#yeah yeah nice dichotomy idiot i know

[livvyofthelake]

going to start using female generic language more. no more “guys”… i’m over “guys” fuck “guys”. it’s “girls” now until men shut the fuck up forever about everything.

[hiemaldesirae]

I read it and omg it turned out amazing like the way you described Valentino’s and Velvette’s demon form has a chokehold on me I never really see people portray Velvette as an actual doll too much it’s mostly just a comment that’s it so you just going all out on that was so good and Valentino being the one with the cool head during this was nice but also fitting normally people would make Val a brainless idiot or a manipulative dick so him being just calm and strangely scary was a nice change but I can totally see him being more like a evil all his moves are calculated type overlord whenever someone he honestly cares about is at stake or hurt we really just need more found family vees but Vox literally just letting himself get kidnapped was such a pleasant surprise I didn’t expect myself to be so spot on about the fact Vox really has more control over the situation and don’t get me started on Alastor I just love the way you always give Vox and Alastor a muse x painter dynamic so this story was just the epitome of that trope but come on Alastor don’t be stingy let the vees go to y’all’s wedding another thing I love dramatic stories but it’s always so funny thinking what the other characters think like can you imagine Charlie’s confusion when Vel says he kidnapped Vox and he just like yeah I did lol Lucifer coming in to save Charlie he probably doesn’t really care about what’s happening let alone knows. Lucifer needing a reminder on who Velvette and Valentino are but recognizes Vox instantly gives off Adam not knowing who Alastor is but knows angel also I need to know what Charlie and Alastor talked about when he left the room cause I know nothings good gonna come out

haha thank you!! i based velvettes demon form off those like, old stories about those haunted dolls like annabelle and such. i think the dichotomy between a sinners regular and demon form is such an interesting concept to explore- i think personally that a sinner's demon form is their 'true' self-- since so many sinners and overlords especially wear a mask to hide their true faces, when they turn to their full demon form they shed that mask in a sense. from vals actions in masquerade, i developed this headcanon that val is the type of person who throws little tantrums for fun, but when he gets Really angry, his anger is cold and calculating more than anything. in that way, he's a lot like vox, except... well, vox is able to keep more of a lid on things most of the time because he Has To as the face of the vees. so yeah, i def agree with you! found family vees really does have my heart, they're the worst and they love each other <3

yesyesyes to all of the radiostatic dynamics!! theyre both horrible terrible posessive freaks but in my mind alastor wouldnt have been able to take him away from home if vox hadnt at least given a verbal okay at first, he's too much of a fighter to go without a struggle lol. and yeah i feel like i spent a looot of time on the other characters povs solely bc they were so much fun to write lmao. like.... imagine being charlie and having to watch this all go down meanwhile youre thinking 'awww its so sweet' no. this is like black swan levels of psychological horror and you are going to watch it all go down live

[sharonisthebettercarter]

Hai.

How do you measure your top and bottoms? I will likely greatly regret asking.

oh HIIII @diamonddung~<3<3<3!

why yes. yes you will<3 i never did get that answer on fiona's nick valentine % <3 tho you may need to amend billy's % lmao<3<3<3

as a bonafide too queer to function lunatic and multishipper who *hates* catty supremacist false dichotomy fandom bullshit because of all the unnecessary problems it causes (you know me, lmao, bit of another psa in here i guess given multiship tags and yes, i am still upset about the thing with the artist)? ya know i'm a little out there and not quite with the 'in' crowd of the chunk of cis het women who take party~ in the shipping world~<3 no shade, but it does tend to change one's perspective. i do feel there's lots of shipping discourse that may miss the mark/certain character elements in favor of...

well, normally just plain ol' over-sexualization from some horny ass people lfmao, (homie's scene with doppelhomie is a good example, the trauma presented on his face was ignored in favor of the selfcest fantasy, but in antony starr's words, homie wasn't interested, he was traumatized :((() but also unfortunately... echhh i gotta say it!

hetero-normalizing gay ships and then treating the kink presentation like a goddamn religion... the amount of times i have those 'are the straights okay???' moments are just...

LMAO, all in good fun of course<3 let's not kink shame.

it's fine to have different kinks and discourse, disagreements over how you view characters or what you like, even be enthusiastic with your own views and shout them out to the heavens~! it's *NOT* fine to try and police, dehumanize, or discourage others from enjoying what they like just because it's *different* from you and they exist in a *shared* space.

friendly important reminder to *ship and let ship*, *art and let art* however that may be. even if i don't like the way a ship is presented or voice how *i* personally feel about it, i would *never* try to or even have the gall to tell someone *no, you can't do that, my way or the highway*

It does NOT *exclude* you to *include* others. It costs nothing to be *nice* or simply DNI. This is NOT a dichotomy. Fandoms do NOT need additional toxicity and bullying over something so *trivial* as fictional bullshit. EVER.

"i don't like bullies... i don't care where they're from." ;)

anywho~<3 i love top/bottom exploration because i have a very bad BAD~<3 dominance kink, but switching definitely gets the most downplaying/ignoring with a heavy focus on... mmm, i suppose often, more superficial elements half the time and i'll admit some of mine def are~ lmao nose size. and i don't say that to dissuade any writers, young or old. i say it to *encourage* moar deep diving<3<3<3 and even questioning the way you might think/listening to new perspectives~<3!

we all start somewhere and have times of exploration/learning~<3 learning moar and challenging yourself? that's a *good* thing<3<3<3 but sadly, not always valued (it should be!) :(

but apart from canon dynamices/character depth/personality to the best of my ability/understanding? the long answer is ANAL GAPE~<3

among other things, i'm sure that makes no sense whatsoever<3 because some other factors do get thrown in. intelligence because i'm a morosexual and LOVE big dumb tops<3<3<3, practicality super anuses are a death trap to not be played with however super phalli~, and weirdly... nose size. i'm not kidding!

yeah i know some idiot out there told me nose size is apparently related to phallus size and testosterone levels OH WAIT-- but oddly enough...? i think there may be some kinda instinct there LOL, because it seemed to registered in my brain the same way i registered my top/bottoms for the most part, even *before* learning that...

and i *swear*... i'll come back to this shit cause it's hilarious, but even in fanart, you'll see many artists subconsciously/purposefully give the guy they want to 'top' a bigger nose... even if he has a smaller one. ;)))))))))))))))))

BUTT ANAL GAPE! WHAT IS IT!?

not the nasty version ya nasties~<3

it basically boils down to... how big of an ASSHOLE is this asshole... just wide do those booty cheeks spread with the level a disrespect-- how *badly* does he *need* a good railing and prostate MMPH~<3<3<3! or even spanking~<3 how much of a control freak is he? how stubborn~? how far do those bitchy manipulative little devil vibes go~<3<3<3 what does he *want*? really want. figurative dick energy? is he compensating for something? is he in need of, holdin' out for a hero~<3<3<3? how so? how far from the goal of expressing positive masculinity are we and why? just how toxic we talkin~? i'm slippin' under<3

what is the outward presentation being given vs. the one he gives privately/with those he loves? there's a pretty big difference sometimes and it can say a lot. naturally gentle doms like kal-el or steve rogers i see get mislabeled for that old thing, 'mistaking kindness for weakness', so to speak. but as a general rule, they say that in the bedroom~ people actually tend to give the opposite of what they present in their day to day lives/'those with the most control of their lives are secretly the most submissive' or something along those lines, and it makes sense that things would manifest that way when you think about it. (ironically learned about this *after* learning my kinks)

a good example would be billy butcher, who gives the outward presentation of being rough and ragged and 'in control' wannabe logan, but is extremely soft, caring and submissive with those he loves<3 contrast with homelander who has had ZERO control over his own life from day one and *really* likes it rough when he gets the chance and--

boi lemme tell ya hwat--

it's a number of things, lmao, and the calculations in my head are automatic and will not make sense in numbers. so.

i don't think i need to explain much on anal gape when it comes to scott summers, lex luthor, bruce wayne, tony stark, and especially... *especially* billy butcher.

but lets not forget the added morosexual aspect~ which *can* even override anal gape! so let's go over what every one a my tagged ship bottoms might be saying to their big dumb idiot animal tops being DUMB<3<3<3

scott: *glares violently*

lex: *glares in pure bitch trying to hide the horny*

bucky: steve... what the fuck.

tony: *hard eye rolling and harder cuddling*

bruce: . . .

charles: ERIK!?

billy: *as he takes off his clothes* why... are you a brainless cunt?

pay no mind to homie's indignant huffing with a side of horny in response (somebody find me that goddamn meme lmao<3), and brucie might still be processing clark's stupidity lol<3

it's funny tho, cause i have competency kink too~<3 and i love me a good boi team up/learnin' as we go~<3<3<3

practicality? pretty self explanatory... way back when... dc gave us detail on the urinals of the justice league and pretty much confirmed man of steel, woman of kleenex (my favorite<3). i could not make this shit up-- (thanks btw dd for sending me this shit now i HAVE to share it)

so. given that we know superman's piss stream is strong enough to *dent* reinforced titanium steel when *weakened*--.

do i really have to say much about his sphincter? it makes diamonds, it makes fucking diamonds, do not stick anything up there unless you wanna lose it forever.

from a practical sense, i never like making it *easy* for clark~<3 to bone someone lmao, it's just too fun<3<3<3 (blue k is always an option of course) but also... he can vibrate it (along with his fingers and tongue), he has infinite stamina. and he has no refractory period... ;)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

homelander is much the same, maybe with an added *lack* of control and def a bit moar scary leik, might deliberately murder you scary but STILL--

you could not fucking *PAY* me to miss a goddamn chance for superweiner--

not sure i wanna think about what martian manhunter has... but i'd still let him do whatever to me, honestly<3 he'd be the BEST gentle dom i *swear*. like he'd literally check in and politely ask on you instead of reading your mind and check for any discomfort and be SO SWEET and tender and caring, making sure you're okay the whole time and just genuinely give you an experience you're never gonna forget leik<3<3<3 J'ONN~<3! HHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH~<3<3<3

oops... ignore that--

and as for nose size~<3?

well~<3 OBVIOUSLY i want my bottoms to be getting the best they can<3 i SPOIL the shit out of them! of course we NEED the guy with the bigger dong nose to top, they should be havin' a grand ol' time~!

but back to that artist thing and genuinely, genuinely amazing. it's almost like a guarantee and i don't even know if people are aware of doing it, but it is always so hilarious and adorable to me. *especially* with billy butcher, the star of the anal gape show<3<3<3

"they just can't get my nose right!"

and of course no shade/disrespect to the actor (his nose is so goddamn cute<3<3<3 and i love it<3) or any other actors, or artists, but even *becca* (her nose is also cute and i love it~<3) had a bigger nose than him. seriously. homie's nose is fiiiiine~<3 but also actually bigger and longer. and it's just... ALMOST *guaranteed*. anyone who sees billy as a 'top' while drawing him *automatically* gives him the bigger/longer nose... and it just blows my mind how amazingly consistent that seems to be LOL (apparently like the study done on noses and weiners!)

what does that say about us, i wonder...?? (no seriously, i really wonder<3) adamant denial~<3 maybe? ;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

billy boo does have the biggest eyes tho~<3<3<3

and apparently, did look it up... but it works inversely with bmi?? which... 100000% explains willem dafoe<3<3<3

it ALSO pretty much... confirms show homelander as their very own willem dafoe/norman osborn... and i never thought i'd have it THIS down bad for osborn but i can't with the things that does to me-- I'VE BEEN CONVERTED!! like the boi *already* is confimed *HUGE* canonically. *by BILLY* in the comic!

but by the gods--

down to the lovely eyes, scary smile, and psychosis. so it is that history repeats... hello mad daddy~<3

god i need to watch dafoe's spooderman again<3

I guess billy boo is now confirmed to be actually *compensating* for SOOOOOO much--

welp. i guess this explains why billy called himself an 'alpha male' unironically which i will never let him live down~<3 he already has the biggest gape i have EVER seen on a character. EVER. like. this boi. has enough gape to fit a goddamn planet up his ass. let's be generous and say that show boi billy is just at moon level. but it is still just. HUGE. which i guess makes homie just the perfect match for him given the willem dafoe vibes--

and honestly... it's beautiful<3

and the best part about billy is just how *self aware* he is of this. he postures to high hell and plays the part his dad would want him to, but he knows it's a goddamn problem, *addiction*, *hates* it, and spends his life looking for *solutions* and *self punishment*...

that's homie baby~<3

billy considered becca his *cure* (if the clear cut submissive role he took with her wasn't enough<3<3<3 SO CUTE<3<3<3) but *homelander* is the *replacement*. his *last resort*. cut my life into pieces--NOOOOO--

goddammit billy boo, i *really* do feel for you, i do... but lemme translate what billy butcher is *actually* saying in both the show and comic in going after homelander. cause lemme tell ya it ain't just revenge...

*destroy me, eviscerate me. because i am afraid of what i will do if you can't stop me. and because you took away the one who could save me, you owe me this and i will take it if need be.*

because there's *one* thing that billy fears, and he's had the ability to say it, even feel it... beaten out of him. but he almost always fully goes into battle *not* intending to come out of it. he *wants* to die and he hates himself a whole lot... and he knows. it's the thing his father gave him, the sickness he passed on that billy never wanted but can't control. but this would also be why he gives no fucks about 'collateral'.

even if by force or violence, billy wants to fail, he wants to be held down, he *wants* to lose, he wants to get knocked back down until he can't get back up anymore. he sure as hell isn't gonna make it easy for anyone, that's not in his nature, but he knows what happens if he can keep going.

billy knows he's a monster, but he is preconditioned to never control it. he sees the kindred monster in homelander, preconditioned to be *under control* but slipping through and vying to get loose... but homelander, despite everything *still* has control... billy wants to see it break, he *needs* it.

ugh~<3<3<3 yes, i know i am redundant with this shit<3 but it's just SO poetic<3<3<3 i CANNOT--

even season 3 evidenced their dynamic and dug in perfectly. scorched urf? the candle's fuckin' lit. herogasm? 3 on 1. ONLY A BRUISE--. billy, bloody smile~ comes back for more? billy gets his ass kicked by the dad on his own and only *maeve* gets anything done to homelander... who doesn't want to kill her, so he holds back even if she won't.

"i respect what you are even if you don't--."

got. damn...

but homie? he's the last lifeline, and he's tied to *both* sides of billy. and a people pleaser<3<3<3! who's also too dumb to get what's going on with billy, not that he'd care if he did... who's at the same time caught and curious by billy's obsession and the mirror between them<3

homie wants and knows how to please people... not just because he's been trained for it or a clear cut service top with dark~<3 elements<3<3<3 or because he wants the feeling he gets from their approval/admiration. very typical of a narcissist lmao, but also because of the added vulnerability that he is easily manipulated/exploited by the women in his life, not realizing he's a victim or being groomed/manipulated.

even the uh... *moment* he had with stillwell, she exploits his trauma and desire for a mother so directly that he just totally loses it and profusely appologizes. he's aware of how to *please* someone if ya get me~<3 ;))))))) (by the apology given at all) but he's *not* aware that she is abusing/exploiting his trauma in this way *because he lacks empathy for himself/has never genuinely had it given without some sort of exploitive exchange*, sort of opposite of billy in this sense too. poor dumb baby~<3!

what's really extra hilarious and ironic is that stormfront is pretty much what a lady billy would be but nowhere near as good as manipulating as him

but all homelander has ever known is the *examples* set before him by vought. and it's... quite obviously not a good one... :(((((((((((((((((( but he's *not* aware. billy is much the same, but he *is* aware. hence the deep buried cravings to be *free* vs. fucking approval ratings in homie, and *controlled* vs. lack of self control in billy... goddammit the fucking POETRY<3<3<3

so? it's just more of the same old same old. and homie loves, LOVES not having to hold back once he gets a taste for it... with *stormfront* no less... but *also* from billy in a different sense and now... beyond. still ADORE how he went flaccid on the nazi rhetoric lmao even this boi has his limits<3--

"let's light this candle--"

it's already fucking lit--

... you know full well how excited i get, lmao<3 and ya DID ask<3<3<3 XD

everyone else (to homelander): don't be what they made you... please for the love of fucking gawd, PLEASE--

billy: be what they fucking made you motherfucker, i wanna fuck FIGHT and see everything destroyed. i'll wait.

stormfront: be what we fucking made you, i wanna fuck and see everything not us destroyed. i won't wait.

but the short answer? i go by % of willem dafoe energy, the *CORRECT* answer is WILLEM DAFOE<3<3<3 (not to be confused with norman osborn... unless willem dafoe<3) DUH~!

WOOO-- goddamn... and i ain't even done yet. i spend WAY too much time obsessing over these fuckers, i SWEAR.

and ALSO the ladies~<3 are tops. all of them. ALL OF THEM. NO EXCEPTIONS-- lmao, KIDDING... maybe<3 (i might do another one going over mah lady~<3 ships<3<3<3 cause this got long... and i did get carried away with butchy and homie... of course i did. but you know how i love them<3<3<3)

[zxal]

For the character ask meme! 1, 2, 12, and 14 for Jin Kusanagi!

GGRRRAAAAAAAAAHHHH JIN

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I like jin because i went through almost all of vrains being like "this is pretty cool but i'm not particularly attached to anyone" and then the lightning reveal hit me like a truck (don't ask me why i was surprised when 1. i could do the math with how many lost incident kids were left and 2. it was obvious. whatever.) and it was like, yeah he was horrifically traumatized and used as a puppet, but he forgot about all the bad stuff that happened to him so he's fine in the end and i was like WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK? THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE GOING WITH? and i've been unwell about it ever since ❤

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

MY ABSOLUTE FAAAAAAVORITE canon thing about jin is how he represents light (lightning) and yusaku represents darkness (ai). every fucking tiiiiime the light/dark dichotomy gets subverted like that i go a little nuts for it. how for yusaku darkness is comforting and protective and for jin light is harsh and blinding. how they're total opposites in the relationships they have with their ignises (igni?) and with their trauma. it makes me crazy (in a good way)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

based on what little jin content i've seen i think I tend to hc jin as more of an asshole than other people do. like i see a lot of jin as this oblivious naive idiot and it just Does not compute to me. in terms of losing his memories, i don't believe for a second that all of that stuff is just gone, and even that aside i just like……………don't think jin is a very nice person. to be more specific I hc that jin has a lot of pent-up resentment about how he's treated postcanon and how everyone seems to be keeping things from him. not that every ignis is exactly like their origin but this IS the kid that lightning came from

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

I don't know much about fashion but i REALLY like this art by @imaginarystormz of scene(?) yusaku and grunge(??) jin :) EDIT: HEY I'M STUPID. THATS YOUR ART YOU DREW THAT! thank you for drawing that :)

for this ask game!

[celestialholz]

Celestial Live-Reacts: STP 2.5, 'Fly Me To The Moon'

Well, my darling new friend @porgthespacepenguin has informed me I should look out for some gay shit in this one, so, erm...

Make it so boys!

Oh, hello there Renee! 😍 She's beautiful, damn

Weird American Laris?????

He's blaming Q, because of course he is 😆

... And then we get a flashback to "Is that what you really want?" ?????

... AND HE KNOWS IT ISN'T HER BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO Q IS? Jesus fuck, real subtle here CBS 😂😂

She's not Laris, but she is named after the capital of Estonia! 🤔

... Renee's not the best pilot, apparently?

"Boom, you're dead" - this woman would have loved the Kobiyashi Maru 😂

Ahhhh, the launch day is the key

So Estonia's here to protect Renee, and fancies mentioning 'a grand tapestry' whilst she's here... is she also protecting her heart?

This intro theme goes harder than anything Russo did in Avengers

Frakes my guy! 😍 Back in the director's chair, as he should be ❤

"Alone, but not lonely"... this Queen's a fucking joy, truly 😍

... Rios didn't give Picard command access to his ship? 🤔 Lack of trust, or lingering guilt over his last boss...?

What the fuck is she doing

Queens in the house 😍 I'm a Raffen fan, I'll be real

... Bit late to consider the ramifications of public beaming after last week Seven babe 😂

"You need a target" and "all you want to do is run away" is a gorgeous dichotomy

Niiiiiice rescue ❤

She's hallucinating Elnor, bless her 😭

Supervisor???

GARY SEVEN! I was mentioning this to @q-card this week 😍 It's the fucking smoke box guys, dead giveaway 😂

"I watch, but I'm never seen" - could not be Q 😆

So Renee's an expert sailor, went to university at sixteen, and has a boatload of mental health problems. The drawbacks of genius ✊😔

Estonia be like 'fuck privacy'

"Feels like nothing matters" ... I feel you, Renee. We'll both be okay. ❤

HE RECOGNISES GERMAN Q FROM TAPESTRY 😂😂 Yeeees!

Ahhh, so he IS changing the future through her!

"I'm a god, and as I look down at humanity I see them at a crossroads. Will they evolve toward enlightenment, or will there be a divergence into darkness?" Here's this week's mirror image then 😍

New-age Lal? 😆

"People... are idiots." 😂 Amen Doc

Is this who Soji and Dahj are based off, his daughter? Precious 😍

Too much red tape in this fucking century, thank god we evolve 😒

"I CAN HELP. CHECK YOUR 3D PRINTER. ;)" Christ 😂 Just HAD to stick the wink in there didn't you king

... That's a Qcard. Again. Fuck off CBS 😂😍😍

Why's the cop here? Is she trying to, as my boyfriend just wonderfully put it, 'Borgify' them? 🤔

Sleepy Agnes, bless ❤ Is this about to be a self-blaming thing?

It's a traaaaaap

Poor cop 😆

... Yeah okay, that is not how I want to give up nicotine 😂

Hallo king, lovely to see you as ever 😍😍

"Why thank you, I worked hard on that" - did you? Did you actually? Has he really lost his omnipotence? 🤔🤔

"It seems I've taken time for granted recently, and she's threatened to abandon me" - what a delightfully poetic way to tell someone you've fucked yourself over, and that little crack at the end? 😭😍

Father-to-father solidarity, very nice 😍❤

"I am the evolution of stardust, I am the gentle flutter of a butterfly; I am death, destroyer of worlds... and I'm also a big fan of your work." Jesus wept John, you absolute star you 😍😍😍 What a stunning piece of prose for one thing, showcasing the duality of ultimate power and the ability to do what you want with it whether for good or bad, with John's insane tonal range... and we even get a lovely little Data reference at the end! Fuck, I'm in love ❤

... Also I'm sorry, is he drinking fucking Earl Grey? 😂 I wish for the sweet embrace of the void thank you (bless you Porg for pointing this out just before I wrote this review up from my notes, the speech killed me too hard to notice 😂)

This whole banter's wonderful to behold, which is a natural conclusion when you put two of Trek's best actors together 😍

"I don't know" - a permanent mood on Q's motives, though I'm getting there 😆

Galas! ❤

Stay asleep Agnes, for fuck's sake

MORE LADIES WITH GUNS 😍

This poor, poor cop 😂

"It's you I want", "alone in every timeline", "your fate in every universe, to be utterly alone", "loved completely"... good lord Queenie, get yourselves a honeymoon suite 🤣

... She's almost convinced, though...

She shot him! Smart girl, poor cop 😂

Being angry at Q's genius is such a Picard mood 😂

... Oh good gods, what can Q possibly need him to do for such a precious gift? 😅

Kore - which is her name, apparently - is wonderful, bless her 😍

... IT'S TEMPORARY. Q, you capricious bitch... 👀 "This is what you could have", yeah? Must be important, whatever he needs...

... Wait wait wait, she SHOT THE QUEEN???! 👀

"His spleen's in a box over there", good-o 😂

"... There are people carrying a dead cop out the door." "Oh, I'm sure he's not dead" 😂😂 'Space Dad Amazing At Excuses', more at 11

God in the fucking Continuum John's hot here 👁👄👁

"Do you have the cure? The real cure, not something that wears off? Because if you do, I am a hostage to you, sir." 😭 Bless him

"We're all hostages to what we love. The only way to truly be free is to love nothing. How meaningless would that be?" ...

...

... EXCUSE ME????

... And then he follows that up by saying he needs him to remove an obstacle, for 'US'????? And that that obstacle is... fuck right off, that's insane 👀😂

... I just... sorry, bear with me... you're having a bloody laugh aren't you? So he saves the person that means the most to Soong... and makes that only temporary, which is a lovely character deep-dive into dark!Q anyway... and then says we're all hostages to love... ties that together by suggesting they're both going to be saving the person that means the most to them by doing this... and we know Q's doing all this shit for Picard from interviews with John anyway... dear sweet fuck, just swallow me whole 😍😍😍

Oh, also: "I have discovered recently that I have certain... limitations" - still doesn't technically confirm the lack of complete omnipotence, but given the earlier thing about working hard... he's done all this off his own merit, and that is exactly what I've always wanted to see from depowered!Q: competence. Guy's an unrivalled genius with omniscience - he should not be anything other than a huge threat even without omnipotence, and this is brilliant character work for him 😍

... Is there more of this episode, I'm done 😂😂

"Good talk" 😆 Oh Raffi ❤

... Ohhh, so no Europa mission means awful future? 🤔

Microrganisms on Io? 🤔

Let's party lads, ayyyy 😍

'Intro to Antique Coding', oh my god 😆

Fly Me To The Moon ❤❤ Appropriate, and I love me some jazz, but it is a walking travesty that Frakes can't sensibly insert himself into this ensemble ✊

... Dear god, Agnes? You are gorgeous ma'am 😍😍

Queen's a dick even in death, very on-brand

"We had NOTHING together"? Cold 😂

... No no wait, SHE'S THE QUEEN???! Just when you think your mind can't be blown anymore, fucking hell 👁👄👁

Wow. Just Owen Wilson wow.

Celestial Rating: 9/10.

... Excuse me, darlings. I need a lie-down. 😂😂 Fucking spectacular.

[snackhobi]

teaser: cream & suga

coming 19/12/20!

EDIT: out now!!

summary: yoongi is your favourite regular. he’s patient, polite, and predictable, a-large-black-coffee-to-go-please, no cream, no sugar, thank you. rinse and repeat. the seasons might change, but yoongi’s order stays the same.

and then one fateful day in winter, yoongi asks about the weekly specials, orders a cup of christmas and sugary sweetness, and everything starts changing.

pairing: yoongi x barista f!reader 

word count: 0.6k for this teaser, currently at 13k for the actual story, no idea how long it’s going to be / genre: we’re talking slow burn. we’re talking fluff. we’re talking idiots to lovers. we’re talking coffee shop aus at their most cliché babeeeyy / rating: this teaser is general/sfw BUT the full fic will be... explicit/nsfw 😳

a/n: for our rockin’ around the christmas tropes collab, I had coffeeshop au! I’ve been so incredibly blessed to writing alongside @yeojaa ​ @underthejoon ​ @ladyartemesia ​ @ppersonna ​ @untaemedqueen ​ @xjoonchildx ​; these ladies are all so talented and wonderful! 💖💖 (also this teaser is unbeta’ed so any mistakes are my own dfjsdfjdsf)

Being a barista isn’t all bad.

Like, okay, you’re on your feet for hours at a time, the pay isn’t exactly the highest in the world, and coffee beans have a tendency to end up in the weirdest places (how did you get the light roast in your bra?)—but it’s not entirely terrible.

Here’s a (totally not comprehensive) list of good things about working at the Paradise coffee shop:

The free drinks (y’know, for taste testing purposes)

The free food (you probably eat more than you’re actually allowed, but who’s telling?)

Your coworkers (like Taehyung, who is—yep—currently shoving a whole mini panettone in his mouth)

Most of the customers are pretty nice, too (you have some lovely regulars)

(If you had to be more specific, there’s one regular in particular that you really, really like—)

(Yoongi appears like clockwork every week. Just after the Tuesday lunch rush, the bell above the door will sing out its greeting as he steps inside, ordering the same drink each and every time he’s here—a large Americano, to go, plain and simple and unadorned, no room for cream or milk, no added sugar or sweetener.)

(Yoongi really is the perfect customer. He has been from the very beginning, a point of quiet in a churning sea of hot, sweaty people all begging for frappés and milkshakes, the hottest point at the very peak of summer. The queue had been growing longer and longer, out of the doors as the blenders whirred their way through a neverending cascade of sugary, iced blends; the counters were a mess and all the baristas were running around and everything was chaos and in had walked this guy, all dark hair and dark eyes and dark clothes, even in the height of summer—you were ready for death at this point, hands sticky with syrup and apron streaked with flecks from almost every drink from the summer menu, and you’d braced yourself for some terse words, impatience and passive aggressive comments on the long wait—)

(—and this intimidating man had just patiently asked for an iced Americano, calm and quiet and polite.)

(You’d fallen a little in love, then and there. Fallen in love with that simple order, quick and easy to make, and fallen a little in love with the dichotomy of the man who looked like nothing but sharp edges being the softest customer you’d had all day. There was nothing rushed about his motions, no desperate need to get his drink and get away, no anger at having waited for so long.)

(He’d been ready to pay, too, no fumbling with his wallet or money; he’d tapped his card, easy and breezy and all lemon squeezy, but he’d left a tip in change, dropped almost thoughtlessly into the jar. He’d collected his cup with the smallest upturn to his lips, a tilt of his head, and then he’d left, other customers parting before him like the Red Sea.)

(The only thing that’s changed over the months is that the iced coffees of summer have changed into hot Americanos for the cooler months, autumn and now almost-winter, warding off the chill in the air. Everything else is the same; his dark eyes and low voice and patient smile, small but ever present, pressed lightly into the surprisingly soft line of his mouth.)

(So, yeah. Yoongi is your favourite customer. Even if you’ve barely spoken, really, the two of you dancing through the same short script each time he comes in—the longest conversation you’ve had so far is the one where you’d tentatively asked if he’d like a rewards card, and after a moment of contemplation, he’d quietly agreed.)

(You like to think that you’re Yoongi’s favourite server, too. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but—)

(Taehyung had been stunned into speechlessness, because, to quote his words exactly: “I tried getting him to sign up for a card last time and I swear he just pretended he couldn’t hear me? He just straight up didn’t respond? What?”)

(—you know Yoongi likes you at least a little bit.)

[leviathans-watching]

False Dichotomy // IIV: practice match pt 1

False Dichotomy: when a situation is presented as ‘either/or’ but there is at least one additional logically valid option

As a childhood friend of Oikawa and Iwaizumi and manager of the Aoba Johsai Boys Volleyball Club, you couldn’t imagine your life without them. You know you like both of them, but you resolve to keep the feelings hidden, knowing staying friends is better than either having to choose one or losing your friendship with them both (an iwaizumi x reader x oikawa smau)

masterlist // VI: they’ve had it this whole time? // VII: practice match pt 1 // VIII: practice match pt 2

wc: 850

You were in that state of barely consciousness, head pressed against something warm.

You felt safe.

There was a hand in your hair, gently stroking, the movement methodical, as if the person didn’t even realize they were doing it.

There was a shift in movement, and the person with you hissed a “be careful!”, steadying you, trying to keep you as still as possible.

“Sorry, sorry,” someone else replied, the whisper barely reaching your ears. A warm body pressed up against your legs, their limbs familiar to you.

A weight was placed over you, careful and soft, and somewhere in the back of your mind you realized it was a blanket.

You signed, exhaling contently. A feeling of love encompassed you, a feeling like everything was right in the world, like you were exactly where you needed to be.

Holding onto that feeling, you finally slipped into sleep

When you woke up, you were hot. And you really had to pee.

There was a pair of legs thrown over yours, legs that belonged to Oikawa, and Iwaizumi was under you, head tilted back as he snored.

You must have fallen asleep while you were still watching movies, which meant that instead of choosing to move you, they had simply decided to grab some blankets and commit to a night on the couch, even though it was probably pretty cramped.

You smiled.

Carefully pulling yourself away from Oikawa and Iwaizumi, you tried not to wake them, moving so slow it seemed like you weren’t moving at all. When you were finally free, you made your way to the bathroom, brushing your teeth and washing your face.

Heading to your room, you paused, seeing Iwaizumi’s sweatshirt hanging on your closet door. Oh god. The blankets were missing from your bed, which meant one of them had come in, and likely seen it.

You hoped they had somehow missed it.

Coming up with an excuse as you changed, you folded up the hoodie, placing it on your dresser. Maybe you could play it off like you brought it home to wash it?

Yeah, that’d be good.

Flicking on the lights in the kitchen, you checked the fridge, seeing what it was stocked with. Your parents were out of town for the night, which meant you had to make do with what they had left.

You had ingredients for waffles, so you started on those, mixing the batter together. When you turned to get something from the cupboard, you saw Iwaizumi, standing behind you.

“Oh!” you gasped, startled. “You’re awake.”

“Yep,” Iwaizumi said, voice still rough from sleep. He too, was in yesterday's clothes, shirt riding up as he rubbed his eyes. “Need any help?”

“If you want,” you agreed. “You can do eggs.”

Iwaizumi nodded, easily moving around your kitchen. You watched him for a moment, examining the way he comfortably dug through your fridge for the eggs, pan already heating.

Pouring the batter over the waffle maker, you idly waited for it to ping, letting you know it was done. Finger tapping on the counter, you thought about Oikawa.

“Oikawa still asleep?”

Iwaizumi looked over at you. “Yeah. He was drooling, that idiot.”

You smiled, able to picture the scene, as he always had had a habit of drooling, even as kids.

“Speaking of Oikawa,” Iwaizumi started carefully, “he went into your room last night to get blankets and found my hoodie?  The one I was missing?”

“Oh, yeah,” you said, acting like you just remembered it. “I was cleaning the locker room and found it crumpled under one of the benches. I just brought it home to wash it and was gonna give it back but forgot to bring it in yesterday.”

“Ah. I figured it was something like that.” Iwaizumi turned back to the eggs, which were almost done.

Busying yourself with taking out the now-done waffle, you placed it on the plate with the others. Scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, you got the last of the batter out, closing the waffle maker. Setting the bowl in the sink, you turned on the faucet, letting warm water fill it.

“Morning~” Oikawa called, walking into the kitchen. “Smells good in here!”

“It’s almost done,” you replied. “If you want to get plates and stuff, that’d be helpful.

“No problem!” he chirped. “Morning, Iwa-chan!”

“Hey,” Iwaizumi responded blandly, making you hide a smile. It had been a while since you all had last had a sleepover, and it was nice. You had missed this, missed them. With all your responsibilities as third years, you had had less time to hang out and mess around.

Taking the plate of waffles to the table, you heard your phone buzz from the kitchen, where you had plugged it in upon seeing it was dead this morning. Setting the plate down, you checked your phone, seeing a bunch of notifications from Twitter (you’d check those later), a few texts, and an email that just came in.

Opening Gmail, you opened the message, scanning it. Oh, this was going to be good.

VIII: practice match pt 2

a/n: shorter chapter today, as it was mostly just tying up the last few and setting up for the next few

please like, reblog, comment/review💖

taglist is closed

taglist: @gautier-lei @vanilla-beanzz @tobiovic @notsodeadgirlwalking @darlingkuroo @nekomanagers @420-uwu @toaster-stick @misssugarless @halesandy @daphnxy @morpheus-rex @tetrapot-melon-tea

[zuppizup]

For the 50 ways ask:

All 49 of the ways you haven’t written, please! Would’ve gone for all 50 but someone beat me to it lmao

Ok just kidding (half kidding, mind you), just #22 please, if you don’t mind!

Dearest Jamba,

If I had the time to write all 50 especially for you, I most certainly would! 😘

Here’s what I got so far...

22. Listening to them while they vent…

Rayla jumped at the sound of the front door slamming. This was a strange dichotomy, Callum working late and her sitting around waiting for him.

She got up and made her way down the hallway, finding him grumbling under his breath as he pulled a shoe off and angrily tossed it in the corner.

“Hi.” She ventured, her stomach twisting at his uncharacteristic frustration.

“Hi.” He smiled at her as he pulled off his second shoe.

“So… the campaign?” She winced. It was already clear it had not gone well.

Callum shook his head, pushing himself up.

“Sorry.” She stepped forward, giving him a hug.

Callum sighed, pulling her tight and burying his face in her hair. “It’s okay.”

Rayla stepped back, running her hand down his arm. “It’s fine to be annoyed.”

“I’m not annoyed.” Callum clearly lied, taking her hand in his as he made his way into the apartment. “Let’s just have a nice dinner and forget about it. At least I don’t have to do any more over time.”

Rayla sighed, following him into the lounge.

Callum collapsed onto the couch and grabbed the remote control to turn on the television. “Want to watch a movie or something?”

“Sure.” Rayla frowned at him. He was very clearly upset and she was not the one in the relationship adept at sorting that kind of issue. She hung back by the kitchen. “Want a drink?”

“I guess.” Callum sighed, angrily switching between channels.

Returning with two beers, Rayla handed Callum one, which he immediately put on the coffee table. Frowning, she sat next to him, shuffling against his side and resting her head against his shoulder. “Want to talk about it?”

“No.” Callum pouted, continuing to concentrate on the television. “Like I said, it’s fine. It’s just work. You know I don’t even really care about it.”

Rayla bit her lip, trying desperately to think of some way of cheering him up. He was so much better at this than she was. She felt useless. Right now Callum really needed her and she was failing him.

“It’s just…” Callum huffed, glaring at the television. “We did exactly what they asked and they clearly didn’t want that, so they made it out that we messed up the project.” He dropped the remote, resting his head against hers.

“I’m sorry.” Rayla took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

“It’s fine.” Callum sighed. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Whatever you want?” Rayla glanced up at him. “We can even get some of that super spicy stuff you like.”

She felt Callum snort against her. “Really?”

“UberEats then?” Rayla opened her phone.

“Sounds good.” Callum kissed the top of her head. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” She held her phone so that they could both see the menu. “Anything in particular you’re craving?”

“I don’t understand why they couldn’t simply say they changed their mind, you know?” Callum continued, his mind clearly elsewhere.

“Because people suck?” Rayla offered by way of explanation, resting her phone against her leg. “They don’t like admitting they’re wrong. It’s easier to make out someone else messed up. And they’re clients, so you can hardly call them liars or stupid.”

“Yep.” Callum snorted. “And now I’m not going to get to head a campaign again because I look like an idiot.”

Rayla sat up, turning to look at him. “That’s not true. Gren saw how much effort you put into this. And he is not an idiot. He knows what it’s like when clients randomly change their minds. He knows you worked really hard on this.”

Callum smiled softly at her, dropping his head a little. “I guess.”

“Hey, Gren might possibly be the nicest guy alive.” Rayla curled her knees under her body, looking Callum straight in the face. “He’s happy with your work, right? That’s the main thing.”

“I suppose.” Callum shrugged. “Hold on, Gren is the nicest guy alive?” He raised an eyebrow. “Nicer than me?”

Rayla snorted. “Way nicer than you.” She grinned, leaning forward to pressed her forehead against his. “But I don’t love you because you’re nice, dummy.”

“No?” Callum inquired.

“No.” Rayla blushed, kissing him softly. “I love you because you’re kind, and sweet and passionate. You’re crazy talented and smart.” She wrinkled her nose, winking at him. “And you’ve got a cute butt.”

“Is that the clincher?” Callum laughed, pulling her into his lap.

“Na, it’s, like, 80% of the appeal.” Rayla teased, happy to see him cheered up.

“80%?!”

“Okay, maybe 82%.” She smiled happily, leaning forward to press her lips against his. “It’s a pretty cute butt.”

Callum sighed, one arm tight around her waist, cupping her face. Rayla relaxed against him, as she felt some of the tension leave his body.

Sighing happily, Callum pulled back to gaze at her. “Thanks, Rayla.” He stroked her cheek. “I love you too.”

“For my cute butt?” Rayla questioned, a cheeky smile on her face.

Callum laughed heartily. “Yeah, that’s part of it.”

Send me an ask and I’ll try writing a lil something - 50 Ways to Show Love Meme

- From the And They Were Zoom-mates Universe

[beauty-grace-outer-space]

Hey, how youve been doing??? A couple days ago you werent doing well, have things gotten better???

Anyhow, I have an interpretation/hc for AOS Jim that I do not know if you'll agree with but I thought that maybe youd like to read which is that Jim gives me Big Brother vibes. I have No Idea how to explain this but he gives off Protective Older Brother energy. If he had a little sibling he probably would get along great w them. Ride Together Die Together dynamics.

And yeah I have nothing else to add to that. Either way I hope things have gotten better for you and that ur having a nice day!!!

Hello! I am... Ok? I'm still kind of in recovery mode but I'm doing a bit better, thank you for checking.

I agree 100%, Jim adopts everyone he meets (and likes) on the spot and there is no stronger ride or die.

However... Other people also adopt him and tend to view him as the idiot baby of the family who is constantly getting into trouble (cough Bones).

The dichotomy of man.

[scrawnytreedemon]

going off that last ask: loz/yazoo character opinion? i wanna read your thoughts!

Ohooooo, I was waiting for something like this!!! Thank you, Vee :) I’ll do my best to explain <333

Starting off with Yazoo:

First impression: Calm, level-headed, perhaps a bit shy. What surprised me the first time watching was how deep his voice was. He’s got this grace about him that leaves you simply... staring. I interpreted the introductory scene where Loz nearly cries and Yaz tells him not to as comforting-- Which I think is what a good chunk of Rem fans see it as? Overall, pretty, but not much else.

Impression now: I think he’s fucking ruthless under that dainty face, if you ask me. Honestly, it’d be right in line with Sephiroth. I think out of the both of his brothers, he gets along better with Kadaj, but if he wasn’t around, I doubt Yazoo would have nearly enough investment in their quest. He comes across as apathetic and uncompassionate, perhaps even a little haughty. I feel like his relationship with Loz is tolerable at best, and downright acidic at worst. With Loz being the way he is, I wouldn’t be surprised if Yazoo and Kadaj had to keep an eye on him at all times, just in case. I feel, though, at the end of the day Yazoo does care about his brothers, and would risk his life for them. It’s in his bones, and he can’t help it, whether he likes it or not. Still very pretty though, lmao.

Favourite moment: Been forever sinced I watched Advent Children, and, unfortunately, Yazoo my beloved doesn’t get many scenes. I’ll have to go with the introductory scene, as it gives us an idea of who they are and what their dynamic is like right off the bat.

Idea for a story: I feel like any story with Yazoo inevitably ends up involving Loz, so I’ll make a joint bullet-point for them at the end of the post <3

Unpopular opinion: Mmm, probably the more apathetic, if not downright spiteful characterisation. If my friend @vesaniens​’s experience is to be believed, then at least Back In Her Day it was far more common for Yazoo and Loz to be buddy-buddy while Kadaj goes off and does his own thing. I can see the appeal in that dynamic, and understand where it comes from. There’s alot of ways you can interpret ‘don’t cry, Loz,‘ and as it is the introductory scene, however you do sets down the foundation for all that follows.

Favourite relationship: The Remnants aren’t characters I can find preferable ships for in-canon, so romantic is off the table here. I will say, though, a dynamic where Genesis and Yazoo are mentor and mentee would be downright tooth-rotting. Genesis preening him, taking him out to nice places, showing him fine literature-- I love it! I don’t see much talk about how the Remnants would relate to Gen and Geal, and I think that’s a damn shame. Plus, Yazoo can then quietly rub it in either of his brothers’ faces whenever he gets annoyed with them. To pick another, though, definitely him and Loz-- Especially if it is strained. It’s very clear they’re meant to contrast each other. Yazoo is lithe, subtle and venemous; Loz is big, loud and sensitive. I personally have a huge soft spot for fics where they recouncile their differences and learn to truly love each other.

Favourite headcanon: Honestly, I feel like I need to make a general headcanon post for the Rems as a whole. They’re all inherently tied, so a change to one of them usually affects the other two. To touch up on one from a theory I read about a year ago now(God, has it been that long?), I like the idea that the Remnants got a little bit of Genesis and Angeal mixed in. They’re like 90% Seph, give or take, but the other 10%~? Now that’s where the fun begins baby!!! In this case, the donor would be Genesis, and Yazoo would’ve gotten the more passive-aggressive, snarky, preening aspects of his character. The resentment and feelings of  inferiority towards Sephiroth end up getting mixed into Kadaj, however I don’t want to elaborate on this too long lest I go off-topic. On a more crack-heavy note, I feel like if you waved a laser-pointer in front of him, he’d be transfixed. He’s too dignified to actually leap at it... But he likes watching :)

Now, as for Loz:

First impression: Big phuckign himbo, idiotte of a man. Probably can’t even buckle his own boots. Playtime??? Bitch NO, it’s not playtime! WHY ARE YOU CRYING??? But yeah, my initial view fell alot more in line with what I think is the most common interpretation of him. His excecution leans heavily to Big Dumb Idiot Man Who Cries When He Sees A Duckling.

Impression now: Baby. Poor fucking baby. Honestly, that could be said for all the Remnants, but I don’t think Loz’s struggle is discussed nearly enough. I’ve talked about this before, but, for me, it’s painfully clear that Loz is essentially a child in a grown man’s body. Writer Kazushige Nojima has Loz’s lines about playing during his fight with Tifa were based off his own son, and has described him as “missing a little something upstairs” --And looking at him through that lens, things become alot more disturbing. He’s Sephiroth’s love for Jenova; a doting, yearning, infantilising love. There’s an innocence to Loz, something sweet, something light and airy-- And to have him fight, have him torture, have him kill... just, man. This jarring dichotomy between such hulking, brutal strength, this bringer of destruction, and this kid who wants his mother. Is he aware? Does he truly understand the weight of his actions? Can he? Most of this, admittedly, is a bit of a stretch, but I love this doof alot jhdhjfdjhs can you blame me?

Favourite moment: Oh, definitely the crying scene-- You must be real tired of hearing that again. Though, in Loz’s case, it sets up his sensitivity, and his dynamic with his brothers-- Yazoo in particular.

Idea for a story: Same answer as Yaz.

Unpopular opinion: I think my more infantile view of Loz as a whole is semi-unpopular? Fandom seems pretty split on whether he’s just a himbo or actual babyman. Again, hard to tell, what with most Rem content and discussion being several years old and tricky to find. I’d be curious to have a discussion on this! But yeah, if we’re talking about the wider fanbase, I think my intense appreciation of him is definitely unusual. Alot of OG fans see the Rems as tropey villains, and while I will argue that it makes sense considering they’re fragments of a bigger, badder, more complex villain, I don’t think Loz is nearly as shallow as most would have you believe.

Favourite relationship: As discussed with Yazoo, there aren’t any canon characters I consistently ship the Remnants with -- Especially not for Loz, in particular when viewing him through that youthful lens -- Though as with everything, I am flexible :) On the platonic side... Honestly, I think Loz would just be a big softie who hangs around everyone. If Angeal was baking, Loz would definitely chip in to help, though he might cause more trouble than if he stayed aside. I think he’d try and reach out to Sephiroth, only for his affections to be rejected because the latter is Bad With Emotions and is torn between on whether the Remnants are a nuisance he hands off to his old friends or his children who he wants to scoop up and carry off into the vast cosmos.

Favourite headcanon: Loz eats alot of shit he isn’t meant to. Like, shit that would kill twenty grown men. At least once he has mistaken stinging nettle for mint, and spent the next two or three days scraping his tongue constantly. Would chase a ball if thrown, no questions asked; try playing frisbee with this dude, and you’ll end up on the other side of town by the end of it. If you try and pick him up, he just slumps, like a big, brawny ragdoll cat-- Probably purrs like one, too. Definitely appreciates a good scratch behind the ear :)

There’s like... probably mountains more, but this is what I’ve been able to coax out after a day of writing this on and off. Again, thank you so much for asking!! I’ve been meaning to ramble about the Remnants for ages now, but didn’t know how to go about it.

Aight, as promised:

Story idea: This is one I’ve had on my mind for years now. I haven’t gotten around to it, as it’d require greater familiarity with FFVII’s world as a whole, but the premise is that Yazoo and Loz escape far out into the countryside, and end up in a village. Yazoo soon falls ill, and Loz has to provide a living working for a local farmer. Their dynamic is initially strained, and without Kadaj to hold them together, they nearly end up splitting before arrival. As time passes, and as they grow closer to the community, Yazoo’s grumbles fade into concerned murmers. Slowly, he begins to trust Loz more, and Loz learns to take more responsibility. But as their friendship blossoms, Yazoo’s body withers. Bedbound, he wonders how Loz would fare without him, if he could make it. I imagine this ends up leading to Loz deliberately blowing their cover to get needed medical help from WRO, turning themselves in during the process.

Again, there’s probably more to it, but to be honest even I don’t know. That’s the great thing about creativity :) You never know where you end up!

Thank you for asking, and feel free to ask more if you’re curious! This goes for elaboration on characters already asked, certain headcanons, and even pairings! Also, feel free to add on with your own thoughts! Whether they be additions, refutations, or so on. Fandom discussion(provided it’s civil qwq) can be so much fun!

<333

[tibby]

the podcast Nice White Parents does an excellent job at unpacking how those dichotomies fail students on both sides (although obviously failure as a result of deliberate sidelining and failure resulting from intense intervention are entirely different matters) but more importantly highlights how radicalized these dichotomies are and how they reinforce every axis of marginalization

yeah i’ve heard people talk about it before, unfortunately hellbrain of mine does not agree with podcasts. absolutely wild to me that a system that is historically racist, classist, and ableist, is also a system that so many online liberals cling to because it makes them feel special. how are you going to sit there and criticise the education system because it failed you, while continuing to base your identity around a program that is often discriminatory towards students of colour and poor students? how are you going to sit there and act as if the people in said programs had it harder than anyone else? so many ~former gifted kids~ online make it very clear that they’re just upset that they’re not as amazing as they thought they were when they were seven, and don’t give a fuck about the difficulties other students faced. the whole “i would be SO important and rich and successful but i was told i was smart as a kid so now i have to watch these idiots achieve things because they will never know what it’s like to have anxiety” mentality leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.

[edelwoodsouls]

maybe in another universe - ch. 1 [fic]

Jon isn’t expecting anything good when he’s evacuated to the countryside. Living with his crush rival he can just about handle. The secret magical world in the upstairs wardrobe, on the other hand, might just break him.

AKA: Narnia AU

Word Count: 2,707 | Also on Ao3 | Other Chapters: 2,

chapter one: the train to everywhere

As the train leaves the station, Jon doesn't look back.

The corridors outside his carriage are filled with other kids, craning their necks out of the windows to wave at their parents, tears streaming down their faces. It's a mess of loud noise and emotion that makes Jon wholly uncomfortable.

There's no one for him to look back to, no one to share tears with. No one to yell at him, you'll be home before you know it! and have fun, dear! it's okay!

He curls his arms around his suitcase and stares out the opposite window, at the vanishing buildings. Smoke shimmers over the horizon, mixing with the clouds, and Jon tries to imagine the view from above. When the planes fly overhead, do they recognise the smothered lights flickering below? Do they spare a thought for the bodies on the other side of the flames?

The corners of his suitcase begin to dig painfully into his skin.

Before he can spiral any further, the door to the compartment rattles open with a sudden gunshot sound that sets every nerve in his body alight.

He flinches and turns to see a girl roughly his own age, head swathed in a dark blue hijab, pressing her lips in an apologetic line.

"Sorry," she shrugs noncommittally, inclining her head. "Is that seat taken?"

"Uh, no."

"So I can take it?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks." She shoulders her way into the room, heaving her own suitcase up onto the rack above their heads with an easy movement. Jon grips his own sheepishly - several blows to the head have taught him that he is nowhere near strong enough to haul it up that high.

The girl settles into the seat opposite him, retrieves a book from the recesses of her thick navy trench coat. It's a weathered copy of The Iliad, well-thumbed and annotated.

He's leaning forward curiously before he can help himself.

The girl looks up with raised eyebrows. "Nosy much?"

"Sorry," he shrinks back behind the large bulk in his lap. "I just- I used to have that same copy. Before..."

The girl's face softens, infinitessimly. "It's one of my favourites," she offers, almost apologetically. "I started keeping all my books in the shelter a few months ago. It's the only reason this survived."

Jon says nothing - there's nothing he can really say. In this moment, they are just two strangers, sharing a burning world.

"I'm Basira," the girl says, with a decisive look. "I'm from Finchley, being evacuated to Dorset. You?"

"Uh- same," Jon blinks, surprised. "I'm Jon. I've- I've never seen you before?"

"I mean, I imagine you go to the boys' school."

"Not until last year."

"Oh."

Jon glances down at his hands, hoping Basira can't see the way his fingers are white-knuckled against his suitcase.

"Well, I was new before-" she waves her arms vaguely, "all this. Home-schooled. So not really surprising."

"Oh." Slowly, one by one, Jon allows his muscles to relax. "That must've been nice. Quiet."

"That's one word for it," Basira mutters in a way that implies a hundred other meanings than nice. "I was really looking forward to actually getting to know people, y'know? New people, my own age."

"Well, you know me now?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do."

Jon tries for a smile, but it comes out as something more of a grimace. All the same, Basira seems to get the sentiment, and returns it.

~/~/~/~

Martin hates trains.

In theory, they're the perfect vessel. Hours of uninterrupted time, the world moving beneath your feet as you curl into a seat with a hot cup of tea and your favourite paperback.

But he hasn't been on a train since his mother sent him away to London, and that sort of memory tends to leave one with a distaste by association.

Now here he is, only a few years later, being sent away again.

He's just glad his mother refused to take him in. He's not sure he could bear going back to that house, potentially indefintiely.

All the same, he's trying to make the best out of the journey that he can. He's heard horror stories of other evacuees, forced to work on farms or taken in only to be used for their ration cards. If that's the sort of fate he's headed for, he'll take the luxury of a nice cuppa and the drafting of a few poems whilst it's still there.

And he really is in the perfect place for it. The smouldering London skyline behind him, the fathomless countryside ahead. A world in flux and chaos, defined in fire and water.

He notes that down in his journal.

"Any good thoughts?" Melanie asks through a mouthful of sandwich.

Martin blinks up at the girl sharing his compartment, an embodiment of chaos if ever he's seen one. She's lying across the seats opposite him, her suitcase open and contents strewn everywhere - she'd been digging through it to find something inane which turned out to be in her pocket the whole time, and hasn't bothered to pack it up again.

Martin's hands itch to tidy the space - instead he grips his pen a little too hard and settles for a quzzical smile.

"Your writing," she points with the corner of her sandwich. "You look very deep in concentration and dramatic. Any good thoughts?"

"I suppose," he shrugs, retreating somewhat under Melanie's energetic gaze. "Something about dichotomies. Peace and war, fire and water. City and country."

"Men and women, nurse and soldier. Alive and dead."

Martin raises an eyebrow. "I guess."

"Hey- if there's any time to be morbid, it's during a war, dontcha think?"

"True. Do you write?"

"Nope. I do photography, though."

Martin can feel himself getting interested despite himself. "Really? Do you have a camera?"

Melanie nudges at the pile of clothes somehow still heaped in the boundaries of her suitcase, revealing the packaging of a beautiful, sleek camera piece that makes Martin fall a little in love with this stranger instantly.

"Is that a Retina I?" he asks, unable to quite keep the awe out of his voice.

"You really know your tech," Melanie says approvingly. "Yeah, it is. I'm going to be a supernaturalist."

"A what?"

"A supernaturalist, Martin. I'm going to be the first person to prove that ghosts exist. I'm going to get one on film."

"Huh."

Martin deliberately avoids Melanie's eyes. To believe in the supernatural is not generally approved of, let alone to talk about it with the sudden reverence and conviction that have crept into Melanie's voice.

He's gotten very used to pretending he's never seen anything out of the ordinary. The smoke that follows him around like a shadow, the spiders that seem to understand him just a little too intelligently - they all have mundane explanations.

He's never met someone so open about such things.

He lasts a matter of seconds before his tongue gets the better of him. "What've you seen?"

Melanie grins, as if she's been waiting from the moment they met just for him to ask. "I got shot by a ghost."

Martin almost knocks over his tea. "I'm sorry?"

"I got shot by a ghost."

"Yeah, you said that already. What I meant to say was, what the fuck?"

Melanie looks delighted to have his attention. She reaches down and rolls her sock to her ankle, revealing a garish red scar screaming across her leg. "London's full of ghosts, if you hadn't noticed. They just love the chaos that's going on right now, always wandering all over the place when the streets are empty and everyone's hidden in their shelters."

"I'm guessing you're not one for shelters," Martin says dryly, attempting to smother the sheer confusion and excitement doing battle in his brain.

"Of course not," Melanie scoffs. "They won't let me enlist because I'm a girl, but, I mean, have you seen some of the boys in charge of Finchley's bomb clearance?"

"A lot of them were in the year above me at school," Martin nods. He could say far more bitter things, but he keeps his mouth shut.

"They're kids, just like us," Melanie nods, a furious look in her eyes. "I wouldn't trust them to protect me from a particularly vicious duck, let alone the end of days raining from the sky."

Martin grins in agreement. Despite initial perceptions, he's starting to like Melanie a lot.

A shame they'll only get to know each other for this one train ride, likely never to hear from each other again. Unless Melanie does actually become famous for photographing ghosts, and he becomes famous for his poetry, and maybe they'll meet at a gala sixty years from now and not recognise each other at all.

Martin mentally kicks himself out of that particular spiral. He's always had a problem with melancholy, and the world being on fire has hardly done anything to improve him.

He's convinced it's what makes him a good poet.

"Hey," he says, to distract himself. "Where are you being sent to?"

"Some professor," Melanie shrugs. "Probably a stuffy old bat who'll put you to work if she finds a single fingerprint in the dust. Academics are all the same, from what I've seen."

Martin looks down at his own tag, brown paper tied with fraying string, looped around his neck by a disinterested attendant at the posting office. He hasn't actually had the nerve to read the name yet.

His heart picks up. "Melanie... it's not Professor Gertrude Robinson, is it?"

~/~/~/~/~

"...But Patroclus called to his comrades with a loud shout: “Myrmidons, ye comrades of Achilles, son of Peleus, be men, my friends, and bethink you of furious valour, to the end that we may win honour for the son of Peleus, that is far the best of the Argives by the ships, himself and his squires that fight in close combat; and that the son of Atreus, wide-ruling Agamemnon, may know his blindness in that he honoured not at all the best of the Achaeans-"

"Achilles is such an idiot," Basira interrupts, rolling her eyes and flipping the coin in her palm in absent, distracted movements.

Jon raises an eyebrow and lowers the book. "I can stop, if you'd prefer."

"No, no, you're okay. You've got a surprisingly good voice for this stuff. I'm glad you suggested it."

They've been taking turns reading aloud, switching out every few pages to pass the time, since Jon has no books of his own. But Basira seems to have quickly decided that Jon is a born narrator and delegated all further reading to him.

He's been glowing faintly from the praise ever since.

The journey has flown by - as time often does when Jon's hyperfixations make an appearance - but for once he doesn't feel guilty about indulging it. Basira seems just as fascinated, somehow, and he greatly enjoys her interruptions.

"You don't think Achilles is an idiot?" she asks, crossing her legs and leaning forward intently.

"No, I definitely do- he sends his boyfriend out to fight a war he isn't prepared for just because of a grudge and then throws a tantrum when that hubris gets him killed. He's definitely an idiot."

"Oh good," Basira says, visibly relieved. "For a moment there I thought we were going to have to argue."

Jon laughs, and the sound comes easier than it has in a while. This realisation crawls under his skin, cutting the sound short. He looks out of the window for some semblance of escape-

"Hey! Look!" He points out at the approaching train station, a quaint thing, barely more than a slab of stone emerging from a field. But the sign, rusted as it is, reads the same as the looping handwriting on the label around his neck does.

"Oh joy," Basira sighs. "Countryside air and a new family who'll probably hate me."

"Where are you being sent?" Jon asks, more hopeful than he's willing to admit. "Maybe we'll be neighbours."

"The household of Professor Gertrude Robinson," she reads from her own label.

"So am I!" Jon's heart leaps high in his chest despite himself. "You know, if we're with a professor, she might- I mean, she probably isn't a rough work kind of person- so maybe... this won't be so awful after all?"

Of course, Jon has always had a habit of speaking too soon.

~/~/~/~/~

Gathering Melanie's discarded belongings is a predictably chaotic affair, but she executes it with the practiced air of someone who lives that way every day.

Martin can't decide whether he's excited or dreading living with this girl.

As soon as they sprawl out onto the platform with seconds to spare, Martin realises that Melanie's mess is the least of his worries.

Because perched on the station's only bench, face knitted into his iconic perpetual frown, eyes squinting against the sun, is Jonathan fucking Sims.

Next to his suitcase, and wearing a knitted jumper several sizes too big, he looks tiny. The tall hijabi girl standing on top of the bench, looking searchingly into the distant fields, only serves to exaggerate this.

Melanie notices the sudden drain in his skin immediately, and follows his gaze. "For fucks sake."

"You know him?" Martin asks faintly, resisting the urge to brush his hands through his hair, or smooth his clothes. Jon doesn't care what he looks like, doesn't care about him. He should've learnt back in primary school that being rivals isn't something to be romanticised.

But his heart doesn't seem to get the message as a stray gust of wind dances in Jon's dark hair, and it skips a beat.

"Do I know Jonathan fucking Sims?" Melanie grits out, heaving her suitcase roughly over one shoulder. "That guy is such a wanker. 'Ghosts are for idiots, Melanie. Just a romantic ideal made up by delusional people afraid of the dark.'"

"He's not that bad," Martin begins to protest before he can stop himself, "he's just been through a lot."

"Doesn't excuse him being a dick," Melanie grumbles. "Not to mention he used to date my girlfriend. Always having a disaster and blazing back into her life. What I wouldn't give for five minutes one on one, I'd teach him..."

Melanie goes on muttering under her breath, but Martin barely hears, because Jon has just met his eyes and nothing else in the world matters. There's surprise, then panic, before his expression settles back into a frown.

Martin sighs. It's not as if he should've expected anything else.

"Come on," he says to Melanie, picking up his suitcase. "We'd better get it over with."

The walk to close their distance seems to take hours, and somehow no time at all.

"Martin," Jon greets him with a clipped, emotionless tone.

"Hey, Jon," Martin smiles, refusing to let the other boy's walls get him down. "And you are?"

"Basira," the girl nods, still standing high above them and glancing distractedly towards the dirt path, likely looking for whoever will be along to pick up evacuees. "I guess you guys already know each other?"

"They go to school together," Melanie brushes off the explanation, before introducing herself, too. "Now we're all acquainted, how long before we never have to see each other again?"

Basira's eyes flick silently between the three of them, clearly noting the tension, but saying nothing.

"We're in the same house," Jon says stiffly. "I don't know about you two. I'm sure there are other benches you can loiter at."

"Well we're in the same house," Melanie shoots back, linking her arm with Martin and holding tight. She's a lot stronger than she looks.

An awful thought dawns on Martin, quickly encompassing and eclipsing anything else. "Where..." he swallows around his dry throat, "who are you guys with?"

Martin watches as Jon's eyes widen. Glance down at his own label, across at theirs, and back.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Martin wants to burrow into the ground and hide somewhere his blushing cheeks could never be seen. He shouldn't be surprised, really. This summer was already looking down, being far from London, living with strangers, adjusting to pretending to be whatever fit in most.

Living with the crush who hates his guts is somehow the only escalation that makes sense.

[tfw-no-tennis]

mtmte liveblog issue 36

time travel arccccccccccccc yessssssssss

I have been waiting SO LONG to reread this arc hhhhh yessss

starting off strong with the sexy roller cover. nice

I love the disconnect of ‘orion pax: outlaw’ compared to the last time we saw him in shadowplay where he was orion pax: supercop

he’s still punching people for JUSTICE or whatever so I guess not much has changed

oh my god this is the issue with the many many two-page spreads...the first time I read this issue I didn't realize that was a thing and GOD I was SO fucking confused. there's already a lot going on in this issue/arc but this made things so much worse hvbhjkdfbsk. I powered thru and still managed to understand most of the arc despite reading half this issue out of order (essentially) bc the website I read it on split the pages up and I couldn't tell they were supposed to be doubled (and also I'm dumb so I didn't figure it out)

anyways, the actual issue...windcharger is out here using his powers to rip a dudes arms clean off. wow!

and there's skids getting punched in the face. Ls

and glitch! a totally minor character of course...

MANNNNN I SO adore the panel of all the lost lighters appearing in a cloud of purple smoke, all posing epically....SO fucking good, peak sci-fi coolness vibes, A++

as usual jro killing it w/the titles, ‘elegant chaos’ is such a great name for a time travel arc

also reading the tfwiki has shown me that many of jros titles are song or album titles, to which I say - that's epic and I love it. with jro doing it, I feel like it straddles the line between referencing music and the very fanfic-esque ‘title things after music’ vibe. I love it

oh god I forgot they use bs cybertronian time units in this sometimes lmao...I mean of course they do but still like, what the fuck is a cycle. is that a day. I feel like these words all have no meaning/the meanings change drastically depending on continuity. I cant keep up and also I'm lazy and don't care enough to try

I love rodimus did u know

poor riptide looks so confused lmao

IS....IS REWIND PIGGYBACKING TAILGATE...THATS SO FUCKING CUTE....I cant fully tell bc of the page layout but ooomg so precious. minibot buddies

whirl saying ‘chuff’ just reminded me how british jro is hvbhakjhdsfbs sometimes it just Jumps Out in mtmte and I'm like Oh God Britain Is Real

I really like the mtmte approach to time travel and paradoxes and whatnot. its just complex enough to be interesting but not too convoluted that it bogs down the story. perfect sci-fi fun!

mannnn chromedome talking abt brainstorm :( I'm sad abt those two hhhhh

and I love how at this point, nobody in the cast ACTUALLY knows brainstorm well enough to know what he’s really doing - including chromedome, who’s ostensibly his closest friend, somebody he’s known for a while - and even the readers don't really know what he’s up to...I like the mystery tbh

cant believe rewind wrote orion pax’s biography, omg. completely forgot abt that detail

cd saying ‘I love it when he talks history’ about rewind....hhhh I love cdrw so muuuuch

godddd the line rodimus says abt whirl - how they need people like whirl around who are ‘happy to get in the way’ of danger and death - that shit haunts me man like...rodimus is basically saying that he’s bringing whirl along to potentially die in place of someone like orion pax (nevermind the fact that whirl dying would ALSO fuck up the timeline)...like, how deep does it go?? is he saying that bc he knows whirl has been trying to get himself killed for a while now, or just bc whirl likes violence? mannn I cant...the character intricacies...man

anyways...I love rodimus he’s such an interesting character. you have that fucked up moment and then in the next panel he’s saying ‘if you want to call it a time phone, I wont stop you’ about the quantum walkie-talkie. he has the RANGE

oh and then rodimus casually volunteering chromedome to do mnemosurgery on anyone who might accidentally find out about them time traveling, which is again fucked up on multiple levels. the raaaaange

vjaksbhdhfusajbfdjk that panel of the lost light squad just standing there like idiots reminds me of that post where someone said abt that panel ‘these characters have a collective 3 brain cells’ or something hvbjadkfnksfdl

rodimus IMMEDIATELY breaking his own rules by trying to reassure pax that they're good guys by pointing at his autobot badge, even tho the autobots DONT EVEN EXIST YET at this point...my boy PLEASE go purchase some brain cells from the store 

and the fact that rodimus introduced himself to pax w/his real name...shouldn't he go by an alias or st??? that seems like a good time travel rule since optimus and rodimus definitely know each other later 

and like, did they not anticipate that some of the people in the past would recognize some of the lost lighters hgbajkhdjfnjksf like cd and whirl get Instantly recognized...great job guys

they are all SO bad at this hvbahskjdhfbasjkf I cantttt luckily for them the orion crew is handing them easy alibis 

‘the dugout’ is that a baseball reference????

also I love the scenery here, the bg looks like rock but there's metal piping and stuff running thru it, its so cool...really adds to the whole ‘cybertron biomes are made of metal’ thing

‘ancient history’ rodimus are you KIDDING ME-

cyclonus time travels to the past and IMMEDIATELY finds a window to stare broodingly out of. icon

tailgate thinking orion pax is SUPER COOL continues here from shadowplay and I love it...tailgate is so cute

and the tg saying ‘don't you think that's awesome, cyclonus?’ hhhhh so cute

one reason I love this arc so much is that this is the arc where the gay Really amps up 

TRAILBREAKER.... oh man ;_;

are you telling me that this outlaw base they're in has ONE bed for all of these people. what the hell vhbaksjhfnsal

cant believe rung sampled roller’s steroid juice box

also cant believe robot steroids exist. except yes I can and I love it

oooh roller’s a 0/1%er? I forgot abt that 

cant believe orion pax just grabs some random phone that belongs to these weird new people and answers it. WHO does that

goddddd megatron and orion’s conversation....destroy me

HHHHHH like...the HISTORY....the regret...the missed opportunities...its all so palpable....goddddddd

and of COURSE, the whole thing is steeped in tragedy...the ideological differences that will become the foundation for a 4 million year long war...megatron, who believes that you need to burn things down and start again to really make change stick, and then orion, who says ‘reform is the answer, not revolution’....AUGHHH the intricacies. mannnn

‘you sound lost’ 😭😭😭

‘its tragic.’ yeah, that about sums up their relationship, especially at this stage and in this continuity 

anyways. [cries about old man megatron talking to young naïve orion pax] goodbye

AUGHHH and then we jump to rodimus ONCE AGAIN breaking his own rules and trying to save trailbreaker...IT HURTS MAN...god I love rodimus, I feel like him being broken up about crewmembers like trailbreaker dying is one part regular sadness over people he knows dying for tragic reasons, and one part personal guilt at someone under his command dying, even if he’s not involved/at fault. I love the dichotomy of this emotional reaction that comes only partially from empathy/emotion, but also comes from a kinda self-centered need for success as measured by people under your command staying alive. and taking into account rodimus’s life it totally makes sense that he’d act like that...GAH I love it. the complexity of it all!

orion pax saying ‘you should read [megatron]. it’s powerful stuff’ I'm screaming, so many LAYERSSSSS

I fucking love time travel AHHHHHHHHH like the opportunity for interactions like these....chefs kiss

‘hey, best friend! miss you!’ rodimus is such a shit hvbdajkfksjhfd 

‘very sus’ rodimus ahead of his time w/the among us lingo

oooh and then they realize that the senate is trying to kill the sparks...gotta save the babies!

tailgate scolding cyclonus for bluntly stating that you'd wanna be subtle when killing newborns...hhhvbhsdfhhhhhh I love them sm

ooooh and rewind has an interesting suggestion - that the senate is actually trying to irradiate the sparks into being outliers...rewind is so smart I love him

and the fact that he’s using history from his database...love it

rodimus sending cyclonus and whirl out like pokemon

ROLLER NOOOO DONT GO OUT THERE

also wow this is literally the 5th (I think) double page spread in this issue...the confusion I felt the first time I read this...lmao 

and now this is literally one of my favorite issues so I'm glad I know what's going on lmao

oh man rodimus telling cd not to erase trailbreakers memory even tho that could jeopardize the entire timeline... :( 

oh man I didn't even notice but roller getting debris blasted into his face like that makes the whole ‘roller is tarn’ theory even more legit considering tarn’s face scars....

‘tighter the better’ hhh don't say that orion. but also, that’s the companion phrase to megatron saying ‘the deeper the better’ hvbhasjkhdfbaksjlf

I do love the semi-campy action hero antics that orion pax gets up to. its just so fun, even when the stakes are high and things are serious

‘this is the greatest thing I have ever seen’ tg ily

THE REVEAL THAT THE SPARKS WENT TO NYON...so rodimus just saved himself, basically...time travel is so trippy

GODDDD ND THEN TRAILBREAKER...HVHHHHHh 😭😭😭 THATS SO CRUEL MAN

oh man that last panel of trailbreaker holding up roller’s juice box...iirc the first time I read this I thought that was roller (cause of the juice box I guess? idk I'm an idiot) so I was like oh ok he must've come back or something. very much related but I didn't really think about tarn being a particular pre-established character and totally didn't read the whole ‘roller is tarn’ thing that was going on 

which in my defense ruth also didn't pick up on any of that while reading this and eventually like 2 issues before the reveal I had to prompt her like ‘you should maybe be wondering WHO tarn is’ vhbahjksdfbaksjdf

so! issue 37! this issue is a solid favorite of mine, id say definitely top 5 or even 3. I'm super biased bc I fucking LOVE time travel, it’s seriously one of my favorite tropes ever, and this issue hits all the time travel beats I love. characters traveling to the past and interacting with people they know! conversations that have multiple meanings bc of TIME TRAVEL! trying to save someone who meets a terrible fate in your future! fun time travel action! the time traveling characters being generally terrible at hiding the fact that they're time travelers! ITS SO GOOD. 

and I love the clever way everything is tied together here - where we get a nice continuation of shadowplay, with this taking place shortly after that with a lot of the same cast, and time travel classics like the good ole ‘if we hadn't travelled back in time and done what we did, the future we came from wouldn't have existed at all,’ in the flavor of ‘rodimus saving his baby self’ and ‘rodimus NOT saving trailbreaker’ and ‘everyone forgot about roller :(’ 

ok but like, did the lost lighters just go ‘oh well, guess rollers gone now.’ like they DID realize that the outlaw crew would have no idea what happened to him if they got their memories erased, right?? did the lost lighters figure that since roller never reappeared after this time period, that was how history was ‘supposed’ to go and they shouldn't mess with it? am I overthinking it? as usual: yes, probably. I love overthinking about comics, in case that wasn't obvious

basically...I love this issue soooo much. so so good and a bunch of fun tropes that I love. I mean the whole arc is like that for me since I love time travel so much. so I cant wait to (re)read more!!

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 4X19 Jump the Shark

Oh hey is this the illegitimate brother plotline

boy I love me some sweet sweet ANGST

whelp she's fucking dead

picture of JOHN?

Sam's peacefully brushing his teeth and Dean's Not a Morning Person

boy he's having a bad morning

to be fair, living out of the car is kinda not fun either

"I'm his son" Dean: I'm gonna fUCKING KIL-

he's..premed?

they're going to ruin his life too aren't they, Aren't The-

Dean is taking this really well

I mean he did get the brunt of John's Issues, so I get it, yike

ASDFPIHP them discussing their dad's ~sex life~ is very funny though

Dean was...preteen? when this kid was born? Sam was under ten definitely

Dean Please

No that's your Actual Brother guys PLEASE

hunting accident "ah fair enough"

"who is a nuclear family these days" FEELS SO LOADED

Dean...Dean please don't fUCKING KILL HIM DEAN

THE IMPALA NOOO

"he took you to a baseball game" IDSFHAPF

He's Trying not to CRY OH MY GOD NO WAIT

Sam resonates with the away from college thing oh NO

Dean is trying SO HARD not to snap

at least he's...trying..to keep adam out

corpse snatching => HEY LOOK IT's THE BONE STEALING WIT-

I think I need to stop being online jesus christ

the [both sigh] was so good

well...that's a lot of blood

How the hell do you break it to your illegitimate brother that you're ~technically Wanted by the FBI

at least he's not an idiot

HE'S SO MUCH YOUNGER THAN THEY ARE

I mean obligatory dead mom

"do i get a say in this?" "NO!"

no..no SAM DEAN HAS A POINT

Middle sibling + younger sibling gang up on elder

"have u thought about eternity" "bro i've literally been to hell Idk what to tell u"

Dean doing it solo but Sad is...:(

Oh he worked the old case, that's neat

"so it's over for you" welllllll

OO THE TRUCK SHOT WAS COOL

dean + long dark coat truthing tonight HE LOOKS G O O D

it wants revenge

YOU FUCKERS AND YOUR REVENGE BELA WAS R I G H T

and Adam Instantly wants revenge, you sir are definitely a Winchester

"it's life" WELL IT SHOULDn'T BE

the stupid isolationism I hate it

NO GO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE KRIPKE WHY

Sam's becoming his dad, and Dean isn't

...SAM WHAT THE FUCK

DAD MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT DO RIGHT BY YOU

HIS GODDAMN GRIEF SPIRAL GOT BOTH OF YOU

LET HIM BE NORMAL! HAPPY! IT IS TOO LATE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW(NOT ALWAYS)(Also very close to the thing with zachariah in placement(eye emojis) BUT LEAVE HIM ALONE!

I do appreciate Dean Eldest Sibling'ed it up even if he didn't like the kid/was jealous. Goddammit I wish we got connection in this stupid show

I was expecting a jump scare but somehow the squish is worse

sOn oF aBitcH

Ah FUCK NOT ADAM TOO

I do like the little angel Icon though, that's what's Dean's way out

Ghouls is a racist term?what????

no john winchester was 100% a monster

ah it was their father

yada yada father killing circle idk

YAY! DEAN'S INGENUITY IS BACK!

Ghoul!mom is really really good. I liked Scared Adam better though

the slicing sam scene is BRUTAL jesus christ

So...John got his own son killed in the end...

SERIOUSLY HE WAS TERRIBLE

Dean JESUS CHRIST

awww caring Dean is nice

AWW HUNTER'S FUNERAL

"Adam's in a better place" :(

Dean tried to fit himself into the Dad box, Sam's actually him

"you take it any way you want" oh for FUC- HE- I-

he looked so Sad, so like...he's stopped idolizing him

jesus christ.

boy there's gonna be overlap ok here we go.

1. poor dean. Ok couple things: 1) he elder sibling'ed it SO HARd! he didn't even like Adam, but he still tried to keep him safe(I think). he gave him a hunter's funeral! I just. It was nice to see. It was also INCREDIBLY painful to hear the realization of "you were always like dad, I never could be" and the fact that he didn't even see it as a good thing anymore? fUCK man, that huRT me. Dean tried so hard to be something he wasn't, he got probably the brunt of the abuse(because he didn't measure up to that metric like Sam always would), and in the end all it got him was...just. so much pain. Like it felt like John left his Broken children behind to get a new one, and just turned them into his quest for revenge. It was SO So fucked

Hey actually speaking of

2. AM I SUPPOSED TO LIKE BEING A HUNTER/JOHN? WHAT HTE FUCK?

YALL ALREADY MARTYRED HIM BUT UR MAKING HIM WORSE?

LIKE ok listen. John's kinda set up as the ideal of hunting. They martyred him! And I was halfway sold provided they didn't mention him again. Then! he did this thing where he abandoned his kids, seeing them only as tools to fulfill his quest for revenge, literally broke them(that too late thing+zachariah saying "it's in your blood" when really it was just trained from a young age), got a NEW family he treated a lot better. I just. I have...NO idea how I'm supposed to see him as a good guy here. Maybe I just kin Dean, or his plight is WAY more sympathetic(it is, Sam is kinda pissing me off), but John's just...coming off worse and worse and they KEEP doing it!

Also! this whole cycle of revenge thing! about how if you keep taking an eye for an eye, everyone ends up blind! they barely escaped this time, and I think this was the second revenge plot that I can think of with MONSTERS alone! it was a BIG theme! Like!! hunting sucks! revenge makes you end up in worse places! it's like this one episode was made to show how SHIT hunting was!

wait who wrote this

Dabb+lofflin. The hunting sucks always comes from-

this GODDAMN INCONSISTE-

3. Fuck John Winchester

4. Individualism. Ok this is a big one. Alongside the whole revenge plot thing(which is BIG, and a hunting sucks), this one drove home the sheer individuality of hunting. But while some of the writers see that as Badass, this one made it seem lonely, and painful. Like the flip side to American Individualism is American Chronic Loneliness. I know this one was used to process the ennui of the post recession/post 9/11 time, and it's doing very well for that, but it kinda ends up like this show is EVERYONE'S therapy all at once! the gang's all here! and we're gonna traumatize you in the process as well.

EDIT: and yeah yeah yada yada american individualism is King and then so is it’s accompanying loneliness in the post 9/11 post war in iraq post recession world(we were not having fun in 08/09)

and I get that this show is the writer’s therapy and whatever

(I just thing this is phrased better)

5. bring him back. Connect! Look. I know it breaks the core ethos of this episode. But having Weird Esoteric Hunter siblings would have been SO FUNNY!

give me more sibling content! Sam+Adam teaming up against the Eldest Sibling Dean WAS SO FUNNY! I WANT MORE OF THAT

6. SAM WHAT THE FU-. Look. I hate John. I very much hate John. They set up the Sam/Dean dichotomy in regards to John first episode, and Sam acting more like an ass+like his dad is. Not making me like him. Also I feel like this was written to sympathize with Dean. Which makes the finale even more ironic, I feel.

7. Listen. Listen. One of you has to keep track of continuity. Like I know this becomes a WAY bigger problem later in the series, but if a certain writer wants to process/examine a certain part of the Life/Story(and they should, they set up a lot of interesting stuff), they have to keep track! Because then the show becomes everything all at once.

Like this show has ALREADY started feeling like fanfic of itself, where it just kinda does whatever it wants with its own concepts. And the concepts are GREAT! but you can TELL how inconsistent it is, even in the kripke era

like it ends up being Study of X, Riff on X! and I think that's where the inconsistency comes from. It's also why it's so fucking Excellent in places.

whelp this was a lot holy hell.

OH AND ONE MORE THING!

Bela didn't fit the narrative. That's why they didn't like her. I said at the beginning that an Int'l art thief does NOT fit the vibe of "grungy Angsty American Midwestern gothic" and I was right. With the lucifer story and the vibe she didn't fit, and so they just killed her as foreshadowing, and only used her like that. God I wish they'd riffed on her, especially because her callouts were all completely correct

we're Bela Salting again

listen she was preppy Jack Sparrow with some spiritualism, how dare you tell me not to like her.

[madamewriterofwrongs]

You’re Just Too Good To Be True

Read the rest on ao3

“For the record, I still think this is a bad idea” Hen said as she fiddled with the nobs of the stereo.

Eddie took a deep breath, chest heaving with anticipation. This was a horrible idea. This was stupid and idiotic and could very well get him fired.

Chimney clapped his friend on the back, a cheeky smile on his face. “I think it’s romantic, Diaz. Way to step up.” The firefighter groaned, trying to focus his attention on Hen’s progress. The sooner he did this, the sooner it would be over with and he’d get his answer. Hopefully. It might blow up in his face.

Like he said, this was a horrible idea.

All around them, the loft of the firehouse was quietly bustling. Many relaxing firefighters and paramedics had slowly lowered their game controllers and books in order to watch the trio at the railing. Eddie could feel a million eyes on the back of his head but it didn’t matter. This wasn’t for them. This was for Buck. If he liked it.

What if Buck didn’t like it? What if they could never speak to each other again? What if he was making a huge mistake? If Buck hated what Eddie had to say…

No sense in thinking about that, now. It would only make his heart beat faster.

He had half a mind to ask Chimney to make sure he wasn’t having a heart attack. The pounding behind his eyes was so intense, he could barely concentrate. Eddie took a few more (slightly exaggerated) deep breaths, puffing his cheeks, hoping it would help calm him down.

It did not.

“Alright, you’re all set up” Hen reluctantly told him. She gave him a long, scrutinizing look, at once hopeful and disappointed. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

At that moment, Buck came around the corner underneath the loft, fresh uniform and damp, curly hair. He’d just come out of the shower. Great. He probably smelled nice, too.

Before his mind could wander too far down that garden path, Hen slapped cold metal into his hands, and he instinctively closed his fists around it.

“It’s now or never, lover boy.”

With one more, barely-calming breath, Eddie raised the microphone to his lips.

[tomorrowsdrama]

Hyena Ep. 10

Ahh, that’s what I’ve been saying!  It’s a strange feeling when a drama character voices what you’ve been saying for weeks haha.  Good for Hee Jae for doing some self-reflection and gaining some self-awareness.  Also the dirty part of my brain totally thought of other things when he said she was busy pleasing him. 

Hee Jae is seriously such a hopeless fool in love.  I was getting major Doumyouji idiot in love vibes from Hee Jae this episode. Just like Doumyouji, Hee Jae turns into such a fool around his lady love.  Hee Jae also shares Doumyouji’s trait of going all-in and being hopelessly devoted to his lady once he makes up his mind.  That’s why I’m not as annoyed by Hee Jae’s childish jealous antics.  Because he knows how to be serious when it matters and will do anything to protect Geum Ja.  But then again, I’ve always been a total sucker for the whole idiot who knows how to make you swoon dichotomy.

He is definitely a different type of male lead.  I actually feel like his role is usually written as a female character.  You know, the plucky heroine who slowly wins over the cold-hearted asshole male lead with a tragic past and heals the wounds in his heart.  Hee Jae is so forthright with his feelings for Geum Ja (at least when he’s talking to Geum Ja), it’s shocking.  And man, is he putting in a lot of work for Geum Ja.   

Does this look like the face of a kid who will listen?

I think this might just be the most ridiculous character JJH has every played.  Hee Jae spots Geum Ja leaving and does what I can only describe as an awkward big bird run towards her taxi.  It’s such a hilarious sight haha.

I think Geum Ja is seriously regretting ever seducing Hee Jae.

Geum Ja voicing what we’ve all been thinking these past two episodes.  Oh yeah, he’s totally pleased with himself.  Have you ever seen a male lead be so transparent?

I don’t think Geum Ja knows how to deal with someone so stubborn and unusually straightforward as Hee Jae.  She definitely was not counting on him hanging around her after she revealed that she wasn’t Hee-Sun, let alone that he would so doggedly pursue her still.  

(Why do they keep on putting Geum Ja in these horrendous garish jackets with the huge shoulder pads straight out of the 80s?)

Even with all of his jealous antics, he still knows how to be sweet to her.  I like how he just gave her his coat without any prompting and so naturally, too. At the end of the day, he is still so whipped for her.  If he acted like this all the time, I’m sure it would be easier for Geum Ja to remember why she was attracted to him.

He is so happy that she is asking about him.

Omg, was Hee Jae a nerdy bookworm?  That explains how he’d never fallen in love until now.

It’s amazing that the same immature Hee Jae who ran around like a mad man could say something so thoughtful.  I think this conversation captures the difference in their mentalities perfectly.  Geum Ja is focused on their differences and how that makes them incompatible whereas Hee Jae thinks that it’s only natural for two people to have differences.  That shouldn’t stop them from getting closer and they should just enjoy the nice moment that they are sharing.  To Hee Jae, it’s no big deal whereas to Geum Ja, it’s a deal breaker.  Although, I don’t think it’s necessarily just because of Hee Jae’s background that she rejects him.  I feel like Geum Ja has become jaded to relationships and has no interest in any serious ones because of her past.

Gosh, Hee Jae’s expectant face every time Geum Ja says anything to him kills me.  But yep, he’s got the directness and single-mindedness of a kid.  That’s probably why he has no issues with confessing his feelings over and over again.

She sure manhandles him a lot.  It’s quite a feat considering their difference in size.  A part of me wonders if Hee Jae enjoys it.

Is someone getting shy in front of other people?

Haha, I can’t believe he got so flustered just because she put her hand on his chest.  Now I’m wondering just how far they got physically in their relationship.

And then, just as Hee Jae was getting into the romantic scenery, Geum Ja pulls a fast one and leaves Hee Jae all by himself to cool down.  She essentially dumped cold water on him after riling him up.  Poor guy. 

Yes!

Poor lost, gigantic child.

He’s so dumbfounded, he can only laugh.  I’m starting to suspect that Hee Jae might be a bit of a masochist.

Omg I can’t believe he just compared them to husbands and wives.  Hee Jae has no chill at all.

That’s so ironic coming from him.

Poor Ji Eun and Lawyer Na got cockblocked because of Hee Jae and his overdramatic self.  You shouldn’t ruin other people’s fun just because you’re not getting any!

And then Hee Jae hilariously tries to get Geum Ja’s whereabouts from Ji Eun.  Poor Ji Eun needs a raise with all the crap she has to deal with between her boss and all the men (mostly crazy Hee Jae) chasing her down.

Hee Jae: Not on my watch, you won’t.

Someone needs to take a chill pill.  But on another note, the firm’s policy on drinking on the job must be very lax.

Hee Jae is so scandalized at the thought of dating and sex.  WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING WHILE YOU TWO WERE DATING THEN?!

Poor Hee Jae is so upset when Geum Ja does not flat out reject Kevin Jung.  Oh, I always feel so bad whenever Hee Jae gets his feelings hurt.  You’d think I’d be used to it by now.

And then he reminisces bitterly about the “not so memorable” kiss.  Sigh, this poor love fool.

Ahh, and this is why I love Hee Jae.  He’s trying so hard for her.  Hee Jae learns more about Geum Ja’s past and the full extent of the abuse she suffered.  You can tell how much it pains him to know she went through such terrible things growing up.

Dun Dun Dun

For how childish Hee Jae can be sometimes, he really is the one doing a lot of the emotional labor in this relationship.  Geum Ja’s got her walls up so high but he sure as hell is doing all he can to tear them down inch by inch.  It may seem a bit pushy, but that’s probably the only the type of person who can get Geum Ja to take down her walls.  Someone who will stick it through and actually think about her well-being over their own.  Otherwise, she’ll always remain guarded and closed off since that’s how she’s been able to survive for so long.