#i got unreasonably sad about it LMAO

[freakinator]

funny thing about how i view the conflict in todays stream is that i view flame and wemmbu in very separate ways despite them doing essentially the same thing

in flames case:

i view his betrayal as ultimately a tragedy, their history all thrown aside due to a combination of wounded pride and genuine upset

if yall didnt see his chat for this stream it was actually really, really bad, like his chat is genuinely so fucking annoying oh my god and is a really good demonstration of why i think streamers should be mean to their chatters sometimes to so i actually wasnt at all surprised that he was so upset but i thought hed log off instead of acting out like this

he wanted respect but literally ruined the months long work of one of the few ppl that were willing to trust him over something that couldve been resolved if he just waited until september, but at the same time i can kinda understand why he was being so impulsive considering again his chat is Really bad, but at the end of the day that really shouldnt have been something you took out on one of your few allies like???? bruh even mocked zams storytelling as if he didnt do thee same shit as well 😭

honestly one of the reasons i was sad about his betrayal is cause it kinda sounded to me like he was genuinely about to cry at first??? maybe im just making shit up tho and he def stopped sounding like he was gonna cry after blowing up the spacewaffles tower lol

in wemmbus case:

i feel no pity for this man, he wanted conflict wherever he can get it and he got it! i think hes a lot like zam in that he just wants some attention and most importantly something to do but whatever happens to him next is his own fault lmao, i respect his honesty tho like hey he sucks but he knows what hes about at least lol

the fact that he still kept trying to get a commission from zam (or at least guilttripping him about it for lack of a better word) like bro i know you wanted to do a capitalism morality dilemma arc with zam but read the room my guy 😭

maybe hes at least a little mad that zam kept turning him away despite the fact he accepted a commission from mapicc of all ppl but like. bro. theres a reason zam called him a nightmare customer lmao

that being said you can tell hes not used to going this overboard considering he offered to help repair the tree when zam got upset lmao

idk i just thought his evilness was kinda funny, still hope he gets his shit kicked in spectacularly tho!

its funny, despite being acting like the shitty no reading comprehension version of abyss he gives me the exact same feeling of schadenfreude i did for minute back in s5 and i believe part of it is his mockery of lore and weird complicated dismissal of moral conflict particularly regarding zam

by weird complicated dismissal of moral conflict i mean both he and minute both tried to convince zam to see ''their side'' and ''reason'' but coming at it from an angle that completely misunderstands zam and when zam points it out they dismiss it and act like it means nothing because of their ''objective'' view of reality, spoiler alert! its not objective at all and they refuse to understand things from zams perspective cause they think hes just being unreasonable or something

idk overall i think their motivations for doing things are just kinda... shit lol

like ik theres some pretty obvious parallels that can be made with s5 here but the difference between the og players and flamebu aside from the lack of style and drama is that the og players waited several months before they started acting out the way they did and when they did start acting out tgey always made sure evryone who wanted to get involved Actually got involved rather than doing it while everyone was away plus their opps werent their own allies (except maybe pangi depending on how you look at it)

[24kmar]

Hiii! My bad i sometimes write like people can see inside my head to know what i mean 💀

The fight where tashi got injured and they grew apart from patrick yk?

Thank you and sorry!

Lmao dont worry love 🩷

𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋 (A. Donaldson, T. Duncan)

𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭: Can i ask you for some challengers angst? Where reader used to be with the group but the fight happend and they run into eachother in a coffee shop or something and they talk normaly.Then they ask for her number so they van talk more and the reader denies because she is much happier without them?Kind of when you let go of a toxic person.Thank uu

𝑶𝒐𝒉, 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.

"Y/n/n!" You hear someone shout. A name only a certain group of people would call you.

Turning around, thats where you saw art and tashi. You never thought you'd be without them. But after what they did to patrick, you couldnt be friends with them. To much toxicity to handle.

"Art, tashi, hi." You breath out, not expecting to see them. Here, out of all places. Today out of all days.

"Its been so long." Tashi sighs hugging you.

"Yeah we havent seen you since..." art pauses awkwardly, bringing up the elephant in the room.

𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊!

"Why are you doing this!" You yell at tashi, walking up to her and art while they're practicing.

"Doing what?" She spits out turning around to face you.

"Shutting patrick out!" You yell out frustrated.

"Y/n/n-" art starts, but not finishing as you cut him off.

"No, art." You turn to look at him briefly, then looking back at tashi "You're being so unreasonable, what the fuck did he do?"

Met with no answer, you got even angrier

"Answer me!" You yell out frustratedly

"Y/n/n-" art starts, getting cut off by you again

"What? Art. Literally what?!" You spit out, turning to him.

With a guilty look in his eyes he speaks, "were not trying to shut out patrick" he says softly, trying to reach out to grab your arm. To which you pulled away, "Really!? Cause to me it seems like you're ignoring him! When he did absolutely nothing! Whos next? Me?"

A question that was met with silence.

"Whatever" you scoff, walking away. Never seeing them again, ignoring every attempt they made to contact you.

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊

"How have you been?" Art asks

"Ive been" you pause letting out a breath you didnt know you were holding "good, what about you?"

"We've been good" tashi smiles softly.

"I know, ive seen you guys win" you chuckle "im proud".

You had missed this, missed them. But you knew you couldnt go back to them. The dynamic extremely toxic. And still being friends with patrick, it wouldnt be fair. To either of you.

"We miss you" art sighs

"We should really reconnect" tashi speaks with a sad tone. They both missed you. They realized they fucked up. Like royaly fucked up.

"Guys i-" you start

"We used to be such great friends, and now we need that more than ever" art tries to reason

"I cant." You out, harsher than you intended.

"why?" Tashis brows furrow in confusion

"What we had was nice, yes. But, it was toxic." you chuckle breathly "Me and patrick are still close, i cant do that to him."

With a sullen look on their face they nod.

"I wish you guys well." You smile softly walking out of the cafe. This was it, the closure you needed. The end of your friendship.

[nijigasakilove]

How crazy is it that both PA works lesbian shows this season have big plot points revolving around the group temporarily breaking up because of toxic YouTube comments lol. First Narenare yesterday and now Mayopan today. I’m so sad we only got one ep left. We have a lot to wrap up in the finale, I hope they can nail the ending.

I knew trusting the hype sisters again was a bad idea. They said they were uploading a photo not a whole ass video.. but at the same time Masaki reacted really poorly to the toxic comments. Taking her insecurities out on Live and the others was really messed up, especially on Live who just wanted to help.. I guess in the end it was good because now Live will have to confront her trauma with Ai.. I’m kinda worried about how they’ll wrap up everything with that, making a million subs, the fight against mother and Masaki being on camera all in one episode but we shall see

Speaking of YouTube comments, the fact Masaki ran into the main person leaving nasty comments in a beauty salon is too funny. Then she gonna try and switch up and act like Masaki’s biggest fan lmao. That’s really how haters online be.

Fitting that everything ends at the hospital where it all started. With the extremely unreasonable deadline move, I figured the only way they could get a million subs is by revealing they’re vampires. I’m guessing they calculated that Mother’s forces would show up which would be an entertaining fight and proof of them being vampires. 4D chess. Can’t wait to see how it turns out

[guiltycorp]

thoughts on this current quest! ! CARIBERT SPOILERS

good thing that we got a specific answer as to 'where was Khaenri’ah located' 

LOVED the tidbit about Kaeya trying to run away to Sumeru as a kid — as nice as living in the winery might have been, little Kaeya was still sentimental enough to risk that newly gained safety just to reconnect with his roots, very sad and revealing

...also, his absence caused a ruckus and Crepus personally went and took him back, which means either that he truly cared about his sworn son ...or that he had a yet unknown goal for him 👀

more confirmation for Kaeya being a little bit too much into alcohol since he tried every kind of liquor the tavern offered and appears to have a high tolerance (day-drinking even though he must have known that a difficult conversation with the Traveler and Dain was incoming)

on that topic, tbh im not sure if his excuse (learning about Sumeru’s alcohol industry and leading trade negotiations) was supposed to be just that, a lie that he came up with, or if genshin writers are this bad at writing excuses for characters to be places... like I guess 'alcohol import regulations' could be something that the Knights would do, but when Snezhnayan merchants wanted to import their firewater they went straight to Diluc, and overall this doesn’t seem like a worthy task for the Acting Grandmaster’s right-hand man

...unless it was supposed to be a vacation that Jean sent him on, but why would she want him to miss Windblume?

also apparently Diluc won’t be in Windblume either, so maybe this is something they coordinated on, idk

but yeah no, most probably Kaeya just lied and specifically went to Sumeru to find out more about Alberichs

anyway, he is as avoidant as ever, getting the small bit of info he wanted and immediately bailing on mc and Dainsleif (who seems like the type to reveal important secrets without meaning to, so it probably would have served him better to pry a bit more) 

i would have enjoyed it if they actually started arguing haha but alas

don't have a lot of thoughts on Dainsleif himself, his reaction to Kaeya makes sense considering his grudge against the Abyss Order

i still think that Kaeya might have ties not only to the Abyss Order (which he only confirmed for himself now), but also to the Fatui (which he might have known about all along), but that's all just theories

overall i really like that Kaeya doesn't seem to know that much about lore stuff — this gives him an opportunity to learn about it alongside us and have to actually grapple with his duties to either Mond or Khaenri'ah rather than it all happening in the backstory somewhere

also since we are told that Kaeya is Chlothar’s descendant that must mean: 1) Caribert was rid of his hilichurl curse somehow and later procreated  2) unless Kaeya is Caribert lmao but that would be too much?.. 3) in either case Kaeya has some Mondstadt blood in him too since Caribert’s mother was from there, tying the whole ‘bloodline’ issues together neatly

otherwise, yeahh, the usual unfortunate writing choices...

gasp did you just empathize with a character who stands against the current status quo? well, let's spend looots of time proving how unreasonable they are.. 

like it's not even a good play on the standard story of cults preying on vulnerable ppl, but who cares at this point

i guess it’s somewhat interesting when compared to Kaeya’s dad writing which made it sound as if Alberichs took over the responsibility of ruling over the survivors as soon as Khaenri’ah’s royal line was incapacitated, while this quest makes it seem as if Chlothar Alberich lived on his own with his cursed son for a while before he founded the Abyss Order 

which also means that they weren’t officially recognized as regents by the nation? hmm

oh and we didn't even get to see what's under a hilichurl's mask :/

we did learn a bit more about Khaenri’ah as a country, specifically that they had some serious divide between the ‘true’ Khaenri’ah bloodline ppl, the nobility, and the commoners, but im guessing this just leads to ‘it deserved to get nuked bc it sucked’

the gravity thing was fun, i liked it in Elden Ring and i like it here hehe, hope there's more of it in the future

but the dungeon seemed pretty cheap overall, especially that same reused statue prop lol Also man, imagine how fun it would be if the twins actually switched places and we played as the evil one for a bit. It would make the dialogues so much more interesting...  Because yeah, the writers should really stop making so much of the story revolve around the mc when they still don’t have much of a personality or specific motivations. At least our sibling has a goal in mind.  But yeah, no. Anyway!!

[atopearth]

Ikemen Villains Part 2 - Liam Evans Route

I appreciate Liam's concern, but using his ability to disappear and sneak into the heroine's room to check on her after she witnessed William indirectly kill someone is not it hahaha, very terrifying to find someone randomly in your own room lol. It was sweet of him to try and cheer her up and tell her that she doesn't need to force herself to smile though. Liam is really good at distracting both the heroine and me lol! I really appreciate how kind and thorough he is in making the heroine not think about her terrible experience by flirting with her and honestly, it works! He sincerely seems to want to protect her and I think that's sweet, especially when he said her heart only belongs to her and he wants to protect that. It's kinda crazy how comfortable she got that she fell asleep in his arms though hahaha. LMAO at all the guys finding out Liam stayed in the heroine's room last night and congratulating Liam or accepting it as long as the heroine is happy LOL, how embarrassing😂😂 I really like Harrison already and now you're telling me he likes to read as well?! Best boy already. Liam is a very considerate guy though to take the heroine around and show her things about the Crown to help her get a better understanding about the people and everything. I guess that's my issue with Liam. Even though I really like him and love how playful and bright he is, and how he always knows what to say, the thing is you can't really grasp what Liam really wants in this world or anything much about him tbh. He seems to think of himself as a fake star, so his "happy" personality is probably a facade so that people will like him and he can survive but even when fake, people are still themselves. Anyway, Liam mentioning Wuthering Heights made me curious about the book so I'm planning to read it now hahaha. It's always been at the back of my mind but this just solidified my desire to read it.

Liam seems very passionate about acting even though it also seems to be a form of escape for him because when he's acting on stage, he can live as that character and no one else but once the curtains fall, he's forced to go back to being who he is. I'm glad Harrison jolted the heroine back to her senses to run after Liam when the article about him killing his family was published. It obviously affected him and he understandably doesn't want to lose his main role in the play considering all the work he's put in and how much he loves acting. It must be so hard for Liam to have accidentally caused the fire as a child and then be the only one to survive and be protected. Survivor's guilt is a terrible thing that consumes people. It's so sad that Liam feels like he can't think for himself and relies on the heroine to make decisions for him on how he should feel and what he should do. I feel bad for Marie. She lost her fiance who was the butler who protected Liam in the fire, and she couldn't find any way to deal with her grief but blame the one her fiance chose to save, even knowing that the reason why she loved her fiance was because of how kind of a person he was. She knew it was unreasonable to blame a 9 year old kid but it's understandable that she couldn't let go of her hatred because it is true that whatever happened, Liam caused their deaths. Liam is so broken, it really breaks my heart to watch him be like this. When the heroine got hurt "because of him" and he blindly and obstinately listened to her to not kill those men no matter what because she said so, it really made my heart hurt for him. The guy is ready to die at any time if someone wants him dead and I don't know how I should feel for his never-ending pain. It's so sad to hear from Liam himself that he thinks if he listens to whatever other people tell him to do and work hard to make their wishes come true, then everyone will be happy. If only life was that simple. It's sad to find out that the reason for the fire back in the day was because of Liam's fits from his curse. It's not because he was silly or immature as a kid, it was literally something he couldn't control because his curse came about when he was five years old. That's terrible.

My heart really broke for Liam and the heroine. It must have been so terrifying for the heroine to have to witness Liam going through a fit and so mercilessly murder that villain. But so heartbreaking to see Liam have to see the fear he must have instilled in the heroine whilst living with his actions of making another "mistake". I felt so bad for him, because it was obvious he wanted to show all the fun things to the heroine and have her peacefully go through this one month without any issues or anything scary but in the end, his desire to be closer to her ended up hurting her and himself now after she learnt more about him. I choked up realising that Liam arranged for flowers to be sent to the heroine for special occasions for the next three years after learning from Roger that on a cellular level, people should forget about someone after three years. He knew and cherished the heroine, and knew she cared for him as well, so he thought to send her flowers to show his love but at the same time, he wanted her to gradually forget him so he wanted the flowers to decrease in frequency until it completely disappears after 3 years so that she won't wait for him meaninglessly. His thoughtfulness knows no bounds and his father doesn't deserve to ask for Liam's life. All his father can see is his own pain that he had to go through after his near death experience and recuperation, he couldn't help but hate the shining Liam living happily on stage and neglected to see all the pain Liam has off stage. Liam would never reject anyone asking him to die, let alone his father who he feels so guilty towards. I guess Roger is right that the farthest place in the world is someone's heart because no matter where you choose to go in this world, you'll eventually make it there, time is usually the only thing that's in the way. But for a person's heart, there's no guarantee that you'll actually reach it no matter how hard you try.

I found it very sweet that Liam wanted his father to dispose of his corpse so that the heroine would never find it and be hurt, I'm sure she'll be hurt either way but I guess not having to see his body would help. But anyway, I love how Liam talked about how much life changed for him because of the heroine. For someone who never cherished his life nor the future, having the heroine always look forward to "tomorrow" and looking forward to seeing him tomorrow is sweet. And likewise, for the heroine, having Liam always smiling next to her, always caring for her and watching out for her saved her. I was happy for the heroine when she was able to grab Liam before he fell, but was sad when he showed no desire to be saved even when she so desperately grabbed on to his hand. Personally, I think it was unnecessary to make Liam's past "even more sad" with the abuse by his father and relatives because I think Liam already carries all the weight of sadness stemming from his "crimes" that he burdens himself with and we didn't really need more reasons to make it not his fault because even if they didn't abuse him, it wasn't Liam's fault and so I kinda wish they didn't add that but oh well. I'm so happy that Liam could find it in himself to not only hope to change but actually change, and to wish that the heroine will stay by his side and wait for it. Considering how he was before, I'm so glad that the heroine's feelings are getting through to him. I nearly teared up at the performance part because Liam's role as Quasimodo personified his own desire to live regardless of how cruel the world has been to him. It finally felt like a breakthrough where instead of Liam always using his characters to escape from reality, this time, he was able to come to life alongside the characters he portrayed. I'm glad Liam himself realised that even if he disappeared and died, his father still wouldn't be saved from the loneliness and unhappiness he feels. How did Liam know he wasn't his biological son when he was so young? Anyway, regardless of the why's and how's, it definitely is a bit too dramatic for my liking now lol, but I guess it feels very much like a play and Liam is the main character so I guess he's just truly living in a play haha. It was quite beautifully tragic when the heroine decided to push the dagger Liam used to kill his father deeper condemning him for his crimes and in turn bearing half of the burden of Liam's guilt and suffering. I honestly didn't expect it but it really made me think yep, this feels more like what I expected from this game haha so I'm happy. Awww Roger calling the heroine his favourite was so sweet, I like him hahaha. I'm glad that the ending and epilogue still has Liam show many aspects of abandonment and wanting to be loved by the heroine, because as she says, people can't change that easily, but nevertheless he is definitely changing and learning to love both himself and the heroine.

Overall, I really loved Liam's route and honestly didn't expect to love it so much! Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect but I really came to love the Liam who put in so much effort and time caring for the heroine, showing her all the happy things and protecting her from the "ugly" things that Crown does. I enjoyed how he took her out, supported her emotionally and never failed to be there for her when she was scared. I think that foundation of their relationship was great, because when it was the heroine's turn to help and understand Liam and why he finds it difficult to live as "himself", it really made me cheer for the heroine to support him and let him lean on her. I liked how the story showed that it was difficult for the heroine to get through to Liam because he already believed that his life was not worth it and that's not something she can force him to change his mind about, but she could be there to make him think that maybe there is something more in life that he actually wants and can consider living for. So when she saved him when he fell after finding out that he loved her so much he was going to send flowers to her for three years, I couldn't help but want to cry because it felt like Liam was starting to feel for himself again and not live in a "role" he created to protect himself. I enjoyed how much of a rollercoaster of emotions everything was, and even though I still think the thing with his father was a bit too dramatic, I still really liked it because I found it sweet to see Liam finally understand for himself that the heroine loves him so much and is ready to stay beside him forever as he is and because of who he is. Learning to love yourself is a difficult thing and it felt like Liam could finally start to understand it through his love for the heroine and I found that very romantic.

[thenukacolachallenge]

Oral sex? Who is more likely to give/who is more likely to receive?

Do they prefer to take their time or do they like quickies?

Are they open to taking risks or experimenting? 

Favorite position?

for your new JJK OCs, beloved.

aaaaaaaaaaa ty Goose! thinking about it more, i'm just gonna do Urami bc, Chiyo's relationships are either extreme dead doves(with Mahito) or they're underage in canon(with Inumaki/Megumi). So i'll do Urami with her men, Gojo and Nanami lmfao. I CAN do the dead dove version with Mahito and Chiyo if anyone really wants, but it'll be very sad :c URAMI AND GOJO:

"Oral sex? Who is more likely to give/who is more likely to receive?"

Gojo absolutely LOVES going down on Urami, he's been obsessed with her since they were teens and it's always been his biggest fantasy to watch her come undone on his tongue. When they finally get together, that's like. almost IMMEDIATELY what he goes for lmao. He does appreciate receiving too, and he's a babbling idiot the whole time, but he WAY prefers the way she reacts to receiving :3

"Do they prefer to take their time or do they like quickies?"

Urami prefers taking time, Gojo has no preference. He begs for quickies constantly bc he's so busy. She reciprocates when he's not being unreasonable(she's NOT doing anything at the school with him, they're both teachers AND their relationship is supposed to be on the low a little bit), but he's way more into that than she is.

"Are they open to taking risks or experimenting?"

Again, Gojo is way more open to experimenting than Urami. I won't say she's prudish, but I definitely see that being more of Gojo's thing than hers. She can be convinced but it has to be talked about ahead of time, she's not typically a spur of the moment type of the person, especially when it comes to sex with Gojo, bc he will take a country mile if given an inch lmao.

"Favorite position?"

Gojo is obsessed with doggy style with her, she's got a nice ass and he loves watching it bounce. Urami's favorite position is probably cowgirl, she really enjoys being on top(she has a thing for domming/topping but she doesn't find out until later on into their relationship lmao).

URAMI AND NANAMI(the AU lmfao):

"Oral sex? Who is more likely to give/who is more likely to receive?"

These two are a lot more equal in how they both love to give each other head. Kento loves to eat Urami out but he also is OBSESSED with what her mouth does to him. They first got together as teens and I headcanon Urami was a lot of firsts for Nanami, and even after he left jujutsu society, he didn't find anyone who was as good at reading his reactions in bed as her. He got ruined for anyone else's mouth by her, basically >:3 but yeah they tend to both be on the same page wrt giving head lmfao

"Do they prefer to take their time or do they like quickies?"

Urami and Nanami both are not fans of quickies and it's very rare that either go for that. They both like to take their time and enjoy their partner, so I imagine that outside of very rare circumstances, they don't do quickies often at all.

"Are they open to taking risks or experimenting?"

Again, i think that they probably both aren't super into trying a lot of new things. They've been together off and on since their teenage years, and they kinda know what each other likes pretty well by adulthood. I imagine that if they do want to try something new, there's a long discussion about it beforehand, it's never a spontaneous thing like it would be for her and Gojo. I just don't see Nanami as the kind of dude to randomly spring that sort of thing on a partner, but i CAN see him sitting her down and talking about something he think they'd be interested in trying.

"Favorite position?"

Urami's favorite stays cowgirl, but Nanami's is absolutely a mean ass mating press. That man wants to see EVERY reaction on her face as he fucks her, he's obsessed with the cute faces she makes as he brings her to orgasm. He also just likes being attentive like that, and wants to know immediately if he's doing too much, and the best way to tell is by watching her reaction.

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK GOOSE ILY <3

for people who haven't seen yet, my OC bios for my JJK ocs Urami and Chiyo can be found at the links attached to their names :)

[skaruresonic]

The more I watch Breaking Bad, the more I stan Skyler White. It's clear she's the shrewder of the two and Walter absolutely cannot stand that shit lmao

Even the wiki describes him as feeling "emasculated," which, well, kind of ties into the overall point BB makes about the corrosive influence of toxic masculinity on men's psyches (Hank suffers a blow to his pride after becoming traumatized and later disabled and takes his frustrations out on Marie by berating her, so it's not just uniquely a Walter thing) and the effect the glorification of violence and capitalism have on the family.

The framing of Skyler as "controlling," the head of the household, being something that inherently "emasculates" Walter just makes the mischaracterization of Skyler as this unreasonable, all-domineering bitch out to bust her husband's balls even more alarming.

On a first watch, we all go "aw ain't it sad that Walter won't be able to provide for his family after his death," which is part of the Saw trap. Why does Walter need to be the provider? Why does the onus lie on him when he is literally terminally ill? Because he's the man, and The Husband(tm)'s role is to provide for the family (in order to reinforce his masculinity)? Why do we particularly think that? Furthermore, as The Wife(tm), why do so many then abide by the follow-up assumption that Skyler needs to shut up and support him in whatever he does, up to and including manufacturing meth? Especially after he basically put himself in a precarious situation by refusing to suck up his pride and accept Elliot and Gretchen's help?

I feel like something seriously got lost in translation if you watched six straight seasons of Walter emotionally blackmailing his wife and came away with "yeah but she didn't support Marie through her kleptomania though so she's just as bad." bruh

I'm not saying Skyler is perfect or hasn't done morally dubious things like smoking while pregnant, but I mean, come the fuck on, man. You're really gonna read her for filth for "not supporting her sister" when all she wanted was an apology Marie refused to give? Meanwhile, Walter the Lying Liar who Lies over here cannot go two seconds without flexing his ego or mentally scarring those around him

[quaranmine]

you took unreliable narration and ran with it so hard. it’s like. the genre the emotions the setting even the basic plot all of it is warped by grian’s perception of it. and it’s so obvious while you’re reading. but it just hits so hard ogughhhhhh

YESSSSSSS the unreliable narrator aspect of this story is one of my favorite parts, actually. It's a sad story to write but it was fun to write in such a limited perspective while still making sure readers realized what I wanted them to. One of the main questions of the story in my outline doc is "Is this a conspiracy, or does Grian think it's a conspiracy?"

Grian's point of view touches every part of the story. All his basic views of the people around him are influenced by it--you have to ask yourself, is this person he's interacting with Actually being unreasonable, or is it just him? Like, with his interactions with Linda in chapter 9 he's being pretty awful in his descriptions of her out of just. general suspicion but if you read between the lines she's just acting perfectly normal lmao. He feels like everyone else is against him, because he feels like the only one who believes Mumbo is still alive. And well, maybe he is, but that doesn't mean everyone else is an antagonist. He repeatedly holds people at an arm's length or has bad-faith interpretations of their actions.

He's got unreasonable and irrational feelings about Mumbo's disappearance associated with his grief. He think it's his fault. He has self-destructive behaviors related to this (never looking to his own future, not going to work, poor self-care, self-isolation, among other things...) His view of Mumbo himself is warped by the grief, to where he sort of creates him as a flawless person in his mind. To him, Mumbo's a person who did everything right all the time. Grian works so hard to apply as much logic as he can to everything while purposefully ignoring things he finds upsetting. He's so logical it wraps back around to being illogical since he won't acknowledge the most likely scenarios.

One of my favorite trends I'm seeing pop up in the reviews of this story is of people who started out more on Grian's "side" so to speak, who slowly drifted over into expecting the actual story's outcome. I know that readers are primed to believe him and think that he will be proven right just because...that's how a lot of fictional stories go. But the readers have a clearer head than Grian does. Eventually all the irrationalities of his thoughts and actions pile up until it's clearer and clearer he's unreliable. Grian can't see through his own thoughts because he's stuck in his own head and living in the story. But the readers have the benefit of seeing everything more wholly. And to be clear when I say being on his "side" I don't mean that there's a right or wrong side to be on, just that people often start the story more inclined to believe Mumbo's alive. And by the end of it....not so much, even by the point that Grian's still clinging to it.

I think his unrealiability just makes the emotion of the story hit harder, though. I think it makes him more painfully human. It means I can truly tip the world on its end for him, because it shifts the entire narration of the story. As the author I just flipped back and forth between wanting to hug him to wanting to shake him lol.

[cambrian-creature]

Hello, and welcome to M*A*S*H enjoyers anonymous

Now tell us, why are you here?

(basically just a free space to talk/infodump, be free my sweet cheese)

Oooooh boy.

MASH is a show about war, but also mostly it's about people and how people react under stress. Something to note is that it's about the Korean War, but it's actually about the Vietnam War.

It's got its issues, definitely. It's not particularly respectful to Korean people despite being set in Korea. But it was the 70s so like. Idk, can't expect much. There's a lot to unpack in the way of imperialism. The show is very anti-war, but mostly focused on the Americans, which is pretty damn reductive if you ask me. There is also the misogyny and if one more person calls Major Margaret Houllihan "hot lips" I am going to throw hands. I'm not making excuses for any of this, but it's an old ass show and you can't get too hung up on it. ANYWAY, you asked about the good stuff.

The main character, Hawkeye, is this. Unhinged, sleep deprived, alcoholic surgeon who's just. Unreasonably good at his job. Despite the Horrors of War, he's still one of the kindest, most lovable people, and he only put Frank in a shipping crate one time, so it's fine. And the blood he stole was for a good cause. As was the money he stole and the one time he gaslit a guy into thinking he'd lost his mind. All for a good cause. He's so cool, he's a menace, he's a slut, he's deeply psychologically damaged, he's a little silly, he invented the principle behind Goncharov, he's even bisexual.

Hawkeye's best friend and roommate is Trapper John, fellow manwhore and prankster extraordinaire. He always makes me a little sad cause I think he's Hawkeye's best friend and Hawkeye isn't his best friend? To him, it's all temporary, and he'll get out of Korea and go back to his wife and kids and probably try to not think about any of it ever again, but Hawk's such a ride or die friend, and he depends so much on not being alone and. Fuck, man. He's just like me for real. No shit, I realized this a couple years ago, and it sent me into this huge spiral of wondering if my friends love me as much as I love them and it lasted like. Years. And then I did that thing people do where they tell other people about their feelings? Which was weird. But it was also cool and now I do not worry about that as much anymore. A little bit, because the fears never cease, but y'know. It's cool. Apparently I am also sad and lonely because I am FULLY spilling my guts here lmao. Don't read that. Fuck whatever BJ has going on, THIS is the Trapper Complex.

Also Trapper leaves like three seasons in and is replaced by Blow Job Hunnicut, who keeps saying shit like "man, I bet you sure had fun with Trapper, huh" and "boy this must be just like the good ol days with Trapper" like we get it, you're jealous. He's also deeply psychologically damaged. I don't like him so much, but I also haven't seen a lot of him yet so I guess we'll see.

Okay, now MARGARET. She's amazing. She's cool and fascinating and ALSO deeply psychologically damaged! She's a strong woman in the 50s, she's so angry all the time, she just wants some goddamn respect and also someone to hang out with her to do manicures. She has this fascinating mix of wanting to be feminine and pretty but also needing to be masculine and angry to get respect. She's a hardass, she's obsessed with the rules, she's so mad at everything all the time because she has so little control over her situation, she's just like my mother and I love her so much. She could do any man's job in that camp so much better. I like to think after the war she goes back to medical school and becomes a doctor and gets some GODDAMN RESPECT.

Also she's dating (she dumps him don't worry) this absolute schlub Frank who is. A garbage human being. He's so pathetic and funny but also like genuinely terrible and canonically homophobic. If he were in modern times he would vote for Trump. He's Mr. Patriot. He's the Yankee Doodle Doctor. He's a shit doctor. He's so funny to watch cause everyone around him is so funny and witty and good at snappy comebacks and he says shit like "ohhhh you- you- guys!! >:(" Like yeah Frank. Get em. Don't hold back. He's a real "why I oughta-" kinda guy. Apparently the actor got so much hate mail he quit the show which is honestly so mean and tragic because Frank is such a fun character. I want to watch him fail again and again and again and then cause more problems. He could call me a slur in a Walmart parking lot and I'd just laugh at him and ask him if his wife knows about his girlfriend. She doesn't.

When Frank left, he got replaced by this other guy and I have no idea what his deal is. My apologies to Charles Emerson Winchester III. People like him I guess. He seems boring next to Frank tbh.

Now lemme tell ya about Klinger. Actually lemme show you.

He's beautiful. Gorgeous. Show stopping. He started out as a bit character and the joke was that he was trying to get a section 8 discharge (sent home on the grounds of being mentally unfit to serve), but everyone loved him so much that he became a recurring character and the outfits kept getting better and it went from "haha man in a dress" to "he's a genuinely deep character and this is his coping mechanism and he is so afraid of this war. Also he's the hottest guy around and everyone knows it. Even the priest wants him carnally." Genuinely the best fucking guy. In the early seasons, the laugh track goes off every time he enters a room and it makes me so mad. Take his whimsical ass seriously.

Also I mentioned there's a priest. I'm not sure why they have a priest, but I think that was just a thing in the 50s. He's got too many names. You can find him currently in the Catholic Characters Tournament and it's funny cause the person who runs that keeps getting his names out of order. It's John Patrick Francis Mulcahy, cause they gave him one name in the movie and then changed it in the show like twice at least so. Four names. Anyway, he's the only priest I trust. He literally just wants to help people and he has no way of knowing that he's doing any real good so he wants recognition for his efforts but that goes against what he's meant to be doing, he's meant to be completely selfless, but he wants to know that he's at least doing something, otherwise what's the point. What's the point of everything he's worked for. What's the point of devoting his life to this. To these people and to his god and to being a good person. Because if he thinks of himself, if he wants anything for himself, does that not mean he's selfish? And that's bad, he can't be selfish, but he is because everyone is, that's just human nature to want to know the results of your work. Also he's convinced he's the second coming of Christ or some shit. I can't fully explain this one, but he really does think he's like. God's special little boy. Which is kinda fair, cause he gives fucking EVERYTHING to these people, to the doctors, to the soldiers, even to the enemy, because he just wants people to be okay. He wants people to stop fighting and to heal and to love one another. And he also wants someone to tell him he's doing a good job and that he's making a difference and he wouldn't believe them but it would be something. Also he wants to punch people sometimes. All the time. He could kick anyone's ass in single combat. I love him.

Am I missing anything.

RADAR!!!!! They put a child in a warzone but luckily he is hyper-competent and literally psychic. He makes me sad because he is 19 years old and he has a teddy bear and he is short and angry and eats a lot because he's a growing boy and everyone makes fun of him for having teenager behavior when he is!!!! A teenager!!!! He graduated highschool yesterday!!!!! He's the same age as me and he's in a warzone!!!!!! Get him out of there!!!!! Put him in college and let him work a boring ass fast food job like a normal teenager!!!!! And stop laughing at him for having a teddy bear!!!!!!! He's not even that short, it's just that all the guys in this show are at least 6 feet tall. Anyway, he basically runs the camp because Henry is fucking incompetent (affectionate) so yeah. This child is their commanding officer and the only one anyone respects.

Their actual commanding officer is Henry Blake. He just wants to go home and see his wife and kids again and go fishing and chill the fuck out. He's a good surgeon but genuinely a pathetic army man. But also I love him so much cause listen. He could just fuck off. We see another guy in his same rank and position who just hangs out in Tokyo the whole time making money off this shit. So despite being very afraid all the time, Henry sticks around in a shitty camp 3 miles from the front to patch up kids full of lead. He stays not out of any duty to the army, but a duty to his patients and his people, because he's a good person and a good doctor and genuinely one of the bravest people around. He could've been a coward and hid, but he stayed and he helped people and even though he knew the risks, it just never occurred to him that he could abandon his people to do it all without him. He stayed and he died and he never saw his wife and kids again and he never met his newborn son. He tells his oldest son over the phone to be good while he's gone, to stay strong and keep everything running until he comes back, and he never comes back. I am genuinely crying. Fuck. I hope he's catching the best fish at the big lake in the sky.

Anyway. I'm gonna stop before this gets out of hand. More than it has.

[supernovaa-remnant]

Thanks for tagging me @atrenchcoatofteaandspite :3 I'm like 99% sure this is a getting to know someone type tag game 1. Are you named after someone?

Kinda? But not really. A long time ago my dad met someone with my name and the name really stuck with him for years, I guess. But I wasn't really named after that person it just inspired him to do research into my name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Recently probably lmao. I tear up a lot, but uhh full on sobbing was probably a couple weeks ago.

3. Do you have kids?

Nope! Maybe one day, but that would be in the far future. I like kids though.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

Literally none. I was never really into sports as a kid lol. Even now I'm not really into it.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

No I would never (yes occasionally)

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

bold of you to assume I can remember the first thing I notice about people... idk I feel like it depends on the person and the context of our meeting 😭

7. What's your eye color?

Brown <3 like really dark brown someone once told me I had black eyes which. isn't a thing. but I liked their enthusiasm.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Is it just me or is this an odd question? I feel like they're not really comparable unlike, idk, sad vs happy ending. Umm but I'll say happy endings. Horror is incredibly hit or miss with me, but I tend to like happy endings (though you may not guess it from my recent fanworks lmao.. sorry <3)

9. Any talents?

I have forgotten every single thing I have ever done.. gimme a moment lmao

I genuinely can't think of anything I probably have something but tbh I don't even know what counts as a talent lol

10. What are your hobbies?

writing is the biggest one. reading, playing d&d, stargazing (the city is my biggest enemy.. give me the stars back </3), playing guitar, listening to music, occasional video gaming, does daydreaming count? because I spend an unreasonable amount of time daydreaming..

11. Do you have any pets?

:(

I miss my dog.. sorry can I change my crying answer lmao

I used to have a yellow lab named Sagan (named after Carl Sagan) and he was the sweetest boy ever and he got so unreasonably happy anytime we'd get him a new dog bed like jumping up and down tail wagging and it was my favorite thing I used to beg my parents to buy him a new dog bed just so I could see his reaction cause I loved it so much and he was always so gentle and I miss him a lot </3

12. How tall are you?

5'3"/160 cm

13. Favorite Subject in school?

astronomy <33 my absolute beloved there's no class I love more than learning about SPACE!! creative writing classes can also be pretty good though.

14. Dream Job?

None. I want to live life without the constant fear of breaking under capitalistic pressure, free to pursuit hobbies and crafts and interests without the threat of losing shelter and food and other basic needs.

Idk probably like a writer or smth. Maybe smth with space. I'm still contemplating.

tags (no pressure ofc <3): @coyotecrash @rivalsposting @pixelgreen @sioster @cdreambur @obsecure-pluto @broke-on-books + open tag bc I always feel bad abt tagging some people and not others 😭

[crowley-the-1-true-king-of-hell]

VENT

Is anybody else bothered by the fact that Dean and Sam, mostly Sam, lack perspective and refuse to take any responsibility in their dynamics between enemies and friends? And that there is this implication that they expect their enemies and friends to just roll over and be a doormat?

But when the enemy is like lmao fuck that noise, I want to protect myself, Sam and Dean are offended by the fact that the person is actually fighting back?

One dynamic is Cas doing the only viable option to stop the apocalypse, because Dean only cares about Sam being soulless. Dean refuses to take any responsibility for his role in pushing Cas to desperate measures. Dean doesn't even give an alternative to Cas

I get that you aren't responsible for what other people do is a big saying and that saying is true, but in some cases it's complicated and there is partial indirect responsibility. For example Rowena is not directly responsible for Crowley's immoral behaviour but her abandonment and emotional abuse helped shape him. Think of it as a form of collateral damage. Not necessarily something you always have to feel guilty about but definitely something to see as a tragedy, rather than as a judgement of the other person

Like if I was the boys instead of thinking Cas and Crowley are "a monster [ Crowley ]" "a freaking child [ Cas ]" etc I would think we did what we BELIEVED we needed to do [ although that belief may not always be right ] but it is a tragedy that what they [ Cas and Crowley ] needed to do, hurt innocent people either directly or indirectly aka the leviathans getting out and Crowley killing those the Winchesters saved etc

I would be sad about how it had to be played out rather than judgemental and offended that they did what they had to do. I.e Cas with Purgatory and Crowley in season 8

In 5x20 Crowley says he doesn't want Sam coming because Sam keeps trying to kill him. Now if I was Sam I would think y'know if someone kept trying to kill me I wouldn't want them coming either. It is sad that this is the dynamic but I'm not gonna look at this person like they're being unfair or unreasonable. But Sam just glares at Crowley like him wanting to protect himself is somehow a crime against him

Season 8 Crowley, killing people the Winchesters saved was the resort he jumped to after EIGHT months of trying other things. Did it suck that Sarah Blake died? Yes. But she was collateral damage in someone's [ Crowley's ] efforts to protect himself and his people from their enemies [ Dean & Sam ] it is less "hurr durr evulz" and more "what a tragedy that the demon tablet was ever unearthed to begin with and set these events in motion"

Crowley of season 8 and earlier wasn't a good guy, some of his immoral actions were unnecessary and some of his actions prove he wasn't exactly a good demon. But other times it made sense why he got desperate enough to do what he did and those actions were less a judgement on Crowley's character and more a tragedy set in motion by events outside of Crowley's control, that influenced Crowley's decisions

[strictlybecca]

fic stats!

rules: give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words.

please excuse me bc i was not tagged in this, but i saw this pop up on my dash from some of my non-mutuals and i was OBSESSED - so i did not wait my turn, i've just gone for it :)

most hits: yes, there is a chain and no, you're not on it (schitt's creek) a patrick/david fic i started when there were literally 15 fics for them on ao3 - it's patrick and stevie's text chain for all of the episodes of season four and i still feel smug about some of the things i managed to predict. i think it has the most hits of anything because it was there at the Beginning on ao3, it's got the most chapters, and i did accidentally leave it unfinished for like two years. (oops.) [but it has an incredible podfic!]

second most kudos: the best made plans are your open hands (911) for a fic that kind of walloped me upside the head and made me write it in like... a single evening, the reception on this has been SO sweet!!! an au where maddie takes buck with her when she leaves home at 18. i call it my 'happy healthy buckley verse' and i even have some more headcanons for it in the tag i have for it. in my mind, nothing ever really goes wrong for these two in this verse; it's my emotional support au.

third most comments: i only wanna be alone with you (schitt's creek) another patrick/david fic, this one written for a challenge. (a deadline always increases the likelihood of me finishing a fic.) this is probably (?) the ~sexiest thing i've ever written and it is... like not that explicit lmao. it also had a prompt that made me want to jump out of window bc my secondhand embarrassment threshold is practically zero - but i managed to write something that even my poor little soul could read and enjoy. [technically, 3rd most comments is the previous fic, but this one isn't far off in 4th place.]

fourth most bookmarks: deliver us unto each other (the old guard) this fic is my favorite child. i just think the stuff i love writing and the stuff i'm good at writing collided in this fic in a really lovely way and i'm so stinkin' proud of it. i felt feral while writing it lmao. it's about nicky's complex but deeply earnest and loving relationship with god and how his love for joe actually reaffirms his faith!! plus some great nicky + nile bonding.

fifth most words: i fell heavy into your arms (as the world turns) this is not my favorite of my luke/noah fics but i am very glad one of them made it on the list because all of my longest stuff is for this fandom and i miss nuke an unreasonable amount. those big bang prompts could pull 30k from me, no problem!!! this one's an au where noah is a detective and he has to solve damian's murder - and holden is a suspect :(

and least amount of words: Commandeered (h50) god this one was written so long ago it's still got an uppercase letter in the title 😬 also back in the day when i was still posting individual drabbles as their own fics - i've learned better! this fic represents my intense mcdanno phase, which still lingers in my heart like poison. (or a bomb.) genuinely a delightful prompt tho - an au where danny is the navy SEAL and steve is the jersey transplant. i honestly think i pulled this one off pretty well! they still sound very much like themselves.

-

i'm sad none of my sparty fics happened to make it in, since that was an Era unto itself but all of these delight me, so!!! here you go!!!

i tag: @cluelessheroes @functionalnihilism @angryfightingjew @woebegone-kenobi and literallly anyone else who wants to do this. you, yes you. i mean it!!! i promise you, if you do this and just pretend like i've tagged you to do it i will EDIT this post and tag you in it like you've always been there. i don't care if we're not mutuals DO IT!!! (sorry this was fun i really liked it and i'd like everyone else to have fun too!)

[ambitionsource]

I found ambition when looking for Jack and Eric fanfic on ao3. I genuinely thought it was it's own show with characters who just happened to have the same name as my two bmw favs (I didn't watch gmw and for my own sake I probably never will because they do my babies; jack, eric and angela, so dirty, and I knew of certain things namely Lucas Maya Riley I didn't know enough for it to make me click). I had no clue what I was getting myself into but then I started reading. I'm so beyond glad I did, I've loved every second, every laugh and every tear. Ambition is the show I wished I had as a teen (instead I had glee... and Riverdale... that says enough...) but I'm glad I found it when I needed it, as I face the same challenges the gang has been facing in season 4 as they move on from triple a and onto life in the real world. I like to believe the stories we need find their way to us, the characters we need to meet come to us, thank you for bringing all the characters but especially Jack, Charlie, Nigel, Asher and Jade to life, joining them on their journeys throughout the show and seeing parts of myself - good and bad - reflected back on me has helped me in ways I'll never be able to put to words so I'll simply say thank you. That's the power of good writing, it leaves the reader changed, the writing in ambition is incredible. I've been invested at every step, hooked by every twist. Ambition feels so real, so poignant, the characters feel like real people, it is so true to life in all it's complexities and in all it's ugliness and beauty. It's raw and it's human and it's about community and hope and it's about flawed people who make mistakes but are still worthy and deserving of love and who are trying to do not only do their best but do good and it's the story I desperately needed. I just wanted to write a wee note to send some appreciation to you all for your incredible work and everything you do to bring us this brilliant piece of work.

If the multiverse is real there's a universe where I follow Dylan Orlando on yt and TikTok and debate and jokingly bicker with Nigel about Shakespeare and am mostly likely a techie, I'm kinda sad that I'm not in it lmao but I'm glad and so grateful in one where I found your story. Looking forward to the rest of season 4 and in time season 5, it's going to break my heart to say goodbye but that's how you know that it mattered, if it hurts to let it go.

{backpedaling to bmw for a sec, BLESS YOU FOR WRITING THE WRONGS. I loved the Shawn Angela storyline in season 1 and honestly it healed a part of me that bmw/gmw broke. Without a doubt ambition did it better. I love when they pop in and they have some of my favorite lines. Shawn absolutely kills me, to paraphrase ; "oh yeah I could be jack, authority baby" destroys me every single time. I adore his dynamic with the techies too and Jack. Speaking of Jack, I am on my knees praising y'all for Jack and Eric, so rarely are older couples in teen/ya shows given such depth and it's even rarer to see a queer relationship between two men in their 30s/40s. Their relationship isn't perfect, it's flawed and complicated and there is so much love, their journey so far has been beautiful. It's rare for older characters especially teachers and parents to be treated as three dimensional and as complex individuals, they're typically just the joke or unreasonable antagonist, not in ambition. They are just as complicated and as real as our mains and I love that}.

omg hi! hello!! welcome welcome to the ambition family! full disclosure when i got the notification in my email that i had an anon on this blog i always lowkey dread it's going to be something harsh -- because internet -- but this message was the absolute opposite and the most lovely of surprises. i don't even know where to begin, but you wrote such a thoughtful and packed note here so i wanna address it all in turn -- please bear with me for the long response!

(though if you've read all of ambition up to this point, you're probably used to my writing being way too long. ahaha.)

first off, i wanted to highlight, underline, emphasize in bold what you said here: "I like to believe the stories we need find their way to us, the characters we need to meet come to us..." because you quite literally put our mentality about creating the show into words (beautiful words at that). that is near word-for-word the approach esther and i have taken with this show basically since its inception when we started writing it for ourselves -- we never ever expected it would reach as many people as it has. and we think of it that exact same way, that those who are meant to discover ambition will find their way to it (and its never too late to dive in). so it's so special to me to see you say that, to reflect that sentiment back to us, as like... proof that it is true. this series has brought a specially strange and wonderful cohort of readers together and it is always amazing when another one pops in to make themselves known. so thank you, thank you, for taking the time out of your day to share that with us. and again, welcome!

secondly -- HELL YES TO FINDING YOUR WAY HERE BECAUSE OF JACK AND ERIC! as someone who admittedly has grown less than fond of bmw in the intervening years (does our version of ct show that a bit... oops lol), jack and eric as a duo are still who holds my heart because they were that iconic in the source material of yore. i typically just tag them because they are so central to ambition (though as you probably noticed, i don't tag bmw as a fandom -- at this point i wouldn't tag either show honestly since its so like it's own thing but i have to unfortunately lmao), but i had considered not doing so because i didn't want to clog up the jeric tag but now i'm so glad i do, because look what a lovely little happenstance of bringing you to ambition it fostered!!

(also, you're correct. don't watch gmw. i enjoyed my time with it back in the day, it's cute, but there are better shows and the fandom was absolutely horrible. basically everyone who was there will attest to that LOL. that's partially why we emphasize that at this point ambition really is its own thing, because it's so far removed -- and clearly you can vouch for that now 😊)

and thank you for your kind words about how we write jack and eric -- we 100% agree that adult characters on young adult dramas tend to be useless at best and downright vile at worst (hellooo mr schue, speaking of glee), and we wanted them to be fleshed out and flawed and featured just as much in their own right. plus not only do they have a great relationship with each other that we enjoy writing (enemies to friends to lovers done right, if we do say so ourselves), they have such incredibly important dynamics with others (lucas and isa being the obvious ones) that it's impossible to think of the show without them. so it is SO great to hear such specific praise for them from a reader! and i love that you shouted out a shawn line, he is an underrated gem in the ambition story world for sure (and allowing him and angela their due was very satisfying for us, yes, hahaha).

lastly, can i ask, are you a writer too? because the way you phrased this is absolutely gorgeous and i want to just. hang it up on my wall and hold it close to my heart forever: "joining them on their journeys throughout the show and seeing parts of myself - good and bad - reflected back on me has helped me in ways I'll never be able to put to words so I'll simply say thank you. That's the power of good writing, it leaves the reader changed, the writing in ambition is incredible. I've been invested at every step, hooked by every twist. Ambition feels so real, so poignant, the characters feel like real people, it is so true to life in all it's complexities and in all it's ugliness and beauty. It's raw and it's human and it's about community and hope and it's about flawed people who make mistakes but are still worthy and deserving of love and who are trying to do not only do their best but do good and it's the story I desperately needed."

like legit, that means so so much to us. it's so heartening to see readers engage with the material so deeply AND come away from it with exactly the themes we set out to explore -- community, love, complexity, humanity, faith, failure, rebirth. so thank you, genuinely, for taking the time to send us this wee little note. it is incredibly kind of you, and we're so glad you found this series and get to take the journey with us.

enjoy the rest of the season to come, and please feel free to pop in at any time ✨

-- Maggie

[bradenthompson]

The Maze Runner (2014) notes

It was no contest which trilogy I was gonna plow through next. I mean, it was a bit of a contest (originally thought I was gonna jump into Hunger Games) but I prioritized the series of which I'd seen less of.

Now I HAVE seen this one before, actually. Saw it in theaters with a whole group of friends, most of which I didn't know, I've forgotten most of the fine details, should be a good chaser for Divergent.

>real quick, "get ready to run" is a great tagline. "Get ready to be hungry." "Get ready to abra kadabra."

>opening shot fucks. Just the screech of the elevator, our eyes adjust same time as the dude's. Gold star

>if you let yourself get manhandled by Will Poulter that's on you

>idk the main dude's name yet but I'll guess. He looks like a Danny. My guess is his name's Danny

>oh that kid looks exactly like a Newt. Growing confidence in main boy's name being Danny

>i do remember this kid who dies at the end. Sorry, sport, you don't look movie star enough. Work on that jawline, maybe get yourself a taper

>"welcome to the Glade (bitch)"

>trying to vaporize Newt with my mind

>ain't no way these kids are keeping track of the years. Honey idk what day of the week it is and I got a widget at the bottom of my monitor (not checking it on principle)

>"no one's survived a night in the maze" okay okay i know how these things work. Danny's gonna make history

>stop calling him Greenie; his name is Danny

>"does he look like a Shank?" DANNY

>his name's not Danny. It's Thomas. No one talk to me rn, got a lot to work out

>sad to say I don't think I'd be a Runner. Probably be one of the guys that makes the food. Bet there's a quiz on one of the YA sites.

>who among us hasn't been mounted, strangled, unable to gain advantage, and reached to our sides to find a hand-sized, head-cracking apparatus? This movie tells my experience

>ik it's dumb of me to once again be asking who cuts all the hair, but seriously

>nvm, I believe that's a job around the Glade (we call them Shearers)

>death by maze, death by maze, death by maze

>"no one's ever survived a night in the maze" is the most telegraphed thing so far but I appreciate the setup. Movie's running at a solid clip

>lmao @ the maze monster quieting down to give Thomas a spook

>real sweet of the Gladers to hang around the maze entrance all night. Apparently just to entertain Chuck. Those are homies

>Danny Thomas setting Glade records on his third day. Man's looking for a promotion

>Really giving him the cold Poulter, ain't he (you don't have to laugh)

>exactly one girl showing up, nightmare nightmare nightmare

>didn't catch the part about Newt being the new leader. He looks quite overthrowable

>idk shit about mysteries but I like the speed this movie runs at. What's in the cannister, Danny Thomas?

>these boys are positively cracked at building shelters. I don't think I could built a hut in three years

>and scale models????

>girl's having a very reasonable response to this, gotta say

>Danny Thomas has still only been here three days?

>still appreciate the speed this is moving, but scenes have developed a sort of pattern: "I think we should do this" "no fuck you we should do this" "guys!" "what?!" "element from two scenes ago has developed"

>boy who just got grabbed by a Griever is named Zort

>so Danny Thomas, with like six essential Galders a foot behind him, goads one of the Grievers with a "come on!" as if it's not twelve feet long and immediately dangerous to everyone in a twenty foot vicinity. See this is why you're not the leader, Danny Thomas

>Will Poulter delivers THE most telegraphed punch of all time and Danny Thomas still gets caught with one. Bro wound up like Popeye, dude, that's your fault

>speaking of his fault, and ik we're not supposed to side with him and I'm not saying I do, I'm just saying Poulter's processing of these past few minutes is not unreasonable. This did indeed happen due to choices made by the Runners, intended by maze design or not. If anything, I think the Runners are being too gung-ho about this, considering the immediate consequences of every advancement they make

>bravo to Maze Runner for its introductions and executions. Coming into this from a trilogy of movies in love with introducing a concept then just kinda letting it fester in the frame, it feels like every element presented here has a later relevance. Danny Thomas noticing the Griever stings make the other Gladers seemingly remember something from their past, thus stinging himself to intentionally conjure his own? Well done, Whoever Wrote This Book I'm Not Looking It Up Right Now

>dude, and Poulter distrusting Danny Thomas because he, on a subconscious level, remembers seeing him when he got locked in the amnesia tank? Whoever Wrote This Book I'm Not Looking It Up Right Now really thought of everything

>literally just typing "oh cool of him to not implicate Teresa in the 'I did experiments on you guys' thing" but then he immediately does, lol. Why did the other guys have to know that about her right now, couldn't you tell her that in private

>screenwriters make british actors say Ass on purpose bc they know they'll say it funny

>ooh we got Return of the Jedi nods, somethin most silly's about to happen

>reasonable estimate on Poulter's part: if the protagonists go back in the maze they'll instigate some more Griever shit, probably. Unless the maze doors are just open permanently, now, in which case it makes no difference, Poulter

>Mutinyyyyyyyyy

>was just thinking "don't these kids wanna pack before they leave the Glade forever" but like pack what lol

>I wanna know the life story of the extra who elected to stand like this:

>Danny Thomas is just full of Trailer Lines, isn't he

>score's very generic in this, unfortunately. Could've done cool motifs, divide the Glade and the Maze orchestrally but just about all of it's unremarkable

>half these Grievers die like Land Before Time villains

>then again I also like the lack of music, a lot of the time. Makes things tense

>feeling like there's not enough of a visual difference between the Science Facility and the Glade/Maze. Sure there's video screens but the color scheme's identical. Should've been like the difference between the Commonwealth and the Institute in Fallout 4, like that sucker punch of a juxtaposition

>calculated that 24% of all lines in this movie are "we call it the (noun)"

>so these kids represent the new generation of humans immune to The Flare, so they were trapped in The Maze to study what makes them immune, and it's not just that these kids have antibodies. Like it's not just that. Not saying I follow but I won't get hung up on it rn

>"is it over?" "I don't know, chuck; think maybe we're in the figurative book one of the proverbial multi-book series that is our lives. Three books, at least."

>hahahahahaaaaaa, okay, lining up the cast in frame, "this is just the beginning," music swells, only for Poulter to run in for the antagonistic walk-off homer is good stuff

>weirdly articulate and conversational for someone who's been stung, gotta say

>one thing I remember from my first viewing was my theater cracking up when it's revealed Chuck's been shot

>what do actors think about when they pretend to be dead and their costar is crying over them

>"we call them whirly-twirlies (helicopters)"

>nice of the move go give us/the character's a bird's eye view of the maze, smart of them to wait until the very end

>"Time to begin Operation Sequel"

>author's name is James Dashner. Aight. Good work, G, got a few notes for you: --Thomas' name should've been Danny --that's it

So all in all I like the movie. Note that me liking something and being a fan are different concepts. Movie's exactly where it needs to be and there's obvious care and respect being taken, which I'm sure the fans can appreciate even if maybe Character A isn't rude enough or they cut out Character H. As for what the next movies'll be like, idk, but I'm excited to see.

[notallwonder]

Alrighty. Here we are. Criminal Minds 16x06, "True Conviction". I've already seen it a couple times now, but I wanted to do one of these anyway.

Spoilers and extremely long play-by-play under the cut.

I'm unreasonably psyched for this

this technobabble doesn't wholly make sense to me. why would GPS matter?

obvs the most recognizable thing about JJ is the symbol of her marriage, great

lmao this is how I know I'm way down the rabbit hole for Paget - when I first saw Garcia's "bring 'em home, Emily" line, my brain helpfully supplied the sound of Arden Myrin's hilarious impression of Peter Pilot's mom Barb crying "Bring her hooooooome, Peter!" iykyk and if you don't, it's very unimportant

the smirk and eyebrow was completely wrong for the moment, yet Incredibly Hot

big style Janeway vibes as the turbolift elevator doors close

wow the jet is schmancy - wall sconces! it's wide enough to accommodate the new aspect ratio!

SUEDE JACKET EMILY

Tara you look so sad. Wish you had a hand to hold, your friends keep getting blowed up

Luke's ALIVE yessss

oh little baby unsub running through the forest....got bopped on the head....

now he's...locked in a cupboard under the stairs? harry potter?

MAC AND CHEESE MOTIF

god I want mac and cheese

I like this bad uncle guy. He's hilarious. Real good crazy eyes.

this really could have been a musical

honestly I think my dad served me that exact meal when I was a kid and my mom was away on business. Except mine also included canned potatoes (disGUSTing)

Emily hugging Luke and like...no shot of her acknowledging JJ? It annoyed me the first time and now it's HILARIOUS. Just...conspicuously avoiding JJ? I love her relief about Alvez (me too Emily!), and she already knew that JJ was up and moving and not dead. But...they had time for that hug and nothing else? FUNNY. CM flew too close to the Jemily Sun with "200" and the long walk back is still ongoing.

I guess if I wanted to watch this with my Jemily goggles... this could fit *very* well with the plot of "Late Bloomer", a lovely fic by angestreet in progress on AO3 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/43418964). ANYWAY - the not touching/having trouble being normal with JJ fits with an Emily who has been putting distance between herself and JJ for complicated emotional reasons she's just starting to understand. Or perhaps an Emily and JJ who have had some sort of personal conflict that we, the audience, were not privy to (see also: the "what ifs and if onlys" conversation in season 13). I mean, I still think it's a conspicuously odd choice on the TV screen, but there's room for some interesting storytelling there.

on the other hand - the flight down there from Quantico is at least 90 minutes. Plenty of time for the folks on the jet to get a phone update from JJ. I think we're led to believe they did NOT have that communication (i.e. the splosion interrupted cell service for a prolonged period), as otherwise why would Emily be palpably relieved about Luke's well-being once she gets eyes on him?

Ponytail Prentiss. Ma'am.

The brief and supportive embrace of JJ from Tara and Rossi? Beautiful. Chef's kiss. Lovely.

LOL this music. Teachin' the kid to lye. (haha im so funny)

So...are we to believe he is conflicted about his serial killer education?

No time for politics, Dougie boy!

ooh I wonder who the Attorney General is. Do you think we'll get to see her? Please be CCH Pounder.

Political pressure and machinations seem to be a theme this season. As I recall, prior CM painted its political villains more as bad individuals (Barnes, Strauss, seemingly Bailey at the start of this season). It does feel like CME is more deliberately placing the BAU in the context of a justice / law enforcement *system* that is corrupted or disturbed by political concerns (and otherwise wonderful and perfect and not at all corrupt in itself). Kind of interesting.

Poor Tyler.

Look! JJ talking directly to Emily! It happened! Not in the same frame, but. I just have to remind myself that these things actually happen.

Can you imagine Prentiss arm wrestling Bailey. She'd wipe the floor with that silly noodle. Her glare is too powerful, forget her arm.

So Bailey's *not* the reason they haven't been using the jet? It's the nebulous "politics"? Vague, but not a huge leap. We've already had Senator Aunt Zelda call back to the way Congress sometimes likes to hold the federal budget hostage to achieve certain ends.

ugh....friends....this should come as no surprise...... i'm so gone for her...... her visage pleases me no end..... (mind filled with spooky echoing whispers of sssmokeshhhow prentisssss)

Acting! Executive realness Emily. And she does trust Tara's ability to do the job, but is cognizant of those "politics" etc.

Tara knows she's staring at a shit sandwich coming her way. Tara, I love you. I'm sorry this is hard.

Tyler: "Some dude gave me my clothes back. Also he took my sick Crocs. I don't get it. Am I getting out of here?"

I like PG's dress.

MOAR HUGS!!!! love that. Whoopsy you hurt Luke's lil injured wrist bb.

JONATHAN DEL ARCO, my MAN. First watch through I did not recognize him but found him compelling. I love that guy. I loved seeing him reprise his role as Hugh in ST: Picard. I love his work here.

Emily is... compassionate in this interview. Doesn't feel adversarial. That look when he says he just wants to die.

Oy, poor JJ. She is stuck in this stupid situation with her business gnome husband where she gets to feel guilty AND almost got blowed up! And Will, please. "I promise to never miss your call ever again." Guys come on - be realistic here! This is So Dumb. I've never been able to hate Will despite the ways their relationship rubs me the wrong way. Because if nothing else, JJ does seem to mostly really like him. I don't get it, girl, but who am I to say? She looks really shaken in this scene. This gives me a bad feeling. I'm a little worried this storyline is going to end in her transferring out of the BAU or retiring or otherwise putting her family above her career in a more decisive way.

Tyler and Penelope... I don't hate it. Pen deserves some lovin' and she's a kind and compassionate soul. Luke adores her and he's better than Tyler in terms of current emotional stability I'd say. But the heart wants what the heart wants and sometimes the heart simply enjoys whatever is on offer. She must have her reasons.

I had to watch this Tara/Emily/Luke scene like 4 times because I couldn't hear the dialogue over everyone's insane BEAUTY. The HAIR. the..um...curves...the brown houndstooth over the navy shirt...Luke was there too...

side note: I hate the AirBnB/Target/IKEA generic-ass photography decorating the FBI offices. Federal offices are boring yes but usually in a more dorky way.

Oh! They are fighting in the Family Room.

Oh, Rebecca you little nightmare. Tara says Reeves is not Sicarius and that's all it takes for you to accuse her of dealing in conspiracy theories? That got my hackles up. FASCINATING. I can't look away.

Again...this plays into that same looming "Politics" business - the people around & in the way of our heroes are motivated by optics, by career ambition, by the *appearance* of justice served and the currency that provides. ...That exchange in episode 1602 or 1603, when Bailey suggests getting Domestic Terrorism involved to make people feel safe and Prentiss replies that that wouldn't make them safe.

This scene with Tara/Emily/Luke is lovely. They've got her back. She's a professional. Emily's reaction like "oof been there".

This interrogation. The tacit communication between Tara and Emily when Tara steps in (hot). The way Tara carefully talks her way to the point. The way Silvio's eyes cut over at "I met this woman" and then he looks away. The way the connection has been made - he does feel seen. He's smart too. And he's spent how many years committed to his path - death for the safety of the man he loved. I really enjoyed this scene.

Y'know Emily is consistently good about acknowledging Penelope's good work. I'm sure that's been true for the whole show, but noticeable here too - in 1603 when she tells PG her idea is really good, and here. Love it.

Oh now that I'm watching it carefully - PG has a whole MOMENT as she opens up about her own grief (unfortunate how many times the word "hole" appeared in this convo but wcyd). His lean in is NOT unwarranted, it's there in her eyes...

new catchphrase "it just makes the hole different"

I like Silvio's novio. I like that he found a way to live free of shame and fear. It does kind of beg the question why he didn't try harder to exonerate Silvio in the intervening years, but let's not dwell.

Rebecca's "I have never not been on your side" okay lady. you were pretty mad earlier and implied your girlfriend and her team were full of shit so... I guess you're a human being! lmao. I hate to see Tara back-footed like this but this is juicy.

oh hello hottie. Emily Prentiss, the way you sit in a chair.

Paget's delivery of "I'm not quite following" is hilarious. hashtag relatable.

So "family is what gets you killed". Family as weakness, as vulnerability. I don't doubt that over the next few episodes we'll get more rebuttal to that notion from our heroes, a la "we're a family and that's our strength."

These episodes really don't stand up on their own. They work better together. Can't wait for the next one.

[easyboi]

Oh i feel you on the prices of toys. A dear friend of mine collects fantasy dildos and one of his dogs chewed up a large bad dragon once — it was a sad day for him, and Eddie (the dog) still hasn’t felt an ounce of shame 😩

I still mourn that particular loss, because damn that thing was unreasonably large, he is a size queen, I wanted to destroy him with it and never got the chance to..

Anyway. The whole point of this is I feel you. I lost a big box of toys when we moved last year, I’m still hoping it’ll return because it had my favourite vibes and fantasy dildos 😩 plus a set of custom made leather cuffs, chest harness and collar that my partner gifted me. But it is what it is, even though I won’t be replacing the toys anytime soon.

If you’re up for it, you could tell me a little more about your toy and how you like to get yourself off?

- P

damn i can only imagine the pain, my most expensive (excluding my stp that i don't even use 💀) were still nowhere near those prices, let alone an entire box! i hope it turns up i'd be devastated 😔 even more for that nice custom set

this one's still new so i'm gonna figure out what i like the best, but i usually get on my bed and start by just using my hand and rubbing myself through my pants until i'm really craving more, and only then pull them down, keep going for a little depending on how horny i am. then with that toy or any other i usually tease myself a little without turning it on just for the Promise lmao. when i do i keep it on the lowest setting until i can't take it, one up, repeat. with my other vibes i can keep that going until i reach the highest and can't stop grinding against it, still kinda wanting more even tho i'm already so oversensitive that it almost hurts. other times tho i'm so worked up just turning the toy on can be enough to make me come 🥴 dildos depends, i have to have a good fantasy otherwise it's too much effort even tho i really like them lol