#((Though there is mutual respect))

[mensahbots]

just like how episode 4 sold me on the show's version of mensah and pin-lee's dynamic, episode 6 sold me on murderbot and mensah's

as with the show's angle on mensah & pin-lee, mensah & murderbot have a different feel from the books (from my vantage point (as someone who rereads every passage where they interact on a disturbingly frequent basis, lol))

so in the books, we never see mensah cross murderbot's boundaries as much as tv mensah does, and she never judges or insults its interests as she does in e6. she's generally gentler and more attuned to it. even early in all systems red, their dynamic feels mutually respectful, which for me as a reader and fic writer is hugely appealing (i'm not into snark/interpersonal meanness, so between that and the trust and devotion, they are very id-scratchy for me). yet the show's angle on mensah and murderbot's developing friendship is working for me as well. in my mind, it runs parallel to the version of the dynamic we see in the books.

in e6 especially, their rapport is lovely, and it's clear we're in a story where she regards it as a person and it feels seen and respected by her and cares about her in turn. so even though the shape of their dynamic is different and feels less gentle compared to the books, it's nice to see this version. the early scenes in e6 especially felt like really good au fanfiction. it was fun to see them in that predicament and see how much more comfortable they are with each other. seeing mensah realize how much sanctuary moon means to it and why, how meaningful it is for murderbot to share it with her and try to soothe her as it would itself (and it working!), and the growing mutual respect and fondness between them was really special.

in conclusion

[thebroccolination]

Y’all WilliamEst are very good at this game already. Like, they hit their post-ThamePo success guns blazing, every social media platform active, memes mastered, like damn. This is how you play and win.

And like, for some it’s luck, right? They get a smash series, or they lean on chemistry alone, but these two got BOTH? ThamePo is incredible and WilliamEst have fantastic chemistry and they’re both in their early twenties, so they have enormous potential moving ahead.

They’re the breakout khuujin of 2025, hands down, and I also appreciate that they both seem absolutely kind and lovely on top of it. Couldn’t happen to nicer kids. I wish them enormous success and a relatively tame fandom.

[happi-dreams]

some spray paint doodles i did for funsies !!

[once-more-with-anxiety]

the most fun part of shipping to me is that you can literally do anything with it. who cares what other people think? we're all mentally ill people who are obsessing over fictional people. why does anybody even give a shit

[sun-snatcher]

✠ | shadow of death ; shaytham

a/n. Shaytham. Religious imagery & themes. Angsty blurb. Old men in platonic love— Perhaps even more. What else is there to say?

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

-- Psalm 23:4

“Lisbon,” Shay says, putting Haytham out of his misery.

It’s late in the night, and the Grandmaster has been uncharacteristically skirting the bubble of upset around Shay at the helm of the Morrigan in that pensive, silent manner he tends to do; lips pursed, hands clasped behind his back. 

“I dream of Lisbon,” he continues. “S’why I don’t sleep.”

Haytham isn’t about to lecture a grown man on the effects of weariness. “It was an accident,” he says, pragmatic as always.

A wry laugh. “Was it?”

“Martyrdom doesn’t suit you, Shay.”

“I’m Catholic,” Shay snorts. “I learned about sacrificial lambs an’ crucifixion before I knew my alphabet. Old habits die hard.”

“Then you’d know you’ve saved a million more lives since, after Achilles,” he says, turning his gaze away from the Northern Lights in favour of looking at him. If Haytham notices the white-knuckled grip Shay has around the wheel, he doesn’t seem to comment on it. “No one will think to touch those sites ever again, thanks to you.”

“Saved,” he repeats, but he’d gone distant. He’d gone back to a place when Hell erupted beneath his feet, and the Heavens were caving in like the Rapture. He’d gone away to where he was running on splintering earth and crumbling debris; where he saw the blood and crush of limbs, and heard the dying wails of mothers cradling their weeping children—

“Shay.”

He blinks.

There’s a steady hand on his shoulder.

It’s not from any of the ghosts that’s been haunting him. Not Kesegowaase, Adéwalé, Chevalier. Not Hope, nor Liam. 

“Haytham,” he breathes, sounding the most frightened the Templar had ever heard him. It’s the first Shay’s called him anything but Master Kenway.

“S’a beautiful night to stay topdeck, aye?”

A loaded question.

Haytham understands.

“That it is, Captain.”

[fatedroses]

Two tanks without their emotional support healers.

[babybells123]

I’m obsessed with them already

[frozenbluecookies]

Wow, okay. Even if I hadn't known about Avatrice from tumblr, Ava's vibes with the women are impeccable. Four episodes in and her thing with J.C. is.... fine, i guess. But I swear she has more chemistry with Chanel, and they've had, what, two scenes together at this point?

[kanoyachi]

sakusa and yachi's friendship is very much "be so fucking fr right now" and "you're right... [determined fist clench] i do need to be so fr right now!!!"

[seastoried]

Given that their composition changes so regularly, any team I currently support may be made up of completely different players, coaches, and administrators in five years. In what sense, then, will I be supporting the same team that I support now?

adam kadlac, the ethics of sports fandom

been thinking about this a lot lately, especially in relation to the growing trend of fans (in a variety team sports) supporting individual players as opposed to teams. what compels us to continue supporting a team even after the youngest player at the first match we watched has retired? what identity, independent of the players who make it up, does a team posses? even after players have been traded, coaches have been hired and fired, and ownership has changed hands, there remains some spirit so foundational to the being of the club that allows us to identify it as the same. this, i believe, is it's grounding in and connection to a particular place.

i find it particularly telling that the practice of supporting individuals over teams is perhaps most prevalent in sports where there is a concerted effort made to scrub away a team's sense of place to make way for sponsor based identities, such as formula 1. the sport's international nature and high team turnover rate (tied to sponsors, of course) likely also plays a part. what, then, is driving this change in other sports?

football has always been a sport where teams have been intrinsically tied to a place. while the player over team support trend has yet to become as prevalent in football as it is in some other sports, it does seem to be creeping in. this could be potentially chalked up to a number of factors. perhaps it's the globalization (read: mostly increased american interest, as the rest of the world has been playing football happily for years) of the sports, introducing fans who have no personal connection to the place a club is from, and therefore lack allegiance to the club. maybe it's the steady increase in foreign ownership of teams, to an extent where this erodes away at fan's visions of a club as a physical manifestation of the spirit of their hometown. perhaps stronger personal branding of players is a part of it; they're no longer simply an agent of the team, but an individual in their own right, worthy of being followed no matter where they go (there is something to be said here about the relationship between personal branding, increased sponsor opportunities, and the fact that having ten individual players shill your product is better than the singular entity that is the team). whatever it is, i do find it a little sad - it renders teams somewhat purposeless, empty husks whose only purpose is to house players, otherwise devoid of value.

[saintshigaraki]

if anal has no haters that means im no longer on this earth

[burkleswinifred]

angel specifically from btvs, they could never make me hate you. ❤️

[thhouseofblack]

what do u think about icarius and odysseus relationship (lowkey i think icarius woulf hates him for “stealing” his baby girl” and odysseus just being the charming bastard, would like playfully banter/teasing his father in law)

i see it that way too! icarius does not like or vibe with odysseus, but he relents to it all because penelope is in love with him and she's happy, meanwhile odysseus is desperately trying to make this man like him (and failing)

[nobodymitskigabriel]

I've said this before but dont really buy most of the Dean and Gabriel headbutting that's present in Sabriel fic like I get he'd be a hater at first but come on dude they like each other. What I could TOTALLY buy is John and Gabriel headbutting and I think it'd so much funnier. John trying to process the fact that Sam is going steady with the archangel Gabriel who is also is a massive dick. Trying to figure out how to convince Sam his boyfriend sucks without coming off homophobic. Comedy gold.

[surreal-duck]

im not sure what this ended up becoming but i was thinking about this specific experience a little

[amelikos]

Something so interesting to me about the way they are depicting Gibeon's close friendships, while Amethio still doesn't have such bonds with others yet.