know him for a long time, blamed him and tossed him out of her life. (I'm not roasting Rosa, i understand it's easy to put the blame on others when you suffer a great loss).

Meryl, witnessed all of this, and still followed him.

Meryl, who learned what Vash really is, and saw his markings, and even though she was surprised, she still smiled to him the next day.

Meryl, who was kidnapped to trap Vash into coming to July, and was told the truth about plants and humanity, but still didn't bail.

Meryl, who lost her mentor because of her decision to follow Vash, and didn't blame him, at all.

Meryl, who ran straight to try to save him, even though it was very dangerous and she could have ended up dead.

In the moment Vash was totally robbed of his bodily autonomy, his will, and basically, he was being violated, a tiny human, who followed him around through danger, challenged his views but never blamed him, smiled to him, wasn't afraid of him and supported him, was there, calling his name, calling for him to come back. A tiny human who believed in him, along with Luida, Brad and Rem.

This was specially noticeable when Vash was running, following Rem's voice. We can hear her say to him,"Thank you for protecting my dreams and my hopes", this, refering to her ideals about plants and humans coming together, wanting to create a bridge between them with their help, as she said to the twins when they were kids. And JUST RIGHT AFTER THIS, when he is looking down with sorrow and closes his eyes, Rem's voice calling his name mixes with Meryl's, and with that final push, he opens his eyes with a changed look, this time hearing only Meryl, and he gets out. THIS DETAIL GUYS. THE EYES. THE VOICES. LOOK AT THE GIFS.

THE CHANGE IN HIS EYES?????

Just imagine, after everything he went through, after being psychologically tortured by Knives, what was for him to hear Meryl CALLING HIS NAME and trying to save him. WAITING FOR HIM in a very dangerous place when she could have just, you know, escaped. His hopes in humanity, Rem's values and love lessons, compressed in this small tiny koala person. How can you even think, her voice reaching him, was FREAKING CHEAP OR DIDN'T DO ANYTHING? ASDJLAJKDASHDASKDLASDBASKD (dramatically sharpening a knife)

[edelfan]

In These Arms Tonight | Icemav

Cross-Posted to AO3

"Shit, I'm out of flares!"

"Rooster, evade, evade!"

"I can't shake 'em. They're on me, they're on me."

"Mav, no!"

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Ice...?"

"Fuck off to where you came from, Pete!"

~•~

Mav couldn't remember at what point he had realized that it had been a mistake riding his bike in the pouring rain. It wouldn't have been the first time that he had gotten soaked, but feeling like death warmed over on the next day - without being drunk the night before - definitely hadn't been on his agenda. Especially with Carole and Bradley off in Texas somewhere, visiting relatives, it meant that he would spend his precious time of leave alone and suffering.

So instead of taking his bike out on another ride down to the beach, Mav buried himself in his bed, wrapping the blanket around his shivering body.

Maverick only realized that he had been asleep when a ringing noise woke him up. It took him more than a moment to realize it was the phone down in the kitchen.

Stumbling out of the bed, a shiver went through his whole body as he slowly made his way downstairs towards the annoying machine that almost made his head explode. He had no idea how he managed to get to it, but at least it stopped ringing, when he held it in his hand. However, he didn't even have the energy to say his name.

"Pete? Are you there?"

He really wanted to answer Carole's concerned question, but the only thing that made it out of him was a heavy bout of coughing. It hurt in his chest and it didn't seem to end.

Somehow he ended up on the floor again and it was nice enough and cool to fall asleep despite the constant yelling on the phone.

The next time Maverick woke up - or at least was more conscious - he found himself on the sofa in the living room, wrapped up in a blanket.

Ice's voice was coming from the kitchen. But Pete knew this couldn't be right. Ice wasn't here, he wasn't on leave. He was stationed in Lemoore right now...

"No... He's not waking up... Up to 104°..."

For a moment Maverick wondered which poor bastard imaginary Ice was talking about, but that already seemed too much for his tired mind and he closed his eyes again...

A cool hand caressed his sweaty forehead, making Pete lean into it.

"Oh my poor baby."

"Mom...?"

Pete tried to blink, but the figure in front of him stayed blurry. It sure wasn't Ice though.

Deep inside Pete a warm feeling started to spread, something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

"It's alright, Pete. Go back to sleep. Just know that I love you very much and that I am so sorry for leaving you behind."

The words kept echoing around Pete's mind for a long time as he once again sank into the darkness.

~•~

"And you're sure Pops will be okay with it that we took the Cadillac?"

Pete grinned while he put on his aviators.

"Of course, baby goose. First of all, he will be so happy to see you again after being away for so long. And when he finds out that you got your driver's license, he will agree that it's perfect for your first drive."

Mav's words managed to chase away the doubt in Bradley's face and soon he was mirroring his grin as he started the engine.

It was a perfect south California spring day and the sun was shining as they made their way to the base to pick up Ice. The other man hadn't been home in weeks and for tonight they had planned a barbeque by the beach.

In the end, Maverick couldn't even say what had made him react in the way he did... They had been less than a mile from the base when a pick-up had suddenly pulled out behind a truck, right into their lane. Bradley had just stared in shock as Pete had reached for the steering wheel, turning their car to the left - and eventually putting himself on the side of the impact...

"Mav...?"

"Da... ou... ay?"

"Ple... dad... ou hear...?"

Brad... Bradley...

"Dad, please..."

"Bra..."

Maverick barely recognized his own voice, his mouth dry yet tasting like blood.

"Oh my God, dad..."

When he finally managed to open his eyes, Pete saw red - blood - Bradley covered in blood.

"Ba...by Goo...se you.. blee..."

"It's okay, dad, I'm fine. Help is on the way. But you need to stay awake, okay? Please? Dad?"

He really wanted to answer him, wanted to take away the worry in his eyes, but despite his inner fight Bradley's figure became blurrier with every passing moment, until darkness overtook him.

Expecting to come to the familiar sounds of heart beat monitors and medical equipment, Maverick was more than surprised when the first thing he heard was the sound of waves on a beach. Underneath him he felt warm sand and the sun seemed to be blocked by an umbrella.

"Pete Mitchell, don't even think about getting too comfortable here."

He knew that voice. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with Carole - looking like she had in the 80s, beautiful blonde hair and sunkissed skin; no more signs of sickness or chemo.

Unable to say anything, Maverick quickly got on his knees, wrapping his arms around his friend.

"Oh, Pete..."

Carole held him for a long time, her hand slowly stroking through his hair.

When Maverick finally managed to sit back again, wiping at his face as if Carole hadn't already noticed his tears, he frowned.

"Is this a dream?"

Her smile turned sad.

"No, darling, this isn't a dream."

Laying her hand against his cheek, images suddenly flashed before his eyes - the wrecked Cadillac, the back of an ambulance, Ice holding Bradley in his arms, both crying in the emergency room of a hospital...

"This isn't permanent either. You still have many years to come, sweetheart. But I wanted to thank you... For saving my baby boy. Not just today. Let him grow old and grey before I see him again, but don't make a habit out of turning up here. There are people down there who depend on you, my dear Pete..."

He felt the ocean wind pick up suddenly. And just like the sand on this endless beach, Carole's image started to be blown away before there was nothing else but darkness again.

~•~

The jet he had been testing the last few weeks was one big fuck up. As soon as they had fixed one bug, another one would turn up. If you'd asked Maverick, it would be better to scrap the whole thing all together and start over with the next model. But it wasn't his choice to make, he was just the test pilot. And in less than four weeks he would be off to California, finally marrying the love of his life as soon as DADT would officially be history.

Until then, he had to keep flying this piece of crap. Today it seemed to be okay so far. Everything was steady and controls showed the correct data.

It almost seemed too good to be true after all their troubles. However, Maverick had learned to never celebrate too early; and unfortunately he was proofed right when he detected the slightest hint of smoke in the cockpit.

"Crane 21 to Command, there's smoke in the cockpit. I don't know where it's coming from."

"Crane 21, can you make it back to base?"

"Wondering if it's worth it."

"Maverick."

"Okay, okay, looks like I should be okay for landing."

Rushing back to the testing base, Maverick immediately started the descent. However, with every couple of feet he dropped, the smoke got more and thicker.

In the end, he couldn't say how he had managed to land the jet, but as soon as he tried to open the canopy, Maverick knew he was in deep shit. The canopy was stuck. Whatever he tried, it wouldn't budge. And with every breath his mask became more useless as he inhaled more and more smoke.

Mav's world started to close in. Somewhere on the edge of his consciousness, he noticed people trying to break the canopy from outside. His last thought was about Goose and the irony of faulty canopies, before he slipped into darkness.

The first thing Mav noticed again, were the sounds of planes above him - however it wasn't any of the experimental jets he had tested nor was it the well known F-14. He knew it though...

Slowly opening his eyes, he remembered it. The A-4, lots of them... And around him a familiar air base. The one where his father had been stationed before he was shipped off to Vietnam.

A couple feet away, a man was standing by his plane, looking at Maverick. He was wearing a more than familiar leather jacket...

"Dad?"

"Hey, Pete."

For a moment they just stood there and looked at each other, but finally it was Duke who closed the distance and embraced his son.

There were so many things Pete had wanted to say if he'd ever see his dad again, but now in this moment not a single word made it past his lips. He just felt the warmth of the hug, smelled the husky cologne that brought back long forgotten memories.

"Son... Pete... I want you to know that I am so proud of you. Of the man you've become... One hell of a pilot, hm? And marrying an admiral..."

Pete went still, his look uneasy as he focused on his dad's face - almost ready to see disgust or contempt. After all, at the point in time, when he had lost his father, things had been different and little Pete had have no idea yet that he actually like girls and boys. However, there was only love in his father's eyes.

"That Kazansky kid seems like a fine fellow and he better take care of you or I'll have to kick his ass when he'll come to the afterlife."

They both laughed, but all too soon Pete felt himself starting to fade away again.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, Pete."

~•~

"Just... a little... push..."

Staring at the controls, Maverick pushed the stick slowly but surely a bit further. His heart was hammering in his chest, the Darkstar humming around him as it made it past Mach 10.1. Of course, he knew that he had made it, had made sure that the project would be continued, but he wouldn't be Maverick if he didn't try to find the absolutely limit. With the humming turning into heavy vibration, he knew that he had found it.

"Oh shit!"

A blazing 10.4 was the last thing Maverick took in, his hand flying towards the ejection button, before everything turned dark...

"That's your idea of fun, Mav?"

Pete came around to the sound of someone plunking away on a piano. And that voice... Slowly the cloudy surroundings cleared and gave way to a familiar diner - somewhere he hadn't been to since his short stint as Top Gun instructor. Sitting at the piano, there was a familiar figure dressed in a Hawaiian shirt...

Maverick had no idea how he had moved so fast, but not even a moment later he found himself in Goose's arms. Tears were running down his face and he kept on mumbling apology after apology, all while Goose just held him close.

"Oh, stop it, Mav. We both know it was an accident. There was nothing you could have done."

"Goose-"

"No. Stop feeling guilty. I know that you took care of my family, I even know that you held onto me until the chopper arrived. You are my best friend, Mav, and that's why you need to listen to me now. We don't have much time..."

Goose held him at an arm's length, looking at him while Mav tried to wipe away his tears. When their eyes finally met, Goose just grinned. He lay his hand in Maverick's neck, pulling him close again until their foreheads touched lightly.

"It's not your time yet, Mav. People still need you down there... Bradley needs you. His life depends on it..."

Maverick started to feel the almost familiar pull. He tried to hold onto Goose, but all his strength didn't help him as the diner around them started to fade away. The last thing he heard were the notes of 'Big Balls of Fire'.

~•~

"Grampa?"

Small and slightly sticky fingers were poking Maverick's face.

"Grampa, wake up."

"Hmmm, what is it, sweetpea?"

He didn't open his eyes, but wrapped his arms around the little girl in front of him, pulling her close. Blowing a raspberry on her cheek, made her giggling heavily and for a moment she tried to free herself before deciding that Pete's arms still were the place to be.

"Papa told me to get you. He said he and Daddy are finished." Neka whispered loudly into Maverick's ear.

"Oh really? Then it's definitely time to get up!"

As graceful as possible in his age, his arms full of squirming toddler, he got up and off the old leather sofa in the hangar.

Things had changed a bit over the last ten years in here. What had once been his not so little hideaway, now mostly belonged to Bradley.

Being medically discharged after his own encounter with cancer, his godson had needed a distraction and Maverick had given it to him. These days Bradley was mostly healthy, on pension and looking after his and Jake's adopted little girl.

And just like Maverick himself he had started restoring old planes. Over there, in the sun shining through the open doors of the hangar was his latest project - a L-3 Grasshopper, the cockpit realigned so that it could fit three people behind each other.

Bradley had finished the last repairs a few days ago and earlier today he and Jake had made it ready to fly for the first time.

Maverick carried his granddaughter over to where the younger men stood beside the Grasshopper. Jake was grinning like a child himself when he took Neka out of Mav's arms.

"You ready, Pops?"

"You know I was born ready, Captain Seresin."

Shortly afterwards, they were soaring over the Californian desert - Bradley piloting with Jake sitting right behind him, holding Neka in his lap.

Maverick was seated in in the backseat. It wasn't that often that he got to fly anymore these days, but nothing could ever compare to this feeling of being free and on top of the world...

"Daddy... I think Grampa fell asleep again..."

He woke up to the feeling of familiar arms around him. Soft fingertips were stroking the skin on his arms while a kiss was placed on his forehead. Pete didn't need to open his eyes to know whose warm embrace was holding him close.

"Please don't send me back... not this time, Ice."

"No, baby, it's okay. You're here to stay with me. Welcome home, Pete."

[nygmobblepot-trash]

Oh so they're just going to pretend like last episode didn't happen and go straight to finding Sylvie.

Cool.

(Rant)

Mobius and Loki almost died and we aren't going to get even a scene showing the aftermath??? Wasn't Mobius hit by the temporal aura (whatever it's called)? Didn't Mobius ask what took so long? Didn't Loki explain why he said they needed to find Sylvie after time slipping? No one said anything? Or am I supposed to believe Mobius wouldn't lose his absolute shit when he found out he almost died because Loki was too busy making googly eyes at Sylvie.

Ok. Ok. Maybe to be fair they really said nothing. In E1 Loki told Mobius very little what happened at the end of time. In E2 we see Mobius burying his feelings hard--even worse than Loki. But at least show that. Mobius in E2 seemed completely different. I get he's probably putting on an act because he really doesn't want to think about his life but come on.

Actually you know what? I think he was putting on an act for the whole episode. Call me delusional but I don't care. In the beginning, Mobius seems really happy to be looking for Sylvie. I think that was true but for other reasons. It's clear Mobius doesn't want anything to change. He doesn't want to think of a life he could've had so he needs to keep being an analyst. Before shit hit the fan that was searching for Sylvie. The whole thing is a game for him. It's why Loki was so serious and Mobius didn't really seem to care. He rather have a drink with Brad and play games. Normally Mobius wouldn't be so easily fooled but he was while Loki was the one paying attention. He's obviously going through the motions. He's happy again when he and Loki are trying to figure out the TemPad. Of course, it doesn't last long as the interrogation follows.

Let's talk about the interrogation. God I want to talk about it so bad because what the fuck. So Mobius warns Loki that Brad is an asshole (Mobius keeps swearing and I'm so here for it) and to not lose his temper. So I immediately think okay Loki is going to go off on this dude because why not? He'll do anything for Sylvie. The gang walks in and Mobius did not lie at all. Brad goes off on everyone. He's laying into Loki the most of course while Mobius keeps trying to keep Loki calm. Brad's speech also mimics several conversations Loki and Mobius had in S1. Brad basically says what Mobius said to Loki in S1. He drills that Loki is a villain and only brings suffering and pain but instead of twisting it around like Mobius did it changes into something that Loki yelled at Mobius towards the end of S1. Brad doesn't twist it into something hopeful or give Loki a choice no he tells Loki that at the end of the day he's lying to himself, that he can't play the hero. Yes that isn't exactly what Loki said to Mobius but it's eerily similar to the "lies you tell yourself" in S1. I understand if that made no sense but I'm just saying that it's super interesting to see the difference between Mobius and Brad.

Anyways so Loki starts to spiral and it seems like he's going to say fuck it. They even cut to Mobius's concerned face. I do love though that no matter what happened Mobius let Loki take the lead. Yes, he kept butting in but it seemed like he was reminding Loki that it was okay. It was like his way of proving Brad wrong. He was trying to tell Loki he trusted him and that he was with him.

I will say that Brad said the one thing I'm sure everyone in that room was thinking, "You're too obsessed with her. You need therapy." Honestly Brad you were so real for that. But he wasn't done yet. This man then had the audacity to tell Mobius to control his pet. And Mobius smiles and tells a fucking joke about Brad disappearing?? And Loki smiles at it?? I'm sorry but what is going on? Mobius I love you. I was so disappointed that they didn't let Mobius lead the interrogation because he would've rocked it. But Loki failed so Mobius said fuck it and did not disappoint. He literally got one line in and it was telling Brad he's going to disappear with a smile on his face. Mobius is ruthless.

This is where we circle back to the point I was making before... several paragraphs ago... I'm sorry. Brad goes off on Mobius and Mobius takes it for a little bit. You can tell what Brad is saying is getting to him. He's making points that even Loki is reacting too. Points that Loki should've talked to Mobius about already. It seemed like Loki was just then realizing that Mobius hadn't brought up his life at all. That Mobius had been acting like nothing was happening. Which was interesting to see. Finally, Loki seems to pay attention to Mobius for 5 seconds. Of course that's interrupted by Mobius slapping the hell out of Brad. Thus making it clear Mobius has been freaking out for a while but hiding it. They were both probably having a panic attack at the same time. The whole time Loki was running around in a panic Mobius put his fears aside and focused on Loki. It's incredibly sad. Did he feel he couldn't confide in Loki? It really hurts that this poor man had his world turn upside down and not once did Loki bother to ask him about it. Loki had to think it was odd that Mobius just stopped trying to burn down the TVA. Mobius deserves better.

I am happy that Loki stopped worrying about Sylvie for 2 seconds to chase after Mobius who clearly wasn't okay in the slightest. "He got under your skin" and "I was following you" Sir? Do you even know where you're at? Loki's dumbass doesn't know what to do either and takes Mobius to get some pie. As if that's going to fix anything. Mobius admits he lost it a little bit and Loki tries to relate and uses the battle of New York as an example of a time he lost it. ??? I'm sorry? Honey, Mobius punching someone isn't the same as you trying to conquer a city. You suck at this. Thankfully Loki cares enough to dig into why Mobius has no desire to at the very least see what his life could be like. Honestly, though Mobius's answer makes sense. Of course, he doesn't want to know. He's all about free will and deciding your own path. Why would he care what path he was on? It's a path he was supposed to be on but now he isn't. He got to escape the sacred timeline, he has always seen that as a blessing which is why he fought so hard to rescue Loki. The thing that annoys me though is Loki moves on so fast. I get he probably respects Mobius's decision. After all, if he saw a happy life that was taken from him that would suck. But why not ask what Mobius really wants to do? No one would blame Mobius if he got up and left. He now has the free will to do whatever he wants and yet he stays at the TVA. It would have been interesting for Loki to point out that Brad was kind of right. That it isn't healthy to pretend like nothing happened. I could see Mobius getting angry and pointing out that technically Loki is hiding from his reality as well. But of course, we can't spend too much time developing Mobius or his relationship with Loki, we have to get back to Sylvie.

Interrogation 2 happens and they finally get the info they wanted. The whole time I was thinking "damn this really seems like a Mobius plan," only to be proven right. Of course, Mobius immediately jumps to torturing Brad and calls it a "little bit of mischief". Again I have to ask, sir are you okay? Mobius is fucking terrifying.

I think the answer is no. When they take Brad to McDonald's Mobius is acting strange again. He's snapped back into acting like everything is okay. He ignores Sylvie and Loki talking and is being nice to Brad -- the man he punched within the last 10 minutes). Mobius is petty and as we now know hides his feelings until he explodes. He is clearly trying to distract himself with the food. Brad starts to freak out and Mobius tries to dismiss it but can't by saying that the relationship (between Loki and Sylvie) is complicated. But his petty ass can't stop there and adds that opposites attract in the same breath as him saying that Loki is in a relationship with themself. Mobius is really out there saying that opposites attract and Loki and Sylvie aren't opposites. Brad then says it's weird and I'm waiting for Mobius to agree but this man goes, "hey isn't it cool that 10 minutes ago you said I was nothing and then I punched you and got a God to torture you?" Mobius are you good? For the love of jetskis stop deflecting. You can't just torture Brad again because you're too much of a coward to talk to Loki. I will say good on Mobius for figuring out it was a trap. The slap on Brad's arm and the angry "Hey!" Will live in my mind for far too long. Like I said Mobius is scary as hell.

Lastly, I want to talk about the end (yes I'm almost done with my rant -- yay!). I hate that Sylvie continues to be pissed at Loki and the whole TVA. Loki and the others are trying their best. She didn't give them a chance. She just made a decision for everyone else and got pissy when they couldn't fix her mess. Honestly fuck right off. That's all I want to say about her. Anyways the thing that broke my heart was Loki saying, "Please, don't. It's harder to stay." I'm sorry but what the fuck does that even mean? Maybe I'm interpreting this wrong but does he mean that if she isn't around it's hard for him to stay at the TVA? If I'm right, then what the actual hell? Your friend Mobius is hanging on by a thread and you want to abandon him? You're all he has. He isn't close with hunter B15, OB, and Casey like he is with you. Mobius never once abandoned Loki. And yea I get that he does go over to Mobius and puts his hand on his shoulder but he only does it after getting rejected yet again by Sylvie. Hell Mobius probably just heard that Loki doesn't want to stick around. Are you seriously telling me that Loki is just using the TVA and Mobius to find Sylvie? At least last episode he wanted to go find her and fix the mess that she made.

Please stop chasing after someone who doesn't care about you in the slightest.

[extasiswings]

Sorry if I'm too curious, but what you thought about Tim during these years? Because I see so many people wanting him back and then when I see LS comments I'm like🤢

Ah, Tim. Tim, Tim, Tim, Tim.

Tim suffers from what I like to call Mediocre White Man Syndrome. This is a condition that is defined by being a white man in Hollywood who has very little talent on his own, but will get extremely far in the industry by surrounding himself with exponentially more talented and creative writers whose success is then projected onto him by association. But you see, the problem with Mediocre White Man Syndrome is that said mediocre white man has to be put into a position where he can no longer fall back on the work of others to be revealed for his true self. Which is where the OG vs. LS comparison helps.

OG vs. LS is the perfect example of how a showrunner can be an absolutely terrible, talentless hack, but if surrounded by good enough people the end result will still be good enough to mask just how bad the problem is. On OG, Tim was working with a team of excellent writers and storytellers who had the ability to prop him up and smooth the edges of his bad ideas and/or steer him in better directions. On LS, he doesn't have the same cover and the difference is...stark.

But since I don't expect you to just accept this at face value, I have receipts. Subtitled: don't ever trust a bitch who can't write his own shit.

On OG, in the 5 seasons during which he was a showrunner, Tim wrote 8 episodes. Of those, all but one were co-written with at least one other writer (3 were in season 1 and were co-written with both Ryan Murphy AND Brad Falchuk). The only episode for which he has solo writing credit is the S2 finale which, as much as I can admit I love it, has some big pacing issues resulting from the fact that the main plot was started in the previous episode, Tim finished it in the first 20 minutes, and then had to fill dead air for the whole second half. [By comparison, the last episode Tim wrote for OG was 5x1, which he co-wrote with Juan Carlos Coto, and honestly imo you can tell who wrote what parts of the episode just by the stylistic differences and it's...not a good look for Tim (I'll give you a hint, the parts of the episode that truly jumped the shark? Tim)].

On LS, which is currently only 3 episodes into its fourth season, Tim has already written 10 episodes, all co-written, primarily season openers and finales.

Also on LS, Tim has primary creative control. Everything is his idea. No one is there to tell him no. When he says that he thinks that people being happy in relationships is "boring"? No one gets to be happy because he invents random drama for no reason. When he says that Carlos is going to be secretly married despite the fact that it does not match anything from S1 at all? Who cares, it's his world and we are subject to his whims. On OG, despite being showrunner, that wasn't the case. For example, things that were Tim's idea on OG: everything with Taylor (because he has some weird reporter fetish), the blackout arc. He also regularly spoke without planning anything at all and it's clear when you compare the things he said were likely to happen vs. what actually ended up on screen that although he may have signed off, the ideas were not his (hello, the majority of S4 and Eddie's trauma recovery arc in S5). Things that were other people's ideas/responsibilities: the will/guardianship situation, the tsunami arc, Buck Begins, etc.

If you want to dig deeper, on OG, 8/10 of the top 10 episodes (out of 87) were written by just 3 writers: Kristen Reidel (4), Juan Carlos Coto (2), Andrew Meyers (2) [the last two were written by writers who are no longer on the show]. Kristen is now the showrunner, and JCC, Andrew, and Lyndsey Beaulieu (who are also EPs) are clearly the core writing team - strong, stable, and consistent. Now, I have critiques of Kristen: primarily her copaganda (which has to do with personal preference) and her pacing (a more objective critique). But I have the same critiques of Tim (and much more), and at least Kristen has proven that she can write a fucking exceptional story on her own (hello? Fight or Flight? Athena Begins? Kids Today? Awful People?). And when you look at the series overall by the numbers? The top 50 OG eps (again, out of 87) are rated 8/10 or higher (and more than half of those are from writers who make up the core team now, including Kristen). For LS, that's only 15/ 45 (and there's no LS ep rated higher than 8.7). And those discrepancies have to do with the quality of the writing and the storytelling (of which Tim has been doing much more on LS than he did on OG, to LS's detriment).

Anyway, that's my spicy take of the night. The things on OG that were actually Tim's idea (like all the Taylor) were some of my least favorite parts of the show and the core things that I love about the show are things that other people were/are responsible for. And to be perfectly blunt, given his storytelling on LS, I am so happy that he no longer has control over OG (or anything to do with Buddie).

Mediocre White Man Syndrome. A Hollywood Staple.

[sparrow-the-tired-lesbian]

My thoughts on episode 4

Yay recap

IS OB GONNA BE A MAJOR PLAYER THIS EPISODE?!

Uh oh

WHAT DO YOU KNOW MINUTES

shorter intro today- OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK

are we seeing raw time?

Minutes you’d better shut the fuck up

Oh dear

Time for WHAT

OH NO

OH MY GOD RAVONNA IS A FUCKING GODDESS I AM SO GONE

minutes is out of her head okay 

*shovels candy into my mouth because period*

Hi Victor :)

IS VICTOR GONNA HAVE A MEETING WITH OB I WILL SOB

B15 MY WIFE

Aww Mobius you’re so cute

Haha Loki is so funny 

I’m gonna start saying la di da

B15 makes me so weak lemme just perish

No forgiving and forgetting. We resent and remember.

Chocolate. Soup.

Victor is so relatable

CASEY AND OB ARE SO CLOSE RIGHT NOW JUST KISS BOTH OF YOU

HE KNOWS HIM

THEY KNOW EACH OTHER

OB IS LOSING HIS SHIT

A SNAKE EATING ITS OWN TAIL HE FUCKING SAID IT

I am crying

BROMANCE

OB IS ME

I AM OB

oh this is the scene from the credits

Sylvie my wife

SOMEONE

HER LITTLE SMILE

“And ruined my life” get her son

Loki has to do it

HA HE STRAIGHT UP VOLUNTEERED HIS HUSBAND DIDNT HE

ITS GORGEOUS 

“It’s wearing a helmet it doesn’t look like anyone!”

MY SONS ARE BONDING

PIE WHILE WE WAIT

Sylvie just calm down

Sylvie please leave your brother in law alone

SYLVIE STOP

LOKI WHY ARE YOU LEAVING TOO

Brad stfu. Stop it.

BEA’S HERE 

I’m calling her Bea now. It’s easier and more humanizing than a number.

Bea don’t trust them.

PIE LAND IM DECEASED

“About Mobius” YEAH? YOUR HUSBAND?

Just so we’re clear, we need to get you a therapist, babygirl.

What are the hets on? I see no chemistry between Loki and Sylvie

Oh Loki spitting facts

Hope is hard. Damn that breaks me.

We are gods

Why are you getting closer

LOKI STEP THE FUCK BACk

Oh he’s walking away there we go

Thank god I was about to have a cardiac arrest 

“I know, I have been working on myself” minutes I will sob what are you up to now

MINUTES DONT 

OH MY GOD STOP ALL OF THIS I AM SCARED 

MINUTES’ UNHINGED GRIN WHAT IS GOING ON

BRAD HELP THEM

oh my god

Oh my god I heard that

Oh my god they’re all dead

Oh my god

Oh my god (x99)

Oh no

OB is so cute I’m keeping him in my pocket

Nothing is connecting

Bea look away please 

Oh no no no

Blub blub blub goes the cocoa machine :D

He’s so kind to Dee Dee 

I’m just gonna start naming all of them.

OH NO NO NO

BRAD WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

I JUST NAMED HIM I WAS ATTATCHED

Ouroboros what do you mean again did Mobius download Tetris once

This is all horrible

Smart Sylvie 

Oh Loki is about to fuckin lose it

You’re going to put him in the room with Minutes?!

OH RAVONNA

“You’re gonna talk when I say you can, and only then” oh my word…*fanning myself with my hands*

RAVONNA I-

MOMMY- SORRY

oh no this is the scene from episode one

LOKI FROM EPISODE ONE

LOKI IS GONNA PRUNE LOKI 

smart Sylvie :)

Oh my god it’s exactly the scene from episode one

Sylvie is so pretty I’m gonna cry

OH THAT WAS A NOISE

LOKI PRUNED LOKI!

THIS IS A TWIST!!!

OH THAT LOOK-

THAT HAS TO BE SO CONFUSING FOR SYLVIE NGL

that little flinch help me

“Huh?”

Pick up the damn phone 

OB!

reboot the system please

Oh Casey don’t do that

TURN IT OFF

hehe minutes is fucking lost

well that was ominous

Get fucked Brad

Oh I know Loki’s gonna have the fangirls raving 

NO RAVONNA!!!!

RAVONNA COME BACK MY BELOVED

Ob thank god you’re back I am suffering some emotional whiplash

Loki is gonna have to go out there…

No no we need more Lokius hurt comfort Victor step the fuck down

Oh come ON

WHY IS OB SO TINY HE COULD FIT RIGHT IN MY POCKET

I just realized that- OH MY GOD TIMELY

WHY IS EVERYTHING EXPLODING

LOKI GET MOBIUS TO SAFETY

if this is the end of the episode-

OH MY FUCKING GOD

[horrorknife]

hi ! sorry if this sounds weird but like

i stumbled upon one of your hoffheight posts and I'm so. genuinely fascinated ?? like, i THINK i understand it (I've certainly put them in a microwave and stared at them for the past few days) but i want to "get it right", if that makes ANY amount of sense. I want to interpret them correctly, I think is a better way to phrase it (it's 2am nothing I say will make more sense and I apologize for that.)

I think in a post you mentioned them being like, reflections of each other or something, which, I didn't realize but shit yeah?? they are aren't they. something about being on hair triggers or whatever. GOD they fascinate me so much I need you to understand how much this dynamic intrigues me. having them both be unstable in their own rights (esp with anger issues and all) it just. I love that ?? it's so fun!! I keep spinning them in my mind !!!

I think you also mentioned them being some flavor of qpr and as someone who's aromantic I. god qpr's my beloved. I really need them to be an evil qpr. that means a lot 2 me. ESPECIALLY if it's not even mentioned, but it definitely is a qpr. in my head Adam would have the potential (still not likely) to know what a qpr is, but he would never label it as that. at least not verbally. I love when there's a silent agreement that two people are definitely not romantic but labelling something as platonic is insincere. they're a secret third option don't worry about it !!!

sorry for dumping this into your inbox, I have a lot of thoughts and assumed it'd be mildly funny if I just left them with you. do with that what you will. I hope you have a nice day and thank you for the food for thought

[bonus ask that's ACTUALLY an ask and not just the ramblings of a mad man, do you have any fic recommendations of the two? for research, of course]

HI!!!! oh my fucking god anon you have no idea how excited and happy this makes me . *little cat running around in circles moment* 

so like. i imagine there’s this cord between them and neither of them understand it. they can both just Smell the sameness on each other, the familiarity of deepset rage and suffering and loneliness. adam’s young and impressionable and hoffman would be able to use him to his advantage. hoffman would love this guy. my characterization of adam post bathroom is lonely, detached, and even angrier than before so he gets into fights for the self destructive nature of the thing and hoffman would LOVE how unhinged he is (we all saw how much hoffman seemed to admire/get obsessed w strahm and that guy is Nuts). they’re the same kind of prey animal! they have the same fear of abandonment!!

something something the way they both die in the same spot, attached to the same pipe, forced to watch as LAWRENCE (OF ALL PEOPLE!!!!) abandons them for dead. adam is desperate for life adam is in a game rigged against him. hoffman fights and fights and gnashes and thrashes against this the entire series and yet he ultimately has no choice but to succumb to it, he dies the same horrific way adam did, alone and abandoned and feeling that same primal prey animal fear. there's something to both of them being lawrence's only (CANONICAL) victims (brad, ryan, and dina are lawrence's vics to me. but that's a different post) there's something to the way that adam dies in the first film and haunts the narrative forever and the person who reprises that role is HOFFMAN of all people. the way that this comes full circle is really really delicious to me

adam's camera is his buffer from the real world, it's how he processes things, he's at his best when he's unnoticed and free to Watch. guys we're not doing enough with the voyeur thing. guys. adam catalogs information adam loves holding secret knowledge. in a similar way, hoffman is holding a knife between himself and the real world, he's processing everything through a layer of violence before all else because he can't risk human connection anymore. all of his relationships are made through violence and this is of course present here as well because you adam's deepest connections are also facilitated through violence. you can argue that this is true of all saw characters and you'd be right but there's something so specially flavored about it when you look at hoffman and adam next to each other.

hoffman needs Direction From Someone Else in order to be an effective cog in the jigsaw machine–after john dies he just falls apart immediately and gets clumsy and makes stupid mistakes bc at the end of it all hoffman has been robbed of a Normal existence and the thing he really wants most is companionship (again, seen in the way he interacts w rigg and strahm–he communicates his ‘affection’ in adversarial ways to keep them hooked + offers them genuine chances at survival but they’re both too clouded and Against Him for it to work. king of misjudging situations) and direction. i think if he even had a LITTLE help he’d be a lot better at being jigsaw

conversely, adam is this poor, broke 25 year old clinking pennies together in his shithole apartment. and he has the same stripping of purpose hoffman does. he doesn’t communicate with his family anymore (for undisclosed reasons but this is one of my personal pinpoints for bi/transmasc adam), effectively abandoned by them, and we know that his one namedropped friend (his “BEST” friend btw) is a piece of shit TO him and ABOUT him. adam gets walked all over and he lives at the universe’s disposal to kick the shit out of. he’s been abandoned or mistreated by everyone significant in his life. hoffman is a well off and well respected cop with a whole department of people who highly respect him but he’s empty inside bc he’s incapable of having any meaningful relationships the moment he gets involved with john. he has to fully wall himself off again because it’s too risky to get close to other people. imagine your only worldly thread of understanding from another person ends up being the serial killer you’re chasing/impersonating. and he hates you.

adam’s a genuinely understanding and kind person under his defensiveness, we all know this, we’ve all seen saw 2004. he’d be kind to hoffman and hoffman would see stars. he forgot people were capable of treating him like a normal person. having hoffman warm up to you is the equivalent of having a crochety old man who hates everyone share apple slices with you. you’re a little nervous about it, you’re a little on edge, but he’s just cutting out his apple slices and handing you one every so often. a test of trust. maybe you’re uncomfortable but you’ll take his offering to be polite. you’ll enjoy his company, you’ll share that apple with him, you’ll forge a new bond with that person. this is the type of companionship im kind of getting at. 

um but yeah . rambling aside. back on track. unspoken/unaware qpr hoffheight is THE THING to me. yes we love each other yes we’d kill for each other no we’re not in love. we have a secret third thing and it’s called I Have To Keep This Guy Safe Right Fucking Now Because He Matters To Me More Than I Can Understand. OH mid paragraph im remembering something important. this absolutely all takes place within a sphere of hoffman and adam’s relationship starting with hoffman making adam his apprentice. i feel like that might have been obvious up there ^ but i want to be very clear w my intentions and my vision. KJDFSJKDF. ALSO oh my god . fuckkkkk fuck  fuck fml i think hoffman thinks 2 himself that angelina would probably have liked adam and that definitely endears him to the guy. 

like you said yeah i think adam has the Potential to know what a qpr is (but i dont think he does know)!! if anything he would ultimately just recognize it as an inherently special and inherently queer relationship…auuuu………i know i didnt get too into the evil parts of them too much here but thats cuz it would make me end up writing a 6k essay on them or something. just know that they do butt heads a lot because at the end of the day theyre from completely different universes and adam is an ODD/BPD king.

god . i could really just go on and on and on and on about them. i have so much more to say LOL but this is already a bit of a wordy response >__< i just have such a clear vision of their vibe and dynamic in my mind. it comes to me like sherlock visions. i’m being pelted with big times new roman font things that say shit like “HOFFHEIGHT GAY SEX” “They Are Everything To Each Other In A Codependent Ass Way” 

THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK BY THE WAY I UM. GOT SO FUCKING EXCITEDD WHEN I READ IT AKJDNJAKLDNVSJKFNFDKGNVDFK. YOU DONT KNOW WHAT THESE TWO ARE TO ME . YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW SICK AND FUCKED UP I AM OVER THEM LOLLLLL. asks that made me get up out of bed at 6:30 in the morning because i was too excited and woke up fully 

if u have more questions or u wanna rap abt this more PLEAAAAASE feel free 2 send more asks or reach out via messages i love discussing my evil plots with them. i am literally ALWAYS locked and loaded and ready to talk about hoffheight. anon i unfortunately do not have fic recs because i do not like reading fanfiction. im incredibly particular about characterization and i’m a little bit of a writing snob. i don’t trust them in anyone else’s hands for fic if i’m being honest. i don’t think anyone else’s vision will fully align with mine and i’m too autistic to risk seeing that be done wrong. i’ll get too emotional KJDNKJSNFJ

[thewulf]

Hey my dear. I'm so in love with your stories. Thanks for making soooo gorgeous stories out of my two requests. Well I already threatened you that I've got a lot of story ideas and now I'm brave enough to send you another request 😇 but let me know if you don't like it😉 as I said one to many times I'm a sucker for hurt fics, but also friends to lovers, I know it's a trope that's a lot of written about but I can't help myself.

Bradley's longterm best friend (they know each other as long as they can think) moves to fightertown, now that her best friend Brad is permanently stationed there and she finished University. She is happy that she finally has her best friend near her, after her mom died and her step dad takes out his anger on her (both physically and mentally) there was nothing in her hometown keeping her from moving away. Bradley couldn't be happier to have her near her and be able to protect her (he doesn't know that her step dad was an abusive asshole). The whole squad welcomes her and she's finally living a happy life. But being with Bradley, old feelings bubbling up inside her. And also Bradley's long buried feelings for his best friend are visiting him. (soorry it's the typical pining best friends to lovers but I have a bit of drama and angst on the way). The whole squad notice their hidden feelings, from being Brad a little bit too protective and her being always near him seeking his safety. As Jake once more is trying to convince Bradley to admit his feelings he makes a very bad decision. He flirts with the first woman at the Hard Deck just to keep a little distance to his best friend and when a guy hits on her during a night out Bradley convinces her to date the stranger. Despite Jake who says thats a bad idea cause these guy is a creep she gives him her number. (of course her heart is broken that Bradley so easily tells her to date a guy). The date goes terribly wrong when the guy gets handsy... He spikes her drink. She notices that something is wrong, in her drugged state she tries to flee and alert Brad but he doesn't pick up his phone. One last try she calls Jake who picks up, but the guy follows her into the parking lot catching her on the phone. He gets aggressive and beats her up. On the other end Jake hears the commotion and her screams and whimpers for help. Instantly alerting Brad.....

Soooorry it's as always way to long. So I don't fill the spot from the guys driving to the parking lot to finding and her bringing her to the hospital. But maybe at the hospital when the doctor tells Bradley her condition he also tells him that she has some old fractures in her ribs, arms etc. and asks if she has a history with domestic abuse....so her step dad story is revealed.

You know I'm living for hurt and sick fics, so maybe if you like you can add some details, like she suffers from asthma and having panic attacks because of the harassment of her step dad?! So we can see some protective Bradley and Daggers?

I hate myself for annoying you with this loooong request, I am so sorry.

I hope you doing ok. Send you love =) 🤍🤓

Ahhh hello again! You always give the best requests!! I love a good beat friends to lovers trope! I also haven’t given Bradley a fair shake, tend to write more Jake than Bradley so I’m def going to have fun with this one!!

I’ll probably make the hurt scene a little more PG and might change a few things around that so it’s not graphic or uncomfortable to people!

I’ve got two requests ahead of this one but I’ll def get right on it once the other two are done :)

I’m back from family vacation on Monday so I’m hoping to start cranking these out after that! Might be about two weeks after editing and making sure it’s good enough to post :)

I’ll make sure to tag you as well!!

[lamereyoga]

Dear Taylor

 Taylor,

I am writing to you as a basic suburban middle-aged mom from Colorado. I have been a fan since you opened for Brad Paisley in Cheyanne a million years ago. Like so many others, you have held me through so many heart breaks, friendships, marriage and now becoming a mom. I am sure it wasn’t meant to but TTPD has so many parallels to motherhood and a moms mental health it’s been wild and so cathartic to listen to and see how your experience with fame and heartbreak is so similar to my experience through the immense transition into motherhood. I wanted to thank you for using your stage, power, and ability to get people to listen to you to open the conversation for so many of us that don’t have your voice. Down Bad, and I Can Do it With a Broken Heart has been the anthem I didn’t know I needed and as I see on the internet- so many feel the same.

 I am a survivor of severe postpartum depression and was not diagnosed until last week and I have a 4- and 7-year-old. For YEARS I suffered in silence, while being dismissed by so many people, medical providers who wouldn’t fucking listen. When my babies were tiny I found relief by walking around my neighborhood listening to REP and crying my damn eyes out. Those years feeling so unheard by people, your lyrics held. I really want you to know how important you are your stage is.

'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it 'til you make it" and I did Lights, camera, bitch smile, even when you wanna die’ Is literally the best representation of postpartum depression and trying to stay strong for your kids, that I have ever heard.

I have dedicated my life in the last few years to starting a yoga brand for moms that are struggling with their mental health and so many of them are Swiftie’s. I am currently trying to start a non-profit to be able to help women without access to learn to reconnect to themselves and been seen in a world where we don’t matter, and in a world where everyone wants to hold a baby and not the mother. This album seems to have a lot of nudges towards mental health, and I think is so important for people with your level of celebrity to speak about so that the rest of us feel seen. I love teaching classes with your music in the background. I can literally see it changing women as they move and breath and reconnect to themselves. Its fucking amazing.

I am sure you will never see this letter, but I want to tell you as a fan that adores you, I am so sorry for your heartbreak and the way people have treated you over the years. I am sorry that we as fans, asked so much of you when you were going through it but it has shown some of us that if YOU can do it with a broken heart, so can we.

I hope to catch one of your last eras shows. You fucking matter and I fucking love you.

Laura Stinnett

lamere.yoga

[bradshawsbaby]

Resending just in case…

Ugh, my eczema flared up badly,and I amin painnnnnn

Any soft Bradley or Hannix thoughts would be greatly appreciated…

Oh no, I’m so sorry! 😩 I’m glad you resent this though, because I don’t think I got it the first time!

How about some soft Dad!Brad thoughts on this Monday evening?

Bradley is definitely the kind of dad who suffers just as much, if not more than his kids whenever they’re sick or in pain. When they have to get shots at the doctor’s office, he’s holding them in his arms or on his lap and whispering how brave they are and how proud he is of them. And they’re 100% going out for ice cream afterwards.

When the kids are sick, Bradley will stay up all night with them, getting them whatever they need and snuggling with them so that they feel a little better. When he can, he’ll even take off from work to be with them so that you don’t have to do everything on your own.

He’ll make as many runs to the store as necessary for ginger ale or chicken noodle soup or saltine crackers, or whatever else anyone needs. And even if the kids want to watch the same few movies over and over again, Bradley will sit on the couch with them all day and gladly enjoy the movie marathon without complaint.

He always wants to take the kids’ pain away, and he hates it when he can’t. His protectiveness goes into overdrive whenever his family is most vulnerable because he loves them so much ♥️

[roman-roy-apologist]

Ok anyone who’s better at Words and Thoughts than me feel free to make my rambles coherent but like, brad in the way others perceive him is not worse in terms of morality and/or being a “good person” than many of the other high-ranking people working at mythic quest (poppy and ian specifically).

Let’s start with Ian because him and brad are quite similar characters. They both come from abusive households, put up walls to hide their emotions and truly care about mythic quest. This is important to note because Ian (and brad but i will get to this part later) often does real harm to the people around him.

For example, Poppy, in s1 ep08 when she tries to leave mythic quest, intentionally or not (this is unclear to me) Ian does make his emotional issues Poppy’s problem and ends up emotionally manipulating her multiple times.

He is also shown to be incredibly uncaring about any of the employees at mythic quest. That said he isn’t just a horrible person (and much of this behaviour is a product of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father).

At the end of s2 he learned to treat Poppy with respect but still treats many of his workers and co-workers pretty badly.

On the other hand, Brad has done very similar things. He emotionally manipulated his co-workers.

Right?

Well, the short answer is yes.

The long answer is.. kind of?

Let’s take for example s1 ep10 when they are in quarantine David asks Brad to donate money to charity and Brad refuses. Pretty straightforward dickhead move. They end up playing street fighter to settle the donation. Brad wins every time but still donates the money to charity and even triples the donation.

Still important to mention is what David had to do when he lost. Brad made David (1) shave off an eyebrow, (2) shave off an eyelash, and (3) shave his moustache.

So you might be asking why?

Why make David do this if he was planning on making the donation already?

Brad says in the show he needed to get something from it, and he did “David’s dignity”. I believe that it has to do with something different though.

And yes, on some level Brad does believe this and to some extent it may even be true, but Brad also does feel an innate desire to help people that has been forced out of him by Zack and his dad, so now brad has to frame acts of kindness as favours or transactions to prove to them (but mostly to himself) that he isn’t weak.

Another example of this is Brad getting Dana her job back and telling Rachel the he “owns her” but never doing anything about it.

The biggest example of this though, is the last episode of s2 when he goes to prison for Jo. Saying he had done it for “street cred” when it was clearly because he cared about Jo. This is so heartbreaking because Zack was the one to trick Jo into insider trading and Brad was the one to take the fall. This, in Brad’s mind make him weak (“a pussy”) and Zack strong (“a shark”) so he has to frame it as his own decision because then Zack can’t always be in control.

(Sorry if that last bit didn’t really make sense lol)

I would now like to move on to Poppy. Her and Brad are also quite similar. Both being made to feel less then by important figures in their lives (Ian and Zack), have severe control issues and like Ian, also put up walls for their emotions, albeit in different ways.

Poppy’s views on Brad have a lot to do with her sense of moral superiority. She thinks she’s better than Brad because he’s a “soulless money suck” but also because she feels like she deserves what she has, unlike how she feels about Brad.

This, however does nothing to soften the blow of her treating her coders (when she was head programmer), workers (when she was/is co-creative director), and Dana (when she was working for Poppy).

The mistreatment of these people displays her need for control (similarity to Brad) but also a manifestation of the way she has been treated (by Ian). In a cycle of abuse where everyone is treated terribly until they make it and then can treat everyone else terribly.

So, in a way it’s not Poppy’s fault.

She’s a product of the system.

But if she can recognize her own behaviour as ok or justified why isn’t the behaviour of brad also justified?

It’s because Poppy has a narrow-minded view of right/wrong and good/bad.

This leads to her believing that as long as in the end she is “right” (creative, imaginative, in control of herself and othersetc) it doesn’t matter how she got there because she is “good”, because Brad is “wrong” (focused on money, greedy in control of himself and others) which makes him “bad”.

In conclusion Ian’s lack of emotional intelligence and Poppy’s sense of moral superiority do not make either of them better (or worse) than Brad. Everyone is flawed, and comparing the morality of three different people? although similar, in different circumstances, and living different lives is pointless and arguably impossible.

[daincrediblegg]

You asked for it babe! WORST JARED HARRIS CHARACTERS PLEASE

ASK AND I SHALL ANSWER (tho I’m sorry no gifs for this one bc like… these roles are so bad nobody has bothered to gif them which is very funny to me). And I should clarify- these are not him *acting* poorly- but rather roles that fill me with rage for one reason or another (usually that he isn’t in it MORE honestly). Like these are just roles that fucking VEX me terribly bc I know (we ALL know) he’s a good actor. And yet… and yet…

5. Septimus - Pompeii

He gets some slack on this list because like listen. Pompeii is a fucking terrible movie on every goddamn level. But Jared, king that he is, still put his whole pussy into the one trait his character has: which is loving his wife. And that kinda redeemed having to watch the rest of it just a little, but just barely (also should note I saw this IN THEATERS. I PAYED MONEY FOR IT. You’re welcome Jared).

4.Captain Anderson - To The Ends Of The Earth

Look. If Jared Harris is a sea captain in something, I will watch it. The pretty red hair and beaming smile will get me through anything. Was it worth it to suffer through bennedict cumberbatch for like 3 hours tho?? … jury’s still out but as my parents taught me (who are both lawyers) the longer they’re out the more likely it’s a guilty verdict. Benebum cuminmyass is really not worth watching I’m so sorry. But I did get my beautiful man whore in tight 19th century pants and making fun of him the whole time so thats a plus. He’s too pretty to be mad at for long.

3. Sanders - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

You know. I really don’t know what I expected. It’s a Guy Ritchie joint. He will avoid casting JH in a prominent role like the Plague. I sat down to watch this hopeful that he had changed, but alas. My mans has maybe 5 minutes of screentime tops. And my family has made me watch it 2 more times since my initial viewing. Every time I suffer. Because he’s just Not. Fucking. THERE. Guy Ritchie give my man a decent fucking role for ONCE challenge. I’ll be waiting with a sledgehammer in the corner of your room while you sleep until you do.

2. Captain Mike - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Look. I love him in this. I really do. He’s such a slut. Such a beautiful whore. Cherry, what you have done with him in fic is better than what anyone could have ever done with him. Also with the exception of perhaps the most recent tarantino films I fucking hate brad pitt generally. There needed to be more of my man. Justice for better writing and better side characters. Yes? Yes. (Also how is this a David Fincher joint? How? You’re better than this dude).

1. Andy Warhol - I shot Andy Warhol

I have literally never even seen this one. But I literally don’t have to to know its terrible. Just google up JH in that and you will understand. They massacred my boy. He deserves better.

[princessmo]

why, buzzdriessen, of course, for the otp questions. All of them

THANK YOUUU SO MUCH SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG

um i'm gonna end up putting most of this under a readmore bc i typed up 5 pages worth of response in google docs

What is each member’s love language? 

ngl i’m not a huge love languages guy but van d’s is verbal expressions of love with a dash of physical touch (“i love you i love you i love you” while being all clingy) and buzzcut’s is just. being soft with van driessen while being hostile or at best apathetic toward everyone else. his love language is love

What would they describe as their perfect date?

bradley’s is doing one-armed pushups for an hour while dave sits on his back reading a magazine and fawning over how strong he is. david’s is them going camping, doing edibles and stargazing 

Who made the first move?

buzzcut! van driessen waited sooooo long...he didn’t want to ruin their work relationship and he’s the most patient guy in the world so he just suffered in silence until buzzcut finally asked him out. i like thinking that they both had feelings for each other but were oblivious to the other’s feelings and the students had a bet as to when something would Finally happen

Who is more sentimental?

daviddddd. but bradley’s more sentimental than he lets on

Which member calls the other in to kill the spiders?

generally dave will take the spiders outside if he’s alone, he’s not really bothered by them, but if they’re in the same room together brad will take them out. the exception is shit with too many legs like centipedes, dave will fucking shriek until brad kills them

Who falls asleep first?

most of the time, van d. buzzcut’s always like “dave, if you fall asleep on the couch i’m NOT carrying you to bed this time”...and then he does anyway cuz he’s a big softie >:)

Who wakes up first?

most of the time, buzzcut. military habits die hard. occasionally van d will wake up earlier and make breakfast in bed for them :) 

Who is more relaxed/carefree?

i mean...van driessen, obvs. buzzcut is ready to kill anyone who looks at either of them the wrong way

What’s one way their personalities complement one another? (Is it opposites attract or are they pretty similar?) 

well. not to state the obvious but they’re incredibly opposites attract

Who is always cold?

omg i hc that david’s always warm, he’s like a little radiator, and bradley’s always cold

Which member is always trying to bring home stray animals and which member always has to say no?

van d is ALWAYS bringing home stray critters and nursing them back to health. buzzcut thinks it’s cute to an extent; at some point he’s like “puddin’ i love you but if you keep this up you WILL get rabies”

Who worries more?

they both do in their own ways, but i think bradley worries just a little bit more since dave’s been through SO much on the show. dave’s more vocal about it, though, he’s like “do you have your coat? scarf? gloves? wallet? keys? is your phone charged?”. brad’s more like “i don’t think [XYZ] is a good idea” and if he’s really worried he insists on tagging along with dave

What are some non-sexual activities they do together? 

they spend a LOT of time cuddling on the couch watching pbs. they also like camping, david for all the cool nature stuff and bradley cuz he gets to go fishing. he’s a fishing guy. they also like. idk what the adult phrase is but parallel play. david reads while bradley whittles, imo he’d be into woodcarving. they just enjoy the silence and each other’s company

Who would be able to talk their way out of a speeding ticket? 

buzzcut wouldn’t even have to talk; he’d just make eye contact with the cop and they’d let him go. van driessen doesn’t really speed but he’s so genuinely apologetic about jeopardizing other drivers they also just let him go

Who is the better cook?

bradley. david is competent but bradley is better and he likes it more, so he does the majority of the cooking

What are some things they don’t agree on?

BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD. buzzcut kind of admires van driessen’s patience for them but he also dislikes his lenience and thinks it enables them; and after they start dating he reeeeally hates how they walk all over the one person who gives a shit about them and how dave just lets himself be treated that way. david, of course, thinks he’s being way too hard on them, they’re neglected 15 year olds who shower once a month and live on nachos

Which member is more physically affectionate?

they’re both pretty physically affectionate, bradley’s always got an arm wrapped around david and david’s always holding onto him. when they lie on the couch together dave’s usually leaning on brad’s chest or resting his head in brad’s lap

Which member is more verbally affectionate?

lmao i gave it away earlier but van d. constant “i love you”s; but buzzcut has so, so many sappy pet names for van driessen...puddin’ is my favorite cause it’s so cheesy and honestly kinda ooc but others include prettyboy, little pansy (both originally used derogatorily but now they’re terms of endearment), babygirl, little dove...i have more but i’m getting embarrassed just saying these ones

How does each member feel about PDA?

van driessen likes light PDA, holding hands, a little kiss on the cheek, etc. buzzcut pretends to dislike PDA and he rarely initiates it but will definitely escalate it. if van d gives him a kiss buzzcut is ready to full-on make out in the middle of chili’s or wherever the hell they are

Who’s the safer driver? 

dave...but he also dislikes driving. brad has the worst road rage ever but dave’s willing to put up with it if it means he can stare out the window

What’s each member's flirting style?

after their initial mutual-oblivious-pining they’re both pretty direct. dave drops a lot of compliments while brad keeps trying to do favors for him

Which member borrows (steals) the other one's clothing?

van driessen borrows buzzcut’s clothes; i don’t think buzzcut could fit in any of van d’s. one time after van d spends the night at buzzcut’s, brad walks into the kitchen to find dave making breakfast while wearing one of his gym shirts and he stops for a moment because it’s the cutest damn sight he’s ever seen 

Who is the cuddle initiator?

they’re 50/50, buzzcut loooves doing that “yawn-turned-arm-around-shoulder” thing and van driessen loves cuddling up with him

Are they an introverted couple or an extroverted one—AKA would they prefer to go out to a party or event together or would they rather stay in?

they’re both pretty introverted, they attend some things out of obligation but they’ll stand in the corner and quietly bitch the whole time

Who is the big/little spoon?

vast majority of the time buzzcut is big spoon and van driessen is little spoon but they occasionally switch

Who is more likely to make an impulsive decision and who is the voice of reason?

they both make different kinds of impulsive decisions. buzzcut has to stop van d from playing in the rain cause he’s gonna catch pneumonia and van d has to stop buzzcut from fighting people all the time

Who’s more likely to laugh at their own jokes?

dave. brad laughs at how cute he thinks this is

Who takes longer showers?

also dave. like i said, buzzcut’s military habits die hard. dave convinces him to shower together after giving some bullshit speech about conserving water and the environment and all that. brad immediately sees through it and is like “you know...you can just ask”

Who is “more loved” by the in-laws?

all of their parents suck so they’re not really involved but in my liddle backstories i made for them, bradley has 2 older sisters who LOVE david, they’re so excited to have a new baby brother who does all the “girly” stuff bradley wouldn’t let them do with him as kids (they’re in their 50s now but that doesn’t stop them). they braid his hair and do his nails and stuff and brad’s like “dave you don’t have to put up with this if you don’t want it” and dave’s like “no bradley i like it :)”

if tom (david’s deceased older brother) was still alive i think he and brad would get along; imo they’re both into more “masculine” hobbies than dave is so they’d often talk about those. ofc tom dying in the gulf war and brad being fucked from his time in the military definitely (and rightfully/correctly) contributes to van driessen’s sheer loathing of the military

Who is more likely to get jealous?

yknow last time i thought abt this i said buzzcut but i’m changing my mind. i loooove jealous girlfriend van d. if any of the moms try flirting with brad during curriculum night dave starts getting all clingy

What was the most surprising thing they learned about one another once they started dating?

brad is surprised to learn that dave swears quite a bit and also eats meat (but only from one of his hippie friend’s farms). dave is surprised at how damn good brad is at cooking and that he smokes

Who stays up way too late and who tries to drag them to bed?

they’re both guilty of staying up way too late. like i said earlier, bradley ends up carrying david to bed if he stays up too late. if brad’s up too late, david insists on staying up with him, but he’ll start softly humming and trying to cuddle with him until brad gives in

Who’s messier? 

dave, but he never sets out to make a mess, it just happens and then he finds himself surrounded by clutter

Which member is more likely to accidentally spend $300 at Target?

i think they’re both pretty mindful of their spending, but probably van driessen

Who wanted/would want kids first? 

neither really wants kids since they spend so much time around them at work. they have a kitty that dave finds as a stray and brings home

Who gives piggy back rides to the other? 

they don’t really do piggyback rides but sometimes buzzcut carries van d around bridal-style

Who fell in love first?

between the two of them, david, but everyone else noticed they liked each other and wanted them to get together first. definitely a major point of gossip in the teacher’s lounge when neither of them were in there

[romikawai]

Joel's Alpha

Two

Joel opens his eyes to see what was another morning in that house where he lived. The only difference is that I couldn't help but know why Brad did the rest and…

"Oh, you're awake" says cash

"Good morning" says Joel smiling.

Joel notices something in Cash's eyes and sees how he entered his room to close the door and turn to look at him again.

"Something's wrong with you, you can tell me" he sits on the bed

Joel bites his lip but he knew he could trust him as he stood there by his side.

"I… feel pain here" he points to his chest

"Brad I reject you" looks at him

"How do you know" he is surprised "he's my friend and the first alpha that I fell in love with but he doesn't feel the same as me and…and… It hurts because he doesn't want to risk it"

"He told you the reason" doubt Cash

"He said that we will find our destiny and we will be happy there because if he had accepted my feelings, we would both suffer" looking at his hands "I… It hurts because he's right but… It could have been differently and…

"Sometimes I think he wants to take care that you don't get hurt by him or any other fool"

"How do you do it" looks at him

"What thing?" Doubt

"You are alpha, but you are married to another alpha" he doubts too

"We both decided and we are happy, of course I like to dress like that because… It activates the flame of love" he smiles "but, it was never easy… I didn't want to harm him when I found out that he was destined for me and he took the decision for us, we left our old place and moved here where we are happy"

"They didn't think of…

"Son" he smiles softly "yes, always but we know that I can't and it's still not allowed to adopt couples of alpha men and no one wants to be with an Omega for that… So, we're just happy like that"

"And… Why don't they adopt me" she looks at him

"what" is surprised

"Yes, well… My family told me all that and I said I wouldn't follow their plan…" He thinks "I think they would sign those papers without any problem"

Joel was thinking about it, in those few days that were and that was the last communication with Brad. I just hoped it wasn't too much to ask for them while I was still on vacation and school didn't start.

When he looked around, he saw that Cash was crying and his door was opened at that moment by Tango. He felt that something was wrong and he preferred to stay close to the wall while…

"Honey" says Tango worried

"Yo…yes" he wipes a tear "oh little one" he stops and approaches Joel ignoring tango "don't be afraid, what you said didn't make me sad but happy" he hugs him

"What did he say" says tango watching the whole scene

"He… he said that we could adopt him as our son, since his family thought he was dead and they wouldn't have a problem signing those papers" she says while hugging him and caressing his hair

Joel could tell he had screwed up by the way Tango was looking at him and getting up to leave the room. He felt how Cash slowly let go of him and smiled at him to assure him that he was going to talk to Tango.

Meanwhile, he stayed a little longer in the room. He felt like he went too far, they were just being nice to give him a home until he started college but…

He felt the love and that's what he wanted until he could find his alpha or he could heal his wounded heart without brad's intention

He heard the door ring again and knew that he should be afraid, because he would surely ask him to leave for having ruined everything.

"Joel" says Tango

"I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean…

"You told a lie." He raises an eyebrow.

"No, I meant everything else…" She looks at him "but if I messed up, I apologize and…

"We just need your signature" he says

"what" is surprised

"Yes, I already stopped by your house… That's why I left those days and I only need your signature so that part of our family can sign" he smiles

"Tango" says Cash happily

"Only my signature" he says and takes it to read

"Yes, they already signed the rest and only yours to take it tomorrow and it would be official"

"Okay" he says and signs it "I…

"Thank you, now you are a Tango/Cash" he smiles

"Your last name is tango and yours is Cash" he is surprised

"Yes, Ray tango and he is Gabriel Cash" he smiles "but we call ourselves that because we like it"

[the-firebird69]

and trump is exactlyy that a junkie. and thrives on negative attention and will eat it up this week. and yes tommorrow. they are at him and sue. tons. he has lfour cases to go to tommorrow two in pc and two in and pg no. one here and three elsewhere nyc, ga and colorado. they select a jury in colorado. and to takehim off the ballot. s ue him for it. and then the ga case they need his testimony. and they have tons of witnesses that turned him in may have enough for a jdgment and no. needs a trial but may proceed now. too many threts she says sorry. and your out trump. not him. he is there suffering like us due to you and your cronies tommy f and macs. yo suck all of you. badly. lily says she had a ba day. this place sucks. and yeh they will see who in tn at graceland. and it is grace ok savings grace it leaves yes but th ai.

now we are in this whole ok

Hera Zues

he wil be fired soon and out of here. good job today on the sink drain. good. and he says thank you. i tried. slowed had to. and good. bouhth the kits good. easier. and to fixx. and we liked it. works good. tested it. and three times air test ok good. now tons do it ok they do and see it is not so hard. followthe instructions line it up. tighten. and a fewe did ok some called others a few wentbazurk and were arrested no bu t might be lol

we saw the root too brad did. said this it is the fugarite. hehad it for ages.and ok ws in the statue. and they look now. was. now this is odd who is that. and it may be someone. they will ck.

Thor Freya

Olympus

[fallenflowersfromgrace]

YEET

Suffer. :)

🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing...

❄️Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing.

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

🌧️Share something angsty from your WIP.

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.

💧Share something romantic/hot from your WIP, or just something sweet if it's gen.

🌩️ Share something funny/cracky from your WIP.

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

🌪️Sum up a WIP with a few fic tropes/Ao3 tags.

Hello to you too, Eil, thank you for the ask!

I do be suffering

You're getting multiple fandoms since you've listen to me ramble about so many of them lmao. Take a guess at which is which lol

🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing...

Katya has rewritten the same paper four times already. Derwin nearly passed out into a plate of eggs. Amber is on her fifth energy drink of the morning. And Raine… they just want their crew to actually sleep for more than two hours.

❄️Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing.

“I have a high pain tolerance.” Lilith pointed a sharpened claw at her niece, “You, Eda-Spawn, do not. You, much like your mother, refuse to take care of yourself properly because you don’t like to inconvenience those around you.”  Luz rolled her eyes giving a very teenage defeated huff and opted for turning her face into the cushions to ignore the rest of the conversation.  “HEY!” Eda’s offended shout carried down from upstairs.

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

"No." Daisy gaped at her like a fish. "But, Mom-" "I said no, Daisy," Jiaying sighed.  "But-" "No." Daisy paused, taking an interest in the floor and slumping her shoulders in defeat for a total of seven seconds before looking elsewhere.  "Kora-" "Daisy, don't you dare." "...GORDON!" "NO!" 

🌧️Share something angsty from your WIP.

Eda stared.  Her dad was on the ground. Bleeding.  He was bleeding.  One hand over his eye where she had… There was a sharp intake of air and Lilith was suddenly in front of her, blocking her view of their dad.  And too close for Eda to hurt her. 

🌈 Share something soft/fluffy from your WIP.

“Was there ever a name in mind for him?” Jones wasn’t sure why he asked. Judy and Brad shared a look before Judy let out a soft laugh.  “We were going to name him Fred,” Brad explained.  “After you,” Judy clarified.

💧Share something romantic/hot from your WIP, or just something sweet if it's gen.

i HAD TO GO SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING ROMANTIC BECAUSE I NEVER WRITE ROMANCE LMFAOOO

"Eda?" Raine glanced at her as they were flying beside her trying not to get blasted by the coven guards shooting at them. "Rainestorm," Eda acknowledged, quickly swerving to the right to avoid getting hit. "Wedding. Wedding tomorrow."  "Agreed."  Lilith let out an incredulous groan and ignored the blasts of magic flying past her, "You're telling me twenty years and this is how it happens." 

🌩️ Share something funny/cracky from your WIP.

“Mother, stop trying to bribe my roommate with your knitting-”

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

Might write it or may not but this concept of going through doors in your mind and like sorta going through the seven levels of purgatory. Idk how to describe it. But like it's messy. Sorry if that doesn't make any sense.

🌪️Sum up a WIP with a few fic tropes/Ao3 tags.

I wrote this instead of sleeping, alternative universe, no beta we die like Daisy's sanity