#i used to be an avid shipper

[meguutron]

drawings of @frootloopsl atla death note au ☆彡

[choppyama]

My fav kghn dj was that one where Hinata’s competition as Kageyama’s love interest was volleyball. Tobio thought that he had to choose between love and the sport only for him to realize that both vb and hinata are intertwined in a way that he can’t have one without also having the other.

Kageyama’s entire world revolves around vb and hinata is at the center of that life

‘Kgym isn’t interested in anyone he only cares abt vb’ YOU GET IT ALL WRONG 😭 Kazuyo lovingly nurtured Tobio, introduced him to vb, a special interest he relies on to have fun. As a kid who struggled to express himself and couldn’t easily make friends bc they didn’t share his interests, vb became his outlet, it became a safe space.

Vb was introduced to Kageyama with love, vb is all he knows and that’s how he shows others he cares for them too. He loves vb, he loves hinata, he loves his teammates, his friends… that goes hand in hand. (vb, love and friendship it’s all mutually inclusive)

I was discussing Demi Kageyama with my friend the other day and I think ‘situational homosexuality’ describes him perfectly lmao

I have to say you don’t have to ship him with anyone but you can’t expect him to care abt ‘romance’ in a conventional way when he doesn’t show his love for others in the most typical way in the first place

He may refuse to go the shrine with hinata that one time but he’d invite shoyo to go along with him on a double date to play vb with kindaichi and kunimi. He may not say ‘I love you’ out loud but he’d remind shoyo to take care of himself, to eat properly, to rest, to cut his hair. He’d ask him to keep this thing they have between them going forever, to keep playing vb. He’d ask shoyo to stand by his side at the top until the end of times showing just how much he cares and values their relationship.

Much More detailed thoughts https://x.com/userlovestobio/status/1556982243037421569?s=46

I understand how this may not be ideal for some people hence why they might ignorantly says things like ‘kagehina aren’t friends / they don’t hang outside of vb / they have a co worker relationship blah blah blah’ but to me the way Kageyama Tobio loves is so SO beautifully unique.

when you understand that hanging ‘outside of vb’ doesn’t exist with kghn bc vb is their entire world. Then you’d finally understand that it was a love story all along

[kaythefloppa]

Reasons to ship Donita Donita x Paisley Paver.

Their ship name would be Daisy.

[tea-cat-arts]

Hey, guys, if an artist/writer says “I don’t want to draw/write xyz thing” for whatever reason, maybe just don’t challenge them on it. Like, the person isn’t gonna just throw their hands up in the air and go “oh yes- because you are objectively correct my boundaries are suddenly gone and I’m willing to do it,” they’re probably just gonna get mad at you because their feelings were probably never about objectivity in the first place

[lesbiansanemi]

Okay okay, because with the bleach anime going on again I’m seeing this crop up in much larger amounts and it’s irritating me

Ichiruki is one of those ships that I genuinely don’t really mind. I’m not super into it, but I see the potential and get why people would ship them, even if I prefer them being best friends as opposed to having a romantic relationship.

That being said, the vast majority of the avid shippers are supremely fucking annoying for two reasons. The first (and one that I think I’ve talked about on here a couple times before?) is that they act like it’s a genuine plot hole that ruined the whole story that Ichigo and Rukia didn’t end up together. They act like it is literally impossible for two people to be as close and loyal as they are unless there’s romantic feelings. Like idk, I think it’s fucking lovely to have a series that actually and genuinely presents a friendship as the titular relationship and most important one without even hinting at potential romantic feelings between them (especially considering it’s a male/female friendship which almost always gets shoehorned into being romantic at least in subtext by media). Like again, I understand why people might ship them, but there is nothing wrong with the fact that they didn’t end up together and it’s definitely not some great slight or fucking “plot hole” that “ruined” the whole story.

The second thing they’re doing (that might honestly be pissing me off more than the first) is the way they talk about Orihime. Like I get it, you have an irrational hatred of Ichihime because it became canon instead. Whatever. Hate the ship. But honestly the way they talk about Orihime like she is an irredeemable character is atrocious and they all act like it’s based on actual merit and not just the fact that they hated the endgame canon ship. I’ve seen takes that she’s useless during the entire plot (which seriously? There’s so many holes to poke in that one), that she’s poorly written so we should hate her (which while none of the female characters in bleach are handled Perfectly imo she is not inherently worse than any of the others), I’ve even seen people write whole “meta” posts about how she supposedly emotionally manipulated and abused Ichigo which is so ?????? It’s so misogynistic, it’s literally that thing where you hate a ship so you tear a female character to pieces for no reason but they’re all in to deep to realize that’s what they’re doing. Like Jesus yeah, hate Ichihime, but there is no reason to actually hate Orihime herself

Anyways I’m about to start blocking most really avid Ichiruki shippers cuz the way y’all talk about Rukia, Ichigo, and especially Orihime is so annoying and the whole concept of your little ship war is stupid beyond belief especially when the series has been over for over a goddamn decade

[dorogava]

cg’s prose isn’t for everyone and it does get so much better by foul lady fortune ( i like to compare how people think soc > sab even tho cg’s writing prowess was far beyond lb’s during sab ) but i have to admit it gives me the nastiest feeling that a book centered in china with a majority chinese cast gets overlooked or dnf’d or called ‘basic’ when people will slurp up the bare minimum white eurocentric fantasy. if you can read sab, you can read tvd.

[aspenaspenaspenaspenaspen]

I don’t like how the Sokeefe confession went down, because it felt so abrupt compared to the build up of the series.

I think this because the whole series it’s Keefe who’s loved Sophie since the beginning, Keefe who hinted his feelings and flirted with her, and Keefe who couldn’t confess. And it was Sophie who couldn’t figure out her feelings and was oblivious to his. So it felt strange that though Keefe technically confessed first in the letter he left, it was Sophie who initiated the actual confession.

I understand that all the build up for Sophie confessing was in Stellarlune, but it just didn’t fit with the rest of the series, and honestly, felt unfair to Keefe (from a readers stand point, I’m sure he’s very happy in cannon). He should have been the one to confess.

I’ve heard people complaining that Chapter 42 was written like a fan fiction, and I disagree with this statement for two reasons, one that I think this is supposed to be insulting the actual writing of the scene, and I would never insult Shannon Messangers writing, and two because I don’t like to spread that fanfic writing is bad because fan fiction can have some amazing writing.

However I can see the similarities to Chapter 42 and fanfiction. As an avid reader of fanfiction, a reader can tell when the fanfic author is just writing a confession as a way to get the characters to kiss, the confession may be abrupt without a lot of build up, but also may just be very easy and quick. And that’s sort of how I felt reading the Sokeefe confession. It felt too easy for all the build up and angst and unrequited but eventually requited love that is Sokeefe.

Keefe should have been the one to confess, and Sophie should of had a harder time accepting feelings instead of pining for Keefe the entirety (?) or Stellarlune, and it should have been more difficult. Also Ro shouldn’t have been peer pressuring Sophie….

….And that’s the real controversial take here. Because, I do genuinely believe Sophie likes Keefe in cannon. I’m not a big Sokeefe shipper but I saw where this was going throughout the series. However in cannon, to the reader, it looks like Ro had to convince Sophie that she liked Keefe, and even if I think she does, it still feels like peer pressure when reading it. And I think Keefe would also be disappointed if he heard that it was Ro who convinced Sophie that she like him, because it should have been Sophie battling with her own feelings, not Ro telling her how she feels (regardless of if she was correct).

If I were to rewrite the Sokeefe part of Stellarlune, I would’ve have Sophie understanding that part of the letter, but pushing down her feelings and choosing to be oblivious in order to avoid facing her feelings when she already has so much going on. Have her think about Keefe while he’s gone, and be jealous of Biana (or suspicious whatever you’d call it) in that one scene but have her obviously be falsely justifying it in order to push down those romantic feelings.

Then when she does find Keefe, make her avoid mentioning the letter at all costs. Have it hang over their heads at every moment their alone together, have it be awkward. Then, on accident have her mention the letter. Let there be a pause.

Let Keefe be a bit bitter about Sophie refusing to acknowledge anything. Have him be all like “oh so you did see the letter.”

Have Sophie still refuse to talk about it. “yeah, I guess I was so distracted with trying to find you I didn’t really think about it (lying). was there anything important in there?”

Have Keefe’s eyes turn dark “no, I guess not. (lying)” and have him rudely stalk of.

Then later have them doing something for the black swan with their friends, looking over scrolls, idk research or something.

Have Sophie be frustrated after the scrolls don’t tell them anything important. “why can’t the author of these just tell us what this means?” She should grumble

And Keefe should say “well maybe you should read between the lines to figure out what they mean.”

Sophie throws down the scroll in her hands “well maybe people should just say what they mean instead of writing it down in a way that can mean anything!!” Keefe sets down his scroll, walking off outside. No one else knows what’s going on but Sophie sighs and follows him out.

“Keefe! Wait!” She shouts. Keefe would whirl around, tears in his eyes.

“Don’t you think I’ve waited long enough?”

Sophie stares at him, surprised that he’s crying.

“I’ve waited this whole time to because I didn’t want to pressure you. But you can’t even acknowledge it.”

“Because I don’t know what “it” is! You left, and you leave me this note, and I’m just supposed to understand what it means?”

“You know what it means! Why else would I write it?”

“You wrote it because you were leaving-“

“I WROTE IT BECAUSE I LOVE YOU”

“YOU WROTE IT BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER SEE ME AGAIN!”

Suddenly there are tears in Sophie’s eyes too. “You’re accusing me of avoiding all this but you were just as willing to! You didn’t want to confront me with your feelings so you wrote down your confession, but now you’re back and all you can do is shout it at me.”

Keefe takes a step closer, his eyes wide.

“How am I supposed to know you mean it if you don’t say it?” Sophie looks down, tugging at an eyelash.

Keefe takes another step closer, taking her hand in his. His voice is croaky and wet but each word is clear.

“Sophie Foster…I love you.”

And that’s when it all hits Sophie, because that’s everything she needed to hear and all the things she’s been stuffing down comes up and hits her all at once, and she physically stumbles into Keefe.

“Foster?” Keefe asks, catching her. Sophie looks up and makes eye contact with him.

“I think I’ve just fallen for you.” (The joke is that she actually fell over. In case it wasn’t clear.)

[diorsluv]

feather , part 11

“ i got you blocked ”

series m. list previous chapter next chapter

( socialmedia!au )

markestapa

liked by edwards.73, mackie.samo, yourusername, and 49,736 others

markestapa this dumbass decided she’s staying at my house for the winter break 🙄🙄

tagged: yourusername

view all comments

yourusername disclaimer i told him not to pick me up but he grabbed me anyways (I DID NOT CONSENT)

→ markestapa for someone always worried about rumors u seem to be perfectly fine LYING TO THE PUBLIC RN

→ yourusername OKAY BUT I’M ACTUALLY TELLING THE TRUTH

edwards.73 dont forget abt me i’m coming tomorrow

→ yourusername we’re gonna have soooo much fun!! (god save me i beg)

→ markestapa WE CAN TAKE YOU TO THE SMALL POND AT THE PARK edwards.73

→ lhughes_06 yo me, jack, quinn and duker are gonna be there in like 3 days

→ mackie.samo i’m already here 💪

username58 i feel so bad, our mini drysdale is gonna be surrounded by all those boys for a whole month

→ yourusername it’s not anything new unfortunately 😔

_alexturcotte seems like you and mark are having a lot of fun!

→ yourusername yup.. (i have to share a bathroom with him, ethan and mackie as soon as everyone else gets here)

→ bookerburke_ ur not like.. uncomfortable with that or anything? yourusername

→ yourusername no i stay over at theirs after parties all the time, i’m used to it don’t worry ❤️ bookerburke_

→ bookerburke_ oh…. ok

username45 STOP THEYRE MY FAVORITE PAIR

jamie.drysdale my mom’s still sad she didn’t wanna come to the bahamas with us

→ markestapa she told my mom 💀💀

→ yourusername IT’S SO EXPENSIVE AND I NEED TO STUDY ANYWAY

→ jamie.drysdale IT’S CALLED A BREAK FOR A REASON DUMMY

username49 if i wasn’t an avid dryshughes shipper then i would totally go for drystapa

→ username8 she has a bf now 😭

→ username90 doesn’t look like it username8

→ username60 I CAN’T username90 THAT’S SO FOUL

yourusername

liked by edwards.73, markestapa, trevorzegras, and 57,929 others

yourusername the one day it didn’t snow!! what a shocker right

view all comments

markestapa guys i drank that green juice today and let me tell you it’s DISGUSTING (it’s actually kinda good)

→ yourusername YOU AND ETHAN DRANK THE WHOLE THING SO I HAD TO MAKE A SECOND ONE 😭

→ markestapa whaaaaaat when did we do that

→ edwards.73 stop falsely accusing us yourusername (can you make more when we have morning practices)

username55 i love nature

dylanduke25 lets go skating tomorrow

→ yourusername ofccc you know it

username70 she’s in her green eraaaa

bookerburke_ lemme take you out when we get back?

→ yourusername maybeee 🤭

→ username85 ah hell nah

→ jamie.drysdale omg let me join!!!!! 😍😍😍

→ yourusername jamie wtf who hacked into ur account

lhughes_06 too bad it was just us two at the park, the scenery was great

→ yourusername frrr

→ username12 is this his way of saying what i think he’s saying

→ jackhughes bro wdym i was there too???

username48 what can she NOT do, she’s so perfect 😔

trevorzegras it’s better in cali come visit

→ yourusername stop trying to coerce me

mackie.samo god he’s going on and on AGAIN

→ markestapa oh so it wasn’t just me he was complaining to??

→ adamfantilli dude he texted me a whole ass paragraph

→ _quinnhughes i could hear him throwing the pillows from the other side of the house

→ dylanduke25 he just won’t stop man

→ lhughes_06 🙄

next chapter notes ) so my wifi was out for half the day and it really set me back and that’s why this is kinda bad.. BUT IT’S FINE WE BOUNCE BACK 💪💪

tags: @aliaology

[thegreatandpowerfulversy]

It's Worm liveblogging time! About time I finally got around to actually reading it and not just letting the wormposts flow over me and deposit information via osmosis.

I started this morning and have read through the end of Arc 2 so far, so this isn't quite liveblogging from the beginning, but I can summarize the thoughts I would have posted had I decided to do this earlier.

Taylor apparently already has her powers from the start? I honestly thought the story began before her trigger event. Seems like it's only a few months after though, she's new to it all. I guess we see the background in an interlude later.

Also, wow, I thought my experience of high school as a nerdy trans girl was bad, but goddamn. I'm a little surprised Taylor hasn't murdered any of her bullies yet. Maybe later.

Spiders on his dick! What a unique, one-time event that surely will never even remotely happen again.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to remember who Regent was. You guys don't talk about him much.

Is Armsmaster trans or something? Probably not according to Wildbow, but since when is he a reliable source anyway. Trans according to post osmosis is good enough.

Dad :(

Taylor really does have a lot more self-control in the beginning than I expected.

At least she has some basic opsec knowledge and goes to the public library to make contact. Not that it helps against a Thinker, but it's the right idea.

The Undersiders have a boss? Why do I get the feeling that the boss won't be lasting very long...

There is no way that Lisa doesn't know exactly why Taylor is here. I guess she's having fun playing with her? Or maybe she also sees the next layer too and knows Taylor is possible to turn to be a villain for real.

...You know, as someone who gets a majority of her worm knowledge from an avid Taylor/Rachel shipper, reading the actual start of Worm is bizarre. Rachel does not make a good first impression here. I understand the smugbugs much better at the moment.

Friends :)

I do not like Victoria Dallon. Sure, punch Nazis, but that's a bit beyond punching.

I really do not like Victoria Dallon. Not just police brutality, but also blatantly using cult manipulation tactics on her sister, and trying to amplify that with her aura? Come on, Amy, we've got to get you out of there.

That's it so far! I imagine the arcs get significantly longer as the story goes on; they'd kind of have to to reach the "6.5 times as long as my own longest fic" mark that I've heard about. As a writer, that's a phenomenon I know all too well.

Anyway, I'm having a good time so far, and I can't wait to keep reading! I've been warned of some spots later that I will have to skip over, but I can deal with a few dick-spiders for now.

[luceafarul-de-dimineata]

bimet would sell merch to the shippers

Bimet is at the same time an avid Mammon x Mc shipper and an oportunist that sells merch of all the ships.

Since Tartaros has very advanced AIs do you think Bimet would be the type of grifter that makes AI art and sells it? I think from Tartaros only Eligos knows how to draw so he makes a lot of fanart of MC and Mammon... but would Bimet even ask for Eligos' consent before using it on a T-shirt and selling prints of it?

Sometimes the products with ships with other kings get damaged "mysteriously".

DragonOfTheDawn: Hey, Mr. Bimet, my product arrived damaged.

GoldenBoy: And what do you want me to do about it?

DragonOfTheDawn: I don't know, a refund or something?

GoldenBoy: We don't do refunds in Tartaros. What item did you order?

DragonOfTheDawn: The poster of his majesty Lucifer and Mc cuddling. It came in with a large cut in the middle.

GoldenBoy: That's just his majesty Lucifer's scar

DragonOfTheDawn: No, like... I can put my whole hand through it.

GoldenBoy: I'm so sorry, but there's nothing we can do about that. Just because you're so nice we'll give you a discount for your next purchase. Put in the code #MammonxMcBestShip and you can get up to 2% off your next purchase.

Bimet gets an angry call from Buer after this. He really shouldn't have messed with the little brother of the Paradise Lost lawyer.

[onesidedradiostatic]

I was rewatching ep 2 and i noticed the trxt that appears on vox's face when he glitches during Stayed Gone isn't just code and it's actually got little insukts for alastor interspersed across it

Here's what it says, in case it's difficult to see:

"A PROBLEM HAS BEEN DETECTED AND VOX HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO HIS SYSTEMS.

THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY THE THE FOLLOWING FILE: ALASTOR.EXE

VOX.EXE_CRASH_ERROR_EAT_SHIT_ALASTOR

CHECK TO MAKE SURE ALL ((fucking 1930s looking ass)) HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE IS UP TO DATE AND PROPERLY INSTALLED. ASK VOX FOR ANY VOXTEK UPDATES YOU MIGHT NEED.

IF PROBLEMS CONTINUE, ((fuck you alastor)) DISABLE OR REMOVE ANY ALASTOR(S) FROM THE GENERAL VICINITY. IF YOU NEED TO USE 'UNSAFE MODE' RESET YOUR VOXTEK DEVICE PRESS F5 AND SELECT 'ADVANCED STARTUP OPTIONS' THEN SELECT 'UNSAFE MODE'

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

*** STOP: ALASTOR.EXE ((old timy prick radio)) *** "

I find it kinda funny that vox tries to insult him by calling him '1930s looking ass ' because yes, he is from the 30s, like that's such a weak insult to state an obvious fact.

Also, it's interesting that it says it says to stop vox from malfunctioning, you'd have to remove (kill) alastor using 'unsafe mode' which is why I believe that vox might actually try to murder alastor in season 2 which would be very funny to watch him fsil to kill Alastor AGAIN (based on what I think was implied by something val saud near the beginning of Stayed Gone) and I think Alastor's too important to be killed off.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into it lmao

I am an avid one-sided radiostatic shipper who has watched stayed gone multiple times, needless to say I've known about the bluescreen text for a while JSDGKLHLKSFGKSD even stated in a previous ask before

I never read that much into it I figured he just needs like. as it says. alastor out of the vicinity to function properly LMAO. (which is actually very true, alastor's very existence deleted his braincells the moment stayed gone started) but either way vox wishing death on alastor is kinda.... not news to anyone. I mean he literally says "I'LL DESTROY YOUUIUDUU!U!#@UU%^U^UUU#U@UU!#$%" in stayed gone, val specifically says "killing alastor is your kink" and we uh. saw how that went in episode 8! (I guess val was serious when he said that)

[weirdwaterbear]

*sets aside the Agony of the ending in a little matchbox for a second* Ok but as avid Ineffable Bureaucracy shippers it was SO FUCKING FUNNY and such a rollercoaster for my fiance and I when it became canon like. There were just so many moments throughout the season where we were joking like "lol ship vibes" because we had LONG since come to grips with the fact that it was basically a crackship and didn't expect to get anything REAL for them AND THEN HELLO???

Like- every time it cut back to Beelz demanding updates on the hunt for Gabriel and sending out search parties and shit I distinctly remember making jokes about them being stressed af like "FIND ME MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT HIMBO RIGHT NOW IMMEDIATELY SCOUR THE EARTH" especially that bit they said about how nice it would be to have someone to tell you you're doing a good job and i jUST-

The fucking SHIP SPEEDRUN MONTAGE hit us like a fucking BUS!!! "Going faster than a rollercoaster" INDEED BUDDY HOLLY

[fkapple]

Hello! 👋

I just had to say I always thought that Emily x Shane was a rare pair in the Sdv fandom, and content for them was sparse. So imagine my surprise and utter delight upon seeing your art come across my dash!

I am in love!!! 😍😍😍 Consider me a new but avid fan! Keep up the great work. I'll be here for it! ❤️

P.s.

I especially love the smoochies art you've made. 😉 You've done my shippy heart a great service! 😆

🥲 thank youuuu I am so very happy to provide for all us EmxShane shippers, seeing enthusiasm for them does my heart good lol.

on that note, I hope people don't feel duped that I haven't been putting out the kinda indiscriminate make out art that I used to...now that I'm delving into their narrative, my brain's like....that's spoilers. lol. so sorry. But don't worry op is still 100% about that shit 😤

[gumbaigumbai]

Ramblings on Modern AU Ogata

Modern AU Ogata has so much potential when it comes to the different ways his mental instability could be displayed, along with his living situation as well.. so I'll write down some thoughts I've had/collected below (& I'm well aware Noda mentioned he'd be a dentist but I wanna explore other possibilities)

^ to preface I've read a couple works on ao3 abt this as well so some ideas are heavily inspired

Work: I think a job as a photographer would translate over his sniper skills very well, links such as steady hands and a good eye, staying still in a required position, "shooting", and freelance of course.. Though I don't think this would pay well enough for him to maintain a decent living, so he would primarily work as a morgue attendant for a couple reasons; respect given when needed, no customer interactions (or if so, very few), most talking is between co-workers which I don't imagine there's plenty of, he wouldn't be opposed to being in the space w. all the corpses, it could worsen his mental state (🤤), to an extent links back to his "canon" modern job via medical field

As for the home life; small apartment, can't imagine him caring about upkeeping the place or getting "fashionable" furniture so most items inside are just necessities. while he was only doing photography he used to sleep on a mattress but after the attendant job he upgraded to a simple bed. Definitely has a computer setup that he saved up for, used for editing/organizing his pictures and doom scrolling. I like to think he has some interest that he researches in his spare time, could be really into the history & different types of guns, or if we want to be less on-the-nose he'd enjoy deep sea creatures - just reading up on them or watching videos, maybe those informational documentaries. Also has a small amount of fondness towards Hello Kitty (bc ofc I have to add this), though it's something he's embarrassed to admit (Usami found this out & never let him hear the end of it)

Relationship w. ppl

I think he'd be pretty good at coming off as collected while working (outside of home) but when he's not required to talk with others he's contrived in public, says the bare minimum and leaves. He'd keep in touch with Usami and Tsukishima - they always have to reach out first but in his better moods sometimes he starts talking w. Usami. He used to have some sort of relationship with Tsurumi (relationship not used in a romantic sense here) but they fell out and he doesn't have contact with him anymore. Yuusaku has his # and tries inviting him over for the holidays but he declines most of the time, another instance where you must catch him while he's prone to social gatherings..

Mental state 😻

Okay this is where I take a lot of liberty so I apologize if ppl don't like this… I think he would definitely be depressed to some extent, falling into episodes where he's more of an active suicide risk, but it's not often enough to become debilitating to carry on normally. He wouldn't reach out for help, and would over time get much worse before he ever gets better (I'd like to think in the modern world he'd have a real chance at reformation though). Usami would unintentionally worsen Ogata's mental state by affirming his negative thoughts, though as an avid Usao shipper I have to give myself a treat and pretend Usami would take care of him during his worst times… And wouldn't make fun of his attempt at getting better if he ever enters therapy (delusion works in mysterious ways). Ogata would engage in self-destructive behavior; taking light drugs at a younger age but as he got older he resorted to sh. The first step towards rehab however would be a holiday dinner with Yuu where he actually showed up, and they entered a genuine conversation over his issues after Yuu grilled him enough about his worries.

Anyway, sorry this was so long & I didn't include many other characters, & if you just don't really see this as plausible for him - I like to play with him like a Lalaloopsy in my head

[fleursfairies]

i used to be an avid johnlock shipper and now that i am older and my brains more developed i have realized that it was silly*

* jk it's literally canon. it is even more obvious to me now than it was to me then. there is no denying it. even johns wife shipped them together. and sherlock didn't deny their relationship a single time. sherlock corrects everyone EXCEPT for when people think theyre dating. wtf

[vortexonsaturn]

Was The Finale of How I Met Your Mother Truly That Bad?

That title may come as a shock to any How I Met Your Mother fan, or even just anyone on social media when the finale aired, as the infamous ending is widely known as one of the worst endings in sitcom history. It was unanimously agreed that this finale was awful, so much so that the creators of the show immediately released an alternate ending to appease fan outrage. However, I would argue the ending truly does make sense in retrospect.

What Went Wrong?

As a huge fan myself, for many years I also held the belief that the ending was well...wrong. Being an avid Barney and Robin shipper, their divorce felt abrupt, especially considering the fact that the entire final season takes place over the weekend of their wedding. And losing the sweet, wonderful Mother mere moments after meeting her? Pure insanity.

The biggest fault in the finale however was the fact that it was fully planned during Season One. The plan was always for Ted and Robin to end up together. In order to prevent David Henrie (Luke) and Lyndsy Fonseca (Penny) visually aging over the course of the nine years the show spanned (which was canonically probably just a month or two) they filmed the iconic, "You're totally in love with Aunt Robin!" scene way before any of the natural character development occurred.

Because of this advanced planning, it denies the characters we had grown to love the ability to change at all during the course of the series, forcing them to morph back into odd, and now unfamiliar, Season One versions of themselves. It leaves a bitter feeling to the whole finale as:

Barney resorts back to his womanizing ways, neglecting his growth and change over the series. Almost completely flanderizing him in the final episode.

Robin is bitter and barely seen by the group anymore.

The entire group has separated, only catching up during holidays if at all.

The Mother dies episodes after we meet her.

And most controversially, Ted and Robin are endgame.

So seeing all of this, its may seem as though the finale managed to screw up nine years of character arcs and fan loyalty in only two minutes.

But,

Was the ending actually the perfect way to sum up this story?

What Went Right?

While the ending truly did reject viewers expectations, it was always supposed to end this way. It wasn't a cop out.

The story of How I Met Your Mother is about so much more than Ted meeting the Mother, it's about Ted's 20's and his friend group. But more importantly, it's about reality.

We see many times throughout the show that Ted is chasing this idealization of fate, he spends almost the entire show chasing Robin because he truly believes that she is his fate.

But the reality is, fate is messy. You may not always get what you thought was the perfect ending. There isn't always that pretty bow to put on top of life. More importantly, the ending you thought was perfect is simply not always the ending you get. Life is ever-changing.

Foreshadowing for finale (however much you hate it) is sprinkled throughout the series, and these moments remain some of the most impactful scenes in the entire show.

Let's break this down even further.

↳ For the sake of this argument we're going to revisit 8x20, The Time Travelers and the writers use of Ted's Favorite Book. ↳ While the foreshadowing that I am arguing is shown in many episodes and plots, I believe these encapsulate it the best.

The Time Travelers Episode

This episode is one of the most popular episodes of the series, as it is truly depressing. It is argued to be one of the saddest episodes in the show (although I would say Bad News is objectively the most heartbreaking).

In this episode we follow Ted recounting an average night in MacLaren's Pub with his friends until it is revealed the entire evening was all in his mind, and in reality he is all alone.

Following this realization we get a narration from Future Ted, that in hindsight should've been the biggest hint for the finale.

Future Ted tells us that instead of simply going home this night, he would instead go to the Mother's apartment and say this:

“Hi. I’m Ted Mosby. In exactly 45 days from now, you and I are going to meet. And we’re going to fall in love. And we’re going to get married and we’re going to have two kids. And we’re going to love them and each other so much. All that is 45 days away. But I’m here now, I guess, because I want those extra 45 days. With you. I want each one of them. And if I can’t have them, I’ll take the 45 seconds before your boyfriend shows up and punches me in the face. Because I love you. I’m always going to love you. Until the end of my days. And beyond.”

What a gut punch considering the fact that the Mother falls fatally ill in the finale. Someone play The Prophecy by Taylor Swift.

Seeing Ted beg for just 45 extra days knowing the Mother dies is honestly one of the clearest signs of her ending. Her fate. Her destiny. The Mother while insanely lovable and a quick fan favorite, was always written to die.

But, an even BIGGER piece of foreshadowing remains in Ted's Favorite Book.

Ted's Favorite Book

In the episode Matchmaker (1x7), we find out Ted's favorite book is Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez. This book's plot focuses on a young couple in love who grew apart, one them goes on to get married and the others spouse eventually dies and the original couple finds one another. Sound familiar?

This is the exact plot of the Ted, Tracy, and Robin storyline.

We see Ted reading this book the exact moment he meets the Mother. This easter egg was planted in Season One.

I often times see people be critical of the shows finale as they view it as a cop out, a lazy ending to a show that was out of left field. But that purely isn't true.

As much as I love Swarkles, and as much as I love Ted and Tracy together, you cannot deny that sometimes stories just don't end perfectly. Life doesn't work that way.

So what does all of this mean?

Does foreshadowing excuse the ending? In my personal opinion I truly think it helps.

With a show like How I Met Your Mother that surrounds itself with themes of fate and destiny, you cannot be upset when these elements come into play. The Mother dying was her Fate. Ted and Robin ending up together was their Fate. This is always how the story was supposed to end, no matter how infuriating it is. This is their Fate.

Ultimately, I believe that if the creators fleshed out the ending across even just two episodes the fan reception would've been way better. The timing of it all causes a sort of whiplash feeling, leaving a bad taste in your mother when the How I Met Your Mother title-card flashes at the end.

So while personally I will continue viewing the alternate ending purely for mental health reasons, the original ending will always hold a special place in my heart.

TLDR:

The ending could've been way better, but this was always the fate of the show and characters and you truly cannot deny that.

Note: Sorry if this seems all over the place I feel very strongly about this show, prepare for a Swarkles rant next or maybe even a character analysis of Marshall Eriksen.