#i'm not sure what made me think of this tbh Tumblr posts

[blueskyscribe]

In my opinion Season 3 is easily the worst season of Earthspark.

It's thematically incohesive (don't trust Decepticons, but also Prowl is a prick for not warming up to Megatron immediately), Optimus is unlikeable and bitchy, Thrash's only character trait is cowardice like he's Scooby Doo or something, no good resolution for Starscream, Breakdown and Bee's friendship is broken up because ?????, the Quintessons are impersonal, unengaging enemies compared to the Decepticons (who just jet into space, bye), and a lot of parts are just really boring. (The Fairmaestro episode and the movie night episode being the biggest offenders.)

There were scenes I liked in Season 3, moments I liked, and I liked Prowl. But overall this season was hit by Ultra Magnus' Cloak Syndrome.

You know how in Netflix's War for Cybertron series Ultra Magnus goes on his own to parlay with Megatron? And he's wearing a Mysterious Cloak? And you could tell the writers were biting their lips thinking about the epic moment when it was revealed to be Magnus? But it's undercut by the reality that Transformers have very distinct sizes, colors, and silhouettes, so it's complete unbelievable that even a single Decepticon would wonder whose giant shoulder stacks those were?

Yeah, that's how I feel about Season 3 Earthspark. And just Earthspark in general tbh. We don't get a natural story driven by who the characters are. The characters live in service to story beats, whether they make sense or not.

The writers were like "It would be dramatic if Breakdown chose the Decepticons over Bee. So let's have him do that." No setup, no instances or flashbacks of Shockwave or Soundwave saving Breakdown's life or bonding moments with other 'Cons or anything to show why Breakdown would pick them over Bumblebee, who he has risked his life for before.

The writers were like "It would be cool to have a scene where Optimus and Megatron reconcile! So we'll start off this season with Optimus being mad at Megatron." No reason for it; he's just mad so that later, like the Maltos, we can clap our hands when it gets resolved.

By contrast look at the Beast Wars episode "Gorilla Warfare".

BW Dinobot scoffs at Optimus Primal's gentle and curious nature as he studies a flower. Later when Primal gets infected with a "go apeshit" virus, Dinobot is like "Well I'm sorry for the guy but this strategically good, his anger will win us the war." But then Primal's blind rage nearly gets him killed and Dinobot realizes how much the Maximals depend on not just Optimus' strength, but his calm wisdom.

The episode ends with Dinobot sitting by Primal's bed, waiting for him to wake up so he can tell Primal he's glad he's back to normal, and Dinobot leaves the flower from the start of the episode by his bedside as an oblique apology. THAT was a conflict that made sense, that arose from the core of who the characters were, and that was resolved based on a character's growth. And it all happened in a half-hour!

Like some of these ideas in Earthspark WOULD work if they were fleshed out . . . I could imagine Breakdown having a bond with other Decepticons and really caring for them; sure, I can write my own fanfic. But if I'm watching a TV show and it's a Big Plot Point then it is the job of the writers to show me that, on the screen. I shouldn't have to be filling in their lack of storytelling with "uh maybe offscreen--" and "what if--".

[lazyjellyfish300]

Helloooo! Happy Flufftober! Can I please request Shiu Kong with Cabin and either Falling asleep together or sharing a bed (whichever isnt taken already/whichever youd have more fun writing?). Can it also be slight age gap, like reader is in mid to late 20's while shiu is mid to early 30's (again whichever number youre more comfortable with I just have literally no idea how old Kong is) Thank you so much and I hope you have a wonderful flufftober!

A/N: OFC U CAN! goddddddddddfdfdddd I love that man!!!!!! 😭😭😭 Yeah tbh I'm not sure how old he is either, I think I hc him around 35-38???? Idk but thank you for requesting my love!! 🥰 Hope you enjoy and happy Flufftober to you too! 🍂🎃

My Fall Masterlist 🍂

Words: 548 ish

CW: X FEM!READER, AGE GAP(READER IS 27 SHIU IS LIKE 35-38) MINORS DNI, MILD SUGGESTIVE, FLUFF

"Happy Birthday, darling..." Shiu whispers as his thumbs slip gently underneath both sides of your oversized shirt. One of his old tees you quickly usurped as your own in the short time you'd been married. "And you said you weren't sleepy..." 

"I'm not sleepy, I'm just resting my eyes..." You whisper, weight of your eyelids no match against the soothing world of comfort you found yourself entangled in with your beloved Shiu. 

"That's exactly what a sleepy person would say.." He teases. 

Your body was pressed against his underneath the ample quilts of the charming cabin you rented for an entire week in Alaska right in the blooming center of fall. 

The fire was reduced to a low cackle at the foot of your king sized bed with the wide shadow of your rotund basset hound, Stella, taking up the entire view. Buzzing snores like a mini generator as she settled temporarily for the warmth of the cabin's fire as opposed to her usual occupation in Shiu's study underneath the calm lights of his aquarium. 

"Did you feed Stella, tonight, sweetheart?" 

"Course I did.." Shiu answers. He side eyes the caramel ripple blob of brown and white asleep on the rug. "She loved the steak." 

"Honey, she's supposed to be on a diet." 

"Relax, dollface. I made sure it wasn't seasoned." He coos as his hands become more daring underneath your clothes with a soft groan. "She deserves to indulge on vacation just like us." 

"Mm...and to think you almost told me no when we adopted her." 

Shiu laughs. "Baby, that's not fair. Saying no was never gonna be an option anyway..." 

"Mmm..I suppose you're right." You sigh as you allow yourself to fight off the grip of sleep just a little longer. "I'm really glad we got the dog friendly cabin, love." 

"I agree, sweetheart." Shiu brushes his lips over the corner of your mouth. "Wouldn't be a vacation if we didn't bring the queen herself." 

"Mmm...I love you..." 

"And I love you, dollface..." His heart swells like the tides. "Did you have a good birthday?" 

"I had a wonderful birthday, darling. Three more years to 30..."

"Haha, enjoy while it lasts, sweetheart.." Shiu's thumb moves in lulling circles over your cheek. "But don't get hung up on the numbers, doll. Being in your thirties is pretty neat, if I do say so myself." 

"Yeah?" 

"Mhmm..my thirties have been especially good to me, darling. Brought a beautiful thing like you to an old man like me..."  He fiddles sweetly with strands of hair around your face. 

"Mm, do I sense you fishing for compliments, darling?" 

"How'd you guess?" He whispers huskily. "So  wrong for a man to want praise from his angel of a wife?" 

"Mmm...flattery will get you everywhere, darling. You silver fox."  

"Haha, well that's a new one." Shiu wiggles his eyebrows as he props himself on his elbow. 

"I'm so lucky."

"Ah, I'm the lucky one. Why don't you get some sleep, dollface? I'll hold ya..."

And so you did in his arms, heartbeats and steady breaths in hushed rhythm as the evening melted into cuddle induced dreams before the hand that was tracing a little love letter into the small of your back slowly came to a stop.

[murdockhawkeye]

yk i kinda wish miss chatham was in the later seasons still. like imagine if we got an episode of them visiting the retirement home

i can see it now. they lose miss chatham somehow while in there, and then end up on their own side adventures

lewis is acting like he's found his people and he's invited to the next bingo meet by a gladys. or multiple gladys's. while on the opposite end of the spectrum, rikki gets into a fight/rivalry with some old lady

and cleo and emma end up being wrangled into helping one of the seniors, only for emma to end up transforming into a mermaid and for the senior that they were helping, to see it

and then because for whatever reason this came to mind, it turns out said senior is julia's ex karl, who apparently lives at the same retirement home as miss chatham

he almost gets his camera out for old times sake, because he hasn't changed much since they were teenagers, but then miss chatham gets her tennis racket out

suffice to say. they end up walking out with pocketful of old people candy and also a bunch more lore/info from miss chatham. idk

[cerealbishh]

"You really care about me."

"Yeah. I really, really care about you."

"I- I really care about you too."

"No, but... I like, really, really care about you."

[what-is-it-to-be-pk-esque]

Ok I know I'm heavily biased here but like I kinda love that Astarion's romance is one of the few in this type of video game where you basically end up canonically unmarried and childfree in his "good" ending? Just travelling the world??

Like it's honestly the millennial dream lmfaoo cannot believe i chose what would undoubtedly be my favorite option, first try

[sparky-is-spiders]

Jonelias Week Day 1 (Which is definitely today I swear), for the prompt "No Powers AU"

This one... maybe got away from me. This is actually only the first half of what I've written so far, and probably the first third overall! I do plan to post this to Ao3 at some point (although I suspect I'll need to do a lengthy round of editing first lmao). It's some very self-indulgent nonsense, which is a lot of what I write, but now it's getting put in the main tags of a ship during said ship's event week. So. It may also be a little bit "aromantic dude tries to figure out what having a crush is supposed to be like." Also a lot of "dude who took Principals of Accounting once pretending it knows what office work is like." Anyway, quick warning before we begin, and the rest will be under the read-more:

Stalking (played for laughs) for most of the fic.

Just. A weird amount of obsession.

Ok that should be it I think. Fic under the cut.

Jon's new boss was, quite possibly, the most boring man in the world. He wore the same outfit every day (pale dress shirt with dark unpatterned tie and gray slacks and matching suit jacket). The only personal effect in his entire office was a potted plant on the windowsill (some sort of succulent, and definitely fake). He always arrived to work exactly half an hour early and left exactly half an hour late. The only hobby he appeared to show any interest in was scheduling, which he seemed to find both deeply engaging and remarkably irritating. In fact, he was apparently so opposed to the idea of mixing his work with his personal life that he might as well not have existed beyond the walls of their office. Jon had never been more fascinated by anyone else in his entire life.

It stared with the transfer to the accounting department. Elias had met with him personally to get him acclimated to his new role. He had been blandly polite, and blandly handsome, and Jon had stopped listening to him about five minutes into their conversation. It was probably bad form, really. The software Elias was droning on and on about sounded like it was about to become a central feature of his days. He really should've been paying attention to it. Instead, he pretended to make eye contact while zeroing in on the top of Bouchard's forehead (a very useful trick, really) and became inordinately focused on the small lock of hair that had fallen across it. It was terribly distracting, and Jon had wondered how he hadn't noticed it. And then he wondered how it had come to be there. And then he had built up an entire story involving a murder, an illicit affair with the assistant director of marketing, and the potted succulent. And then he had noticed Bouchard eying him with what could've been suspicion or amusement or irritation or nothing whatsoever, and had been forced to rapidly pretend to care about their company's bad debt expense policy. Bouchard had indulged him, and had spoken with the calm authority of someone who knew what they were talking about, and had even managed to avoid being overtly condescending (a feat forever out of Jon's reach). At the end he had shaken Jon's hand (with a nice, firm grip), and had told him "I'm looking forward to working with you, I'm sure you'll make a wonderful member of our team." Jon had left that meeting with a mind shrouded in a fog of boredom and a faint sensation of warmth which he decided was best attributed to curiosity and left otherwise unexamined. Over the next few weeks, Jon had tried to subtly inquire into Bouchard's life. At the time, he had been naively under the impression that surely he must have let slip something about his life; some odd quirk or funny story or harmless bit of information which could justify Jon's blooming curiosity. Unfortunately; "He lives in Chelsea, I'm pretty sure?" (Sasha) "He's currently in a meeting. Honestly Jon, you'll be better off just sending an email. Now can I please get back to work?" (Rosie, probably lying about the meeting) "He actually lives here in the office. Set up a cozy little home away from home in one of the storage closets and sneaks out at night to raid the canteen. And he's having an affair with the assistant director of marketing." (Tim, definitely lying (but maybe a mind reader? Also, full of brilliant ideas for places Jon could maybe set up a cot whenever he needs to stay overnight)) Clearly, Jon would have to take matters into his own hands if he wanted answers. That was fine. It could be his own private little research project.

Jon liked to think that the entire thing had actually been quite reasonable, and that he had acted within the bounds of their pre-established relationship as employee and supervisor. Surely any rational person had to realize that nobody could possibly be that uninteresting. Anyone would be curious as to what dark secrets Bouchard his behind his well-tailored suits and polite, professional demeanor. … perhaps most rational persons would not meticulously record the movements, behavior, and daily appearance of their colleague in a discreet notebook (with annotations, color-coding, and graphs where appropriate), but Jon had always prided himself on his dedication to research and understanding. So far Jon had collected frustratingly little data. If Bouchard was hiding anything, it wasn't apparent from his schedule (see pages 8-13, figure 2.b), his eating habits (see page 22), or his lone plant (see page five, figure 1.c). His breaks did seem specially timed to avoid other people (and he appeared not to engage in many social behaviors generally), but he never acted irritated or otherwise unhappy to encounter one of his subordinates, so Jon wasn't entirely sure if it was deliberate avoidance or simple coincidence. Really, the only truly odd thing about him was his inexplicable interest in Jon. That very morning, for example, Bouchard had stopped by his cubicle for a fifteen minute discussion on the upcoming Annual Team Luncheon, an event Jon had never attended before (due to an annual migraine which coincidentally always happened to occur on the exact date of the luncheon), which Jon did not plan to attend, and which honestly sounded like some sort of violation of the Geneva Convention. The topic itself was not especially odd (small talk was an archaic tradition which had stubbornly clung on in every workplace Jon had ever set foot in), but Bouchard's low propensity for inter-office socialization combined with the fact that he had both chosen Jon specifically as his conversational partner was… highly suspicious. Most people who encountered Jon inevitably concluded that he was more effort than he was worth (an attitude Jon mostly appreciated).

And of course, there had also been their interaction two days ago, when Elias had paused briefly to inquire as to whether Jon would be staying late, and what he was working on, and if he might perhaps consider heading home soon because there was only so much overtime they could pay him. Or on Friday, when he had managed to hold two separate conversations with Jon where very little was said. Honestly, Jon somewhat suspected that Elias had spoken to him more in the past few weeks than he had spoken to any of their colleagues for the entire time Jon had been there to observe him. Most of Jon's notes were now dedicated to their interactions. From his cot in the unused storage room (which was indeed a good place to stay overnight, thank you Tim), he could jot down everything he recalled about their interaction; it had begun at 8:32 and had concluded at 8:47; the weather was warm and slightly humid, although the office interior remained at a comfortable 21 °C. Bouchard's shirt had been a nice, cool gray, which complemented the silver of his eyes. Jon (who had been busy digging for his favorite pen (the ink was a lovely deep green color, and it was usually kept on the left side of the top desk drawer, and Jon had no idea where else it could have possibly gone)) had settled on "irritation" as his tone, which Bouchard either had not noticed or had not cared enough to acknowledge. He had easily dominated the conversation, and Jon could admit in the sanctity of his research journal that his voice had been soothing enough to cool away some of Jon's annoyance. He wrote his conclusion: Subject behaved near-identically in tone, posture, body language, and apparent mood as he has in all previous communications. Subject displayed no strong thoughts or opinions on subject of discussion nor conversational partner. Interaction was pleasant but slightly dull, no new information discovered. It was almost exactly the same as every previous conclusion. Jon had to admit, so many months with so little progress was… discouraging. He shifted on the narrow mattress and winced when his movements aggravated his backache (which was surely unrelated to his frequent occupancy of the cot). It was becoming more and more apparent that the only possible solution was to do some actual, direct investigation. His first idea (break into Bouchard's office) seemed a tad far (also, he didn't know how to pick locks). His second idea (follow him home) seemed a stretch further than the previous one, and was perhaps best saved as a last resort. His third idea (something something computers? (perhaps "idea" was a bit generous)) would almost certainly require Sasha, who would have questions Jon couldn't answer. He flipped idly through his notes, half-skimming, half-thinking. It was only when his gaze landed on figure 2.b, Weekly Schedule of E. Bouchard, that he actually came up with something reasonable. Something actionable.

[amoneki-ramblings]

Happy birthday to the stinky idiot !!

ver. without text under the cut:

[humanmorph]

"They found each other in the wreckage of optimism, and it took them a decade to decide that hope was not enough to save the Golden Branch from itself. It was in a library, not an armoury, where the Apostolosian became the sword and shield of Integrity, a Divine who’d lost its Candidate. Some climb into their Divines, others deploy them across the battlefield, or fight under the blanket of their shadows. But Integrity demands intimacy. It digs into the flesh of the willing, all metal and promises and penetralia, desperate to create an unbreakable unity. It is afraid, and wounded, and it cannot know the power it gives without seeing it first in the reflection of a Candidate's eyes: the loft, the velocity, the violence. And for the first time in centuries, Integrity doesn’t fear its Candidate. It moves with confidence, in muscle and ambition. It believes in Sokrates Nikon Artemisios." (COUNTER/Weight 22: A Broken Branch)

Great episode to get to after recent palisade happenings. I obviously remember the "Integrity demands intimacy" but there's so much other great stuff here.... "They found each other in the wreckage of optimism" is just incredible.

Edit: Noting the wording of " [...] the Apostolosian became the sword and shield of Integrity" because Integrity literally is both those things - they are the armor Sokrates wears and the weapon they wield - but it positions them here both as a protector of Integrity and someone Integrity acts through (divines & candidates!).

And I love that this gives Integrity pre-Sokrates interiority I had honestly completely forgotten about. "For the first time in centuries, Integrity doesn't fear it's candidate" A divine afraid(!) of what it can do together with it's candidate, the power it gives. And then what Austin describes in pal29 comes to mind, which is like, "if there was a time when Integrity was like, you know, 'Finally someone has come to help me get out of this situation.' That is not what's happening here." It's interesting because that phrasing of if not the current but a past state("that time has come and gone ")... it still sounds like fear a little bit. And that obviously isn't the case anymore (I don't feel like typing out this Austin quote but he said something about the notion of immortality & change that made me real happy. I love that shit) & I'm curious to learn more about this hopefully.

I love Integrity & while I don't think of it as "the good one", it's fate is important to me because is still one of the sickest divines (which is really saying a lot with like, Perennial and Motion et al. around).

[kashilascorner]

Oh ok. I get now why a lot of people didn't vibe with the ending.

All and all: excellent manga, overall very good final act, too rushed final 2-3 chapters but weak and honestly mediocre epilogue, which makes the high of the ending kind of leave a bitter taste. I think Noda had a good steed and suddenly he had to finish and had to rush all. So the ending in the sense of the final arc was good but the ending proper (final couple chapters) + epilogue......... Not so much

[sskk-manifesto]

Finally got around to watching ep 11 (´；ω；｀)

[sivvan]

@userdramas​ event 01: (one of my) favourite kdrama[s] + favourite kpop group

↳ seventeen (hug) + if you wish upon me

[roaringroa]

they should make a life where you don't have appointments, work, school and scheduled events every single day for months on end

[giantkillerjack]

Ya know. I spent most of my life with horrible painful soul-crushing social anxiety.

And after about 25 years of continuous hard work, suddenly, people started pointing out - to my utter bafflement - that I had, in fact, achieved my lifelong dream of being charismatic. I'm 29 now; I feel comfortable in most social situations, and it is a very rare person whom I cannot make laugh.

I am, undoubtedly, finally, charismatic.

But do you know what I found?

I found that now that I have an understanding of which social rules serve which functions -- Now that I have an understanding of just how much damage my awkwardness was doing to people, well,

I found that, actually, my awkwardness never really hurt anyone at all. People were just judgmental dicks to me about it.

Now that I have the skill-level to (most of the time) creatively vocalize what is in my head as soon as I think it and without fear, I can confirm once and for all what I had always suspected:

I was worth talking to when I was quiet.

I was worth talking to when I was awkward, and when the words in my head took time and patience to hear, and when most of my jokes didn't land. I was worth talking to the whole time.

So I just... I hope that if you've ever wondered whether you are worth communicating with, the answer is yes. Absolutely yes. Each of us has a soul worth sharing - and if you and I were talking, I would happily wait for you to speak (or communicate in other ways) without condescending, and I would never shame you for that harmless awkwardness that so many people feel the need to violently stomp out.

You are worth talking to. You just are. And you deserve people who will speak to you with kindness, with patience, and with the basic immutable respect owed to all people.

(I talk about this with some frequency, both on tumblr and in real life. At some point, maybe I'll gather all my thoughts on the matter into one post. At some point, I wrote about my personal experience trying to build my social skill. But I felt the need to say at least a little bit tonight after seeing this other lovely post, and I'm glad I did. It will happen again.)

[deadrlngers]

i was tagged by @shadowglens and @risingsh0t to make some ocs in this picrew. thank you so much besties, i loved this picrew so much!! <3

vesper moxley (cp2077) • victoria gray (cp2077) joelle knight (fo4) • nina bower (fo4) selene (oblivion) • hiraeth (skyrim)

tagging: @uldwynsovs @arklay @devilbrakers @nuclearstorms @morvaris @girlbosselrond @indorilnerevarine @moiragf @cultistbase @faarkas @steelport @nokstella @reaperkiller @malefiicarum @brujah @calenhads @lightwardens @aelyosos and whoever else wants to do this or that i missed bc i'm terribly forgetful sorry!!

[my-fall-from-grace]

hey as my resident hockey mutual why did i just see a instagram reel of a woman throwing a (live??) octopus onto the rink??

haha that’s a detroit red wings tradition! not my team, which is why you haven’t seen me rb those videos before, but i ofc know some of the iconic story behind the "legend of the octopus":

it initially started as a playoffs tradition, if im not wrong, but now they throw it on the ice even for regular season games. it goes all the way back to 1952, when an nhl team would play two best of 7 series in the playoffs to win the stanley cup. since an octopus has 8 tentacles, it’s quite easy to see that 8 tentacles = number of playoff wins necessary to win the stanley cup in an ideal playoffs sweep. the tradition was initially started by the brothers cusimano, who owned a fish market and tossed the first-ever octopus on the ice during the last(?) game of the 1952 playoffs, which the red wings ultimately won, meaning they defeated the toronto maple leafs and the montreal canadiens both 4-0 and won the stanley cup in 8 straight games (the first time a team has done so in the playoffs!)

this quickly became a tradition for wings fans and the nhl banned the practice in the very next season in 1952 bc it was getting out of hand (but this ofc didn't stop fans lol). the tradition died down a little in the 70s/80s bc the wings were lowkey flopping, but it was revived in the 90s when they started getting better (hello, legendary wings 90s team with yzerman, fedorov, shanahan, lidstrom, etc. they won the stanley cup in 1997 and 98 i think and multiple conference championships! truly a legendary era for the wings) and has obviously persisted since then (esp in 2008 i think it was revived?). there are now specific, like, moves(?) or throwing etiquette in regards to how fans toss the octopus onto the ice, with i think twirling being one of them?

this tradition also inspired a couple “responses” by other teams, such as:

1. in the 2010 western conference semifinals between the detroit red wings and the san jose sharks, a sharks fan threw a small shark onto the ice with an octopus inside its mouth - the symbolism of which is quite clear i think lol

2. nashville predators fans now throw catfish onto the ice! it was started in 1999 during i think a regular season game(?) against the red wings and has persisted as a tradition!

3. and ofc my own nj devils: in the 1995 stanley cup finals of devils vs red wings, devils fans threw a lobster, a dead fish, and other things on the ice.

there have been more incidents ofc of hockey fans throwing live stuff on the ice, but that’s all i remember off the top of my head. detroit red wings are def the most popular (and long lasting!). this tradition also inspired their mascot, al the octopus! he was unofficial i think until roughly mid 90s, at which point they unveiled a large octopus prop in their home arena which is lifted above the ice during playoffs games. and since it now takes 16 games to win the stanley cup, there are TWO al the octopuses (octopi?) hanging above the ice. (but i'm p sure they still don't have a costumed mascot)

and that is the story of the red wings fan throwing octopuses on the ice during games! i hope this was accurate, but again, not a wings fan so i apologize for any mistakes lol

(also i think the record number of octupuses thrown on the ice during a game was like 35 ish? in 1995 or 96? which is crazy)

[ssspringroll]

What if I. Redid my breast sliders. a third time.