#I never watched this show before and I'm genuinely baffled by how confusing the writing is

[boyapologist]

I was watching law & order svu (a good show!) and an episode of regular law & order came up afterwards and I was too lazy to turn it off and it was just. 40 minutes of pro-israel propaganda. like, actually. so blatantly that I just turned it off I'm sitting here confused wondering if I didn't hallucinate this whole thing

[tangerinesgf]

Okay but imagine Tom Ryder falling for a fan who has ZERO and I mean zero clue on him being famous. Like he met the fan on accident and then was expecting the fan to go crazy when seeing him but the fan wasn’t even interested

And he’s like so into it becuase this hasn’t happened to him before!

Also female reader as the fan!!!

Tags/warnings: nothing I think.. Tom being an ass before being nice.

A/N: this was really fun to write. I'll be honest i had to keep myself from making him too much of an asshole, but i think this is pretty in character. Anywaysss tysm for your request and i hope you like itt<3

Tom Ryder has never met someone who doesn't know him. He's the biggest star of the world, everyone and their mother's knew about him. Or at least that's what he thought.

He was at his favorite coffee shop, undercover with a hat and black sunglasses. Usually he'd love the attention and praise from his fans, but today he wasn't really in the mood.

As the barista hands him his coffee order (a grande Caramel macchiato, 1/3 whole milk, 1/3 almond milk, 1/3 soy milk, 1 shot of extra espresso decaf, whipped cream and caramel drizzle on top), Ryder turns away to walk out of the shop.

Without noticing he drops his bank card which he used to pay with. You notice this while standing behind him in line and pick the card up.

"Oh, sir!" You call out as you rush after him.

Tom sighs and rolls his eyes before turning around to face the girl. "Here we go.." He mutters to himself.

"You dropped your-"

He instantly cuts you off before you can even finish your sentence. "Yeah, yeah it's me I'm amazing and the hottest man you've ever seen blah blah I know.."

You stare at him for a bit while still holding onto his card. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" He looks annoyed, you're wasting his time every second that he stands there facing you.

"I found your card.. what are you talking about?" You hold the card up to show him, your face still scrunched up in confusion.

"I'm Tom Ryder. Did you honestly not recognize me?" He raises his eyebrow at you. Is this girl stupid? He thinks to himself.

"Was I supposed to?"

"Yes. Everyone does I'm Tom Ryder." He says almost baffled that you don't recognize him.

"You keep saying your name but it doesn't ring a bell." You shrug your shoulder

"Tom Ryder." He repeats once again as if saying it for the third time would help. "Action Pact franchise? Hot Earth? Bad Cop, Good Dog? Metalstorm? How about biggest moviestar of the world?" He explains to you like you're a child.

"Oh I did hear about Metalstorm. Isn't that with that actress Iggy? Was that her name? She's cool."

"What no- I mean yes she is in it, but it's my movie. I'm the lead actor." Tom says in an agitated tone. How could you not know him, everyone knows him. Yet for some reason you kept staring at him with those confused eyes. Those beautiful confused eyes..

"Right well- good for you." It's a genuine smile, it's adorable. Why are you smiling at him like that? You should be wanting to jump on him out of excitement. Tom has never felt so confused in his life.

"Don't you watch movies at all?" He questions you.

"Ofcours I do. Indie movies." You say with a soft smile on your face.

Indie movies. Right. Tom Ryder was known for big budget blockbuster films, not smallscale indie stuff. Although now that he thinks about it everything could be a blockbuster with his name attatched to it.

"Right- so my face means nothing to you?"

"I mean.. I guess it looks slightly familiar but no.. not really. Sorry." You smile apologetically.

A strange sensation washes over Tom as he realizes this girl does not care about him at all. It's oddly humbeling even for him. "No it's fine I guess, I just never met someone who isn't crazy about me."

"Well I could still do that." You chuckle and finally hand the bank card back to him. "I'll just pretend to be obsessed with you and then you can roll your eyes at me or something."

"You'd really make a fool out of yourself for me?" He raises his eyebrow at you. Sure he's used to everyone doing everything for him whenever he asks, but this felt nice, less forced than usual.

"Yeah, look." You smile and then turn your back to him. A second later you turn to face him again, your face laced with excitement.

"Oh my god, you're Tom Ryder! I've seen like all your movies and you're so cool and hot and so amazing. Can we take a picture oh and an autograph, will you marry me?!" You say acting like an obsessed fangirl that's in love with him.

"Alright alright.. I get it." He laughs, readjusting the sunglasses on his face. He was starting to like her more and more.

"Really? I can go on if you'd like. There's this whole part where I improvise your part in a movie." Yoi brush your hair back from where it had fallen in front of your face and Tom's eyes can't help but linger at every move you make.

"No it's alright." He chuckles. "But I will say you're missing out. I've won many awards ya know. I'm not just a pretty face." He says with a grin on his face, trying to impress her.

"Never said you were. Maybe I should go see your new film at the cinema then." You tease playfully.

He chuckles softly at that. The idea of you going to see his movie made him excited. He wanted to know what you'd think about the film eventhough he had just met you 5 minutes ago. Then an idea suddenly pops into his head.

"I have a better idea. How would you like to go to the premiere, hm?" He grins

A/N: Tysm for reading I hope you enjoyed it!! Comments and reblogs are so much appreciated you don't even understand. Love you guyss<3

Taglist: @earth-elemental18 @cockete @allaroundjejje (lemme know if you wanna be removed/added)

[cblgblog]

I'm curious about your take on Wakanda being wronged hard in FaTWS, and by Bucky specifically? I haven't seen many people talk about it, but I'm just angry and confused as to why Bucky was to careless and rude towards Ayo and the Dora Milaje, acting as if their anger about Zemo was an overreaction. Hell, Walker got more respect from him in the end than the Dora did

I'm looking at the writers' perspective here, it was their decision and I'm wondering why. What was the thought behind it? Why did they make Bucky so insensitive? At first I thought it had to be some arc, but nothing came from it. I'm wondering what made them look at this series and think "Yes, let's make Bucky screw over the people that helped him".

It wasn't just him wronging Wakanda, it was his behavior towards Sam too, how he was so ignorant during the cop scene, dismissive of Sam's feelings, and obsessed with the shield to a point of lashing out at Sam for things that weren't his fault. Why was this a choice that was made? Bucky didn't have much personality in the other movies, they could've done anything but they chose this, and I think more people should talk about how wrong that is. Not for Bucky, but for the black people in the series who were wronged.

Okay so here’s the deal. One, I’m white, so know that going in, take my take on this for whatever it’s worth accordingly. Two, I haven’t watched the eps since they aired, with the exception of a couple scenes, so my memory—not so much of events but of specific nuances of how Bucky reacted to them—isn’t fresh.

I say that last part specifically because of Bucky and his interactions with Sam, because ultimately they bother me much less than the Wakanda stuff, and here’s why. Bucky is, to varying degrees depending on situation and episode, a dick to Sam about the shield for most of the series. Undoubtedly. But I get that, to a point. He at least explains his feelings in 1x05, why he reacted like that, and admits he fucked up. He had all his feelings for Steve wrapped up, incorrectly, in that shield, so when Sam just tossed it aside (from Bucky’s perspective), it caused him to freak out/lash out. Which was never fair to Sam, but at least culminated in Bucky recognizing that. Sam keeps saying to him that the two of them have not lived the same experience, the shield and its legacy do not mean the same thing to them, and Bucky finally realizes that. He acknowledges that neither he nor Steve grasped the full reality of the situation, and he apologizes. Does that erase what came before? No, but it’s not supposed to. It’s him acknowledging his own ignorance and trying to do better.

So, at least there’s an arc there, which is the other reason his stuff with Sam bugged me less. There was an evolution in his thinking, there was a change from wah wah, you gave up the shield, to oh wait, I kinda get it now. He realizes that his reactions were wrong, even if his feelings were understandable. Which, on a human level, I think they were. It’s a very human thing for Bucky to equate that shield directly to Steve, and take Sam’s rejection of it as a rejection of Steve. It’s understandable how he got there, given the bizarre nature of Steve’s time travel shenanigans, the nearly endless nightmare that Bucky’s life has been since he fell from the train. Losing yet another 5 years when he’s already lost 70+, all the unprocessed guilt and grief that isn’t helped by him having actually the worst therapist ever, oh my God this woman sucks at her job, she’s funny, but she’s awful. His feelings, I believe, were valid, given everything that went down. His reaction to them—the lashing out, whining, refusing to see Sam’s side of it—his reaction was not valid. But at least he gets to a point where he realizes that. At least there’s an arc.

Could they have found a different way to create conflict in the series? Sure, and I’m not gonna argue with anyone who wishes they had. For me personally, I was okay with it. Bucky’s ignorance and misplaced anger made sense to me. Bit of an aside, one of the few scenes I rewatched for this (because Youtube and knowing exactly where it was) was the cop scene, because you referenced. I’m assuming you mean the bit where Sam gets stopped, gets the ‘calm down sir’ treatment. I didn’t think Bucky was a dick in that scene? He seemed aware of what was happening, given his angry, “No he’s not bothering me, do you know who this is?” It’s actually one of a relatively few instances in the first 5 eps where Bucky does seem genuinely aware that he and Sam don’t live in the same world, even when they’re walking the same street, right next to each other. So, as far as illustrating that, and Bucky coming out of his own feelings long enough to pay attention to Sam’s, I thought it was one of the better scenes.

So, Sam and Bucky, I’m less bothered by. Bucky and Wakanda? That’s a hot garbage fire.

Zemo’s whole inclusion here, and nearly everything related to it, was incredibly botched. He’s randomly rich as fuck now, and a Baron, to match his comics counterpart. Which is not only an incredibly lazy retcon, it kills much of what made his character interesting in CW. In that movie, it was one guy, working alone, limited resources, dedicating himself to his cause. If nothing else, you had to admire his tenacity. Now suddenly he’s got a butler and a plane and piles of cash? Where was that in CW? More importantly…why? What purpose did it serve, besides making him more superficially similar to his comic self?

Why did we detour to him at all? None of his plans ultimately affect the larger narrative all that much. He starts out in prison and…ends up back in prison. Why? Why would the Dora just leave him there? Ayo says that they will bring Zemo back to face Wakandan justice…and then they just don’t. They leave him in the hands of the same people who lost him to two random dudes who were able to bust him out of prison on their own, one of those dudes being an entirely human guy, no enhanced powers, no Serum. In CW, okay, T’Challa did a deal with Everett Ross I guess, fine. But once the Americans proved they couldn’t hold him, it made no sense that the Dora would just go, okay, here you go again. They aren’t Batman. They have no reason to keep throwing the baddies in Arkham Asylum to wait ‘til next week when someone breaks out again.

The Zemo stuff had no arc to it. The only worthwhile thing was Bucky proving to Zemo that he can’t be controlled anymore, but that scene could have come about in a million better ways than it did. Ultimately, the weird little team-up with Zemo feels very cliché and contrived. It feels like a trip down a side road that dead ends to nowhere. It feels like filler, which is a particularly terrible crime when there’s only 6 episodes in the damn season.

Bucky’s dickishness towards Ayo and the other Dora really is baffling, especially when the writers went out of their way to give us that flashback, a direct, show don’t tell indication of all the Wakandans did for him. And it’s not his feelings for Steve that have him acting out this way, or at least it shouldn’t be. Steve has nothing to do with this aspect of things. Steve obviously had trust in and respect for T’Challa, and there’s no reason to think that wouldn’t extend to the Dora as well. Strong, badass women who put it all on the line for their country? Yeah, Steve should/would get that. He would have broken Zemo out of prison, if he thought it was the right call to make, but he also would’ve been like yeah, I did that, I understand that I fucked you over, I’m fully prepared to accept the consequences of that once my mission is complete, I’m sorry it went down like this. See the, “I’d like to surrender myself for disciplinary action,” he gives Phillips in First Avenger, after he goes to rescue the 107th. If it’s an authority he respects and acknowledges as having good intentions (Phillips as opposed to the Accords), Steve will ultimately give that respect back, even if he goes off to do his own thing first. He respected T’Challa and Wakanda. Bucky should have respected them even more, given his more direct connection, given the flashback scene in FatWS, given his acknowledgement that Wakanda and it’s people gave him a rare respite, a calm in the shit storm that’s been his life since 1945.

So yeah, it doesn’t make sense that he was so flippant and dismissive towards Ayo and the rest. It makes even less sense that they put up with it. It’s bad writing, that’s all I’ve got. The show is incredibly irritating, in that a lot of the plot-driven stuff is pretty fucking awful, but most of the character study stuff for Sam and Bucky is so good.

[nickki-d-k]

Trolls thing I'm writing

Ok so I've finished the first chapter of a Trolls thing I'm writing which I'm calling "Night and Day" (vague title I know), I plan on unloading it to Archive, I just haven't yet. This literally takes place right after the movie.. Like right after. Bare with me, I'm not a writer. Grammer is my enemy and words aren't good friends of mine either. Oh and it typed this on my phone so I'm now realizing the "thought italics" aren't showing up on tumblr so I apologize if some sentences don't come off as thoughts, but here's the first chapter of "Night and Day". Giggling. Yes, Branch was sure "giggling" was the appropriate word to describe the loud strange hiccup like laughs currently escaping his mouth. It's not that he'd never heard a giggle before, knowing Poppy all his life made that an impossibility. This, however, was the first time he could remember hearing himself do it. This felt foreign to him. Absurd even. But he just couldn't help it...nor did he seem to care. From high up on their elevated mushroom platform, Branch now gripped his sides as the laughter overtook him, transferring a giddy energy to his rhythmic feet as they watched their weird new moment-ruining cloud friend plummet to a fate unknown, the product of being tandem high fived out of the sky by the two trolls. He’ll be fine. He’s a cloud after all. “I still don’t get the whole socks with no shoes thing.” He smirked. Poppy looked at him quizzically, and then down in the direction the cloud guy fell, genuinely pondering the statement for a moment. “Well, if you’re up in the sky most of the time… Why would you need shoes?“ she quipped with a smirk. A quiet “Huh.” was all he could muster, a tad baffled by the unexpected logic in the joke, to which he really had no argument for. “I guess when you put it like that...” he mused, cracking a half smile. With a comforting new sense of relief and contentment, he allowed a few more precious chuckles with the newly crowned queen. What was the harm anyway? Unless Smidge dropped them of course... Naw, this is probably just another day at the gym for her. He could let his guard down, for once. They were safe from the Bergens. … For now. he allowed the troubled thought, but only for a moment, he was too preoccupied by his current reality to let his old survivalist paranoia fully take hold, all while blissfully unaware that their laughter was shifting dangerously close to silence. Too close. Too late. They were alone again. Holy hair, how long can Smidge keep this up? This is craz… wait. Why is it so quiet...? Uh oh… Oh no-oh no-oh-oh no!! Uh-uh-uh.. C’mon Say something to her, sticks for brains! Ugh! You’ve only spent THE LAST FEW DAYS ALONE WITH HER and had no problem talking to her then. Aaaaahhhh... While Branch’s mind was about to spontaneously combust, it was Poppy who finally broke the prolonged silence. “I can’t believe I finally got to hear your laugh.” she paused, smiling off in the distance before turning to meet his gaze. “You have a nice one.” She concluded. Letting those electric candy eyes linger on serene sky ones for a moment. I do?... She thinks- His eyes widened in shock, his mouth tightened. Heat engulfed him as the dark violet blush that flooded his face suddenly, seemed to set off the few glittering freckles he had, like a chain reaction of tiny firecrackers across his cheeks. Well now you have to say something. Tourmaline eyes came back for another visit, paralyzing his in the process. Silence. This is weird. I don’t like this. UGH… Just say it. He took a moment and swallowed. “I can’t take all the credit, I learned from the best.” He said, holding her gaze. Then, immediately elbowing her to drive his point home, followed by that sarcastic smirk, that could only belong to Branch. “Awwww! That’s so sweet.” she exclaimed briefly, before regaining her composure. “but nice try!” She shot up an eyebrow. “You can’t just teach someone how to laugh... It’s just something that’s already inside them.” she said, reaching up to ruffle the front part of his recently taller, not to mention more colorful, hair. The sudden sensation of fingers through his locks, and momentarily touching his scalp, caused Branch to freeze. Does she like my hair? He beamed, cheeks darkening a bit more at the thought. Nah, she’s probably just as weirded out by it as I am. He scoffed. Maybe she’s checking to see if it’s real. He got his bearings again. “Well, either way, it wouldn’t be possible… w-without you.” He managed, eyes darting away from her, sheepishly looking off in the distance, before eventually finding the courage to turn back to her again. The pink fire in her eyes still blazing. I wonder if I should... Does she want me to… “Wow.” she said, sounding truly in awe. “Hmm?” he put his previous thought away, wondering and fearing how this moment could get any more perfect. “I just can’t wrap my hair around it,” she started, eyes on his, and yet somewhere off in ‘cupcakes and rainbows’ land as well. “It’s all just so… surreal I guess.” He listened intently, a patient, albeit perplexed look on his face as she continued. “Like wow!... You’re just soooo genuinely nice, and I just… I just can’t believe, I-I mean… after all this time…” She leaned a bit into his space, causing him to flinch slightly. What’s.. happening?! Is she- “that you’d end up being…” her cheeks flushed, and she gently took his hand, pulling him even closer. Branch’s eyes widened. OH MY GAH!! Poppy’s smile grew wider “… like the greatest friend I could ever have!!” she all but yelled before pulling him into a bone crushing, and almost as equally, soul crushing bear hug. His breath was lost… for more reasons than one, maybe forever for all he knew. Friend. The moment it took for Branch to pick up the pieces of his heart, felt like an eternity, but eventually, he slowly brought his arms up returning the hug, with understandably less enthusiasm and strength than his captor. A single word relentlessly looping in his head. “I... uh.. I.. yeah.” he cleared his throat, brushing it off as best he could. “W-who’d have thought?” he let out a small, strained laugh, doing his best to hide the fact that it was completely forced. …Too good to be true… friend… of course just friends. … Stupid. How could you be so STUPID? Why in the world would you think you’d be something more? No! You don’t deserve that… her.. not after how you’ve treated her, what you've done. Hugs and pretty new colors don’t right all those wrongs. This... this is for the best. You’d probably end up hurting her somehow. You’re cursed. He steeled, bracing himself for whatever this new hell had to offer. Wanting desperately to just get as far away as possible, but… she was so close to him now, and he found it impossible to pull away. Not just yet. Hell can wait. For the moment, he brought his queen closer, hugged a little tighter, savoring paradise for as long as he could. Defying inevitability, if only for now. Being so close allowed Branch an opportunity he did not pass up. With great stealth, he turned his head toward hers, his nose nestling in magenta hair before greedily inhaling her scent. Whether or not she noticed this, she made no mention. Why does she have to smell so good? Like, if roses were candy… “This is nice.” Poppy hummed and squeezed tighter. You have no idea. “Seeeee, Hugs aren’t so bad.” she teased, eventually breaking the hug, much to his dismay. “Heh, I never said they were.” he said flatly. She deadpanned. Well, as best she could anyway, that smile always betrayed her. “Well you suuure fooled me.” She sassed, unconvinced. His ears started to droop a bit with guilt. She has a point. “It’s uh.. it’s just hard to explain.” He sighed, unable to come up with any other words to help him out. Her expression softened. “Weeell.. maybe you can try explaining it me sometime.” She offered, earning a smile from him. “Besides, it’s not like you can go running off to your bunker like always, not at the moment anyway.” She pointed out. Realization widened Branch’s eyes. Oh. Yeah. He paled, fear, panic and anxiety threatening to rear their ugly heads. His old friends. Always interrupting his life like uninvited guests. He wondered if he’d ever be rid of them. Probably not. One thing was certain though: He had to get outta here!! His gaze traveled downward and landed on the giant mushroom on which they stood, absentmindedly tracing it’s colorful designs with his eyes. A troll, momentarily forgotten, now resurfacing in his thoughts. Smidge. “Y-yeah.” He fretted, scratching the back of his head. “You know, Smidge is probably starting to get tired.” He deflected “Plus I’m getting kinda dizzy, I think it’s time to head down.. bud.” Did I just call her bud? “Y-uh.. Yeah! I mean this is Smidge we’re talkin' about here.. but yeah, we should probably go back.” She agreed, the slightest hint of reluctance in her voice. She stared at him for a moment, a playful smirk stretching across her face. “What?” he questioned, confused. “Are you suuure you didn’t think hugs were bad? Cuz you use to duck ‘em like they were poisonous snakes.” she smirked. “Like, there were times when we’d pretend to be like.. a Frankenstein version of you, runnin' around shouting ‘HUGS BAD!’ grrrr ‘SINGING, DANCING BAD!’ grrr.” She finished in her best monster voice to emphasize the joke. “Geeee… good to know.” he huffed, rolling his eyes, that familiar sarcastic edge to his words. Poppy’s smile faltered, filling Branch with instant regret. “Branch, I’m sorry!” she blurted out. “I didn’t mean-“ “No.. I get it.” he interrupted. “I know what I am… Was... Whatever.” he sighed. “Alright, brace yourself.” he advised suddenly before loudly stomping down on the mushroom platform three times, figuring that was the best to alert Smidge to start lowering them. He wondered why she even bothered with the gesture in the first place, it’s not like they needed alone time. Why did she do it? She couldn’t be as blind as him.. right? Poppy just stood there, seemingly ignoring his instructions. A sympathetic look on her face. “Branch, don’t be so hard on yourself.” she comforted, lightly placing her hand on his arm. He pulled up a confident smile for her sake. “It's cool, I’m fine.” He lied. “WOA- AHH!” he yelped as the platform jerked abruptly, unsteadying them. Instinctively, he grabbed her hand. “Poppy, you okay?” he asked, crouching a bit as the platform started lowering slowly. “All good here! Smidge does this sort of thing a lot.” she laughed. He chuckled in agreement, postponing the arduous task of trying to piece his life back together after losing everything. Again. ‘GRANDMAAAAA!!!’ ‘BRAAAAACNH!!!’ He winced as voices from his past taunted him. Ghosts haunting his mind. Luckily her sugared voice snapped him out of it. “Hey, so.. uh, being that we’re trolls and all… there’s probably gonna be a party tonight, or some form of celebration...” she hinted. “Riiight…” he drawled out, confused. “Weeell.. are you gonna come to this one?” she pleaded. He arched an eyebrow, “I suppooose... if it would please ‘Her Majesty’.” he smirked. Poppy grimaced, her adorable features scrunching up in disgust. “OOOH NO! NOPE-NOPE-NOPE! I am puttin' a stop to that RIGHT NOW!” she threatened as Branch snorted at her lack of an assertive tone. “And yes,” she composed herself. “yes it would please me.” she admitted. “Then I’ll be there.” he returned, with a wink. She stared dumbfounded for a second before shrieking with joy, causing him to cup his sensitive ears. Ugh. This was going to be a looong night. The platform jerked again suddenly as the speed increased, causing Poppy to stumble completely… only to land in Branch’s already prepared arms. She looked up, surprised eyes meeting each other. Or was it? Yeah, maybe it wouldn’t sooo bad, he considered as his arms were suddenly cradling the pink queen. It was a nice feeling. That is until that stupid platform jerked once more. “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” he screamed as they plummeted due to the downward speed rapidly picking up in pace. Poppy seemed to be taking it with a little more grace than him as they held on to the edges… and each other, trying to endure the rest of their.. now very direct route back to the ground. “DAAAAAMMIIIT SMIIIIIIIIIDGE!!” he yelled, he was gonna be sick. Please don’t throw up on Poppy. Please don’t throw up on Poppy. Please don’t throw up on Poppy.