#also i am on team glenn is a good dad

[sunbratz]

hi its time for my bad dndads takes again here on my silly little blog and todays feature is inspired by @babacontainsmultitudes‘s post about similar taylor and nick are and i was actually going to add this onto that but i didn’t want to take up their space so.

what i actually want to talk about is cassandra and glenn! and how their differences as single parents really shaped the key difference between taylor and nick which is!! taylors confidence.

one of the big similarities pointed out about nick and taylor is this propensity towards loneliness both of them have. both of them very much have their set circle of people and idolize their parents in a very similar way that leaves them seemingly a bit isolated from other people their age (and otherwise, with nick trying to get glenn to abandon the party early s1)

during the trials, nick finally kind of unravels about his relationship with glenn in reference to this though by discussing how a lot of his loneliness and connection with his dad festers in this place of grief over his mom. he had his mom until he was 7 and looks up to his dad in a way where he feels they aren’t able to communicate about her death without ruining the “vibes” in the connection they have and he doesn’t even see him for at least 2 months out of the year. nick isn’t even comfortable enough to tell his dad he prefers universal studios and minions until the trial when he’s directly asked whether glenn indulges in his interest because he’s mimicking his dad so hard to keep that connection between them strong.

cassandra has a lot of clearly intentional similarities to glenn that are very obvious: she’s a single mom, celebrity-adjacent and isn’t around very often, she gives her kids video games for detention because she’s a bit out of touch and she’s not one to care about rules and restrictions presumably.

but something that anthony and freddie have worked into her character that wasn’t built in with glenn is that she has taken a LOT of care into showing her interest in taylor’s needs. 

the first thing we learn about her is that she quit (or at least put on hold) her daytime tv career in order to pursue voice acting because she thought it would be something her and taylor could bond over. she knows taylor well enough to give him video games he would enjoy during detention and to go through his bags for weapons she knows he has so he doesn’t get into further trouble. she trusts taylor enough to get an uber home from school but has enough foresight to tell him not to take the scooters because they’re dangerous even if they are the cooler option. she’s confident enough to answer taylor’s questions about nick not being around whenever he asks (which is implied to be at least more than once). they have a habit of giving kisses to each other over the phone when she’s not around which is precious but furthers the way she’s tried to continue to bond with taylor even when she couldn’t physically be around due to work or whatever.

and taylor mimics her love by doing things back for her. he gives her cakes and checks in with her when he can, not because he has to but because he wants to, versus nick who felt he had to learn to smoke weed and love disney and be cool in order to maintain that connection with glenn.

i think this is why taylor’s confidence and security makes so much sense. taylor is a lone wolf with only a close inner circle because he chooses to be. it’s why it’s so funny that he really just does not care about nick as his father at all! he has questions, of course, but most of those questions are based in his own curiosity and how they build out his story/background rather than his need to have a father. he’s confident enough in his choice of friends that he turns back for link, even after nick tells him his whole extended family (that he doesn’t know) is threatened if his friends choose to betray him like nick’s did to him. he’s happy to have his dad around but doesn’t feel the need to impress him or reduce himself to fit nick into his life because he’s fully secure with it just being him and his mom. 

i think this also goes into how a lot of their actions are similar but are driven by worry or confidence. nick didn’t choose to leave taylor as a baby but felt like he had to in order to protect his entire family (a classic hero’s backstory). taylor's so confident in his actions he feels he can fight his way out of any situation he’s put into (getting kidnapped, like, three times, willingly pretending to throw himself out of a tree in order to use his dad for a plan to get to hell, ect.) while protecting his friends not because he feels like he needs to but because he just simply wants to. nick chooses to minimize his needs out of worry for glenn where taylor is confident enough to argue with his mom over bringing weapons to school or because she’s ruining his favorite anime by dubbing it but still takes the time to make sure she knows he cares about her and is proud of her.

anyway i dont know if this was anything and i kinda lost my thought halfway through this because i know i had more to say, so i might add onto this later or something but. considering we don’t really get a lot of her and im not sure how intentional it was, i think the way they’ve used cass to foil glenn to make the dynamic between nick and taylor that much more interesting is really fun and cool to see play out. 

[watchingyoufromthestars]

Finally cleaned this up so here’s my DnDads ultimate ship opinions list. I was waiting until after s2 ended to clean this up in case I had any final opinion changes with the last few episodes. Please don’t bash me for any of these. The DnDads fandom is generally very nice but shipping discourse is something that can get heated no matter the fandom.

Dads

Henry Darryl: very neutral. I understand the ship I just never fully got on the boat

Henry Glenn: absolutely fucking feral about them do not get me started on Glennry

Darryl Glenn: feral in a different way that I don’t know how to describe other than toxic yaoi in the way that they’re damaged but refuse to talk about it so they kiss about it instead

Loveeeeeeee polydads but only as Henry/Glenn/Darryl. Not really a Ron shipper I love him and Samantha too much. Ron and Glenn’s friendship is very important to me though

In terms of Jodie, I don’t really ship him with any of the main dads, ESPECIALLY not Glenn. Even if Jimmy didn’t play Jodie I’d still never ship them. Wish Scamster was real and not completely a scam because they’re literally a crackship become real except it was never a crackship before canon. It’s surprising to me that they weren’t really shipped beforehand

Henry Mercedes: THE T4T OF ALL TIME BABEYYYYY. Absolutely iconic couple, fate was in their favor with how they met they were destined for each other

Darryl Carol: After hearing how Darryl talked about his family in Heaven, I was actually really happy they ended up not getting divorced. They clearly had a rough patch as seen in s1, but they genuinely love each other and I love how devoted to her Darryl is. The little finger puppet he made of her in the time out zone… :,)

Glenn Morgan: GLORGAN!!!!!!!!! Oh my god these two tear me apart. I am feral for Glorgan angst there’s too much to work with. More people need to start calling them Glorgan instead of Morglenn please please please please pretty please indulge me in my silly ship name

Ron Samantha: sobbing. They’re so sweet. The distinction that Samantha is also a little silly is very important to me. They love each other so fucking much

Kiddads

Nicky Sparrow: didn’t realize how much I love them for a good while but when I did oh god I love them so so much. T4T it’s so real to me that they’re both trans

Nicky Lark: used to like it but yall mischaracterize Nicky so much in fics. If yall want toxic yaoi just ship Grant and Lark I’m so serious

Nicky Terry: sobs. They were best friends. I don’t personally ship them but the fact that Terry said he was his best friend… that line rattles around in my brain so often

Nicky Grant: recently learned this might get shipped and has THE coolest ship name. Crossfire I love you but for the ship name alone

Sparrow Terry: I think I’ve seen this shipped a few times but only in the context of Terry/Nicky/Sparrow. Not my personal cup of tea though

Sparrow Grant: I don’t see this shipped too often but they have the worst ship name ever /aff. Wtf is a spant lol. Also I’m too much team transfem Sparrow to feel comfortable shipping this

Lark Terry: do not know the appeal of Gun Control but their ship name is fun

Lark Grant: toxic yaoi central. They both need intense therapy but them both being so fucked up is what makes them interesting not that that’s healthy though

Terry Grant: I see them more in a qpr place than anything romantic. I have one fic of them that’s bookmarked on Safari because I think about a part from it from time to time

Don’t have any poly ships for them

In terms of s2 spouses I so desperately wished we could’ve seen more of them. We barely get to see them

Nicky Cassandra: Telling Taylor his dad was a good man and that she misses him every day makes me think they parted on good terms. But then Nicky disappeared because of FBI shit. In another life maybe they could’ve worked.

Sparrow Rebecca: more ugly sobbing. I’m unsure on my sparroace thoughts if they’d end up getting divorced post-finale but I know they’re not fully separating or breaking up. They really are in love but it’s unconventional and messy.

Terry Veronica: I think the reveal that Terry is infertile is a nice touch to their relationship. It sounds weird to say and I feel like I might word this all weirdly. Him being unable to have bio kids but finding love in someone who wants to raise a kid with him anyways. Veronica finding new love again after a supposedly abusive relationship. Both of those combined is something I really love.

Grant Marco: Canon gays ftw. The Titanic episode was so generous in letting us get to see their dynamic. Obviously Grant still has a long way to go in finding self love but I’m so happy he found someone who can support him and loves him back like this.

Teens

Normal Scary: ugly sobbing over them I love them so much. Cradling my madomagi and tma aus with them as madohomu and jmart

Normal Taylor: yearning for the early s2 days like when they went to Sonic and made some devious plan off screen I wish they had more silly interactions together. Was truly fed with the kareoke intro and them bonding over costume making for a minute. Tayloak could be so interesting if there was more material to work with

Normal Link: Childhood BFFs to Lovers; I wish they could’ve hung out more as kids but all that happened

Normal Hermie: I get the hype but I have personal reasons for feeling neutral on them that I wish I could get over. Good soup though /ref

Scary Taylor: see them too much as a sibling dynamic to ever ship them

Scary Link: respect to all y’all shippers but I do not gothcleats and will leave it at that forever. I can only accept the finale with my transfem Link hc

Scary Hermie: I love Scene Partners. These stupid kids and reflecting each other /aff

Taylor Link: one that I can’t believe I didn’t ship sooner they’re so silly

Link Hermie: I think this one is very funny (/pos) but not my personal vibe

Love love LOVEEEEEEEE Marloakworthy AUGH. A giant triangle of everyone paralleling each other

Polywagon I love you; cannot believe you’re real and genuinely canon. This is just Homestuck again when Hussie said all ships are canon (DnDads never beating the Homestuck allegations from me)

Scary Erica: wish there were more interactions I love Erica so much but alas she’s a guest NPC. “You awaken a lightness in me” sapphic ass Scary I know what you are

[prongsmydeer]

Ayesha Liveblogs The Good Place S3

Michael personally intervening on behalf of all of his friends is SO SWEET. I love him

Honestly I am eating up Tahani’s fake Vogue interview, I love one (1) out-of-touch celebrity

“K, will you make me the happiest man in the world and agree to be my wife?” Jason proposing to every person he meets is also endearing in its own way. He’s so sincere about it LMAO

Patiently awaiting when he proposes to Chidi and Eleanor. Even Pillboi was not immune 

Honestly sneaking around and altering the mechanics of the universe that more powerful immortal beings are overseeing has worked in Michael’s favour so far, so why stop now?

Silly of them not to caption it, but pretty certain Chidi’s French dialogue exchange was, “T’es prêt, Chidi?” “Allez-y sans moi, je suis là.” “D’accord. À tout à l'heure.” (”Ready Chidi?” “Go on without me, I’m [almost] there.” “Alright. See you later.”)

Eleanor getting immediately defensive about being present for Chidi as if they have not been drawn together in like 800 separate universes:

“Chidi, your brain is broken, you need to fix your brain.” Uzo said: Good friends tell you when you need therapy

“You just march into my office unannounced, tell me your brain is broken, and demand I drop everything and just put you in the university’s 3 million dollar MRI machine?” This is why Chidi and Eleanor are soulmates LMAO. Very goal-oriented 

“You’re so weird. Let’s go!” I like Simone even though I’m certain she’s not Australian

Hahahahahah Eleanor imagining everyone in every story as sexy explains a lot about how she operates. That and she has hot friends

“We torture like 30 billion humans. Why do you care so much about these four?” Glenn asks a very reasonable question

Hahahaha I wonder how they decide what things to describe as objectively terrible in this show. Is it one writer or is it by committee

“Goodness isn’t something that a person inherently has. It’s something that she achieves through her actions.” I love how in every abstract example they use ‘she’ instead of ‘he.’ Both because Eleanor is the main character and because it’s refreshing

“I can’t just do things like that.” Chidi confirming he has never made a move on anyone and has only been subject to his girlfriend’s moves

“I’ve been running simulations on what their kids would be like. One of them is hot enough to be on The Bachelor, and smart enough to never go on The Bachelor.” LMAO JANET 

Also Michael said: Team Cheleanor 4 eternity (me too)

Also also also: Janet finally embracing Michael as her dad for one (1) minute hahaha

Michael’s love and want to help his friends also being their downfall 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭:

“I was never really that into her, no offense.” Eleanor immediately charming Tahani by not caring about her sister hahah

Tahani said: Uno reverse, I’m the Buddhist monk now, Jason

Tahani turning her near death experience and subsequent moral crisis into a self-help book that makes her more rich and well-known than before. Honestly good for her, get ur money girl

“I want you thinking about dance 24/7. That means every day you think 20 thoughts about dance for seven minutes.” Jason’s dialogue continues to be as iconic on Earth as it was in the afterlife 

I love that we’re finally meeting Donkey Doug of the Sixty-Person-Dance-Crew-Boogie-Board-Moral-Relativism story:

Fhfhkfhfkjhfkjfh all the people who walked out because they weren’t allowed to crime LOL

“When I’m with you, I feel like the sky’s the limit.” Pillboi is also a good friend, if not a good person kghjkghgj

“But I met new friends who helped me become a better... person.” I love Michael and Jason’s existential heart-to-hearts. I think he resonates with Eleanor and Jason most for obvious reasons

Also the hesitation for Michael to describe himself as a person HA

I also love the Side Arc of Michael making friends with Burt Hummel, the Doorman to Earth Who Loves Frogs:

“We did it, Janet. We got away with it,” said Michael, in what I’m sure isn’t foreshadowing of this immediately biting them in the ass

OMG NOT THE RETURN OF ADAM SCOTT AS TREVOR THE ME TOO DEMON LMAO

I won’t lie to you, it wasn’t until the whip-it cannisters that I understood that a whip-it is a physical object and not an action, and apparently a more sophisticated equivalent of huffing glue. Who knew? Not me!

“Darling do you remember all the rules about what can and cannot be worn in an MRI?” Tahani calling Eleanor darling <3 Also take off the metal girl 

JANET’S ON EARTH AND READY TO FIGHT FOR HER HOMIES:

(Drive-by commentary that Janet is hot—the uniform suits her!)

Janet and Michael are really struggling to deal with their mortal coil(s)

Firm believer that consensual sex between informed adults is morally neutral, but Tahani and Jason flirting does feel like infidelity lol (poor Janet)

“I’m sorry, but [not being friends] is just how it has to be.” IS THAT TRUE, CHIDI

Demon-All-Knowing-Personal-Assistant-Nicer-Demon standoff in the bathroom

“I got a solid eight minutes, not consecutively, but that’s fine. You’re barely even blurry.” I know it’s probably not in my best interests to strongly identify with Chidi but I strongly identify with Chidi

I’m very glad that Jason and Tahani didn’t drunkenly hook up but I do still view any of their flirting as an affront to Jason’s wife Janet LOL

“I’m asking you as a friend,” said Chidi, while simultaneously also not letting go of the belief that it’s unethical for them to be friends

“These four humans are all I care about in the universe.” MICHAEL ❤️

NOT THE JUDGE BLAMING MICHAEL AND JANET FOR BREXIT AND THE GREATEST SHOWMAN LMAO

I was certain Simone wasn’t Australian but it turns out that she’s British which kind of tracks accent-wise

“Good luck, Frog Man. I’m pulling for you.” HAHAHAHAHA Jeff (Burt Hummel) is a perfect addition to Michael’s incredible group of friends

They also all have in common a disregard for authority

NOT JANET AND MICHAEL STALKING THEIR FRIENDS LMAO

“I’m sad to inform you I’m too stupid and ugly to be in the study and I’m going home to my mommy.” Michael’s schoolyard insults are something else

I do think Eleanor having to work an in-between job would help provide a sense of normal moral conditions for her. Morality does not exist in a vacuum of your closest homies, even if Janet and Michael want it to be so 

“If I’m going to the mall anyway, I might as well pick Jason up some jean shorts. The kind with the frayed edges, where you can see the pockets coming out of the bottom. So that he can study better.” Janet wanting to get her secret husband a Christmas present

Tahani hooking up with Larry Hemsworth who also has self-worth issues in relation to his more famous siblings hahahahha

“You and Jason, imagine that. Actually, I have.” Eleanor is truly attracted to ALL of her friends

“I gotta go barf one last time, and then I’ll be ready to study philosophy.” That sums up my university experience

I know it’s just one little split-screen but Eleanor singing happy birthday (which she said she hated doing for coworkers) while Jason reads a philosophy book on his own time...... I love them

“I can’t wait til we move far away from the likes of you, and I can finally take her last name.” I’m kind of rooting for Larry Al-Jamil

“Feeling like your little team is the last thing standing between you and oblivion, and that at any moment, the universe could fold up around you and squeeze the last breath from your dying lungs.” Michael’s pep talks have gotten a lot more morose since the Sports Bar

“Let’s all stay here, and keep it going,” said Eleanor, in a moment of emotional vulnerability that she is definitely going to regret immediately

Eleanor smashing a cake out of caring about other people too much vs. her first smashing a cake out of caring about her self-preservation too much is really a full circle moment:

“As humans evolved, the first big problem we had to overcome was ‘me vs. us.’ Learning to sacrifice a little individual freedom for the benefit of the group. You know, sharing food and resources so we don’t starve or get eaten by tigers, things like that. The next problem to overcome is ‘us vs. them.’ Trying to see other groups, different from ours, as our equals.” Ohhhhhh we’ve hit upon the moral underpinning of the season. Hello, our new Kierkegarde

“This is all we have, Janet. We have Chidi, and Eleanor, and Tahani and Jason and that is it.” Michael I think it’s time for you to make some new friends 

“Serious question? Should we kill them?” HAHAHAH MICHAEL. He said improvise adapt overcome baybeee

Once again the rules of the afterlife seem so unfair because they learned about it by accident and they’re just people who really love their friends

I love how absurd this show is. I 100% accept that time in the afterlife moves in a Jeremy Bearimy and that nothing never happens on Tuesdays and July

“Now that I know how it all ends, I just want to be virtuous for virtue’s sake.” Tahani takes down the concept of moral desserts in one single sentence:

Also her skin is literally sparkling, everyone in this show is SO pretty

Honestly shocked it’s taken this long for Chidi to quote Nietzsche 

Chidi said: I heard you were calling everyone hot, I would like to submit my name for consideration:

Also Chidi finally fulfilling the ‘surprisingly ripped’ prophecy with a full-length shot of himself shirtless LOL

“And then, a recommendation of how we feel the afterlife could be improved. And we turn ourselves in, we’ll give it to the judge. Hopefully she’ll read it. We failed, Janet. But maybe one day, someone else will succeed.” Michael having goals of improving the afterlife beyond his immediate circle of friends 😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘 I LOVE ONE (1) DEMON

 The little nod to the young-person-older-person tech divide with Michael

“In America, everyone does what they want. Society did break down. It’s terrible, and it’s great!” HAHAHAHAH I know someone enjoyed writing that

Eleanor going on a whole adventure for this man’s wallet ❤️ That’s my girl

HAHAHHAA is the concept of getting into heaven the only thing between Chidi and knocking around mountains of junk food shirtless at a grocery store:

Chidi’s boisterous “Hello!” after the morose groceries got me 

The cut between Chidi giving up his car and not really seeing anymore purpose to anything he does in life and Tahani and Jason joyfully chucking money to people is this meme:

Also Jason offering money to the baby is PERFECT, I LOVE HIM

“I could’ve gone to a real doctor, instead of pretending I was a big dog, so I could go to the vet.” Will someone save the United States of America

If Canada ever privatizes healthcare, I will have to move or die

It’s actually the mark of a good bank that they won’t just let Tahani impulsively transfer all her money, prevents financial abuse

“You’re a good person, Eleanor. I really hope my daughter turns out like you when she grows up.” ELEANOR 😭😭😭😭😭😭

HAHAHAHHAAH CHIDI’S STUDENTS WATCHING HIM MAKE M&M-PEEPS-CHILLI

“The actual ethical system that you should all follow is nihilism.” The meme was foreshadowing. I don’t know why I didn’t expect it become explicit, he is a moral philosophy professor

CHIDI TRYING TO TAKE THE CHILLI WITH HIM LMAO:

NOT JASON AND TAHANI GETTING MARRIED. WHERE DOES BIGAMY FALL ON THE POINTS SCALE LMAO

Appreciate the immediate clarification it was platonic tho

I don’t blame Tahani for forgetting Larry Hemsworth because I also forgot Larry Hemsworth until he reappeared even though it was literally one episode ago they established their engagement kghkjghg 

All of them deciding to be better people for other people’s sake, including Janet and Michael, who are not people 💗 [CHIDI VOICE] SIMPLY PUT, WE ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE 

“Nathan Burlingame.” “Didn’t like you.” “Kylie Mansnard?” “Thought you were cool but intimidating.” “No way! I thought she was intimidating. That’s why I shoved her into that creek.” I love that we’re acknowledging Eleanor’s bisexuality outside of her friend group

Happy Pride Month to Eleanor, whose methods of showing affection are consistent

“I’ve done that to dozens of people, and all of them got over it.” “Actually, none of your exes have ever got over you.” “You’re damn right they didn’t.” Hee hee hee Eleanor 

“I’ve heard you mention your friend Pillboi many times, but I’ve not heard you mention your father once.” “What do you mean? I talk about Donkey Doug all the time.” WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! HONESTLY THIS HAS SHOCKED ME MOST IN THE SHOW SINCE THE REVEAL OF THE BAD PLACE

Jason’s Dad Donkey Doug 🤝 Eleanor’s Mum

Immediately hitting on their child’s partner when they meet

“That’s the first time that line has ever failed.” Jason touching his heart like he’s proud of her for not having sex with his dad LMAO:

“Do you spray it on yourself, or do you drink it?” “You both it.” Someone give Pillboi an MBA

“More guys should be bi. It’s 2018. It’s like, get over yourselves.” HAHAHAH Eleanor, defeating internalized biphobia, one guy at a time

Michael 🤝 Chidi

Fixing all of their problems with reset buttons

Unequivocally, someone dumping me while giving me a puppy would be the best way to break up and I would forgive them immediately. Chidi has cracked the code:

HAHAHAHAH ELEANOR USING HER TIME IN THE SIMULATION TO VIRTUALLY MAKE OUT WITH SIMONE 

“You hooked us up with [redacted] channels every year since the third grade.” MAYBE DONKEY DOUG SHOULD BE IN JAIL

“What a weird creep. Why was I friends with him?” HAHAHA Tahani finally name drops someone who she dislikes and it’s Elon Musk, perfect

[Talk-To-The-Hand Gesture] “Ya dumped.” KHGHGKHGKJ this is what happens when you spend so much time with Eleanor. Also how did we get from puppies to this

“Hey, call me Donkey Dad.” Awwww. I don’t think prison would make Donkey Doug better but he definitely made the right call in taking the blame for the factory robbery

“My feelings have changed. I wish I could tell you why, but I can’t.” This is both honest and also alludes to the fact that Chidi can and will have feelings for Eleanor

Michael’s little [“you okay”] smile to Janet when Jason calls Tahani his wife ☹️☹️☹️☹️

Tahani’s immediately hostile expression on learning that one of Eleanor’s parents is alive and made Eleanor mourn them or no reason:

Love this episode of Tahani and Eleanor confronting their family trauma head on

“Can we do this for all the paintings?” JANET-JASON BONDING TIME ❤️❤️❤️ THEY ARE THE SLOW-BURN ROMANCE AT THE HEART OF THIS SHOW

“Young lady, you will stop this nonsense, go to the PTA meeting and support your mother, I won’t hear another word about it.” AWWW MICHAEL TRYING OUT THE DAD VIBES

“All of your fears are mine now.” Lmao @ Kamilah sussing out the one thing that could disrupt Chidi’s pursuit of helping his friend

Michael The Eleanor’s Dad Friend and Torture Architect and Dave The Eleanor’s Stepdad and Regular Architect is sooooo cute. I love when Michael makes new friends

“Why can’t you accept that she might be living a good, honest life? That she’s an attentive partner and a good mom?” “Because I wanted that mom!” Wow this really is the sibling trauma ep 

 Michael referring to himself as Eleanor’s self-appointed father figure 😭❤️

 “They were wankers, weren’t they?” THIS IS SIBLING CULTURE!!!!

Hahahaha Michael’s little suspicious side comments about human things like going to the bathroom kill me 

Also the fact that they have human bodies on Earth but no digestion LMAO

“I’m glad my mom has changed, but that doesn’t fix all the damage that she did to me.” A healthy and honest way to look at it ❤️

“I have no real ability to gauge physical attractiveness in humans.” Michael said: Don’t ever ask me if you looked hot again, Eleanor, it’s icky and I hated that

I love the Mirror Centaur, it’s both a good bit of self-reflection for Tahani and an expansion of the lore

Eleanor and Chidi’s love story is cute but I am threatened by title of the ep (The Worst Possible Use of Free Will)

“There’s no such thing as soulmates, you dingus.” OMG MICHAEL

“It’s a basic reality show playbook. Put a bunch of attractive young people in stressful situations, so they act like idiots and have sex with each other.” ELEANOR EXPLAINING HER FEELINGS AWAY WITH DETERMINISM AND REALITY TV

However, she makes some pretty good points lmao 

I love seeing what they write on these Split-Second Prop Boards LOL:

“What if all YOUR choices are predetermined?” Eleanor said I see your 15-million-point-torture-plan, Michael and raise you one (1) frustrating woman who has studied a lot of philosophy and hates admitting to affection 

“Because if everything is determined and we have no free will, then all this stuff we’re doing to put more good into the world is pointless. And I want to believe that it matters.” MICHAEL ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ WE LOVE ONE (1) DEMON WHO LITERALLY UNDERSTANDS THE MECHANICS OF THE UNIVERSE AND STILL CHOOSES TO HAVE HIS OWN BELIEFS

Omg hey Vicky aka Real Eleanor, long time no see

I have no idea who they’ve cast as the model of Humanity’s Potential for the Good Place in Rural Canada but I am hoping and placing my bet that it’s William Daniels (Mr. Feeny of Boy Meets World)

Update from 10 seconds later: IT’S NOT, IT’S DOUG FORCETT, THE GUY WHO GUESSED MOST OF THE AFTERLIFE

Ggkhgjhgkjh all these reflections on how people help each other to become better, and Janet and Michael choose Doug Pisswater, Friend to Snails, as their new Jesus

I love when Jason and Chidi hang out. It teaches Chidi to chill out!! The lessons go both ways

“When is the right time to tell someone you were passionate lovers in an alternate timeline in the afterlife, but he doesn’t remember because technically none of that happened in this strand of the multiverse?” I feel like this is a better question for Eleanor to ask Janet than Tahani

Hee hee hee, Jason and Chidi bonding is soooo cute:

OMG THIS HAS ESCALATED SO FAST, THE BAR OF DEMONS HAS ARRIVED

Still kills me that Bambadjan is playing Bambadjan

Also, HOW DOES DOUSING A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL IN ALCOHOL NOT ACT AS AN ACCELERANT 

“Screw this. Let’s fight.” YEAHHHHHHHH JANET, GET ‘EM

Honestly, for a show about morality, it has been surprisingly void of fight scenes until now

“Is it just me, or is Janet a straight-up hottie right now?” I gotta applaud Eleanor for her consistency

“I don’t want just any wasp nostrils, I want these wasp nostrils.” I guess Janet and Michael have inadvertently made their friends the most desirable people for the Bad Place because it’s been so hard to keep them in hell LOL

[Kicks Shawn through a portal] “I mean, why let the guy keep saying mean stuff?” Michael and Janet are an unbeatable duo

I love that they’re starting to actually interrogate the system itself:

Season 1: Something is wrong in the Good Place - we will learn about ethics to earn our place here

Season 2: We need to escape the Bad Place - we have learned enough to justify not being punished for moral failures we have made progress on

Season 3: We have escaped death, but now we need to decide what goodness in people actually means, and why we are even subscribing to this model to begin with

Incredibly impressed by D’Arcy Carden’s ability to embody each of the other four main characters. I wonder if they did this shot for shot with the other actors!!!

“So, literally the entire universe is against you.” Poor four humans, caught in the middle of an interdimensional ethical struggle

“If I’m right, we will find proof that the Bad Place is tampering with the points system.” Call me crazy, but I think the underlying issue is the existence of a point system, and I hope there’s something beyond that scope that explains why the afterlife is so fucked up

“We’re in a void, in the body of a white lady--” “Not a lady.” I also love this consistency and Janet’s she-her-and-Not-a-Lady energy

“Let’s all say white people things. ‘Billy Joel.’ ‘I found it on Etsy.’ ‘There was nowhere to park.’ ‘Did you refill the Brita?’” HAHAHAHHAHAHA I also love that 3/4 of the people Janet is embodying are not white. I can’t imagine what I’d do if I died and woke up white. I don’t think I’d do well as a white person

ELEANOR USING THE VOID TO SUMMON A PUPPY FOR CHIDI. I LOVE HOW MANY DOGS CHIDI GETS TO PLAY WITH THIS SEASON, IT’S SO MANY MORE DOGS THAN ANY PREVIOUS SEASON

“Richard Moore of Sugar Land, Texas, hollowed out an eggplant and filled it with hot sauce and nickels.” I don’t know why this is so funny, but it is

Eleanor 🤝 Chidi 

Using philosophy lessons to explain away your feelings

“Just because you don’t remember doing something, doesn’t mean you didn’t do it. I have no idea how it happened, but there is definitely a tattoo on my butt that says, ‘Jasom.’” Jason’s philosophical commentary is both practical and true 

Michael is so mad for humanity not being allowed into the Good Place ❤️‍🩹

I’m now leaning towards the idea that there ISN’T a Good Place. Why haven’t we met anyone from there, expect that one person in that Mindy St. Clair video LOL

“I was just chillin’ being nothing, and then all of a sudden, I was.” Hahahah, Void Pillboi thinks, therefore he is 

“When was the last time someone got into the Good Place?” “The last time someone got into the Good Place was... 521 years ago.” !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The real question is how Jason-Janet and Eleanor-Janet managed to switch clothing without Chidi-Janet noticing LOL they’re all in one void

[In falsetto] “I’m Chidi, I’m Eleanor, I’m Arizona shrimp horny.” Every line on this show, but especially Jason’s, deserves an Emmy

I just looked it up and this show didn’t receive a SINGLE Emmy? Whack

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS WE ARE FINALLY GETTING JASON TO KNOW THAT HE AND JANET WERE MARRIED AGAIN (this is also how I feel when I look at Jason:

“If he’s not gonna to fix this, who is?” “You, Michael.” DEMON FRIEND GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Chidi monologuing everything he knows about Eleanor to save her identity because who she is matters so much to him 🥺❤️🥺❤️🥺❤️

I CANNOT BELIEVE WE GOT A SIMULTANEOUS JANET/JANET, ELEANOR/JANET, CHIDI/JANET KISS. INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOOD FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“I need one of you to volunteer to do something outrageously insane that will either make you cease to exist or be really fun.” JASON JASON JASON

HAHAHAHAHAH the immediate follow-up in them realizing it didn’t actually give them any information by having Jason go up the mail tube first

“Holy forking shirtballs. We’re in the Good Place.” WOO, GO TEAM COCKROACH

“What kind of a messed-up place would turn away refugees.” SO many, Jason 

HAHAHAHAH Jason adding insane and bizarre details to their lies, but to be fair in a Good-Place-Accounting-Bad-Place trichotomy I guess it is somewhat believable to be chased by a Dracula with a bazooka

Awwwww now Chidi is comforting Eleanor about her Good Place crisis! You know what that is! Growth

I love Gwendolyn the Good Place Mailwoman With No Follow-Up Questions

“I feel bad that I sort of like, read her diary, and she doesn’t know.” Jason has his own moral code and it incudes minding ya business ❤️

“Why not have our first date four Oreos away from paradise?” Chidi DOES have a romantic bone in his non-corporeal body

“Every single Bad Place employee is a disgusting monster.” Awww, poor Michael

“Are all humans as attractive as you two [Tahani and Jason]?” [Chuckles] “No.” TRUE LMAO HOTTEST FRIENDS

CHIDI DRESSING UP A SEXY MAILMAN FOR THEIR FIRST DATE. BEST BOYFRIEND

How is letting people be tortured for hundreds of years a morally neutral action? I just don’t believe that this version of the Good Place exists

TAHANI MAKING AN DEATH DID US PART CERTIFICATE SO JANET AND JASON DON’T FEEL BURDENED BY THE TAHANI-JASON MARRIAGE. I LOVE THESE FRIENDS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

“’There is only one time that is important, now. It is the only time when we have any power.’“ I love Chidi’s philosophy comments that are driven out of love from the people around him. I know he’s quoting Tolstoy but still

“You gotta try.” ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ELEANOR SHELLSTROP, PHILOSOPHER

Eleanor using this as an immediate segue into sex HAHAHAHA

“There are so many unintended consequences to well-intentioned actions. Feels like a game you can’t win.” THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING

TAHANI AND JANET CRYING BECAUSE THEY LOVE THEIR FRIENDS SO MUCH AND JASON CRYING BECAUSE HE LIKES TO BE PART OF THINGS:

“Any chance I can change real quick?” “No.” TIME TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE AS A SEXY MAILMAN, CHIDI

“Do you wanna try being boyfriend-girlfriend?” “I’m not a girl. But yes, I’d very much like to go on a date with you, somewhere, sometime.” JASONJANET IS BACK BAYBEEEEEEEEE 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

“I never yelled at Big Noodle for being late again, because I knew hard it was for him to be there.” I LOVE philosophy lessons with Jason

Michael keeps saying if people don’t agree with him, they can kill him and his homies, as if he has not, at every turn, gotten his friends out of harm’s way every single time someone has wanted to get rid of them, and literally in the same episode said he would throw them into the next dimensional portal to keep trying. Michael said: My moral code is Janet’s ride-or-die protocol

“Also, I guess I’m Black, and they do not like Black ladies down there.” HOW CAN THE ALL-KNOWING JUDGE OF THE UNIVERSE NOT KNOW ABOUT RACISM AND MISOGYNOIR???

“Oh no, you are nobody’s problem, sweetheart.” Finally someone other than Eleanor appreciating Chidi for his looks hahahahah

Jason and Janet are so excellent at communicating their feelings. ALSO I LOVE JEALOUS JASON, RECIPROCITY:

It has not been lost on me this whole time that Janet and Jason, and Chidi and Eleanor, have had to fall in love at least three separate times over three separate universes over three separate seasons. I can’t wait for them to get some time to actually BE in love, together, continuously

Also I hope Tahani finds someone she loves (though gunning for it not to be a white man though LOL)

NOT ELEANOR REQUESTING TO LIVE IN THE TORTURE CLOWN HOUSE ❤️ I ALSO KINDA MISSED IT

OMG NO THAT’S SO SAD, THEY’RE GONNA MAKE THE FOUR HUMANS EXPERIENCE ACTUAL TORTURE (NOT JUST EMOTIONAL TURMOIL) FROM THEIR BEST DEMON BUDDY’S FACE

“It’s going to be so amazing watching your four BFFs look so sad and betrayed and confused, as you, their reformed demon daddy, unleash a swarm of... penis-bees.” EVEN SADDER, THEIR REFORMED DEMON DADDY 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 MICHAEL!!!!!!!

Michael experiencing his first panic attack in the very first step of the experiment lmao

HAHAHAHAHAHAH Eleanor immediately jumping in as architect. There were so many better ways to handle this. Just have Janet knock him out again 

“You’re like the Blake Bortles of whatever’s going on right now.” These is a very good compliment from Jason, he holds Eleanor in high esteem

ALSO JASON BEING BACK IN HIS JIANYU OUTFITS HA

NOT JOHN BEING THE PEREZ HILTON OF THE GOOD PLACE

I like that Simone’s back, and I hope she ends up as Tahani’s lover this time around, that’d be fun and a nice way to wrap up the couples

Chidi requesting for a mind-wipe to avoid his ex so he has to fall in love with Eleanor a fourth (FOUR HUNDREDTH) TIME OH MY GOD 

“This is a classic human situation. Your friends are going through something awful, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Harsh but true

“Every time you see me get a stomach-ache, imagine I’m thinking of you.” “So, all the time.” 😭😭😭😭😭

Of this whole romantic montage of all of Eleanor and Chidi’s memories, it’s them on the boat together that got me. Eleanor being part of Chidi’s idea of a perfect day. Something something existing in each other’s comfort zone

I did not expect for anything to make me tear up but Chidi’s voice breaking as he said he was going to miss Eleanor got me

“Time means nothing. Jeremy Bearimy, baby. We’ll get through this, and then you and I will chill out in the dot in the i forever.” Chidi is SO romantic now. That’s growth!!!!!!!!!!

Eleanor and Janet have truly been on the same romantic page this whole time. They have parallel journeys of love and loss

“In the words of the man that I love: I got you dog.” JANET 😭❤️ 

I really do love this show so much 

[macaroni-rascal]

Montreal Worlds 2024 Day 2&3

HOLY WOW! What a couple days that was. This is going to be a wild ramble and bullet point list of things that I can remember and stick out in the onslaught of skating that I've seen in the past 48 hours. It's also 11:30pm, so bear with me.

MEN'S SHORT

Roman clean program? In front of me and God and all of Montreal? Utterly wild, so exciting in the building.

Aleksandr Selevko is such a force, I enjoyed his skate SO much, what a magnetic skater.

JASON BROWN. What a serve, he is so beloved, you could just tell the whole crowd was so behind him and love him so much, it was such a stunning piece of skating.

The announcer's saying Lukas Britschgi instead of Deniss was so hilarious, and he had a lovely skate to boot.

Speaking of Lukas, LOVED him, he's so fun.

YUMAAAAAAAA. That is all.

Shoma Uno made me cry and he needs to pay for emotional damages, he had such a good warm up I was buzzing and kept excitedly hitting my friend's knee whenever he landed another clean jump. QUAD TOE TRIPLE TOE!

Ilia was there.

PAIRS FREE PROGRAM

DEANNA STELLATO THE WOMAN THAT YOU ARE. The fact that she normally has such an intense reaction post good skate, but instead this time she just leaned forward, half crying, going 'oh my god' made me cry too. The roof blew off the fucking place. It was a singular moment in my life. I am just so unbelievably happy for her and all that she has achieved. Max was so good, so steady, so fucking wonderful. I am in awe of this team.

Glad M/K went back to that free program, a shame about her doubling, and wow did she ever take it hard. It's definitely their best program, for the love of God Bruno Marcotte STOP LETTING YOUR FUCKING SISTER CHOREOGRAPH EVERY SINGLE PROGRAM. DON'T ME COME TO OAKVILLE! I'LL DO IT!

So so happy for Hase and Volodin, they had such a lovely skate, a very well deserved medal, they've had such momentum all season.

Moment of silence of Conti and Macii, that was rough.

Pairs in person made me age about 15 years, so if I have grey hair in the coming months, I know who to blame. Holy shit, it's exhilarating but also tense as hell. I loved it!

RHYTHM DANCE

Hannah Lim, you're a fucking star.

Mrazkes are deeply underwhelming, like wow, they skate very small.

Lopareva and Brissaud also skate very very small. I kept looking up at the time thinking the program would be over and it wasn't. Not a fan at all.

Cpom CRUSHED IT and it was so awesome to see.

LAJOIE AND LAGHA MY LOVES! Easily the performance of the night, and not even close. So glad they got here after battling injury, so proud of them.

Gilles and Poirier are slooooooooooow. Very slow. Maybe the slowest of the last two groups. It's glaring. How have they not worked on this? They also skate small.

Guignard and Fabbri had a good lift, and a cringe everything else.

I just watched Evan during their performance and wow does he do not a lot. It's the Madi show and he's barely a supporting actor.

Fear and Gibson were there.

WOMEN'S FREE

KAORI KAORI KAORI KAORI.

Besides her heinous jumps, Isabeau created a moment, and it was lovely to experience.

Big ups to Chaeyon Kim for a solid, if boring and slightly cold, free skate. On this night, a well deserved bronze.

Leona, oh Leona. The whole crowd deflated when she fell. Such a shame.

OKAY SO CUTE MOMENT! So Kimmy Repond's dad was sitting ldown and across from me two rows, he was about 4 feet from me. I didn't know he was her dad at the start, but I knew by the end, because he was SO dad about the whole skate. Then when she skated clean, he jumped up, a man below me went and shook his hand and went "Are you her dad?" and he got tears in his eyes, put his hand on his chest, and went 'She is my daughter." I just about sobbed my brains out. So beautiful. He then didn't clap once for the next Swiss skater, which I do not fault him for, major dad behaviour.

Moment of silence for Amber Glenn.

Josefin Taljegard, I love you.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

The people around me and I all started chatting about 30 minutes into the women's free skate, by the end of it, I would go to war for all of them. Camaraderie between skating fans is very fun.

Still a giant fuck you to the woman who asked me if NikS. raped me when I pointed out to my friend he shouldn't be competing, special place in hell for you, you hot garbage person.

I got very cold during the women's free, got a hot chocolate, it wasn't good, but it saved my life, and for that I thank it.

Accidentally got up late (9:36am for a rendez vous at 10am) for breakfast with my brother, still arrived at 10:01am, I am a superhero.

Still fuck the seats in the venue, they need about 4 inches on all sides to be even remotely comfortable, including 4 more inches of leg room. We are humans, not dead sardines, for the love of GOD.

Kaori's speed and power made me gasp a few times.

I can't remember anything else but I know other things happened, ah well, it's almost midnight, I ordered late night pizza take out like a boss, I'm gonna eat that, unwind, and hopefully sleep more than four hours.

GODSPEED!

[maybeimamuppet]

picking teams- chapter 1: janis

what's popping muppets hello and welcome to the first not oneshot story i'm doing woooo!! based on the image below ooh ahh

this will have the same upload schedule as my usual stuff (that is to say, there isn't one) so just. keep an eye out if you want to follow this and i'll update it whenever i can! the working title for this chapter was 'my suffering is eternal' so that should. tell you about what to expect. have fun with that!

also please be aware i know next to nothing about football and google was wildly unhelpful so please excuse anything that isn't. spectacularly accurate.

tw for

usage of homo/lesbophobic slurs

vague threats

enjoy!

—————

"I want to try out for the football team."

Damian briefly continues stirring around his half-melted frozen yogurt while he processes what his friend has just said. Once it sinks in, he snaps his head up. 

"What?"

"I want to try out for the football team," Janis repeats. Damian blinks at her in confusion. 

"But..."

"But what? But I'm a girl?" Janis huffs. 

"You know it's not that, Jan," Damian replies gently. "But you're not exactly... athletic. Or fond of men. Or activities. Or running, or throwing, or... moving." 

"I know, but my dad says I have to 'be more active' or something," Janis huffs, taking a bite of her salted caramel yogurt with M&M's on top. "And I may not be athletic, but we both know I am entirely motivated by spite. So I wanna do it."

"Why not cheer with me, though?" Damian asks. 

"Do you really need to ask that?" Janis says, raising an eyebrow. Damian looks at her in confusion. "Who's your team captain, dipshit?"

"Reg- ohhhhh," Damian says as the realization finally hits. "Well, there's no need to be rude."

"I'd never make it on the cheer team even if I wanted to," Janis sighs. "And I don't. Especially not with her running the show." 

"She's not so bad," Damian says weakly. Janis glares at him. "She's a good cheerleader."

"But a fucking terrible human," Janis huffs. Damian nods. "You don't have to lie to me like that, D. I go to your practices, I see how she talks to you. You don't deserve that."

"But it's nothing in comparison," Damian replies. Both of them know what he means by it, and Janis gives a weak nod. 

"I guess not. But she still shouldn't talk to you that way."

"Babe, it's Regina, it's what she does. If I tried to get her to stop tormenting us we'd both be slaughtered," Damian chuckles sardonically. "But... I don't know if you'll have any more luck with the football team."

 "What do you mean?" Janis asks, switching their cups of yogurt so they can have the last bite of each other's, like they always do. "It's not like I'm going for, like, quarterback or anything. I probably won't make it, and if I do I'll spend the season on the bench. Practices are active enough to make my dad happy." 

"Jan, have you seen the boys on the team?" Damian says gently. "Aaron Samuels. Glenn Coco. Shane Oman."

"Aaron's not terrible," Janis replies. "Just has shit taste in women." 

"Yeah, you have that in common," Damian hums. "So maybe it won't be so bad for you after all." 

"Shut up," Janis grumbles. "Where are you going?" 

"If you're serious about this, you need some major practice, little slice. Come on," Damian says, motioning for her to join him.

"Now?" 

"No time like the present," Damian shrugs. Janis whines and follows him out to his mom's car. 

"Fiiiiine."

—————

"So how do I football, oh wise one?" Janis asks, in some of Damian's cheer practice clothes, since she had nothing even approaching activewear.

"Janis. Darling. Look at me," Damian says. "Why the hell would I know?" 

"Do you even watch the games you cheer for?"

"I don't... watch... what they're doing," Damian mumbles in embarrassment. Janis snorts. 

"Gay."

"Exactly," Damian says. 

"Then why are we here?" Janis asks. 

"Because I Googled it," Damian grins ominously, brandishing his phone. "And from what I found, this is the end of our friendship."

"Oh, joy."

—-

Damian is nearly right. Janis doesn't even lay a hand on a football that first day, she just tap dances with Damian to practice moving her feet ridiculously quickly and carefully (and eats shit several times in the process), does his physical pre-show warm ups to start building up her muscles, and 'runs' a whole mile. 

Damian drives next to her on his grandmother's Jazzy, and manages to keep pace with her. It makes sense Janis isn't exactly up to speed yet, having never run... any distance at all. 

"Go Jan! You're almost there!" Damian cheers as he pulls back into his driveway. 

"I... am gonna... fucking... kill you," Janis puffs in aggravation and exhaustion. 

"This was your idea, boo." 

"I'm next to go," Janis continues panting, snatching the offered water bottle from him and chugging it. She wrenches the lid off when it doesn't come out fast enough for her tastes and downs the rest of it in one go. 

"Damn." Damian says. "That bad?"

"This is the end," Janis gasps as she pulls away from the bottle. "I'm dying. Goodbye."

Damian watches as she flops down onto the burning hot asphalt of his driveway and doesn't seem to care at all. He heads over and leans into her view. 

"Actually, if you're serious about this, you have to do this every day between now and tryouts." 

"I'm actually gonna end everything you love," Janis gripes, wiggling crankily on the ground. "I swear to god."

"Sure, Jan." Damian says. "Whatever makes you feel better."

"I will! You watch me," Janis says, trying to stand. "I'll do it right now!" 

"You can't even stand up, Janjan."

"Yes I can!" Janis yells. She continues trying to get up, but once she's rolled onto her stomach, she admits defeat. "Help."

"Come on, you gotta get some rest," Damian sighs, hauling her up onto his back and carrying her inside. 

"Thanks mom."

—————

Barely; after several threats to quit and with a couple miracles, Janis makes it to tryouts. Damian and her sister both dragged her through her exercises every day, and watched football games with her so she could learn to understand the terms and observe the motions she'd need to replicate. 

She hopes it's worth it. 

"You got this," Damian says, helping her into the padding they'd borrowed from the school supply. It doesn't fit right and it smells... beyond questionable, but it'll do for tryouts. "Those boys won't know what hit them."

"The smell of this padding," Janis says with a wince. 

"Maybe it'll work in your favor," Damian says. "But you are showering before we leave, that's revolting." 

"Mmkay," Janis grumbles. 

"Confidence, remember the tap dancing," Damian says. "Now go and be golden."

"You need to work on your pep talks," Janis calls over her shoulder as she jogs to join the crowd of jock boys standing around the coach. 

Coach Carr blinks in surprise when he sees her approach them. "You in the right group, little miss? Cheer tryouts are in a few weeks."

"Do I look like I want to try out for the cheer team?" Janis asks, gesturing to her getup. "I'm in the right place. And my name is Janis. I'm not your 'little miss'."

"You've got an attitude," the coach says, looking her up and down. "Good. Over there, Sarkisian." 

Janis takes a deep breath to calm her nerves and stands in line on the yard line she's directed to. 

"Alright you feckless maggots," the coach yells after blasting his whistle at them from point blank range. "If you're here, it best be to play football. I won't have any pansies on my team. I'm tough, you will get hurt, you will get your feelings hurt. If you can't handle that, leave. Now."

To Janis' surprise, a couple of the boys do step out of line and go get their things. They look like freshmen anyway. 

"Okay! Hope the rest of you have what it takes. To start with, running. Looking for speed and consistency. Pacing. To the end zone and back, go!"

With another blast of his whistle, he sets everyone off. Janis tries to remember what she learned while she practiced with Damian. Pacing. Take it steady.

She repeats that mantra to herself as she narrows in on the end zone she's running to. She focuses on the feeling of her shoes hitting the turf, the thumping echoing up her legs and the feeling of her breaths filling her lungs. In and out, slow and steady. 

Janis is so focused on herself and her pacing that she doesn't notice how far ahead of everyone she is. Until she hits the end zone and turns around to run the other way. 

All of the boys are well behind her, even with her steady pacing. The closest to her is Shane Oman, and even he's a solid four feet behind her. He glares at her beneath his helmet as she runs past him the other way. 

Janis grins to herself. Maybe all that running practice did pay off. 

She's definitely the first to cross the finish line, and slows down a bit to cool down before she comes to a complete stop and catches her breath. The boys follow her lead and cross the line one by one. 

"Coach, this is bullshit," Shane yells around gasping breaths, pointing to Janis. "She shouldn't be here! She runs like a girl!" 

"She beat you, dickwad," Aaron Samuels huffs, smacking him on the back of the head. "Just shut up, for once."

Janis grins slightly under her helmet, and Aaron gives her a small nod back. Nice to know she'll have at least one decent teammate if she makes it.

"Nicely done gents!" Coach calls after yet another unnecessary whistle blast. Janis coughs a bit to remind him of her presence. "And Sarkisian. Alright, if I call your number, get lost. Twelve, thirty-four, twenty-one, seven,  eighteen, forty-six."

Janis looks down at her jersey. Twenty-eight. She's still in. 

"Next up is kicking! Looking for good form, accuracy, distance. Oman, you're up first." 

Shane heads over to the coach by the 20 yard line. The coach holds the ball for him, and watches as he kicks it perfectly through the field goal.

Janis is nervous. All her footwork didn't prepare her for this, she never worked on her kicking. Shane's form was incredible, his distance amazing. Will she measure up?

She's one of the last ones to go, watching as some of the other boys try and fail miserably. One kicks the ball a solid ten feet to the left of the goal, actually making Damian duck in the bleachers to avoid being hit. Another only kicks the ball about four feet in front of him, and another accidentally kicks the coach in the head full force.

They're all told to leave rather quickly. 

Janis goes after Aaron, who also managed to get it near perfect. She knows she can't beat him, but she can do her best. She played soccer for about half an hour when she was six years old, how different could this be?

As it turns out, very. She gets good distance, only coming about two feet short of the goal, but she can feel that her form and aim are off. She winces slightly and looks at the coach, expecting to be told off. 

But, to her surprise, he just waves her back with the others. Janis sighs in a mix of terror and relief and heads back. Aaron gives her another nod, as if to say, "Nicely done." Janis nods back as they wait for the next drill. 

Her training with Damian comes in very handy as they get to footwork, and she aces that area. Tap dancing seems to have worked better than she thought. When it comes to tackling, she just remembers what Damian told her. 

Imagine it's Regina George's true form.

Everyone is more than a little concerned for the state of their practice dummy, after that.

More and more of the boys are picked off, and soon she's only left with about fifteen other people. The coach seems very surprised about her knowledge of all the different plays and calls, to which Janis just smirks. Sure, she spent a whole week studying and Damian quizzed her whenever he got the chance, but nobody else needs to know that. 

The last drill of the day is passing. Janis is nervous again. If she fails this, there's no way she makes it on the team. But does she really want to do well?

Yes, she realizes. She recognizes a few of the boys she's left with. Shane Oman and his cronies, basically Regina George's little bodyguards. She has to show these jocks, who used to shove her in lockers and stab her with pencils and Sharpie slurs on her locker; that she is just as capable as them. To hell with her muscles. 

She heads over and gets into a pair with a boy she doesn't recognize. Must be a freshman. 

Janis snaps the ball towards him in the best form she can manage. He fumbles slightly, but does manage to catch it. Janis tries to remember what she learned about catching. She yelps a bit when the ball comes back her way and throws her hands up in front of her face to protect herself. 

"Sarkisian, what are you doing?!" Coach calls. "Don't be afraid to get hit. Throw it back, come on."

Janis breathes, takes a step back. Motions for her partner to step even further back. Breathes again, grips the ball, prepares to throw it, feels her form strengthen, winds up, and...

Drops it at her feet. 

"Fuck," she whispers under her breath. Distantly, she can hear Shane sneer at her from his spot further down the lines. 

"Again. Go, now," Coach demands. Janis nods. 

"Go Janis! You can do it, come on!" Damian yells from his spot on the bleachers, waving invisible pompoms. Janis rolls her eyes lovingly as she picks the ball back up and gets ready to throw it again. 

Another deep breath, and she throws. 

Quite well, if she does say so herself. 

The ball soars past her partner's head and beyond him, landing about six feet behind him after a beautiful arc through the air. 

She looks to Coach Carr to see what he thought. But she gets no reaction. 

"Alright pansies, water break! I need to deliberate and then I'll announce who made the team and your positions." 

Janis jogs back over to Damian to get her water bottle. "How have I been doing?"

"Pretty well, I think. You're definitely the best runner. And I saw Shane mess up passing too," Damian responds.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Damian says. "If Coach Carr can drop his sexism for ten seconds, I think you have a decent chance of making it."

"Huh," Janis hums. She looks across the field to where the coach is vehemently yelling into his phone at someone. She can vaguely make out the words, 'But she's a girl!' 

"Hey, lesbo," she hears a voice say. She instinctively braces for impact. "I'm fucking talking to you."

Janis is shaking in her cleats, but trying desperately not to let it show. She turns and sees none other than Shane Oman looming over her. "Hey, Shane."

"Don't 'hey' me, dyke," he spits. Almost literally. "The hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Playing football?" Janis responds, feigning innocence. 

"You better watch your back," Shane says. "But there's no way Coach would let you on the team anyway."

"You sure about that? I did beat you at a few of these drills," Janis smirks.

"You little-" Shane begins, getting pushed back by another hand. 

"Man, back off," Aaron huffs. "She's not worth it."

"Yeah? What's it to you, fag? She your girlfriend?"

"You do see how that's a contradiction, there, right?" Janis replies. 

"Fuck you, Sarkisian," Shane huffs, walking away with some of his lackeys trailing behind him. 

"No thanks, I'm queer. And good luck, by the way!" Janis calls after him with a smile. 

"Bold words, Jan," Damian says, giving her a sly fist bump. Janis smirks at him. 

"I don't even care if I make it now, that was really satisfying."

She looks for Aaron to thank him for his help, but he's already off talking with someone else. Janis shrugs and turns around. 

Coach Carr returns then, seeming much more dejected than he has throughout the rest of tryouts. 

"Alright ladies! Over here, listen up," he half-yells. Janis raises an eyebrow at his choice of expression and heads over. "If I call your name you're on, you pick up your official jerseys on the first day of school. Stop by the office on your way out to order them, and you're in charge of the rest of your uniform."

"Yes, coach," they all say in unison. Janis doesn't quite get the memo and is a bit behind the boys, but she gets the words out. 

"Abel, JV, bench. Coco, JV, bench," the coach calls. Glenn hollers a 'Yes!' and high fives a few people around him. They're getting closer and closer to the end of the alphabet. Janis' ears start ringing and she can barely hear. Until... "Samuels, varsity, wide receiver. Sarkisian... varsity, quarterback." 

"What?" Janis asks in shock. Quarterback? How?

Shane yells the same question at the same time. "What?! I'm just the running back?! Why the hell does she get QB?!" 

"Because Sarkisian has the skills. And I heard you over here, Oman, and she's a better leader. I'm not happy about it either, but she's the best candidate," Coach Carr says. "But Sarkisian. One fuck up and you're outta here. I got plenty of decent boys to replace you."

"Yes, coach," Janis says, already determined to stick around. Quarterback. Holy shit.

"Alright, get lost. I'll see you on the first day of school for first practice, first game is two Fridays later. Rest up and hydrate, go. Well done today." 

Janis runs over to Damian with a wide smile on her face. Damian gapes at her. "Quarterback?!"

"Seems that way," Janis shrugs. She winces at the texture of her padding against her skin now that she's been sweating in it. "God, I feel like I've been swimming. I'm gonna have to shower for a week."

"Eew!" Damian screeches, wiggling his way up the bleachers away from her. Janis cackles and wags her fingers ominously, threatening to chase him with her sweaty gross-ness. "You're definitely showering before we leave, this little situation is not happening in my car. You're all icky."

"Thanks," Janis says, taking another swig of her water.

"Anytime."

—-

Janis takes a brisk shower in absolutely freezing water in the locker room. Damian waits outside the stall on a bench, scrolling through his phone. They have the whole locker room to themselves, since the cheer team isn't practicing yet and Janis is the only girl on the football team (!!!!). 

"Jan? What's your email password?"

"No," Janis replies. 

"But-" 

"Why the hell do you need my email password?" Janis huffs as she turns off the water and starts drying herself off. 

"They just sent out our schedules, I wanna see what we have together," Damian begs. 

"Still, no," Janis hums. She screams as Damian's arm suddenly pops under the stall door, offering her his phone. "Christ, dude! Can you not wait, like, ten seconds?!" 

"Do you really need to ask that? Hurry up, this floor is gross," Damian whines.

Janis snatches the phone, but opens the camera instead to take goofy selfies with her towel hat. She clicks it off and pretends she's signed in as she passes it back under the door and starts pulling on her clothes. 

"Hey! You know I already have a very limited amount of storage!" Damian whines

"You gave me your phone, you accepted that as a possibility when you did," Janis replies as she unlocks the door and heads to grab her hairbrush. 

"Come oonnnn," Damian begs. "Just to check your schedule."

"No," Janis insists, looking in the mirror to make sure she gets her hair thoroughly combed out.

"But whyyyyy?" Damian whines. "I'm not gonna hack your school email, come on." 

"It's not that," Janis mumbles, yanking through a particularly stubborn knot in her hair. Damian winces at the sound, in pain by proxy. 

"Then what is it?" he asks. Janis starts brushing her hair even more aggressively. "Girl, chill with the brush before you go bald and answer me."

"I don't want to see my schedule." 

"Oh." Damian replies. "Wait, what? Why?"

Janis sighs, bracing on the sink and looking at herself in the mirror. "Because what if we don't have the same schedule anymore? I can't handle that."

"Yeah you can, Janjan," Damian says quietly, gently taking the brush and delicately combing through the spots on the back of her head that she'd missed on her own. "You've grown a lot since last year. And it's not like you'll never see me even if we do have different schedules. We still have lunch, and the mornings. And we're always together after school anyway." 

"But what if I have something with Regina?" Janis whines. 

"Then you try to do it," Damian replies. "And if you can't, you have all of the guidance office wrapped around your little finger. You'll get your schedule shifted and that'll be that." 

"Can you stop being rational and calming for once in your life?" Janis grumbles, tying her still damp hair back into a ponytail. Damian daintily picks up her smelly gym bag and hands it to her as quickly as he possibly can. 

"No. I've seen Janis-nadoes before, I'm not letting you spiral ever again," he laughs, following Janis out of the girls' locker room and out of the building. 

"I'm not that bad," Janis says, making a very slow beeline to Damian's mom's car and yanking on the door handle. "Lemme innnnn." 

"Stop doing that and I will," Damian replies, unlocking the door for her and sliding in. Janis winces at the blast of hot air from his car, but begrudgingly tosses her bag into his backseat and climbs in next to him. Damian looks confused when she holds out a hand. "What?"

"I'll check my schedule," Janis mumbles, pouting like a small child who's been asked to do their chores. Damian gently ruffles her hair and hands his phone over. 

Janis taps into her school email address, and opens Damian's in another tab so she can compare them easily. "Ha! You have math first period." 

Damian almost veers them into a stop sign. "Fuck! Noooo."

"Kindly don't kill us," Janis hums. "Nooo, I have it too!" 

"You're coming down with me," Damian says ominously. Janis scoots away from him a little bit and continues looking. 

"And we have... politics, and... English together," she continues. 

"See, three out of seven isn't bad, you can handle that," Damian says gently. "And like I said, we still have lunch together. You're not getting rid of me."

"Try as I might," Janis sighs. 

"It's not too late for you to walk."

"No, no, I take it back!" 

"That's what I thought," Damian grins. 

"You have too much power now, I don't like this," Janis humphs, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"When you get a car you can torture me all you want," Damian replies. Janis snorts.

"When." 

"It'll happen. You just don't manifest enough," Damian says. 

"Uhhuh," Janis chuckles. "That's why I don't have it yet, I haven't manifested enough. It's definitely not just because I'm too broke for a car."

"Don't knock it 'til you try it," Damian pouts. He looks at her briefly to find his friend with her eyes closed and breathing deeply. "What are you doing?"

"Manifesting ice cream," Janis responds, popping one eye open to look at him. She grins victoriously as he sighs and starts driving them that way.

—————

Janis takes a deep breath as she stands face to face with the doors of North Shore High once again. She's been back quite recently for tryouts and other football things, but it's not the same without the pressures of schoolwork and the threat of a certain ever-present blonde.

Damian meets her by her locker, which gives her a bit more confidence. She shoves all the books she doesn't need into it without a second thought and slams it shut. 

There's a girl Janis doesn't recognize talking to their math teacher when they walk in. She's absolutely tiny, probably not even five feet tall and 120 pounds at most. She's swimming in a too-large flannel top and green vest covered in patches. Janis can't make out any details from this distance, but she grins at seeing someone else who decorates their clothes. The girl also has on cargo shorts that make Janis feel Some Type Of Way and... socks with sandals. Dear god.

The girl rushes out the door when the bell rings, auburn hair flowing behind her. Janis stares after her for a long moment. She only snaps back into the real world when her phone buzzes in her pocket. 

She slides into the seat next to Damian and pulls it out, to see a text from him. 

damdam: 👀👀👀👀

damdam: I spy with my little gay eyes

damdam: Some gay ass shit 

janjan: then u need glasses 

damdam: You were totally checking her out 

janjan: so what if i was?? she left 

damdam: Jan theres only like 300 kids in our grade you're gonna see her again at some point 

janjan: doesn't mean i'll talk to her 

janjan: and it doesn't mean i like her

damdam: But she's cute 

janjan: i will throw ur phone in the river 

Ms. Norbury starts talking then, so Janis and Damian put their phones back down and try desperately to pay attention to algebra instead of falling asleep. Damian continues shooting her The Look of Judgement throughout class. Janis eventually resorts to keeping a hand over her face so she can't see him. 

—————-

They make it through the day mostly unscathed. Until lunch.

"Uh oh," Damian says. Janis looks up from her turkey and cheese sandwich to see what he means. 

The girl from their math class that morning is talking to none other than Regina George. Of course. She seems a bit afraid, but she naively sits by them when they invite her to. So much for that. 

"Another Plastic," Janis sighs, her appetite now gone. "Yay." 

"Chin up, my good bitch. Don't let them get to you," Damian comforts.

"Easier said than done, my good bastard," Janis gripes.

"I know, but you can't let Regina know she's still hurting you."

"I'm trying," Janis mumbles, poking at her carrots. 

"You have practice tonight, yeah? Get your anger out then," Damian comforts, gently patting her shoulder. 

"Damn right I will," Janis huffs.

"Theeeere's the Janjan I know."

————-

thanks for reading!! hope you enjoyed and have a great day :)

lots of love,

ezzy

[orionndjarin]

I’m just curious. Do you have any Inside Job headcanons? I have a few. Brett’s parents often forgot that he even existed. Reagan is autistic (as am I, she reminds me a bit of myself), Bryan (the guy she tried dating) is also autistic, hence why he was a match for her, he also hates woolly jumpers and wears black flipflops instead of slippers. He said they’re” just better”. Myc has had MANY wives and husbands. The Shadow Board is linked to Faction Paradox. Reagan painted Brett’s nails and toes.

Sorry this took so long I've not logged into this account in a while😅

Myc having many wives and husbands oh my God yes idk why he reminds me of Roger from American Dad (I think it's cause he dressed up like Marilyn that one time) I think whenever cognito misses him he's off playing house with some pour soul and when he gets bored he just fakes his death

Brett collects squishmellows and has a couple in a secret drawer in his desk for when he gets overwhelmed at work

Gigi is incharge of team building activities cause Andre & Myc's favorite stress relievers are drugs and sex Glenn's is violence Reagan's is personal work and sweet baby brett would just have 80s movie nights every time. She makes them have a spa day and they have massages pedicures manicures and skin care cause God knows half of them need it.

Andre makes short films and upload them anonymously (they're really good not that he'll ever admit that)

Idk I feel like Glenn likes Renaissance fairs cause he can exist without people screaming about how awful looks instead theyd compliment how awful he looks lol (cause they think he's in costume)

Reagan never grew out of her boy band days and is always on the hunt for new bands. She has a shrine for each of her favorites

[gucciwins]

Three Time

The one where Harry, Atticus, and Y/N celebrate. 

Word Count: 2,988

A/N: Hello friends, this is a little continuation to my story Adore You.  Harry is now a three time grammy nominated artist and i think that is beautiful. This is something short and i really do hope you enjoy it. 

There is a lot that happened this year that she never saw coming. 

First, a worldwide pandemic that would keep everyone locked indoors and having to wear masks. Secondly, Harry's Love on Tour getting rescheduled to 2021, but even that isn't looking good now. And lastly, being in Los Angeles in November as Harry is filming a movie as the lead male actor. 

Ever since Fine Line was released in December, time seemed to fly by for them.

Harry was overjoyed at how loved Fine Line was by his fans. He was getting support left and right. He was a humble man, never letting it go to his head, always saying he couldn't do it without the help of the people on his team. 

There have been rumors flying around speculating Harry having a girlfriend, a famous songwriter, but they have learned to ignore it. Harry doesn't feel the need to address his relationships because it's theirs. He would love to shout his love for Y/N to the world, but as long as she knows, he's content. 

They celebrated their one year anniversary in Italy for a week before flying back home, they would have stayed longer, but they missed Atticus too much to do that. As soon as they got home, it felt like everything changed. Not between them, but with the world. It was madness to see a lockdown, fear had spiked, but safety was a priority that they took seriously. Meaning they had to take it day by day.

Ever since the worldwide lockdown in March, Harry discussed staying in Los Angeles with Mitch and Sarah for a few months. Atticus was quick to agree, but Y/N really wanted to go home. Harry reminded her it was better to be surrounded by a good group of friends than to be distanced from everyone in London's separate homes. She was quick to agree after. 

Y/N didn't mind it much after; they all always helped each other out. There was also a lot of music playing, as well as creating. Harry said they might just have to get Mitch to release a quarantine album, which got Harry hit in the head with a pillow. 

The one who was taking this the hardest was Atticus, missing Anne and Gemma, who was back in London. He missed going to the park to play, he missed running around free, and honestly, she did as well. They would go hiking and on walks, but it was not as open as before. 

This is why, by June, they returned back home to London, and after a week of quarantine and negative test results, they went on the journey to visit both families. Y/N separated from them to visit her mother and step-dad even though Harry tried to convince her they could go together, but honestly, as much as she loved Anne and had started to see her as a second mother, she really needed a hug from her own. She promised Harry and Atticus she would see them the day after as she was coming to see Anne and they would stay the week with her. 

During this time, Y/n started knitting, something she learned at a young age but would only do when she was stressed. She began teaching Atticus, but he could only keep still for a little bit before he had to run off and do a new activity. She knitted socks, hats, and blankets for their family and friends and shipped them off to them. Y/N even made Atticus and herself the JW Anderson Cardigan. It was a lot of work, but it came out lovely. Harry made them do a little backyard photoshoot because he loved it so much.  

Harry had even surprised her when he told her it would be on the cover of Vogue. She was in shock, but she never stopped hugging him, telling Harry how proud of him she was. The day of the shoot was gorgeous, she had to remind herself to breathe a few times, or she would have passed out. Atticus was in the shoot with Gemma and Harry as they did a family shoot to surprise Anne. Harry kept asking her if she was enjoying it, and honestly, her smile said everything. That she was proud of him, that he was doing fantastic but most importantly, that she loved him. The skirt had a lot of filthy thoughts floating through her head, and she really hoped they'd lend it to Harry if she told him everything she wanted to do with him, specifically her under that skirt touching him. 

Harry had her join for a few photos, Lambert pulling out a surprising look just for her. Harry promised these photos were just for them, even if he wanted to have them put one in just so the world could know how much he loved his family. 

It's November now, and they are in Y/N's Malibu home, which they have been staying at since October. Harry has started filming "Don't Worry Darling," in Olivia Wilde's film. It was surreal when they found out; she couldn't be any prouder. Staying in her home was an easy choice; not many knowing where she lives, only a few friends, and Atticus loves having the beach so close even if it is a little too cold to go in now. 

Y/N and Atticus can't go to set due to safety and regulations, but Harry calls and facetime them every time he gets a break in his trailer. He lets them know he misses them, but he really loves everyone he's working with. That the cast is incredible and kind. Harry would not stop teasing Y/N for her reaction when she saw the wedding ring on his left hand. It made her stop mid-sentence. Husband Harry is something she wishes to one day get because Dad Harry is an angel to his sweet son. 

Harry has recently gone back to filming as it was postponed for two weeks because someone on set came out positive to make up for the lost time they started filming on weekends, which bummed out Atticus. Still, Harry quickly told him it wasn't his choice and that they would watch movies of his options as soon as he was back. Atticus loves Y/N a lot, but he's never going to love anyone more than his dad, even though Atticus does push Harry second sometimes. 

More times than not, Harry will get home and find Y/N and Atticus napping in a new place of the house; the last time was outback in a little tent Y/N set up with fairy lights and had many pillows and blankets to stay warm. Harry was quick to climb in and wrap his arms around Y/N, who quickly woke up due to his cold hands, but he apologized quickly with kisses. She's a sucker for his kisses.

Every moment together is special for them. 

Atticus called her 'Mum' a week ago and ran off, feeling embarrassed would not talk to her all day. Which was hard to do, seeing that they were the only three people in the house. Harry saw how sulky she was and talked with Atticus because neither would tell him what happened. Harry was surprised when Atticus told him what he said, but he was mostly filled with joy and a bit of fear. A fear that she could leave any day and not only would he be left heartbroken but so would his son, but he knows Y/N and the love she has for them. She's here forever, she might not say it, but her actions say enough for her. How she tucks in Atticus to bed with a kiss and an 'I love you.' Asking Anne and her mother on first time parenting tips when she thinks Harry isn't around. How much she cried when he got a scrape on his knee for the time in her care. There isn't anything stopping her from leaving, but she stays because she loves all she has. In the end, Atticus apologized for not speaking with her, and she hugged him and cuddled him all night long. Harry told Atticus that Y/N wasn't his mother, but she loved him like one and that it was okay with him if she called her that. Y/N was fearful of being a mom, but she loved Atticus like her own; even if she hadn't watched and cared for him since he was born, she was here known and would do so for as long as Harry and Atticus let her. 

November 24th, a long-awaited day for artists in the music industry. Harry has to be on set at 11AM today, meaning they will be watching the live stream together. Jeff is with Glenne and is on facetime with Harry. He has his phone perched up against a candle. Harry is sitting in the middle, Atticus to his left and Y/N to his right. He's in sweats and a plain white tee, not needing to be dressed up, seeing as it only is nine in the morning. 

The live stream is an hour-long. Y/N truly forgets how many categories they have until she watches. They woke up at eight am, had pancakes for breakfast, and spoke of their daily plans letting time go by them, allowing them to enjoy breakfast together as they do each morning. 

Atticus can barely sit still, just wanting to hear his daddy's name being called. Harry is surprisingly quiet, just sitting back with his arms crossed as the live stream goes on. Honestly, Y/N is the only one showing emotion. She cheers as she hears HAIM and Phoebe Bridgers get nominated. She itches to grab her phone to shoot them a congratulations message but fears she'll miss something, so she just gives herself a silent reminder to do it after. 

Sharon Osbourne had just begun to say the nominees for Best Comedy Album, and Y/N knows what is coming up soon. She isn't even listening to the nominees, just waiting for her to name the Best Music Video nominees. 

As soon as she says, "Brown Skin Girl, Beyoncé," Y/N feels Harry's hand on her thigh tighten, and she feels for him. His nerves must be out of the roof, but he tries his best not to show it. Y/N shuts her eyes tight, putting her hand over his to let him know she's there for him. 

When she hears the words "Adore You, Harry Styles," she feels her heart speed up. She opens her eyes wide and looks at Harry; his face is blank. Atticus is running circles around the couch, just cheering and yelling nonsense. Jeff and Glenne are cheering from the phone. 

Harry lets out a big smile when he finally meets her eyes. "Adore you did it, angel." She whispers.

He nods. "That's unreal. To hear my name." 

She leans in to give him a quick kiss as they settle back down, ready to listen for the upcoming categories. Megan the Stallion is starting the new section of categories, and Y/N isn't sure how to feel because she won't be able to take it if they don't name Harry again. 

"Best Pop Solo Performance, Watermelon Sugar." This time they all break out into cheers as soon as they hear them call Harry's name after Dua Lipa's. "Watermelon Sugar" had been a hit from the day of its release. Now it has been nominated for a Grammy feels unreal to Harry. Two nominations, he would have never believed it. 

Y/N's buzzing waiting for Megan to announce Best Pop Vocal Album. Harry is now leaning forward, knowing this is another category he could potentially be nominated for. 

"Fine Line Harry Styles" As soon as she hears those words, the tears start running down her face; he did this. His album was nominated. Harry can't stop smiling as Atticus hugs him tight around his neck. He lets out a small chuckle as he sees her tears. He pulls her in, kissing her head repeatedly, smiling at Jeff's congratulations but mostly basking in the joy of three nominations and that he has the opportunity to share it with those he loves. 

Harvey Mason JR. is here once again to announce the general field categories. Harry and Y/N nod along as the names of the nominees are called out. Jeff let out a cheer hearing HAIM nominated for album of the year. Y/N sighs, not hearing Harry being nominated but continues ready to hear Adore You for record of the year. Only it doesn't happen. Harvey Mason JR. bids everyone goodbye, and just like that, it's over. 

Jeff breaks the silence, congratulating Harry before hanging up. Harry sits back with Atticus in his lap, a big smile on his face. 

Harry is happy. Extremely happy, this has always been a dream of his, one he never knew would come true. 

His second album got him three Grammy nominations. Atticus has no clue what these awards mean, but he's happy just seeing Harry and Y/N happy.  Atticus climbs off Harry's lap, kissing Harry and Y/N's cheek, saying he's going to his room now. 

Harry turns to look at Y/N, and the smile she had has now left her face, and now she sits there, lost in thought. This worries Harry; she was fine moments ago. He's got to go soon, so he needs to figure this out now. 

"Honey, you alright?" Harry places his hand on her thigh, and she looks at him, nodding. 

"Fine." She kisses his cheek. "Really happy for you." 

Harry knows she is, but there's something else. "Spill." 

She sighs, knowing nothing gets past him. "You weren't named for any general category. I'm proud of the three you got, but I was sure you would be at least nominated for record of the year." Awards don't mean much to Y/N anymore, but she knows how important this is for Harry. "I'm sorry, ruining your mood." 

"You didn't. Thank you for caring so much." His smile is sincere, and she knows he wouldn't lie to her. 

"It's okay," Harry tells her, wanting her to repeat it with him.

"But Harry," He puts his hands on her cheeks to get her to stop and look at him. 

"Honey, it's okay. Three nominations are amazing, and I couldn't be happier." 

"I know," She deflates. "3-time Grammy Nominated Artist Harry Styles has a nice ring to it." She smirks, noting the blush on his cheek. 

"Dork." He leans in to kiss her nose. 

"Fine Line is still my favorite album, you know, from everything released, named number one." 

"You're just saying that." 

Y/N shakes her head no, "Of course not. Yours is the one album I had on repeat the most. My Spotify wrapped will prove just that." 

Harry snorts, "You're too much." 

He pulls her in to lay on his chest, her arms snake around his waist. They hold each other tight. 

"I'm proud of you," Harry whispers in her ear. 

Y.N leans back, but Harry's hold is tight. "I did nothing; you just got nominated. For your second album, you deserve all the praise today." 

"Honey, will you let me continue." Harry laughs. 

"Sorry, H." 

"I'm proud of you because, without you, this album would have never been finished. I would have never had the inspiration to finish Adore You. Would have never had the idea to make a fake island and promote it without ever adding my name to it. I would have never thought to film using a CGI fish, as my friend in the story. I would have never had the released "Lights Up," the song that started this new era for me but most importantly, I would have never found love. A love that is bigger than me that fills me with so much joy. A love that leaves me scared. A love that will forever keep on growing." Harry smiles as he wipes away her tears. 

Harry loves Y/N with all he has. This album was his, but it was also hers. It's what truly brought them together. 

"You made me cry, you jerk." She says, laying her head in the crook of his neck.

Harry laughs. "I just poured my heart out to you, and I'm the jerk." 

"I love you." Harry grins. That's all he wants to hear. "I'll love you, today, tomorrow, forever for as long as you let me. 

Harry can't contain his happiness and needs to show her. He connects their lips. It's a hard, fast kiss full of passion. They pull away because their smiles don't let them continue much. 

"You've got to go." Y/N reminds him as he continues to press kisses all over her face and neck. 

Harry settles down, smiling down at her. "I know." She leans forward, kissing him quickly. "We'll celebrate more when I get home tonight." 

"Three nominations, wow!" Y/N says, standing up. "We're in for a long celebration once we get Atticus down to sleep." She wags her eyebrows at him.

Harry very quickly gets the hint. "I can't wait, honey." 

Atticus comes bouncing down the steps giving his dad a kiss goodbye, walking him to the door, barefoot. Y/N follows Harry, giving her one last kiss goodbye as he walks to his car. 

As he gets in and pulls out of the driveway, he sees Y/N and Atticus waving goodbye to him. Harry has a big smile on his face that no one can see. He's thankful to now be a 3-time Grammy-nominated artist, but what he is most grateful for is getting to be the person who gets to love Y/N and Atticus forever.

Thank you for reading! This was just a small little piece for a beloved piece I wrote. If inspiration strikes, I shall be revisiting this story. 

Please let me know what you thought!

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish actor Martin Compston.

Born in Greenock on May 8th 1984 the second of two boys he attended  St Columba’s High School in nearby Gourock.  As a child he dreamed of becoming a footballer and at 17 left school  to pursue that dream, he was soon signed by Morton Football Team.

Before leaving school his acting career began when Ken Loach discovered him at an audition at his old high school and gave him the lead role in Sweet Sixteen, which also starred a friend of mine, Gary McCormack as Martin’s step dad, Stan.

The movie was filmed in Martin’s home area, including Greenock, Gorcock, Inverkip, Kilmalcolm, and Wemyss Bay and was a huge success, which shot Martin into full view of the public and even gave some fame to Inverclyde. However, many counsellors thought that this was bad publicity because the film has to do with drugs and underage drinking. However, Ken Loach then made a statement that the movie was not based on Greenock and Inverclyde - but was only filmed there, as that was where Martin was located.

Martin’s subsequent film career was comparatively low-key, as he wanted to “serve his apprenticeship” with a regular role in the  popular series Monarch of the Glen as  Ewan Brodie. Since then we have seen Martin in some of the most popular shows on TV including, Silent Witness,, Victoria and In Plain Sight. His film roles have included playing the gangster Paul Ferris in the movie, The Wee Man, and as Lord Bothwell in the latest Mary Queen of Scots film on which he commented “Riding about on a horse, with a sword. It’s fantastic “

Sometimes the sign of a good actor is how well you can adapt your accent for the roles, and Martin does this with ease in perhaps his most famous role as anti corruption officer Sergeant Steve Arnott in the police drama Line of Duty, he has been in the series since it’s start in 2012 and has confirmed he will be returning to play Steve in a new series, the read throughs’ started just before lock down started and we shall not see the new shows now until well into 2021. Many people did not realise that Martin is Scottish and does speak with a guid Scots accent.

As for his football career Martin says “ I don’t regret giving up football for acting. I love football and am very proud I played for Morton. But the truth is, I wasn’t going to get much higher in football.” He made two first team starts for the team in the 2001/2002 season.

More recently Martin was last on our TV screens in the TV shows, Traces and The Nest, both shot primarily in Scotland, he has been married to actress Tianna Chanel Flynn since 2016, Traces just finished it’s second series recently, since then he appeared in the mini-series, Vigil and Our House, I await with anticipation on his next mini-aeries, The Rig, which also stars Iain Glenn, Mark Bonnar and Emun Elliot, three Scottish actors that feature amongst my post throughout the year. 

As well as his acting work we will also see Marin on our screens with his friend and Gaelic television presenter, Phil MacHugh in Scottish Fling. The series will see the pair  tour the country and see how it's being shaped by its people and its landscape.  We will see them journey from the bustling cities to the wild highlands to meet the locals and visitors that share their special love for Scotland. I think some might compare it to the Men in Kilts from Sam Heughan and  McTavish, but I am hoping it will be a wee bit less frivol than that, and don’t think I mean that in a disparaging way towards them.

[art-i-know-yes]

AHH I'M EXCITED LET'S GO

Spoilers Ep.66

The dEscRiption because like a WHAT to WHAAT WITH GLENNNNN

I'm sorry literally one of the only things I've wanted to see is emotionally open Glenn

not the spotify ads

Darryl plays Matt

Hot Take: Darryl hates the environment

That's an oof, Henry

Biiiiig therapy

Horses vs Henry and Cows vs Ron

oooohhhmygahwdbeth

"I know what you said and I ignored it"

WOOOOOOOOO RON THERAPY

Imagine going to therapy

Awww Ron

I was just high key thinking about them listening outside the door

geeEENETIC TIMELINE

"That's depressing"

Those are liike good rollssssss

mmmnnnnn nevermind

Kinda wanna dig up clams

I-I mean why not

I guess that's a good idea to teach them how to drive huh

"No, that's ok"

WHY'D HE SAY IT LIKE THAT

They're too emotional right now

The keyword they didn't use is HOPEFULLY THEIR DADS SHOOT AT IT

Excuse me too young some countries learned by like 8

Hiiiissss voice

Noooo

"11, that's sounds like it's gonna be sad" "Oooo that tracks for you"

Really!! Glenn followimg laws!!

Kids have these neat abilities called vroom vroom speed vehicle where they get self control

YEEEE KIDS GET TO DRIVE

Ehhh come on Darryl you're making this so depressing

Henry shut up please

"Doooope" "Definitely Lark or Sparrow"

I remember seeing someone call Sparrow a furry

I think that is good idea for flexibility because I did not think if that because if I'm honest I only trust TJ to drive we saw what Lark and Sparrow driving was like

Can TJ still like use magic

THE LAUGHTER THAT THAT CAME OUT OF ME I CAN NOT DESCRIBE NEAR TEARS IM TELLING YOU NEAR TEARS

"I'm sure Grant is gonna be fine, but if ya know, Lark dies or something-" "WHAT THE FVCK DARRYL" DARRYL YOU CAN'T USE THEEEEEM AS AN EXAMPLE

But also my second thought was Nick and I made myself lose it

"Ok so Terry dies-" "NOOOOO-" "Ok fine you have two kids. Let's say Sparrow dies-"

THEY COULD JUST BE INJURED WE DON'T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE WORST SITUATIONS

We should camouflage it again, both of them

Toooo thhhee raaaaaat

A LITTLE CONCERNED

Well I'm already in tears so

Real Nick Jr.? It's just Nick

Don't bring the Lawwrdd into this

Accidentally teaching him to dRIIIVVEEE HE CAN BARELY REACH THE WHEEL LET ALONE THE BRAKE OR GAS

But like literally watch Nick Jr. have to drive and does it perfectly

They are way to into the crab mech

He immediately started yelling-I'm just making noises at this point

Not the escape static I mean USEFUL but like the reverse j-turn is a little later

What did your dad teach you Glenn

This is why they're doing different sections

...I can barely do a regular reverse turn...

"I'M ONLY DOING THIS BECAUSE I WAANT TO FATHER"

Straight cut to "A few quick things in no specific order"

This is about what I expected with Willy as his father

Terry Jr. is having an existential crisis

Roooonnn

Understeer????

GlArK

"My son's name is not Glark" "HAVE YOU BEEN CALLING ME GLARK AND I JUST HAVEN'T NOTICED"

Not quoting the handbook

W-was Ron used as a getaway driver

TJ is big brain

"Use morse code" "Ok anyone wanna teach me morse code"

I just imagine Glenn turning around and like the Office "Quite an imagination on this kid"

"I'm in a dark place" respectable. thanks for being honest.

Honestly that's what I was thinking. Actually very close to that tune.

AWWWWWWW

CYCLISTS

I love you so much Sparrow

"*sniffle* you run 'em over son"

I... am so scared to see who's getting this roll

I desperately hope that twins aren't 1 and 2

This is a competition to them. I know it.

A 23!!!

Awwwwwwww poor baby nonononono

AWWWWW RONNN COMFORTING TJ

I'm not sure if you can tell who's my favorite father-son duo (or characters im general)

Noooooo Terrrryyyy (but like honestly SAME)

A VESPA

HE'S NOT THE DRIVER BUT LIKE STILL I KINDA THINK IT'S THE BEST CHOICE

"I know!"

"I purely know maps I'm the advocate"

CALLOUTS

This is the perfect team up

"And then also Sparrow"

"Idk we can tie them to like a stick or something"

Oh yeah the pillars

Doug is better than literally all philosophers

NONONONO

Is...Ron meta?

Not Elizabeth Warden

OH FVCK

That...doesn't sound good cause like...the underground part

mnnnmmnnnmmmnnn bombssss

"There was this show called Chernobyl" PFFT-

Yesss Bomb shelter beer

Ron's a genius

Hesoundsalittlesalty

"Sounds like somebody cares"

It doesn't sound like we'll make it to ep. 69

The humming is so funny to me

Ron *is* meta

I would LOVE to figure out what Glenn is actually thinking about Nick

YA KNOW WHAT THAT IS A BIG PROBLEM

I don't think mentally I'm ready for what is going to come out

I SCREAMED emotionally i am not recovered from loosing Nick hypothetically I am completely very ok it

*Cooooool*

Just the way he said it Hennrrrryyyyy

"Well, that sounds healthy"

He's really switching this conversation at them

We love Ron-Glenn solidarity

ahhhhh Henry rants

TOLERANT, SORT OF AFFECTION AHHHHAHAHHAHAHAHA

"We are Olive Garden"

Sir, that's a ring of self-sacrifice if you're willing

oooooo that hurts

I..dont know what to say. I'm in shock. My body literally has like tingles all over and my heart dropped. Is Erin ok? How'd he get there? How much does he know? I can't feel anything right now so much and many emotions

~20 minites of sitting in silence and shock later~

I WAS THINKING WHY WOULD THE DRAGON BE AFTER HIM CAUSE HE TOLD RADIOLAB WHAT HE WAS DOING AND WHY AHHH HE MADE HIM ROLL TWICE FOR THAT TO FUKIN WEAKEN HIM I KNEW IT WAS FUKING WEIRD THERE WAS NO WAY GOD

THE GASPS THEY KNEW IT THE MINUTE HE SAID IT

WTFWTFWTF IM SHAKING

CAN YOU HEAL THIS?! NO YOU CAN'T WHAT DO WE DO?! THE COUNTING! THE REMOTE REWIND? THE NEW ITEMS? 15SECONDS15SECONDS15SECONDS. WE CAN NOT LOSE GLENN RIGHT NOW CAN WE PAUSE. CAN WE BREAK THE SPELL LIKE THAT? WHAT IF IT DOESNT WORK? HE SOUNDS SO SERIOUS. IM SO SCARED BUT LIKE FUVK. HE'S GOOD BUT LIKE NOT THAT GOOD RIGHT BECAUSE GLENN WAS ALREADY WHAT 3 LEVELS ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE? YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!!!!AHHHHHH GLENN! NOOOOOOOO GODDAMIT HE PROBABLY HAS LEGENDARY ACTIONS I FUKIN THOUGHT ABOUT IT! OMGAWWD SLIGHT OF HAND SNEAK ATTACK. AHHHHG MODIFIERS SCARE ME.

I KNEW I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT

FEAR FEAR FEAR FEAR FEAR FEAR YES HAHAHAHAHHA FVCK YOU

OH GAWD HENRY HEALED HIM

YOU FVKING SLVT ANTHONY

they were sooooooooo close

I swear to god we better see Glenn again or I'm killing someone

I'm having a late reaction tears are coming once I fully process.

BUT REALLY *RIGHT* AFTER THE HEART TO HEART

[tellmeourstoryy]

Not that anyone cares to know but here is a list of my favorite ships from the shows I watch

Chuck: Chuck and Sarah. My absolute favorite ship ever!! The most pure and genuine couple ever. I love them with my whole heart

Pretty Little Liars: Spencer and Toby. Love them to death. The first ship I ever cared about and they’ll always hold a special place in my heart

Friends: Ross and Rachel. Obviously there could be some better writing between the two but I’m a sucker for this will they won’t they

Gilmore Girls: Rory and Dean... I know I know but hear me out I like Rory and Dean before he got married. I wish that he would have never got married and that they found each other again later down the line and ended up together. I realize they don’t work with the actual storyline they went with

How I Met Your Mother: Ted and Robin...I know but hear me out again I also wish the storyline would have been different. I thought Robin and Barney made no sense and were absolutely toxic. I wish Barney and Robin never got married and Ted and Robin both grew and found their way back together. But I do think it was terrible for him to have a wife and then kill her off basically just to put him and Robin together but that’s just bad writing.

One Tree Hill: Lucas and Peyton. I love them a lot and did in fact stop watching the show once they left because it wasn’t the same without them.

Revenge: Daniel and Emily!!! I don’t even care if you don’t agree cause they were absolutely adorable. I think she genuinely fell in love with Daniel and should have just been friends with Jack.

The Vampire Diaries: Stefan and Elena. Again Damon and Elena were toxic. Stefan ALWAYS put Elena first and they deserved so much better.

Prison Break: Sara and Michael. I don’t even remember any other significant ships from that show but they were adorable.

Hart of Dixie: Zoe and Wade. I really love them together and loveee to see both of their character development.

White Collar: Sara and Neal. I thought they were so cute together.

Baby Daddy: Ben and Riley. Don’t get me wrong I love Danny but I think Riley goes better with Ben. I loved Ben’s character development and seeing how much he changed for the better after Riley. I really did love them and am still upset they didn’t end up together.

Parks and Recreation: Leslie and Ben. Honestly this was hard cause I like several of the ships on that show but the absolute sweetness of Leslie and Ben makes them take the cake.

Dawson’s Creek: Joey and Dawson. I know that this is probably my most unpopular opinion but oh well. I do think there should have been some better writing leading up to it and things made better with that better writing though. Honestly I was absolutely so confused and shocked when she ended up with Pacey. Might have been the most upset I’ve been about people ending up together. I mean even if she would have ended up with no one or even Eddie but I was just really upset she ended up with Pacey. Sorry not sorry.

Once Upon A Time: Hook and Emma. Absolutely adore them. They are so pure and adorable and have character development and ugh I love them so much.

The Night Shift: TC and Jordan. I really liked them so much and am upset the show was cancelled before we got to see them get back together.

New Girl: Schmidt and Cece. Also hard because I also love Nick and Jess but if I have to choose it’s Schmidt and CeCe.

Bones: Booth and Brennan. Absolutely LOVE them.

Blacklist: Ressler and Liz. Honestly conflicted about this rn cause I don’t know if she deserves him but I have always liked them together.

Stranger Things: Steve and Nancy. I loveeee Steve and could not believe she got together with Jonathan. Like did everyone forget about him taking photos of her????

The Good Place: Eleanor and Chidi. Literally so adorable love them both sooo much. They deserve the world.

Psych: Shawn and Juliet. Seriously how cute are they?? I’ll go ahead and tell you... the CUTEST.

Grey’s Anatomy: Derek and Meredith. You already know I’m team MerDer because honestly who isn’t?

Arrow: Oliver and Felicity. So prefect together love them

The Flash: Barry and Caitlin. I saw Barry and Iris as siblings especially since Barry called him dad which is why I don’t ship that also I feel like she didn’t actually start to really like him until she figured out he was the flash. And I think Barry and Caitlin are super cute and honestly thought they were gonna date way back in season 1. But I’m content with them just being friends I just wish we could see some more of that friendship because they’re adorable.

The Walking Dead: Glenn and Maggie!!!!!! Love love love love them! What’s better than falling in love during a zombie apocalypse? One of the bests ugh my heart. That ending was too sad and definitely made me quit watching the show.

A Million Little Things: Honestly I don’t know rn. I still like Katherine and Eddie but that might just be because Katherine is my fav. I just wish he would have told her about the pills right away and how he was struggling or something. I just have a hard time rooting for him because he’s put Katherine through so much. And then Rome and Regina are so adorable. And I adore Gary and like him with Maggie and Darcy and like Maggie with Gary and Jamie. So yeah I’m all over the place with this one. Honestly can’t pick a fav but felt like sharing those thoughts.

Well this has been fun and there’s more shows and couples but that’s all for now

[aion-rsa]

Inside Job Wants to Make Conspiracy Theories Fun Again

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Conspiracy theories used to be the realm of late night AM talk radio, obscure internet forums, and breathless conversations with trusted friends. Whether it’s talking about Stanley Kubrick faking the moon landing on a soundstage or a global cabal of reptilian elite pulling the strings, sometimes it’s just fun to indulge in the ridiculous and grandiose. 

Unfortunately, however, conspiracy theory thinking has run amok in the digital age. This has led to the mainstreaming of some truly dangerous ideas, like let’s say hypothetically, that a vaccine for a deadly virus is actually a microchip/population control device/mark of the best/whatever else. How does Shion Takeuchi (Gravity Falls, Disenchantment), creator of Netflix animated conspiracy comedy Inside Job, feel about these developments?

“I’ll tell you what: I don’t love it!” Takeuchi tells Den of Geek. 

Inside Job is a 10-episode animated series on Netflix and is, in fact, Netflix’s first animated series produced entirely in-house. Set at Cognito, Inc., the Illuminati-like organization that pulls the strings of every world event, the show covers the weird, wonderful world of conspiracy theories. From building a robot to replace the President of the United States to visiting a secret moon base run by sex cult leader Buzz Aldrin, Reagan Ridley (Lizzy Caplan) makes sure everything runs according to plan.

The series is fit-to-bursting with fun conspiracy theories both popular and obscure. That’s because Takeuchi comes across her interest in the topic naturally. Like many other highly distinguished, creative, and dare we say classy individuals, the writer and animator enjoyed listening to cult radio talk show Coast to Coast AM in college. Created by Art Bell, Coast to Coast airs from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. ET on select radio stations and is a safe haven for any paranormal enthusiast or conspiratorial thinker to call in and share their wild stories. 

Though Bell died in 2018, Takeuchi appreciated the gentle way in which he would respond to his callers’ more out-there theories. Still, some of those theories had a darkness at their center that scared the young writer.

“I think that my personal journey with conspiracy theories was initially more fear-based,” she says. “A shadow government would be horrifying! Then I broke down that concept and realized that probably would be ridiculous.”

Yes, most conspiracy theories don’t pass the simple smell test of “could a group of human beings pull this off?” The answer more often than not is no because most human beings can barely successfully get themselves out of the bed in the morning. 

“I don’t know if anyone has ever been in a workplace that has ever been able to execute something with precision. It certainly hasn’t been in any workplace I’ve been a part of.”

Cognito, Inc. certainly has a hard time with keeping things together. Reagan’s team includes D.C. frat boy Brett Hand (Clark Duke), strung-out biochemist Dr. Andre (Bobby Lee), human-dolphin hybrid super soldier Glenn Dolphman (John DiMaggio), head of media manipulation and office gossip Gigi Thompson (Tisha Campbell), and of course: a psychic mushroom from a hive mind deep in the Hollow Earth named Magic Myc (Brett Gelman).

“Bret Gelman is also very good at playing sharp tongued asshole-types. He brings a certain depth to that that’s always so funny to watch,” Takeuchi says of the mushroom man.

The core of Inside Job, however, revolves around Reagan Ridley’s relationship with her father, Rand Ridley (Christian Slater). Once the CEO of Cognito, Inc., Rand was fired for nearly exposing the Deep State, and now spends his days at home, annoying his daughter with his paranoid ramblings. 

“Christian has a wonderful dynamic with Lizzy,” Takeuchi says. “He brings this really fun slovenly dad type of energy to this role that could have gone a different way. He could have been more professorial. There’s just something so funny about Christian’s deadbeat dad.”

Takeuchi notes that Lizzy Caplan was her first choice for Reagan as she strikes the right balance between flawed and driven. Even while the character seeks to control the events of the universe, she must confront that some things can’t be changed – like a relationship with a father who names her after his favorite President. Though the origins of Reagan’s first name are clear, does her last name suggest some upcoming Alien-like adventures a la Ridley Scott?

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

“I will say that she does appear in a power loader a couple times!” Takeuchi says.

All 10 episodes of Inside Job are available to stream on Netflix now.

The post Inside Job Wants to Make Conspiracy Theories Fun Again appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3ppjeTb

[gainaxvel3o]

By the Campfire, a RWBY one shot.

(Slight AU during the Volume 2 episode “Mountain Glenn.”)

Ruby Rose was worried. Her friends haven't been the same since they arrived this morning.

They were in the southeast region of Vale, close to Mountain Glenn, on a Grimm hunting assignment by Professor Ozpin. Doctor Oobleck chaperoned Team RWBY through the hunt. Apparently he had also been questioning her team members during the day, though strangely not her. Whatever he said, it left her friends in bit of a slum as they sat around the campfire.

Ruby was their leader. Anything that happened to her team affected her as well. That is why she decided to get to the bottom of it.

"Doctor Oobleck?" She asked her teacher. "I know I volunteered to stand guard, but do you mind if I talk with my friends? It'll only take a minute I promise."

The professor nodded. "Not at all Miss Rose! The excellent work you and your dog did today earned you a bit of respite! Make your business quick however."

With that, Ruby felt comfortable skipping a step or two towards the camp site. She startled her friends by plopping a seat next to them.

"Hey guys! We had fun today didn't we?"

"Um, sure." Yang strained to say as she shifted in her seat. "Loads of fun Rubes…"

Blake and Weiss murmured quietly to themselves. That didn't sit right with Ruby.

"Then why are you all down huh? I saw you beat a lot of Grimm. I don't even think Crescent Rose got a scratch this time!"

"Neither did Myrtenaster." Weiss chuckled. "The Grimm were hardly a handful…"

Blake nodded and things went back to silence. Ruby was not used to an uncomfortable atmosphere on her team. Even the fallout from the time they confronted Blake at the docks came and went fairly quickly without much thought.

"Are you guys okay?" She asked directly. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just…" Yang was quick to reassure. "Oobleck said something that got us thinking."

"Was that why he was talking to you? What did he say?"

Weiss sighed. "Doctor Oobleck wanted to know what our goals were."

"Wait that's it?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Then what's the problem? Was Oobleck was being hurtful? I'll give him a piece of my mind-"

"It's not that. It's just what he said made us think about our priorities." Blake said. "I came to Beacon because I thought it would be a good way to help out the Faunus. At least that's what I thought."

"You're not doing it for that?"

"I don't know. I'm still wearing this bow around my ears at school, hiding my true heritage from the world. I feel like I haven't stopped running from the White Fang, from my past, from myself."

"I feel similar." Weiss said. "I told him that I came to Beacon to uphold my family name. That is true, but I also did it to get away from Father."

She said it with such venom that Ruby wanted to be by Weiss' side and pat her partner on the shoulder to let her know it was alright.

"My family legacy was tainted by that man. I wanted to be a Huntress to salvage the Schnee name. Nothing more or less."

"At least you two have some kind of mission." Yang crossed her arms. "Me? I didn't want to be a Huntress to be a hero like you Rubes. I wanted to go out on adventures, be free to do whatever I want. I wonder if that's why Oobleck asked us about this. He wanted us to know we were selfish."

Ruby looked at them all, shocked at what she was hearing.

"Well you guys are still here, fighting the Grimm and protecting people! That matters a lot more than you know. I don't think having those goals or doubts is that selfish. At least, not any more than I am."

At that Yang looked at her sister dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about Ruby? You're like the least selfish person I know! I punched someone for even suggesting that."

"I remember, Dad grounded us for a month after that."

"It was only a month because he knew I was right."

"Ruby, you told me that you became a huntress to make the world better." Blake said. "That's much more selfless than us."

"No I'm not better than-"

"You are." Weiss grumbled under her breath. "You are here because you want to be a hero, not out of guilt or shame or some responsibility thrust upon you… not because of your family."

The return of her friends' sadness took Ruby aback. She thought carefully about what to say next. She definitely didn't want her friends to think so badly of themselves, so Ruby needed to nip the problem in the bud.

"Funny you say that Weiss." She sighed. "Can I tell you a secret? I never told this to anyone, not even you Yang."

Her friends snapped to attention. Yang raised an eyebrow, which gave Ruby the clear to continue.

"The truth is… I don't want to die."

"… you picked the wrong occupation for that." Weiss pointed out. "Could you explain yourself?"

Ruby looked up to the sky, trying to catch memories in the stars.

"When I was kid, Yang would read me fairy tales at night, those old stories where heroes saved the day and got happy endings… growing up, I found out some had bad endings too. The prince arrives too late to save the princess, or the hero gives into temptation too late to stop himself. It made me think about what I wanted my ending to be… and it made me think of Mom."

Weiss and Blake's eyes widened. The latter remembered the conversation she had with Yang, the story of the day their mom left, and how she took Ruby to find her. Yang visibly flinched at hearing that.

"I never met Mom. I only know what Dad said, what Uncle Qrow said… what you said, Yang-" Ruby saw Yang looked at her own knees. "Everyone talked about how amazing she was, what an incredible Huntress she used to be. I believe them, that's why I talk to her when I get the chance. But I couldn't help but think about what happened after she left. Dad was a mess… Qrow didn't stay for long, Yang had to raise me alone…"

The topic of Raven was left unspoken between the sisters.

"I don't want my death to be like that. By the end of a fairy tale, a good fairy tale I mean, everyone is supposed to be better off than before. I don't want to die all of a sudden and have everyone be worse without me. I love my Mom, I love my Uncle Qrow, every day they inspire me… but I don't want to be them. I don't think they would want me to be either."

Ruby sighed heavily. She closed her eyes, tired.

"I want to help people, to make the world better, but I'd rather do everything I can to live to see that happen, with my friends. Would you say that's selfish of me?"

Her friends were quick to answer her.

"No, no it's not Ruby!"

"How could you say that?"

"That's hardly selfish."

She was glad that her friends thought that way. Now if only they could see…

"Then why are you guys so hard on yourselves?" Ruby said finally. "We're Huntresses now. Maybe we don't have all the answers right now. Maybe we're not where we can or should be. But we have plenty of time to figure it out. Whatever comes our way, I'm sure we'll find the answers together."

Her friends looked to each other. After a while, they nodded, smiling for the first time around the orange glow of the fire.

"You… are absolutely right Ruby." Weiss said. "Two years younger yet you're the one that makes the most sense here. Maybe that is why Professor Ozpin picked you as the leader."

Ruby couldn't resist a crack. "Well that and I had a better personality than you."

"… Happy moment ruined." Weiss picked up her Myrtenaster. "Good bye."

Immediately, Ruby rushed behind Blake, murmuring countless apologies as everyone laughed at the moment. After a few minutes, Weiss really contemplated Ruby's words and realized something.

"So I'm not the only one dealing with the image of my parents… I'm so sorry Ruby."

Ruby peeped from behind Blake. She wasn't sure if she should ask. Given the way the conversation started, she thought it was worth a shot.

"Is your mom…?"

"She is alive." Weiss said quickly. "She's… not lucid, but she's alive. Father didn't marry her out of love. She didn't take it well, which is all I will say on the matter. What about you Blake?"

Blake hesitated. Weiss considered that might have been a bad idea, before Blake nodded and responded.

"My parents are alive too. I don't want to see them, not yet. I'm afraid of what they'll say to me if I ever came back."

"If they're anything like you Blake, they'll welcome you back." Ruby told her friend. "I mean you forgave Weiss after all."

Before Weiss could say a word in response, they heard a rueful chuckle. Yang had her hands in her face, wiping something from her eye.

"Heh. At least your Moms are around." Yang said. "Both of my Moms have been gone for a long time. One died, one left. I remember how dad would say how I looked like her, how I had her temper… and every time I'd get so angry. I think Dad's still bitter about her."

Her eyes stung. She was crying. Yang continued.

"Sometimes I dreamed that Raven, my Mom, would come back and explain why she left… why she never came back after all these years… or at least explain why I feel like I don't belong anywhere."

Yang felt something tackle her to the floor. She looked up to see her baby sister's bright silver eyes watering.

"Don't say that about yourself!" Ruby said. "You're the best sister ever and totally belong here! With us! With me! I still don't know what I'd do without you."

"That is right Yang." Weiss nodded. "You have nothing to fear."

"You've been a great friend to all of us."

Yang felt immediately more reassured. She hugged her sister close, gently caressing her hair.

"I'll always have your back sis."

"I know you will." Ruby smiled at her. "Always."

Unfortunately this moment couldn't last as Doctor Oobleck came back.

"Miss Rose! Your turn to take watch!"

Ruby nodded, reluctantly letting go of Yang. Before she left, Ruby stopped to look at her friends one last time, raising her hand.

"Remember everyone, we're Team RWBY. We're gonna save the world and we'll do it together. Banzai?"

"BANZAI!"

They raised their hands together as they shouted the word. Ruby went to take her shift, while her friends and sister remained in the campfire. They felt more at ease now than before, having figured out their purpose.

"She really is incredible huh…" Weiss murmured. "I'm glad we were brought together like this."

"Ruby is younger than us," Blake said. "But I know she'll have our backs. I believe in her and in this team."

Yang grinned at her friends. "You better. My sister's already a hero. If she thinks we're great, we're probably doing something right."

They all agreed to that.

END

[lightsaroundyourvanity]

ahhhhh thank u! I'm excited too! Just to keep the hype going, what do you enjoy about bees schnees?

i mean!! real talk, my interest in bees schnees originally came from a place of 1) i love bumbleby; 2) i love freezerburn; 3) i really love weiss!!! but in the three million conversations i have had about bees schnees since then, i have come to really appreciate them from a whole myriad of angles. like;

i think the easiest way for a lot of people to approach bees schnees is bumbleby + weiss. and that is so valid!! i love the idea of the bees, already such perfect partners, wanting to work together to draw in weiss 

i also really love all three of them as like poly moms to ruby. of course the blueprint for this is that scene in mountain glenn when they are all lying around the campfire together. of course this scene is also really amazing because its them like, peeling back the layers of the loglines they gave professor oobleck earlier and urging each other to go deeper. which is another reason i love bees schnees...

...because i think the three of them together draw truths out of each other in ways that they never quite can as pairs. blake helps yang and weiss stretch their minds about what the world can be. yang pushes weiss and blake to take care of themselves when they’re being singleminded. weiss pushes blake and yang to open up and think outside their own perspectives. i think that wby bring a lot of balance to each other

yang having to play peacemaker to blake and weiss in a snotty argument is a good look

yang and weiss bickering while blake rolls her eyes, reads her book, and doesn’t even TRY to play peacemaker is also a good look

imagine a world where the bees tried to do something about the suffering weiss trope (okay also imagine a world where they took the suffering weiss trope extremely to heart and tied her to a mattress)

listen, if yang ended up in an ot3 with half her team, tai would be SO proud 

a chip off the old block he’d say, wiping a tear from his eye

dad, i am begging you to stop, yang would reply, banging her head against the table

ruby egging this on all the way, because let’s be real, it is probably pretty mortifying to share a room with your sisters and her two girlfriends, and she deserves every scrap of revenge she can carry 

anyway not to be gay but bees schnees is....... hm. sexy. and at the end of the day, isn’t that the most important thing of all?????

[marrtins12]

Listen the best of all time podcast music to get entertain today

Listen Now

[takaraphoenix]

Since you watched it, what are your thoughts on the Superman & Lois Pilot?

Oookay! I have thoughts!

Let’s start with the thing I knew before the pilot: Tyler Hoechlin is the perfect cast for Clark Kent and Superman. He is just... *chef’s kiss* on both parts. I adore the way he plays Clark, he might very well be my favorite iteration of the character at this point.

Other things I knew before going in that had... set me against the show, but that the pilot actually smoothed out well would be two things in particular.

One of them is that when the casting knews were announced that they cast a black man to play Luthor, and voices were loud that he’d play Lex Luthor, that... really turned me off the show. For one, because... continuity. Lex Luthor isn’t exactly a minor character on Supergirl, he’s been on and around for a long time, very prominently. So for the Superman show to recast him, that’d just be wild and throw the Very White other Luthors from Supergirl kind of... off. And, much more importantly than continuity - there are very few characters that you can’t racebend, because if you do, you completely miss the point of these characters. That point being; they’re walking, takling privilege. Lex Luthor represents pure, raw privilege, he’s that straight white man with a billion dollars and no care in the world, so the thought of this show missing that point so fundamentally really had me wary.

Now, after the pilot, I’m pretty convinced that he is not actually Lex Luthor, that he is... either from a parallel Earth, or a descendant from the future, or heck just a fanboy of Lex who took the name. But going in, the way they released those casting news was not exactly... reassuring.

Same thing goes for the boys. I was beyond pissed when Crisis retconned Clark’s baby away and the show announced two teenage boys as the cast, because in universe, Clark was completely thrown by suddenly having boys, plural, and by them being teenagers. And if this had been one of those horrendous “babies don’t add to plot, let’s speed age them” tropes that come at the cost of the parent(s) not getting to raise their child(ren), that’d have really frustrated me. And while it is not actually adressed in canon as to how Clark remembers this new timeline, he does, so... I am appeased by the fact that Clark did get to raise his children.

Let’s talk about those boys!

Not impressed. Not impressed at all so far. However, it has only been one episode, so I... really do hope they actually become... uh... characters... during the season and not just three tropes in a trenchcoat (Jonathan = cheerful jock himbo, Jordan = angsty angry emo boy). They’re really the two most archetypical Teen Boy Tropes imaginable, if Jordan turns out to be a geek and nerd now too, then congrats, we got a Teen Boy Bingo. So yeah, that’s... They’re not fleshed out, they really are just adults picking teen stereotypes and combining them together. I hope they become more over the course of this season though.

But while we’re on the boys, let’s talk ages. Because goodness did this retcon screw them all over. Tyler Hoechlin is 33 years old, looking... not a day over 30. And he now has two 15 year old sons. But Lois is not his teenage sweetheart, he was 20+ when he came to the Daily Planet and even just met her, then they had to fall in love, get married, and only then have the kids. So Clark Kent ought to be around 40 years old. And I am just... not buying Tyler being that old yet, boy looks too young for that. Sure, I’ve been told that “Kryptonians age slower”, but that doesn’t change the whacky visual or make it better and let’s be very, very clear, this was not a result of “Kryptonians age slower, a canon we are aware of and are employing here”, this is a result of “we decided to retcon Clark and Lois’ first born child, which was supposed to be a baby at this point in their lives, into 15 year olds because teenagers add more to the plot uuuh so now the age gap between the kids and the parents is a bit whacky ooops”.

Which, I’d also like to point out about Samuel Lane and his daughter. Dylan Walsh is exactly 18 years older than Bitsie and... he kept himself young too... Visually, the age gap between them looks more like 10 to 15, at max. And it’s kind of weird considering how “old” Martha was - quotation marks, because her age does fit having a 40 year old son, but if you consider her age in relation to Lois’ dad, who ought to be her generation, it seems startling. Especially if you consider that Samuel Lane has already been a character on Supergirl! And while the man may have only been 4 years older than Dylan, Glenn Morshower looks aged. So, that’s... that’s a recast where they should have taken either an actor who is older or at least looks older.

While we are on this topic though - the recast of a character we already knew from Supergirl - I am... rather peeved by the lack of acknowledgment of Supergirl.

I fully understand that Melissa couldn’t drop by during Martha’s funeral scene (though in universe no one can convince me that Kara would have missed the funeral of Clark’s mother), it’s the complete lack of Kara in the “here’s what happened so far in Clark’s life” montage at the beginning. The one that literally started with Clark landing on Earth and covered all of the big parts of his life; they should have and could have taken archive footage of Clark and Kara and included just... one line... of voice-over about how Clark turned out to not be the last and that his cousin has landed on Earth years after him and by now became Supergirl. And that’s it. That’s all the acknowledgment I would have needed, but I really would have needed it, because without Supergirl this show would not exist, this version of Clark and this version of Lois would not exist.

Even in the greater scheme of them wanting to distance themselves more from the Arrowverse - which I fully understand considering the torn-up state the Arrowverse has been in ever since Arrow ended - Supergirl is the one show they should not fully distance themselves from.

That brings me to my hope of seeing other characters from Supergirl, that had been taken from the Superman canon to begin with, on this show in he future. Lex Luthor has to appear at least, because seriously he’s Superman’s villain, not Supergirl’s. I really... I really need James Olsen to at least guest-star, because James is Clark’s best friend and if he didn’t appear on the Superman show at all, that’d be... frustrating, to be quite frank.

Other than those. Lana. Not really done a lot so far, but nice to see her again. I liked how when they brought up the fact that Lana’s husband was jealous of Clark, there was zero jealousy on Lois’ side.

Which brings me to my favorite part of the show so far, about which I did make a whole separate post already, but it bears mentioning here again - Clark and Lois’ relationship. Mutual love, respect and communication. Amazing. First time I am actually liking this ship and considering the ship is literally the title of this show, that’s a blessing. The fact that even in this one hour pilot they already managed to establish their dynamic and marriage so well has me very hopeful about that part of writing on the show!

Now, lastly, the actual plot. To which I can’t say much, because... I don’t know much yet? I do love the family moving back to Smallville and Clark and Lois teaming up to uncover some mystery in Smallville. I hope it’ll be well-written and I hope we will continue seeing Clark and Lois as equals in it.

I do also hope to maybe see other characters I’m familiar with from Smallville.

But so far, I am really digging this show a lot and am looking forward to more!

[cobraonthecob]

A Character With Chronic Running Away Issues Paired with a Character With Abandonment Issues????

For those who have seen my reblogs with RWBY and A:TLA, you all know that I adore Bumbleby but despise Kataa/ng, even though both pairings have one character with chronic running away issues and the other has abandonment issues.

GET READY FOR THE META NO ONE ASKED FOR

So why do I support one and not the other? (warning: I am not friendly to Kat@ang here)

Well...it’s because they’re in way different ballparks. Kataan/g happens when both are still 12/13 and 14/15, while Blake and Yang are about 19 by Volume 7. So for starters, there’s a massive maturity gap that almost shoots this comparison in the face right here and now. But wait! There’s more to this!

which is why i don’t like Ka/tara and A@ng getting together at such a young age, but then again, I don’t like the pairing at all, but we can talk about that another time

Now that we’ve addressed the maturity gap, let’s get into it!

For starters, Blake and Yang’s relationship started as good friends and then progressed into love interests and possibly girlfriends by the time of S7 (they haven’t quite jumped out with “we’re dating” but I personally think they’re taking it slow lol, ask me for my thoughts about it), so they kind of have the advantage of time on their side while Kata/ra and A@ng have only three seasons of development.

That being said, Kata@ng had 3 seasons, which is more than enough time to get both sides of their relationship but nooooo. We only see Aa/ng’s side of the romance, and Kat@ra for the most part acts like a mom, is uninterested, or straight up tries to let him down gently, and after the disastrous Ember Island Players kiss, which happens to be their last one-on-one interaction before the epilogue I want to pretend doesn’t exist, Katara and Aang’s friendship plumments badly. Heck, their last interaction ever ends badly, with the entire Gaang arguing with A@ng about how to end the war! 

what I’m saying is that Kat@ra and Aa/ng had a strained friendship before they did that cursed kiss while Blake and Yang’s friendship continued to build and then blossom into romance

“But Nightfalcon, what about the abandonment issues?!”

I’m getting there, be patient!

Now for the actual getting together - how do we make these two characters fit together?

By making both characters recognize their faults.

Blake herself knows she’s in the wrong, she addresses her chronic running away issues, starting in Volume 2, in Mountain Glenn, where she says it herself: “But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!” (taken directly from the RWBY Wiki). She feels guilt for running away in Volume 3 after the Fall of Beacon, but she internalizes this anger, which pops out at bad times, and she takes her guilt, buries it in anger, and isolates herself. After Sun is injured, Blake believes she’s the one at fault, and when she explodes at him and tells him why she isolates herself, Sun tells her that she’s in the wrong for isolating herself, but then tells her that he would always be there to protect her and be there for her, and that Yang would too (OK I’ve got a whole meta about Sun and Yang and Blake and why they’re amazing relationships but that’s a whole ‘nother meta).

By having Chronic Running Away (CRA bc that’s getting to be a mouthful) character openly address their faults (and others calling them out on it), you’re one step closer to making a ship sail much more smoothly.

Then there’s Yang.

In Alone Together, Yang talks to Weiss that she’s not upset solely at Blake, she’s upset that Blake didn’t feel safe enough to trust them to stay by them, and that they (whether if Yang was referring to just herself and Blake or herself, Ruby, and Blake [as Weiss was taken to Atlas]) could’ve been there for each other. She gets to address her anger and explain why she feels that way, and Weiss lends a listening ear and some advice for her. 

Eventually, the two are brought back into the same space, and spend the next few volumes patching up their relationship, or at least, the best they can, up until the fight with Adam, which puts everything on the table, and in the aftermath, Blake promises Yang she wouldn’t leave her and Yang understands and assures her that she already trusts/knows that Blake wouldn’t leave her.

TL;DR: Blake recognizes that her CRA issues are bad, and tries to make amends, Yang gets to vent her issues with Blake’s CRA issues and gets emotional support from Weiss and Ruby. Blake promises not to run, and Yang tells her that she’s not worried about Blake running away because she knows that Blake knows that team RWBY will always be there for her and that there’s a support system in place for Blake that she probably won’t feel the need to run. (seriously if you haven’t watched this show already, please do. It’s really great)

A:TLA, as wonderful as this show is, doesn’t do that for Kat@ra and A/ang.

From memory, The Storm is the episode that really touched on Aan/g’s flightiness, but Katara coddles him in that one, trying to tell him “it’s not your fault, if you hadn’t run, you might’ve died as well” which can be taken either way (IMO she’s right and wrong at the same time. Yes, Aa/ng might’ve died, but also, he needs a solid kick in the pants sometimes, I’ll talk about it later)

The next time his flightiness rears its ugly head, it’s in The Desert. After Appa is stolen, Aan/g runs off to go look for Appa, and Katara is left with Toph, Sokka, and Momo to try and get out of the desert on foot. The entire day turns into a trainwreck, as Toph has extreme guilt for failing to keep the sandbenders from taking Appa (it isn’t her fault but that’s another meta) and Sokka (and Momo) drink cactus juice and is as a result, mentally incapacitated. With the dire mission of getting the news of the eclipse to Ba Sing Se, Katara’s the only one clear-headed enough to lead the way through the desert. Once A/ang does come back, he’s still upset from his inability to find Appa, and lashes out at the others for not caring to look for Appa (even though he’s far away and that no one has a means of transportation to find Appa). Tensions are already high in the group - with dwindling water supply, they have to make it out of the desert fast, but the rest of the team is losing hope - Toph because she feels like a failure and Sokka shaking off the effects of the cactus juice, and Katara looks so tired. When Aa/ng snaps at her, she doesn’t snap back, only quietly telling A/ang that she’s trying to keep this group together enough for them to survive. A/ang running away this episode is not addressed in favor of the team getting out of the desert alive. 

Finally, in the finale four-parter, Aan/g runs away again. This time she can only hope that he’ll come back and do his job, but she’s got other stuff to worry about, like the upcoming fight with Azula. 

Afterwards...

they don’t talk about it.

YEAH YOU READ THAT RIGHT. They don’t talk about it. They don’t address the running away issues, they don’t address when A@ng kissed her without her consent twice, they just hug on a balcony and then kiss symbolizing a marriage, because I definitely signed up for East Asian Jesus making out with his mom! Definitely! They don’t talk, Katara becomes a silent character and it gets even worse in LoK ~

*Nightfalcon proceeds to take a few minutes to scream*

And of course, no one else really calls out Aa/ng, except for Toph in Bitter Work, but that was more on his fighting/bending style and not on him in general.

The only other really memorable time where Katara’s abandonment issues are brought up is when she’s ranting at her dad in The Awakening, where she takes issue with both him and A/ang leaving her, and for the most part, Hakoda does give her the support she needs.

Heck, in the finale arc, Zuko tells her that it’s probably for the best that Aang is given some time alone to run to his room and meditate. probably because the last time Katara and A/ang were alone, A@ng kissed her without her consent and I’m going into full speculation territory but what if Zuko knows and doesn’t want that to happen again?

So Katara is repeatedly told by the narrative that Aa/ng is the type to run away when things get tough, and that she should let him.

I see both sides of the issue, and I get it, but when it comes to pairing people off in a relationship, well, they shouldn’t have gotten together.

Anyways, Aan/g is also twelve and has proven numerous times to be unable to support Katara emotionally, and has kissed her without her consent twice, while Katara is 14 going on 28 because of the war, losing her mom and stepping up as the mother figure for her entire family, and later because Aang isn’t allowed to grow up at all, along with other symbolism that shoots Kataa/ng in the foot. 

TL;DR: Katara and A/ang never really talk about A@ng’s running away issues, and no one comes up to support Katara (they do validate her but it’s not a whole support system she can fall back on fully), and Aa/ng is way too immature for a full on relationship at the time of the show’s end. 

So what was the point of this rambly mess? It’s to show how to write a relationship where one character has a tendency to run away while the other one has abandonment issues. I like Bumbleby because Blake acknowledges that it’s a flaw of hers and she actively works to toning it down and Yang has a whole support system and both get to talk about it and aaaahhhhh the communication between them, while you have Katara and A@ng never addressing the issue because Katara’s so gosh darn afraid of stepping on his feelings (see: The Waterbending Scroll) and no one fully provides support for her (Hakoda keeps getting separated from the Gaang and she and Zuko became friends at the end of TSR, and only had an episode between that one and the finale arc so it left a lot unexplored of their friendship) and Aan/g is therefore taught that it’s a-OK to invalidate the feelings of the person you like because you’ll get them in the end!