#but dennis also reacts a little more like

[charmac]

Watching Underage Drinking (live on FXX right now) and I'm wondering, how do you interpret Dennis' reaction to this line?

[flavored-soda]

Some BuckTommy head canons to get you through the next week without an episode:

Buck and Tommy spend the night at each other's place a lot. It's not out of lust (although sex is not off the table), but more out of not wanting to sleep alone.

When they do spend the night with each other, it's not uncommon for one of them to drop off or pick each other up from work. The first time Tommy picked Buck up from work, he was coming off a 24-hour. Buck's exhaustion was setting in and he didn't think anything of it when he kissed Tommy "hello" and took the coffee cup from his hand. Needless to say, he got an earful of teasing from the team.

Tommy let Buck set the pace when they first stated dating. Meaning he let Buck tell him when and what he was ready for. But once they had settled into their relationship some more, Tommy couldn't keep his hands off Buck. He always has to have a hand on his boyfriend's back, arm, shoulder, thigh, holding his hand, even just linking fingers. Just simple, soft touches to keep the two grounded.

Tommy truly noticed how low Buck's self esteem is when he went over to try to help rectify the situation between him and Eddie. When the started dating, Tommy made it his mission to try and boost his boyfriend's self esteem whenever he could. Between sending him little text messages throughout the day and telling him all his favorite little things about his boyfriend. Buck loves every second of it.

Buck says "I love you" first. Buck's leg was flaring up again and this time the pain was particularly bad. Tommy had spent the night at Buck's, and it was a good thing he did because Buck never would've told him otherwise. It was at the end of night, Buck's pain meds had just kicked in and he was feeling a bit loopy. They were laying in bed watching with a movie, though, Buck had been watching Tommy for at least the past 20 minutes. He was drifting in and out of sleep when he said. By the time Tommy reacted, he had passed out for the night. In the morning, Buck woke up to his alarm and a note from Tommy that said "I love you too, Evan. Have a good shift.❤️" To top it off, there was pancakes and bacon in the microwave.

Buck babysitting quickly turned into Buck and Tommy babysitting. Tommy loved watching Buck with Chris, Jee-yun, and Denny. Sometimes it would make him wonder what it would be like when they have their own little family.

i have so many more of these, lemme know if you want to hear more. also come scream in my asks about these ones!

[httpiastri]

❣️ what pet names would ollie, paul, pepe, clem, liam, arthur and dennis call you? (not sure if this is the right way to request, ignore it if i’m wrong)

❣️ – send me a prompt and one/a few drivers and i'll tell you how i think they would react!!

ollie bearman

oh i totally see him calling you love in his silly british accent. especially when apologizing for something ("i'm sorry for being away for so long, love") or when asking for a favor ("love, could you pass the salt?"). just in general when he's being soft and romantic, to be honest. it just rolls off his tongue so easily, before he can even stop himself, and you always giggle at the fact that it sounds more like luv than how it's actually spelled. he's too british for his own good. i also believe he calls you honey, but more often just hun because it's quicker yet still has the same level of adoration behind it.

paul aron

i've seen people on here say he would call his gf kallis and i think that's adorable. like yk how he still lives in estonia and probably speaks estonian most of his time, so it would be so natural for that pet name to slip out of him. in english, though, i think he would like to go for something along the lines of my sweet or my dear. especially when hugging you or cuddling you, holding you close and whispering "you did so well, my sweet". he loves to add "my" as a reminder that you're his and no one else's.

pepe marti

call it cliche but he would totally go for mi amor. i imagine him coming home after a race weekend, when you're welcoming him home in the hallway with a big hug, and pepe kisses the top of your head with a whisper of "i missed you so much, mi amor". corazón could also be one, but i think he would love cariño, and he thinks it's so cute that he just finds himself smiling every time he says it to you.

clement novalak

mon trésor. he said it once, just to be funny and cheesy, but don't think he didn't notice the way your breath hitched in your throat when the words left his mouth. he doesn't speak his mother tongue often, so hearing him use it just for you? it sweeps you right off your feet. he also loves to go for a good old babe, it makes him feel really cool. especially in front of his friends lol.

liam lawson

darling. no doubt. it originates in the way that his mother used to call him by that pet name and something about it is just so dear to him. i also see him calling you idiot in an endearing way, like if you do something stupid he will just hug you tightly as he laughs, face nuzzled into your hair as he tells you about how you're "you silly little idiot... my silly little idiot".

arthur leclerc

arthur goes classic. mon amour or mon bébé all the way. idk what else to tell you, he's just a sucker for those. though i also really see him as someone who wants to call you something in your own native language just to be cute, something along the lines of darling/baby/love etc.

dennis hauger

excuse my norwegian for being a bit rusty but something along the lines of kjæreste, which (if i'm not mistaken) is the word for girlfriend/boyfriend but means more like "beloved"? i think he would love to speak to you in norwegian, even if you understand nothing of it. i also have a feeling that he would be good at using all kinds of pet names to be honest.

[in1-nutshell]

Hey so what if the old Predacon buddy were to meet the rescue bots how would they react to the senior Predacon?

It is said that the list of 'Grandbabies' grew that day.

Hope you enjoy!

Steel Mauler meets the Rescue Bots

SFW, Platonic, Cybertronian reader

TFP

Steel Mauler was having their daily sun nap in the scrapyard.

Their joints were aching a bit more than usual and opted to stay at the yard for patrol.

Fix-it, Denny and Russel had left with the team earlier, leaving them alone in the scrapyard.

It was a peaceful morning in the sun.

Until they heard the groundbridge starting up.

It confused them as they didn’t remember Bee using the bridge for patrolling.

Out popped a little yellow drone flying around saying the words ‘Toast’ repeatedly.

Steel Mauler got curious and carefully approached the little yellow drone before it went back into the bridge.

…Now… Steel Mauler knew they shouldn’t go in…

… But they did it anyways.

They walked into some sort of building on the other side as the portal closed.

Looking around for the little yellow drone… instead they found two human children.

Steel Mauler looking down at the kids.

“…”

“…”

“…umm, hello there. My name is Steel Mauler and-”—Steel Mauler

The boy jumps up and walks up to them.

“Noble! A giant robot dragon!”—the boy

The boy looks at their insignia.

“You’re an Autobot?”—the girl

“That’s right. How do you know about Autobots.”—Steel Mauler

“We know about the Rescue Bots are Autobots.”—the boy

Steel Mauler raises an optic.

“Rescue Bots? Here? I didn’t think that many or if any were still active, after all this time.”—Steel Mauler

“That’s what Chase said.”—the girl

“Hmm, and your names are?”—Steel Mauler

“I’m Frankie.”--Frankie

“I’m Cody. And you said your name was ‘Steel Mauler’?”—Cody

“That is correct.”—Steel Mauler

The older Predacon smirks a bit before patting the two on the head with their wings.

The door opens revealing two older adults.

“… Well, this is awkward.”—Steel Mauler

The girl and boy, Frankie Green and Cody Burns introduced them to their father’s.

They bowed a bit showing respect.

Cody wanted them to meet the bots.

Steel Mauler agreed and followed the humans.

The bots were not ready to see a giant Predacon walk into base with Cody, Frankie, Doc Green, and Chief Burns.

Neither were their human partners.

Steel Mauler winces a bit at the high pitch scream coming from the orange bot.

The blue and green ones stood in front of the humans and the red one looked like he was going to fight them.

“Calm down guys! Steel Mauler’s friendly! See!”--Cody

Frankie points at the Autobot insignia.

“See!”--Frankie

The bots relax a bit but they are still on edge.

“I apologize for the sudden entrance. I was accidentally bridged here.”—Steel Mauler

“You used a groundbrigde?”—human with the glasses

“More like dragged against my will.”—Steel Mauler

Heatwave walks up to them.

“I’m Heatwave.”--Heatwave

“I am Chase.”--Chase

“I’m Boulder.”--Boulder

“And I’m Blades.”--Blades

Steel Mauler turns to Blades.

“You’re Blades? Hmm, good to finally have a face for the name.”—Steel Mauler

“Name?”—human with the orange hair

“How do you know Blades?”—human woman

“I remember Bumblebee mentioning your name quite a few times.”—Steel Mauler

Blades suddenly moves closer to the Predacon.

“Really?! Bumblebee talks about me!?”--Blades

Steel Mauler is now resisting the urge to add another bot to their collection of grandbabies.

Steel Mauler has some time to get to know the rest of the team before they decide to go back to the scrapyard.

From ‘sparing’ with Heatwave.

To helping Boulder with planting some trees.

To helping Chase archive some of the cases.

To watching some movies with Blades.

To giving the humans Dragon rides.

Blades is the one who figures out quickly that Steel Mauler is old.

As in old as dirt.

It also didn’t help that their joints were hurting and making a squeaking sound.

“Why don’t we sit down for a bit longer.”--Blades

“I’m fine Blades, see.”—Steel Mauler

Steel Mauler stretches a servo.

SSSQQQQUUUEEEEAAAAKKKKK!

“…”—both bots

“… Now I know what your thinking, but this is all normal.”—Steel Mauler

“Steel, you need more rest especially with how old you are. It’s not good for the long run.”--Blades

“I can still kick it like the other’s Blades.”—Steel Mauler

“But you aren’t invincible either.”--Blades

Steel Mauler huffs a bit.

“Please?”--Blades

Steel Mauler huffs more.

“Then you leave me with no choice. Cody!”--Blades

“Blades what are you doing?”—Steel Mauler

Cody comes in.

“Yeah Blades?”--Cody

“Steel needs to rest their joints but they don’t want to and its bad for them to strain them at this age.”--Blades

“Wait your old?”--Cody

“Yes, I’m old but not that old.”—Steel Mauler

“In human terms how old would you be?”--Cody

Steel Mauler tries to resist the puppy dog eyes.

It fails.

“…In the hypothetical situation that your bots were the human ages of 30…”—Steel Mauler

“Then you are…?”--Cody

“I’m 1500.”—Steel Mauler

“…what?”—Cody and Blades

“Cody I’m pretty sure I am the oldest Cybertronain alive.”—Steel Mauler

Soon everyone catches on, and they are swarmed Steel Mauler with accommodations for their aching joints.

Steel Mauler decides to just let them do their thing, after all the heat pads were helping a bit with the pains.

Meanwhile at the scrapyard…

Bumblebee was frantically looking for Steel Mauler until he received a picture from Blades.

It was Steel Mauler happily sleeping with the kids outside.

There was a little message saying that the older Predacon was doing just fine and would be returning home soon.

[72-votes]

No Birds Allowed: Batman without Robin

The usual claim is that Jason Todd was singularly hated by audiences. Dick Grayson, Carrie Kelley, and Tim Drake are proper, beloved Robins—and Jason Todd is the one and only outlier so unlikable that audiences killed him off by popular vote.

But this claim ignores a massive piece of the puzzle—the Robin role has long been treated as an outdated remnant of a childish era, not only by a significant share of Batman fans, but also by Batman creative teams. While there were definitely fans who hated Jason Todd, he was at least partly chosen to be killed as a scapegoat for some long-standing complaints about the Robin role in Batman stories.

The 1988 poll to kill Jason Todd wasn't just a poll to kill Jason Todd—the poll to kill Robin was a poll to kill Robin.

Fan letters columns from Batman #221 and Detective Comics #398, reacting to Dick leaving for Hudson University in Batman #217 (1969):

Denny O'Neil Batman/Detective Comics writer (1970-1980) Batman group editor (1986-2000) on sending Robin away to Hudson University:

Dan Greenfield: Actually, last night I went back through my comics and the one thing that always strikes me is that before you came onto the character, they’d already made the decision to have Robin leave. Robin was up at Hudson University and was used sparingly from that point forward. Denny O’Neil: Well, that was a conscious decision of mine. Greenfield: Oh! O’Neil: Yeah, I mean … I had been offered Batman a year before I did it. Greenfield: No kidding? I wanna hear this. O’Neil: Because that was in the (Batman TV show) camp thing. The comics were very half-heartedly following in the footsteps of the camp because it was having a palpable effect on circulation. That’s not always true but it was in that case. Camp as in the sense — as opposed to the more erudite sense — this one-line joke about: “I loved this stuff when I was 6 and now that I’m 28 and I have a bi-weekly appointment with a therapist and a little, mild drug habit and two divorces, ‘Look how silly it is.'” I would go into the most literary bar in Greenwich Village on (Wednesday) or Thursday evenings and there would be writers and poets and college professors, all looking at Batman! But when that was over, it was over. It was like somebody turned a switch. And that’s when (editor) Julie (Schwartz) said, in his avuncular way, did I have any ideas for Batman? And at that point, I wasn’t going to be asked to do camp. I was going to be asked to do anything within the bounds of good taste, etc., that I wanted to.

O'Neil, quoted from “Notes from the Batcave: An Interview with Dennis O’Neil” in The Many Lives of The Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media:

There was a time right before I took over as Batman editor when he seemed to be much closer to a family man, much closer to a nice guy. He seemed to have a love life and he seemed to be very paternal towards Robin. My version is a lot nastier than that. He has a lot more edge to him.

O'Neil in 2015:

Modern Batman does not do camp. He has to evolve but to stay true to the concept he has to stay lonely. The kids, there shouldn't be many. Keep him the lone, obsessed crusader and the stories will be better. We did a story called Son of the Demon. It told a story where he had a kid, a baby. It wasn't in continuity. These days, the kid came back and became the new Robin, and I hear that Batman's got a few more running around.

Jim Starlin, Batman writer (1987-1988), writer of A Death in the Family:

I tried to avoid using [Robin] as much as I could. In most of my early Batman stories, he doesn’t appear. Eventually Denny asked me to do a specific Robin story, which I did, and I guess it went over fairly well from what I understand. But I wasn’t crazy about Robin.

I thought that going out and fighting crime in a grey and black outfit while you send out a kid in primary colors was kind of like child abuse. So when I started working on Batman, I was always leaving Robin out of the stories, and Denny O’Neil who is the editor finally said, "You gotta put [Robin] in."

In the one Batman issue I wrote with Robin featured, I had him do something underhanded, as I recall. Denny had told me that the character was very unpopular with fans, so I decided to play on that dislike. [...] At that time, DC had this idea that they were gonna do an AIDS education book, and so they put a box out and wanted everybody to put in suggestions of who should contract AIDS and perish in the comics. I stuffed it with Robin. They realized it was all my handwriting so they ended up throwing all my things out. About six months later, Denny came up with this idea of the call-in thing. [...] I didn’t find out about it until I came back [from Mexico] and found out that, just as I expected, my ghoulish little fans voted him dead. But by a much smaller margin than I’d imagined. It was only like 72 votes out of 10,000, so statistically it was next to nothing.

Dan Raspler, assistant editor/associate editor to Denny O’Neil (1988-1990):

Denny wasn’t really interested in comics continuity, and he didn’t like superheroes. And if you read his work, you see his influence was really a pushing away from the conventions at the time—it was growing old, that sort of Golden Age-y, Silver Age-y stuff, and Denny sort of modernized it, and he never stopped feeling that way. Jim Starlin’s Batman appealed to Denny. It was a little more ‘down to Earth. Nobody liked Robin at the time. For a while Robin was not—it didn’t make sense in comics. Comics were darkening, and so having the kid was just, it was silly, and even at the time I kind of didn’t. Now Robin is my favorite all-time character, but at the time when I was twenty-whatever, I accepted kicking Robin out, the short pants and all the rest of it.

Comic shop owner Phil Beracha on A Death in the Family, quoted in The Sun Sentinel (October 22, 1988):

"I got 100 copies, and I don't expect them to last past the weekend," said Phil Beracha, owner of Phil's Comic Shoppe in Margate. "I usually get 50 copies of Batman. I doubled my order, and I still expect to sell out." The readers voted right, Beracha said. "Robin is an outdated concept. He was created in the `40s, and back then in a comic book you could have a kid beating up grown men. I don't think that works today."

Writer Steve Englehart, quoted in "Batman, the Gamble; Warner Bros. is betting big money that a 50-year-old comic book vigilante will be a `hero for our times'" in the Los Angeles Times (June 18, 1989):

Writer Steven Englehart, who did a series of Batman stories in Detective Comics, also worked up some movie treatments. In a letter to Comics Buyer's Guide, he revealed the approach he had in mind, which would have pleased Batfanatics: "My first treatment had Robin getting blown away in the first 90 seconds, so that every reviewer in the country would begin his review with, `This sure isn't the TV show.' "

Michael Uslan, producer and film rights holder for the 1989 Batman film:

I only let Tim [Burton] see the original year of the Bob Kane/Bill Finger run, up until the time that Robin was introduced. I showed him the Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers and the Neal Adams/Denny O'Neil stories. My biggest fear was that somehow Tim would get hold of the campiest Batman comics and then where would we be?

"Death Knell for the Campy Crusader" in the Orlando Sentinel (23 June 1989):

For most people, the name Batman summons up a picture of a clown in long johns, a Campy Crusader who - with the young punster Robin - ZAPed and POWed his way into our lives. That's the Batman that appeared on TV in the mid-'60s, and that's the Batman that the world at large knows. Such is the power of television. But this ludicrous image may become obsolete now that the new, $40 million Batman movie has opened. Robin is absent from the film, as are the perky Batgirl and the utterly superfluous Aunt Harriet of the TV series. And though the movie has plenty of sound effects, they don't appear on the screen as words, spelled out in neo-Brechtian absurdity.

Sam Hamm, writer for Batman (1989 live-action film):

The Case of the Disappearing Robin is high comedy. Tim (Burton) and I had worked out a plotline that did not include the Boy Wonder, whom we both regarded as an unnecessary intrusion. Really: Our hero was crazy to begin with. Did he have to prove it by enlisting a pimply adolescent to help him fight crime? Was Bat-Baby unavailable? But the studio was insistent: There was no such thing as solo Batman, there was only Batman and Robin. So, after holding off the executives for as long as we could, Tim and I realized we had better try to accommodate them. He flew up to my house in San Francisco and we walked around in circles for two days, finally deciding that there was no way to shoehorn Robin into our story. [...] We figured that if we managed to squeeze him in, the lame hacks who were making the sequel could worry about what to do with him next. When the film went into production in London, and ran seriously over budget, WB started looking for a sequence that could be cut to save money. And there was one obvious candidate: Intro Robin! So Robin was cut from the movie and shoved back to Batman Returns— from which he was cut yet again and shoved back to Batman Forever.

Grant Morrison on creating Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (written 1987-1988, published 1989) with Dave McKean (see the annotated script's fourth page):

The original first draft of the script included Robin. Robin appeared in a few scenes at the beginning then remained at Police Headquarters for the bulk of the book, where he spent his time studying plans and histories of the house, in order to find a way in to help his mentor. Dave McKean, however, felt that he had already compromised his artistic integrity sufficiently by drawing Batman and refused point blank over for the Boy Wonder — so after one brave but ridiculous attempt to put him in a trench coat, I wisely removed him from the script.

Paul Dini on Batman: The Animated Series (1992), as told in the 1998 book Batman Animated:

The Fox Network, on the assumption that kids won't watch a kid’s show unless kids are in it, soon began insisting that Robin be prominently featured in every episode. When Fox changed the title from Batman: The Animated Series to The Adventures of Batman & Robin, they laid down the law-no story premise was to be considered unless it was either a Robin story or one in which the Boy Wonder played a key role. Out were underworld character studies like “It's Never Too Late"; in were traditional Batman and Robin escapades like “The Lion and the Unicorn.” A potentially intriguing Catwoman/Black Canary team-up was interrupted in midpitch to the network by their demand, “Where's Robin?” When the writers asked if they could omit Robin from just this one episode, Fox obliged by omitting the entire story. Looking back, there was nothing drastically wrong with Robin's full-time insertion into the series—after all, kids do love him. Our major gripe at the time was that it started turning the series into the predictable Batman and Robin show people had initially expected it would be. For the first season, Batman had been an experiment we weren't sure would work. We were trying out different ways of telling all kinds of stories with Batman as our only constant. For better or worse, having a kid forced him, and the series, to settle down.

Christian Bale, star of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy (2008):

If Robin crops up in one of the new Batman films, I'll be chaining myself up somewhere and refusing to go to work.

Summed up

Among the keepers of Batman, there has been a vocal contingent arguing against the inclusion of Robin. They argue that Robin damages Batman's brooding, solitary persona. They argue that the concept of Robin is too ridiculous and fantastic for the grounded, gritty ideal of Batman. They argue that a respectable version of Batman shouldn't allow, encourage, or train "child soldiers" to endanger their lives fighting against violent evil-doers.

The original and most iconic Robin, Dick Grayson, has definitely benefited from his deep roots in DC lore and his consistent popularity among fans—and yet even he has been shunned from various Batman projects over the decades. When even he struggles to get his foot in the door, his successors face stiffer opposition.

So it's not quite correct to say that Jim Starlin hated Jason Todd. In his own words, Starlin wasn't fond of Robin, and his storytelling (most obviously A Death in the Family) set out to argue against Batman having any kind of "partner" at all. This, following the wildly successful comic that treated Barbara Gordon as a disposable prop. A growing audience welcomed the Dark Age, and the gruesome spectacles made of kid-friendly elements like Batgirl and Robin.

This trend could be broken by the upcoming sequel to The Batman and by the planned slate of upcoming DCU films. But most Robin fans will tell you that many movie-going Batman fans still have their doubts about Robin sharing Batman's spotlight.

[quirekey]

MATCHUP FOR @eldritchsp00ks

You have got FIXIT RID2015

[ Transformers x Human!reader ]

INTRODUCTION

You were a friend of Denny Clay, a pretty close one at least. You both have pretty differing opinions and likings but you both like to embrace that, it’s easier to make conversations and debates with it anyways. Over time, you guys got closer and you both were unstoppable.

After a usual while, you saw Denny pretending to be a famous adventurer, stopping cars from going over the bridge. You went up to him and saw some massive robots of various sizes, colours and patterns fighting off another bunch, you were obviously worried and asked Denny what in the world was going on.

“Denny, what in the world are you doing?”

“Don’t worry about me right now, Nex… I got some work to do- I’ll explain later! Just stay by me!”

You complied and stood by him, trying to stop the other cars yourself.

When the battling stopped and seemingly the loud, clanking metal had reached its end, Denny gave it a few minutes then opened the bridge back up, leaving into the forest. You followed behind him and were understandably confused but you didn’t question him till you guys arrived at his junkyard. Oh boy, you haven’t seen this piece of… this masterpiece in a while!

Denny lets you in the junkyard with hesitation and you see the whole crew of massive robots. They seemingly don’t see you because they aren’t reacting, until Denny coughed loudly to gain their attention.

They were understandably surprised but friendly enough for you to get along. They all varied in bubbly personalities and you enjoyed their company. Bumblebee, Strongarm, Sideswipe, Drift, Grimlock and Fixit, then the two cute ones, Jetstorm and Slipstream.

One of them seemed very needy and friendly around you, they were really clingy and always wanted to talk to you ever since you met them. Fixit. The ‘mini-con’ that was seemingly the engineer and technician of the group. He definitely made it obvious that he gained feelings for you almost immediately.

You accepted his feelings but didn’t date just yet, you two were more like friends with romantic tension, why not give him a chance?

HEADCANONS

Either platonic or romantic:

- You like to talk to Fixit about your love of aliens, how freaky and cool they look! You show Fixit most of the alien merch you own and Fixit is definitely confused. Aliens are interpreted as these weirdly headed guys, cartoony looking limbs and just have a strange aura, at least the typical alien does. Fixit does feel a little insecure but also thinks it's hilarious that humans see aliens like that, but you are able to reassure him.

- He loves to run his mouth to you about his stories and says a lot of dumb crap that makes you laugh. He likes to tell stories that relate to the things you like, like aliens, horror, cats.

- Fixit sometimes over-does his talking and you definitely run out of social batteries. Fixit isn’t a guy to push so if you do mention that you are tired, he will leave ya alone. He understands boundaries!

- When Fixit goes on the tablet to just play a game or something for a break, sometimes you like to scare him and download those iconically old games like granny or something.

- You really enjoy Science so Fixit and you really like to do simple and dumb experiments in your free time with the random chemicals and items you both find in the junkyard. Sometimes there are explosions…

Romantic only:

- You like to watch horror movies with Fixit and seeing a scared mini-con shiver on the couch while covering his optics is amusing. He usually grabs you and puts you in front of him, he’s pretty scared of basically anything. Or he would hug you and shove his faceplate on your shoulder. Nuzzling himself against you while you watched the movie silently.

- Since you guys are very similar in height, Fixit really likes it when you give him little head scratches and pats, it feels funny on his metal. Though you don’t like scratching the metal on his head, patting it was okay with you. If you don’t wanna scratch, he usually says a simple kiss would do for cycles!

- When you daydream, Fixit likes to admire you no matter where he is. He won’t look for long because he feels like it’s wrong but he will admire your face for a bit.

- Fixit really likes your little space buns and when you guys are cuddling, he loves to just bury his face into your shoulder while squishing the little space buns. He describes it as those stress toys that those kids like.

Ngl I just wanted to point out that your love for aliens is so large that you even have space buns dude, pop off ✨ — to eldritchsp00ks

[irish-urn]

I’ve been reading Dasey fics and theres always this conflict about how Casey is scared to reveal her feelings because of her morals and what family and friends are going to think but then like a couple chapters later, they get together and it’s never brought up again. So my question is, how do you think the family would navigate through this? I can imagine Nora and George being confused and surprised in the beginning but I don’t know. I always love to hear your thoughts.

OH BOY MY FAVOURITE KIND OF QUESTION. Thank you sooooo much for hitting me up!! I love chatting!!! <3 <3 <3

Okay, so. SO. I think in EVERY universe I am working in (with the exception of the Hades AU), I have George and Nora reacting poorly. I genuinely believe with ALL MY HEART that they would be completely blind-sided by Derek and Casey getting together. We see this in my main college series kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight, but I stand by this for... pretty much every version of Derek and Casey. Even the AUs where they aren't stepsiblings, I imagine George and Nora are just totally befuddled by them.

BUT, for the sake of this ask, let's look at canon. I believe that Nora has this idea in her head of a perfect family -- and she failed the first time with Dennis. Dennis was, in theory, the perfect man, the kind of man everyone expected her to marry. And that marriage failed. So now she's trying again with George, and it's messy and complicated, but dammit if she isn't going to do her best to make it seem like they are the perfect blended family. There's also all the pressure she puts on Casey -- while I don't believe Nora intends to do this, the fact is that likely after the divorce, Nora was overwhelmed and Casey saw this and, being who she is, just stepped up to the plate and took on extra responsibilities. Nora was grateful (obviously) and so proud that her daughter(s) are young women she can depend upon, and so she just... keeps leaning and trusting Casey to be the perfect Grade A daughter.

When it comes to George: I think he loves his kids. I think he's tried to be a good dad for them. I think they were fed, sheltered, and had a lot of fun with him, and very little discipline. I think, as a result, Marti and Derek are brats -- and the only reason Edwin is less of one is because DEREK keeps him in line. But Edwin can be pretty bratty too. What does this mean? It means that when Derek does reach out for help or does do something mature and right, it's usually either ignored or seen as "too little too late". I think that Derek and George have a lot of the same flaws, and George sees a lot of his younger self in Derek. And, as we see in LWL, neither George nor Nora view Derek as having grown up at all, despite the fact that his life is arguably in better shape than Casey's and he's far more mature than George.

What does this mean for them being faced with Dasey? I think Nora would FREAK and I think George would follow her lead. From my re-watch of the show, Nora spends a lot of time correcting George's parenting techniques; sometimes George convinces her to relax because it's not a big deal, and sometimes Nora convinces George to take things more seriously. But I do SERIOUSLY think that Nora would see her perfect, good daughter claiming to be in love WITH HER STEPBROTHER, the young man that Nora sees as a SON; and I think Nora would immediately refuse it. Because Nora has spent so much time trying to fix what she broke before; and I think she would see this relationship as, like, a cannonball aimed at her McTuri ship. I think George would see his wife incredibly upset and, judging by how he treats and views Derek, would take her side.

I think, at best, both parents would see this as a temporary rebellion on Casey's side, and just an impulsive move from Derek. I can just imagine George reminding Nora that Casey is a very attractive girl and Derek LIKES girls; of course he'd go after her if he had a shot. I think then there would be lots of mumbles of, "But he should know better than to go after his sister; I guess we expected too much from him; it'll blow over, he never commits to anything for long." (which is not true, btw. Look at hockey, look at film, look at his best friends (from his CHILDHOOD), look at his family. When Derek loves, he COMMITS.)

That being said, I think that, if Casey and Derek stuck to their guns and held their ground, Nora and George would eventually cave because, and I do stress this, they love their children. Nora loves Casey; George loves Derek. Neither wants to disown them or push them away. So, I think they would, after a lot of talking and Dasey determination, try to be okay with it.

I think, for a long time, it would be a "fake it until you make it" kind of thing. I think they would pretend to be okay with it because the other option is Derek and Casey not being around, and that's going to break up the family as much as (if not more so) them breaking up would. I think Nora makes contingency plans for when they break up. I think Nora has a lot of talks with Casey to check in; I think Casey is very private about her relationship with Derek and has been hurt by the reaction, and so is hesitant to divulge much information. I think this doesn't help calm Nora down whatsoever. I think George probably talks to the other kids (who I will get to in a minute) to try to understand. I think he kind of does, but doesn't trust his son enough not to screw it up.

I think it's years before George and Nora would actually be okay with it; and I think it would be one of those things where they pretended for so long eventually it became real. One day, Nora realized that when she said, "How sweet!" about something Derek did for Casey, she meant it. I suspect that this realization makes her sit down and think about her choices for a long time; and then I think she might apologize to Casey and finally start mending their relationship.

THE KIDS: I think they KNOW that Derek and Casey do not view each other as siblings. I think, especially as Edwin and Lizzie get older, they recognize UST for what it is. I think they love their siblings very much and recognize that the best thing for all of them is for them to be together.

THAT BEING SAID: I don't think it's a smooth transition for them. I think they probably find it SUPER weird at first. I think they told themselves for MONTHS that they would be supportive; and then they see Casey give Derek a kiss, and their brains explode a little. I think Marti is more okay with it than Edwin and Lizzie, but that's because she knows how much her Smerek loves Casey, and all kissing is gross, they're not special. I think Edwin and Lizzie try SO HARD to be cool about it, but it takes time. But I think both Derek and Casey, although hurt about their discomfort, understand that it's not disapproval, it's just growing pains and the awkwardness of seeing your sibling being sappy and in love. I think they'd adapt MUCH quicker than Genora, but would probably take more time than they thought, and I think Edwin and Lizzie would be disappointed in themselves.

Simon? I have NO idea. It depends on how old he is when they get together and the circumstances around it. Honestly, if you want, I can give you my HC on how everyone handles Derek and Casey getting together after LWL if you want, as opposed to as young adults.

This was a really long answer, but it's a complicated situation. I promise you that in any fic I have that has Derek and Casey getting together and the family involved, I wouldn't just brush over the family reaction. I love the fact that it would be dramatic, because it allows for conflict and relationship growth that isn't cheating or miscommunication or all those other tropes I dislike so much. This is a real and heartbreaking conflict that could make or break Dasey; and I love playing with the complications of family.

Please, please, reach out if you want any more of my thoughts or if you want me to expand on any of this. I looooooove talking about this stuff. Makes me cackle like a little gremlin.

[eyeballsoup7310]

I find it very interesting that people despise Vanessa for threatening Mike but I’ve not even seen a single person mention that Mike beat a man to filth in a mall fountain in front of the guys son.

Not to say mikes an inherently bad person for that, he has trauma and he reacted to something that triggered it— it’s just kind of telling that the entire fandom not only immediately forgave, but also never actually considered criticizing him for violently attacking a man in the first place, but a lot of people refuse to even imagine liking a woman because she was kind of mean to their favorite sad little blorbo due to her own trauma flaring up.

Edit cuz I thought about it again: obviously the dynamic is a little different in each situation. While both Vanessa and Mike were employed in positions of physical power at the time of their fuckups, Vanessa was specifically using her job as a threat whereas Mike didn’t even think about using his power as a guard. They both did something extremely shitty and rash, but if Vanessa weren’t an officer I don’t think people would care as much. Mike did something more comparable to, like, “getting into a drunken fistfight at dennys.”

On the flip side, threatening a man who’s Going Through It is super shitty and I don’t wanna dismiss that, but Mike still physically assaulted a man, and it’s weird to me that the fandom seems to have just forgotten. They’re fictional characters so I think trying to hold them to the exact same standards as real people is a bit weird to me (they’re meant to convey a story, not be a paragon of morality, unless of course the story they’re conveying is about morality but I’ll leave that conversation to people who have more than two braincells) but if we’re gonna criticize Vanessa I feel like we should also criticize Mike a little too

(I will still say, I don’t think Vanessa ever had any intent of trying to even legally challenge him ((i.e. arrest him or charge him or something)) and if she actually wanted to scare Mike she could’ve threatened to take Abby away, something that she previously refused to do in the “dumping shit in the river” scene. Also a stupid move, please don’t throw pills in the river, but it was the year 2000 and she was raised by William Goddamn Afton it makes sense she’s a bit of a dumbass sometimes)

Ultimately I don’t hold it against anyone if they dislike Vanessa because of this scene (or if they dislike Vanessa, especially for being a cop, in general), I guess I’m more so hung up about the fact that if she were a man, less people would hate her. Criticism of her as an officer is fine, we should be shitting on cops, some of it just feels like an excuse to be borderline misogynistic. I dunno, i tend to focus on stupid details. fnaf is a really weird series and an even weirder fandom. can everyone stop writing cops as protagonists please

Edit 2: actually thinking about it more and I just feel. Gross. Defending a character who’s a cop. It’s almost worse that it’s not even relevant to the story, for all the importance it has, she could easily be a janitor with a knife or something and absolutely nothing would change. Eugh. Curse of being written by scott cawthon, I guess. Anyways. Sorry. I think the part of my brain saw a pathetic wet cat of a character who’s a woman this time and went stupid mode

(If anyone has any recommendations for characters with a similar vibe to Vanessa that ARENT part of an extremely shitty job please uh. Comment them)

[getherbanshee]

Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day Analysis

Hello, macdennis hive mind. Now, I know that was not the episode we were hoping for; however, I’m here to tell you that there is still hope for macdennis through my analysis of “dennis takes a mental health day.”

This is also not a spoiler free analysis, so you have been warned.

“It Wasn’t Real”/“It Was All a Dream” Trope

Yes, this trope is overplayed. Yes, I am upset that appeared in always sunny episode. However, they did what always does and subverted the trope and flipped it on its head. (I will get more into this in a minute.) So I can’t stay mad at them for this. A light round of applause. Once it is revealed that this is fake scenario that Dennis has created in his mind (just like me fr), we are able to explore some of the deeper meanings, symbolism, and metaphors throughout the episode.

Dennis’s difficulty and inability to integrate with change

Throughout the series it has become prevalent that Dennis is reluctant to change and progress with the most specific example being with Mac. Their dynamic has teetered throughout the show with Mac’s progression as a character and in turn Dennis’s regression as a character. With the devices such as Dennis being forced to change in his environment with his age, his health, the keyless car, a new car, cashless payment with an app in place, and the new phone, these are all catalogs to represent unwillingness to change and evolve and could be considered metaphors for his relationship with Mac. While Mac is changing and evolving like society, Dennis is stuck in the past where things were easy, made sense to him, and were less stressful with him to cope with because it’s what he knows. Mac changing is difficult for him to process because it is a) change and b) a new way to see his and Mac’s relationship. They aren’t the two best friends joint at the hip. They are something more. They are changing and evolving, yet Dennis refuses to admit or accept this.

Diamond Metaphor

This one’s kinda simple and saying that Dennis sees himself as one who works well under pressure and can take a terrible situation and fix it to make it better. However, this is just the opposite. As the gang was trying to make diamonds in the bar, they were doing it in a dangerous and unsafe way, which could worsen their situation, possibly starting a fire that could burn down Paddy’s. This goes in tandem with how Dennis reacts in most situations. By trying to fix what is “wrong” in the situation, he is fixing what would be best for him; however, this could permanently ruin a situation, like starting a fire or rejecting Mac in a way that was easier for Dennis to cope with than it was to just let Mac and accept him.

The System

Dennis is the system. I don’t know what else this could be other than Dennis is the system. Because we are in Dennis’s head, Dennis is creating these situations for himself where he is upset or gets angry, and it is his fault. He created these guidelines for himself that if something is not going his way or change is coming he gets angry and rejects it. These aren’t anyone else’s rules but his. You can then apply this reasoning to how he behaves around Mac. No one is saying he can’t be vulnerable with Mac other than himself because Dennis doesn’t enable himself to. Dennis doesn’t allow himself to open up to people, even someone he has been best friends with since high school. If he did let Mac in, that would mean he would have to accept that he was wrong and would have to talk to himself (talk to the person who created the system). It’s self-sabotage, and Dennis is the CEO of self-sabotage.

Little Note

I love that even in Dennis’s fake scenario Mac is still obedient to him, unlike Mac now, who is more independent and evolved. Mac believes that the call from Dennis is a test and obeys that they should not answer to anger Mac. In Dennis’s mind, Dennis clings to the idea that Mac should please and obey him, when that is not Mac anymore.

Im probably gonna have more to add onto this, but these are my thoughts on the subject for now. Please feel free to add on, agree, disagree, comment. Go nuts because I certainly was after this episode.

[beatleskinkmeme]

Ides of March-a-thon Master Post

Please check out these fics and leave a comment!

want me when i'm not there by @backbenttulips

Paul cheats on Linda with John and she's fucking furious about it. Give me a fic where she behaves in a normal way instead of reacting like a McLennon shipper or saying "that's nice honey" and accepting an unfair scenario where Paul can have a boyfriend but if she had one he'd go batshit. PLEASE lots of Paul making pathetic excuses ("I said I wouldn't have other women! It was only blowjobs!") and her being the boss she is. PERSECUTE THAT MAN.

The Rockingham Club Mystery by WordsofLove42

Paul/Robert, Paul reporting to Robert about his time with another man (Robert had been his only male partner up to then) and telling him all the things that were similar and different about the experience. Maybe Robert feels a bit smug and maybe also a bit inspired?

Silly Girl by @bluewater9

John and Paul's relationship as told through Martha's perspective :3 Yes I know she's a dog but this is fiction so who cares.

I Can't Tell You But I know it's Mine by @aquarianshift

We don't get enough starrison. After a long stressful day at the studio, George goes to Ringos house after. Ringos pent up and George just looks delicious.

I Don't Care Too Much by @notgrungybitchin

John trying to be a sugar daddy in Paris but he and Paul are lowkey broke.

The Jumper by @merseydreams

John and Paul always shared clothing. After the break-up, John sees a picture of Denny Laine wearing one of the shirts that Paul and John had shared! He decides that is unacceptable and goes to a Wings show to get it back.

Plant a Seed by skua

John fuck Paul in his gay little sailor outfit from those Miami pics.

well, how did I get here? by @theoldmixer

McLennon crossover with 13 Going on 30. John goes to sleep one night when the Beatles were still struggling and he wakes up in the early 70s to find out he got everything he wanted and is one of the most famous musicians in the world but he doesn’t understand why he and Paul aren’t friends anymore….

i can only speak my mind by Paisanas

Someone in John’s staff sells his diaries to the press in the 70s. They’re printed in the papers. They contain his feelings about Paul. They are him pining over Paul. Paul reads them.

Brother Dearest by @javelinbk

AU where Mimi and Jim get married and John and Paul are stepbrothers (stepbrothers who are attracted to each other)

Managing Expectations by @pauls1967moustache

Paul and Brian cross paths on a night out at the clubs. After a mixture of several drinks/substances, and the subsequent effect of severely lowering the pair’s inhibitions, Paul begins to question Brian about his relationship with John. [How far Paul pushes the discussion and the extent of what Brian reveals are both up to the author. Tone and any pairing involving the three also up to the author.]

Content to Whisper by @adriansfrombrooklyn

I would love a peek inside J&P’s minds when they were playing pyramus and thisbe. You know, must’ve been interesting to play the lover of the person you secretly loved

you gave me the word by tarenas

John/Paul telepathy - they accidentally start hearing each other’s thoughts at random

oh, what a night by @two-gurus-in-drag

John and Paul have sweaty euphoric sex after the impromptu obertauern gig they did while filming Help!

No I in Threesome by @with-eyes-closed

i would love george finding out he has a daddy kink and just being like "god damn it, i thought i was the only one of us who didn't have some kind of daddy issues"

John, I'm Only Dancing by @skylikeaflame

After Paul almost falls off the building during the Mad Day Out photo shoot, John freaks out. They have it out and fuck tenderly.

**This will be updated as we get more fics!

**Also I wasn't sure of everyone's tumblr so if you want me to tag your tumblr please let me know!

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals: Hoist The Colours

Oh boy, we're heading into the big ones now!

Hoist The Colours was uploaded on September 18, 2021, and features Jose Rosario Jr in his second collaboration with Voiceplay. This one stunned a lot of reactors (one of them, Dennis King of King Family Reacts, literally got up and left the room after the video was finished because he had been rendered speechless by it!), and the video currently sits at 4.6 million views (close to 4.7!) (EDIT/UPDATE: as of the night of the 8th of March, it's now at 4.7, close to 4.8!). So without further ado, let's get right into this one, and hope I don't have to start paying attention to my screenshot count!

Can you believe this was only Cesar's second (full-length) video as a full-time Voiceplay member? Because wow

(Also interestingly enough, Rick Underwood is credited with makeup in the video description (shoutout to Rick!) but no one is credited with costuming, so did everyone just acquire their outfits themselves or what?)

Geoff was in charge of the video creation for this one, as well as doing the arrangement, and he worked together with Eli for the lighting design, so big shoutout to Geoff! (And as always to Eli the lighting whiz)

OKAY a few things to talk about here

First of all, love the set design, it's like the Little Mermaid Medley but on steroids and more pirate themed! Also love the horn-playing skeleton on the left-hand side of the screen (took me a while to notice it ngl 😅)

And of course the outfits/costuming! I can't really think of a lot of things to say individually right now, but there was 100% a lot of thought and effort that went into the clothes (even if the description won't specify who acquired the clothes. I'm going to assume Geoff, since the overall video credit goes to him.)

Oh hey it's my blog banner/background, or close enough to it at least! (Hoist The Colours has a decent few very cool visual moments that are totally screencap-worthy, and of course that's what I'm here for - to point them out!)

Geoff may play the villain (or otherwise just-generally-creepy/spooky/scary guy) a lot in videos, but as of the last few years at least, Eli's often been looking like the one that you really don't wanna pick a fight with. (Also cool ring, and is that fake scar tissue on his head?)

This is a better shot of everyone's outfits actually. A few notes on everyone (except Eli, who I just talked about?)

Cesar: Very ghostly, especially with the cloudy contact lens in one eye. Love the white coat/jacket, and love the pop of colour with the red sash! Also what is he holding/shaking? I thought it was a set of old-fashioned keys, but it doesn't look like it.

Jose: The "captain" of this "motley crew", obviously. Cool coat, and love the sword.

Layne: Not too much going on with his outfit, relatively speaking, but I love the bit of eyeliner under his eyes, and the fake scar on his cheek! (Seriously Rick did a great job here, as he always does)

Geoff: Wearing at least two necklaces, and in true Geoff Castellucci fashion, he's got the top two buttons of his shirt undone (well, gotta show off those necklaces! 😉😁). ALSO, bonus thing that I literally only just realized after taking this screencap, is that Geoff has "VP" on his right arm, done in a way that makes it look like like scar tissue I believe.

That is seriously a very cool and very smooth transition. Who edited this? Was that Geoff too? (Also Crazy Eyes Layne!)

As I figured, one of the necklaces Geoff is wearing, the gold one, is for costume purposes, and the other one, the silver one with the diamond-shaped pendant, is the necklace from Kathy that Geoff basically never takes off (bless him <3 )

I think Cesar's holding old-fashioned shackles/handcuffs or something?

Hang on that skeleton on the left lost his little horn/trumpet and got stabbed?? 😅😂

Yeah Layne had fun in this one I can tell 😁 (also his vest is more detailed than first appears! Very nice!)

What a really freaking awesome shot/moment. In terms of "money shots", these two might in fact be two of the most awesome stills from any Voiceplay video ever (or so far, anyway).

He's got charisma, I'll give him that (also cool necklace!)

How are they just an independent acapella group that make YouTube videos that we can all watch for free? Like seriously, this is top tier stuff (both in terms of the video and the song cover itself), but this wasn't even Voiceplay at their peak! Voiceplay doesn't have a peak! They don't stick to a lane, they take "risks", they get creative, they will sing pretty much anything, and it works

Voiceplay says in the description "we may have gotten a little carried away with this one", but honestly would it really be Voiceplay if they didn't?

Anyway, I've got many more awesome videos ahead of me to write about, so stay tuned!

[charmac]

How are you feeling about S17? I'm getting reaaal worried that it's going to be terrible. No Glenn in the writers room? A crossover episode?? Rob's gradual transformation into pondslime??? Help

Pondslime 😭Lmfao

I'm feeling more than fine about 17, really truly. I don't think anyone should be worried at all.

I think sometimes my interactions with Glenn come off a little more serious or abrasive than they really happened in real life (because we have to shout due to how loud it is in the bars), and my immediate transcription is just to get people *information*, which really doesn't convey tone.

For example, reporting that Glenn said "you don't want to know" in response to me asking for any teasers (as to plots this season) was met with a lot of "oh so this season is gonna suck" on Twitter, and that could not be further than the truth (sorry to the people I split-react blocked for saying that lol). In hindsight I get the reaction, because written out it's a response that can be easily misinterpreted and reads as potentially concerning, but know that when Glenn said "you don't want to know" he looked like this:

And when I was genuinely just asking for script information (regarding writers of individual scripts after he mentioned they had broken already) and mentioned Nina (Inflates) and Ross (DTAMHD), he gushed about both of them and then said, transcribed word for word, "It's been a good room, I'll say this it's been a great room. It's been an all-star room, it's been...like, breaking the stories this year has been really fun. [Me: Yeah?] Yeah. [That's great, that is great to hear.] It's been really fun."

So the idea of "no Glenn in the writers room" is really much more akin to Season 16 than 13/14. He was there to break stories (meaning he was in the room when they were brainstorming plot ideas and when they settled on which plots would be turned into scripts) but Rob and Charlie are taking the brunt of writing their (RCG's) scripts because of Sirens. This is the same thing that happened with The Gang Goes Bowling. Glenn's name is on the script, but Rob and Charlie wrote the majority of it while Glenn was shooting Blackberry. (I remember originally being convinced it was a mistake Glenn was listed as a writer for Bowling, lmfao). And Glenn is definitely still contributing, will be on revisions for the non-RCG scripts, and will classically change or improv whatever he thinks is best for Dennis when he's on set (see: the Risk E. Rats script).

Also, I know the crossover is concerning to a lot of people just given the nature of it, but as of what we know right now it's only on Abbott, so it's really just as if this season's The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell or The Janitor Always Mops Twice took place on a different show instead of ours...

I promise promise promise Glenn was clearly holding his tongue for good things coming up, and Friday night very much restored my confidence that Season 17 will be good. (But..if you don't think Glenn has good contributions to Sunny or understands the agenda, then sorry this response probably sucks lmfao)

[asherlockstudy]

So on ERB Link has mentioned numerous times lately how he likes interacting with strangers & all that, which seems pretty innocuous but I remember him mentioning it in the same episode where he dropping hints about wanting to "come out" with something. I'm saying all this because I wonder, do you think Link is trying to explore his identity more and trying to date/hook up with people? It doesn't seem like the sort of thing Rhett "allow", if they are in a relationship, but who knows?

I have thought about it. He consciously chooses to go out or make trips without his loved ones, be it family or Rhett. He has also said he loves meeting and mingling with strangers, ones that don’t know him from the internet, because he feels he can be his true self around them. I think he has said “there are no stakes”.

There are two incidents I remember that seem relevant:

That time they had gone out (to a film, I think) and Link talked to a man about the shoes he had chosen to wear but his response was poor or something (they never explained why). Rhett explained how he thought Link was responsible for this and how he tends to interact with strangers and, in his words, there is a sort of “ribbing” in what Link does, and he added pointedly many times that “some will respond poorly to it but some will interact back and maybe a “tighter” connection will be formed, but if Link wants to do this, he should not do it in Rhett’s presence (or Christy’s)”. Rhett said more but it was this that Link returned to and reacted to over and over again, and argued “how what he said could ever be perceived as an attempt to form a deeper connection with that guy”. He literally asked him “do you really think me talking about my shoe neurosis would make that guy want to meet with me later?!” And Rhett literally responded “No but there is some sort of ribbing”. Like, this whole conversation was so crazy to me that it beats me how people don’t question anything. Link emphasised how there was nothing of the sort and how he wants this criticism to help him improve and how he and Rhett are just one unit, one side, there are no two sides, which visibly pleased and softened Rhett. Then Link also confirmed that this conversation should have happened in private and that it would be “a little different” in private. My perception is that in private this would be a jealousy scene by Rhett and an accusation that Link flirted at the guy. By the way, this was the famous episode in which Link concluded that “he just wants to jump out of the plane”.

Link had done that solo trip in which he met that guy (Dennis??? or something starting from D lol) and described his interaction with him while Rhett got progressively suspicious. Rhett started making cautious remarks like “wow it seems like it was quite a connection” as Link was describing various moments including one in which he posed with his burger for Dennis to take several photos. Rhett was visibly annoyed by this interaction and Link eventually stressed that “he did leave the bar while Dennis was still there and without taking his number”!

While it sounds to me like Rhett (and even Christy!) could have given some freedoms to Link, there are various things that are off:

Rhett might claim he is not a jealous guy but I don’t think he would love the idea of sharing Link with randomers.

This applies to Christy 1000000% over.

Link doesn’t strike me as the type at all, he seems very monogamous and committed.

Whatever happens between Rhett and Link, even if things have turned cold or are over (we must entertain all possibilities), I honestly don’t think anyone compares to Rhett in Link’s mind and that could make it hard for him to get attracted to others, even if he tried to open up.

Most importantly, even if Link interacts with strangers who do not know who he is and it leads to something more or even casual sex, there is an enormous risk that those people will eventually find out that he is famous and spill the beans. I don’t see how Rhett would ever be okay with this when he is so paranoid about way more harmless situations.

So what I have chosen to believe is that Link enjoys that simply because it gives him the illusion that he can be different around strangers (perhaps he could simply withdraw some truths, like, he could hide he is married, or he could use his other name or he could act a little softer or a little more in touch with his feminine side) but without actually pursuing men. Just experiencing the illusion of not being who he is as famous happy straight family man Link Neal. Rhett shows understanding for this need of his but at the same time he gets worried every time Link interacts or teases or is way too open to somebody, both out of jealousy (which he always tries to conceal due to his pride) and out of fear of the truth being revealed.

I have another theory, which is disillusioning. According to this theory, Rhett and Link’s affair is over because Rhett has decided he can’t follow Link out or because he has determined he prefers his straight marriage. Maybe this is why he is distancing himself from Link’s odd insinuations and he is like “not me no homo my wife not me no homo my wife”. Therefore Link has technically the green light from him to pursue another affair but very cautiously. Still, sprinkles of jealousy remain and he is concerned about whether Link is cautious enough. Link, on the other hand, does not really want to be with anyone other than Rhett but since Rhett has given up, he tries to navigate that semi-freedom he now has, which he tries to explore but has not fully exploited perhaps yet. But this one doesn’t explain how in the scripted content at least Rhett seems to be part of the story to the very end even if Link is a little more (see last Wonderhole episode, Link and his red truck, I have yet to write about this one).

[bold-writing]

The One With Silver Scars || 11 || Glorious

Words: 2600

Warnings: Mention of Abuse

Previous || Next

~11~

She had already assumed that Dennis had Dissociative Identity Disorder, but she had not realized the extent until he guided her to a bathroom that had twenty-three toothbrushes on several holders across the counter, each with their own cup or slot. Some were the same colour, but had a letter etched across the back, differentiating it from its twin. A large cluster of towels hung on hooks in the back of the door—not nearly as many as the brushes, but more than any one person would need. A collection of male and female soaps covered the rim of the tub and a shelf that was installed in the corner.

This was D.I.D., but on such an extreme level she had no possible way of assuming its extent before now.

The disorder and the lived-in appearance were so different from the bathroom she had been using, shared with the other three who cared not a bit about keeping it clean.

Dennis had brought her here, handing her a neatly folded towel as he avoided her eyes. "You've got drywall dust in your hair," he explained, suddenly shying away from contact with her as he lingered just outside of the bathroom door. "I'll…I'll bring you some clean clothes." He motioned toward the shower. "Use whatever you'd like, take your time. I'll leave the clothes outside for when you're done. There's a hamper there for the towel."

Before he could leave, and before Adelais could doubt her actions, she reached out and caught his sleeve. His gaze lowered to her hand first, then finally lifted to meet her green eyes for the first time since he'd lowered her from his arms. "Thank you," she mumbled, unsure of herself.

Everything she knew was how to avoid making someone else mad; follow their orders, make no mistakes that will draw their anger. Now, the dynamic between her and Dennis had shifted. Before, she only spoke when spoken to, she did what she was told without question; it was also in the belief that she might leave this place relatively unscathed.

Now, those intentions had changed. Was she still a prisoner? If so, she would be considered a voluntary one.

He said nothing in return, only offering a nod as he turned and left. The material of his shirt slipped through her limp fingers. Left standing in the bathroom, she took the chance to look around at the obviously lived-in room.

It felt wrong, somehow. Stripping down from her dirty clothes and stepping into a shower that was so obviously not her own. There was only one bottle of shampoo mixed in among the large amount of body-washes—unsurprisingly, considering the state of Dennis's shaven head. She used it sparingly, barely enough to properly wash her hair. Without a conditioner in sight, she knew she'd be picking through the knots in her hair for a fair while.

Even after being invited, using someone else's belongings made it feel as though she was trespassing.

Internally, the little clock ticked away inside her mind as it warned her; she was taking too long. She needed to be faster—her mother would be angry. Ignoring that voice only worked so well or for so long. The longer she lingered, testing that internal ticking, the more it made her skin itch uncomfortably. Like there was something lingering over her shoulder, putting all of her little hairs on end. Finishing her shower in what most would still consider record time, felt to her like a lifetime—ten whole minutes, when had she last showered for a solid ten minutes?

Standing on a well-worn bathmat as the chill of the room pebbled her skin, she clutched that tightly folded towel to her chest. The scent of the tropical, feminine shampoo filled the room. Her skin was pinkened from the extended time scrubbing beneath the hot spray of water, pads of her fingers wrinkling after prolonged time beneath the spray. Had her body adapted to the short showers she was forced to endure? Was it normal for someone's skin to react after only ten minutes in the shower?

Rolling the pads of her thumbs and index finger together felt foreign, disconcerting.

She supposed these sorts of things were common knowledge to other people. Not to her.

Adelais carefully started to towel off the moisture on her skin. The welt on her glute was slightly raw from the material of her pants being forced down across it, and her knees were already taking on a blue and purple hue from her collision with the floor. Sitting on the exposed section of tub—probably only bare in order to act as a step in and out—she extended her legs in front of her to look over the ruined skin she carried.

Her knees would heal, but the other scars that were left from past punishments would remain forever.

Biting her lip against the urge to tear up—again—she took a deep, shuddering breath.

What was it about her scars that could have changed Dennis's mind? Or the mind of whoever was coming for them?

Thinking back, other than when he had snatched Marcia and dragged her from the room, he had never caused any of them real harm. The bruise on her arm would heal, Marcia was no worse for wear physically, and they had all been brought to that room, from the car, without an injury of which to speak.

Did he understand on a personal level what it was like for her? Perhaps that is why he was careful not to abuse any of them while they were in his care.

A knock on the door broke her from her thoughts. Still only wearing the towel, Adelais panicked for a moment and looked around the room. Her dirty clothes were still sitting on the floor next to the door—unsure what else to do with them, she had folded them and tucked them out of the way to ask Dennis about after he returned for her.

"Dear? Is everything alright?"

Not Dennis. Patricia.

Edging toward the door, Adelais kept herself tucked mostly behind it while cracking it open. Peeking around the wood, she met the English woman's motherly gaze through the space available. "Yes, I'm sorry I took so long." The cold air from the hallways rushed into the room. She repressed a shiver and shuffled slightly further behind the door, as though it would keep the cold air from getting to her.

Patricia's expression grew slightly pained. "Oh, dear, no. I just heard the shower stop and you never came to collect the clothes I brought for you. I wanted to be sure you weren't hurt. Dennis said you had quite the tumble." Authentic concern instead of anger was such a confusing concept to her, Adelais could only blink at the other woman. She had no clue how else she could react; should she say thank you? Or apologize?

Her internal turmoil caught Patricia's attention and her already sad expression became downright heartbroken. This poor, abused woman really had no clue how to react to kindness.

"Here, dear. Something clean to wear." Still hiding behind the door, Adelias barely reached around to grab the clothing with one hand. The exposure of her arm, shoulder and part of her chest gave Patricia enough of a glance to take stock of some of her injuries. The collar of bruises that Dennis had told her about, a handprint on her upper arm that looked too fresh to be the cause of her home life, and a few hints of healing-pink and aged-silver scars.

"Thank you," Adelais breathed out, bringing the clothes in toward her chest and masking the bruises that Patricia had been eyeing.

Offering the blonde a smile, Patricia stepped back. "Take your time, dear. Come out when you're ready."

Closing the door between them again, Adelais moved over to the sink and placed the stack of clothes on the counter space left available. A soft, dark blue shirt with long sleeves sat directly on top. It was very obviously a man's; knowing how much larger Dennis is, she already knew it would hang off of her body like a child in their parent's clothes.

Removing the towel from her body in favour of wrapping up her hair, she began pulling on the new articles.

The first glide of the shirt across her skin caused her to shiver—it was soft and smelled of fresh laundry. Falling down to the tops of her thighs, welts and scars were caressed with the soft fabric. Adelais was fairly certain it was the kindest treatment her body had ever been given. Even her soft scarf wasn't as gentle on her body as this man's shirt.

Pulling on the pants proved that she was still much shorter than him, having to roll the material at the ankles. Thankfully, the sweats came with draw strings, or her malnourished body wouldn't have had enough meat to keep them up alone. It was a strange sensation to have no underwear or bra beneath her clothes, but at least she was wearing something clean.

Unravelling the towel from her hair, she tried—in vain—to carefully card her fingers through the strands. A lack of conditioner had left her hair with knots and tangles littered throughout, tugging numerous times with each pass. Not wanting Patricia to come knocking again—she would have taken much too long if that were the case—Adelais gave up on tugging through her hair and just twisted it over one shoulder to keep it aside.

Depositing the towel in the hamper, as Dennis had instructed, she collected her old clothes and opened the door.

At first, she was alone in the hallway. The air outside was much cooler and her once-warm skin pebbled against the chill. Adelais lifted her clothes up against her chest in an attempt to mask the way her nipples visibly pressed against the shirt from the chill, no bra or undershirt to hide the cold's effect.

"Ah, dear, how do you feel?"

Unable to control the reaction, Adelais jerked at the sudden voice and her body locked up like she'd touched a live wire. Patricia immediately hurried toward her with a soft 'sh, sh, shh' as she placed a placating hand on her shoulder. The crisp scent of chamomile tea wafted on the air that carried after her; it was a scent that Adelais knew well, since it was her mother's drink of choice every night before bed. She had gotten very good at measuring the leaves, heating the water perfectly and never letting it steep for too long.

"I'm sorry," Adelais forced out around a suddenly dry throat.

"Now, whatever for? I shouldn't have startled you like that, the apology is mine. Come now, I've made you a nice cup of tea to have while I prepare you something good to eat. So thin, we'll need to put some meat on those bones of yours." Patricia was giving her that soft smile again as she gently stroked her damp hair that sat tight against her skull.

Adelais knew better than to decline and gave a mute nod.

While turning to head back in the direction she had come, Patricia noticed the clothes that Adelais had clutched tight to her chest. "Let me take those, they'll need a good washing. The kitchen's just through there, go on in and have a seat. Off you pop."

It took a bit of coaxing to get her to relieve her grip on her clothes, mostly because of embarrassment as she immediately wrapped her arms across her chest. Patricia acted as though she hadn't seen a thing and gently nudged Adelais toward the kitchen with a soft push to her back. She knew for a fact that her nipples were still standing out against the fabric, and abrupt lack of modesty making her flush. Suddenly she wasn't so cold around the collar, the back of her neck burning.

Bare feet tapping against the cold flooring, Adelais followed Patricia's direction and found herself seated at a simple table in a barren kitchenette. A steaming mug of tea, that chamomile scent permeating the air, occupied that table in front of her. Hesitantly, her fingers reached out until they encircled the warm mug. Her skin warmed instantly upon contact with the ceramic, growing pink and threatened with the stinging almost-burn that came with the contact of something too-hot to touch.

At first, she sat with her back uncomfortably straight—a habit, sitting at a table meant she had to be at her best behaviour. However, as the minutes ticked by and she was left sitting alone with the rapidly cooling mug, Adelais's posture loosened and her spine curved, elbows coming to rest on the table as they took her weight.

Sipping at the tea, much more bearable now that steam was billowing from the mug, she closed her eyes and gave an almost imperceptible sigh out her nose.

This time, she heard the soft steps as Patricia approached the small kitchen. Likely they woman was doing it on purpose so as not to scare Adelais again; she appreciated the small gesture and a small, timid smile touched at her lips before she lifted the mug to hide it.

"How're you feeling, dear?" was the immediate question that came from the taller of the two once she re-entered the kitchen, hands now free of clothing.

"Much better, thank you. The tea is delicious."

Patricia reached out and gave a slow, soft pat on Adelais's shoulder. "I'm so glad to hear that. Now, let me fix you up something to fill that stomach of yours, hm?"

A protest lodged itself in her throat, the denial sitting on the back of her tongue before she forced herself to swallow it back. Politely declining things that were not approved for her; another habit. Patricia noticed something off about her, there was a look in her eyes as she gazed down at the younger woman that confirmed it, but she said nothing on the matter and simply turned toward the fridge to begin pulling out some ingredients to make a sandwich.

"Now, there's no rush right this moment, but you'll need to fill me in on some things, dear. This is quite the situation we've found ourselves in."

Adelais gently swirled the tea in her mug, watching as the liquid spun inside, getting closer and closer to the lip with each swirl. "What will happen to the other girls?" she finally broached, looking up through her lashes.

Pausing in her meticulous process, Patricia turned to look at her in a moment of silence. "Nothing for now. I assure you, dear, everything will be made clear in due time." Wiping her hands off on a damp dishcloth, she approached Adelais like a cornered animal that might spook. Hands raised—giving Adelais the time to pull back—she finally cupped the young blonde's face between her palms and gently stroked calloused thumbs along the thin skin of her cheeks.

A tender smile overtook her normally serene expression.

"In time, when you are ready, you can tell us your story. And we will tell you ours." One of Patricia's thumbs came up to stroke along her lips, pulling her plump bottom lip slightly downward. "When you meet him, it will be glorious."

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[a-nice-egg-offering]

The way that Dennis and Dee are so similar and yet have nearly complete opposite personality types is so interesting and important to the fabric of the show no one else is an mbti/psychology buff like me so u probably don’t care but I’m gonna talk about it anyway. So Dennis is an ENTJ (if you break that down in the most basic of ways that’s extroverted, intuitive, thinking, judging but it’s actually a lot more complicated than that and I’m not going to go into it rn but u get the general gist) and Dee is an ESFP (Extroverted, sensing, feeling, perceiving) now in compatibility terms just with how you get along with the people in your life, the best matches are people with opposite first and last letters but the same middle two letters or opposite all letters but the same second letter so based on this Dennis and Dee couldn’t be more opposite unless one of them was an introverted type right so in theory they should clash in every way but here is when it’s nature vs nurture because they have so many of the same characteristics it seems impossible for their types to be so different and yet they are. Because your personality type is made up of your brain functions right and you can be one type while still having an overactive certain function that doesn’t technically align with your type so the way Dennis and Dee have influenced each other despite being such different types is very interesting in the whole outline of their psychology. Another interesting point is that Dennis and charlie are the only intuitive types in the group (ENTJ & ENFP) and also a pairing that seems to understand each other, charlie is certainly the person Dennis has the most compassion for and I find this super interesting because intuitive types generally don’t feel understood by sensor types and vice versa also since Dennis is an ENTJ and therefore the rarest type this also adds to the feeling of no one in the group truly understanding him and it’s bizarre bc I mean Dennis and Dee are twins they grew up together and tho Dee understands Dennis better than anyone else does there is still a rift between them where she is bad at intuitively feeling what’s going on with him at any given time possibly because she’s a sensor and that’s not naturally how she’s wired. Dennis on the other hand understands the gang intuitively to the point where it’s boring for him because they never surprise him - a reason why the RPG moment was so special and soft because he truly hadn’t been expecting it. This is what Dennis craves and values in the people around him - being able to surprise him. Being an INFJ myself (an equally intuitive type) I feel much the same way and also relate to him in the way that all my friends at school were sensors so though I enjoyed their company I never really felt like anyone truly understood me. I think that can be so frustrating for Dennis in regards to Dee sometimes too because she’s supposed to be his other half and he can read her so well yet she keeps missing the mark with his needs. It was interesting that in DTAMHD the Dee in his fantasy was on his side, knew how he’d react to something the gang did and actively tried to stop them from upsetting him because that’s what he wishes he had from her in reality. I don’t even really know what point I’m trying to make here these are just some thoughts and me finding a way to bring my two special interests together lol. Also just an extra little note Dee and macs types are very similar (ESFP & ESFJ) and yet they can’t stand each other which I find quite funny because as we know the gang is always offended by any kind of mirror so the fact Dee and Mac are so similar is also probably the reason they hate each other so much.

[thegcng-arch]

not a muse question specifically, but i'm curious! are there any specific dynamics you have yet to explore that you want to explore more OR any specific dynamics that you are still developing and are excited for? (just always hyped to see you write tbh)

omg anon!! this is such a sweet and cool question. hm, it's also a question i'm not sure i have an answer for! as you probably know if you read my writing i love putting dennis in situations. like. i love just seeing how he operates, how he copes with strong feelings, how he reacts to things. i'd actually be really interested to see more friendships for dennis. dennis meeting someone outside the gang and actually becoming their friend, not just interested in sex/romance.

i'd also love to see more found family type dynamics with skunk <3 someone's muse becoming good friends with skunk and in turn becoming friends with the whole band. just being welcomed into their happy little family (':

honestly it's really difficult for me to just figure out a specific dynamic that i'm interested in writing. i just kind of let the muses decide that for themselves, look at the pairings and each muses personality and what could come out of putting the two of them together! now because i'm curious ( you literally can ignore this ) but is there anything you'd be interested in seeing me write dynamics wise? either vibes or specific muse pairings? i'm always curious and open to suggestions!