#just wanted to clarify again! absolutely fine if you like the team

[ender1821]

And that’s completely fine! I should’ve worded stuff on the post better like I did for other ones, but yeah everything I talk about are in the perspective of watching c!Pearl as a character, and reacting to it through a purely character-talk perspective— when it comes to the ccs, they can team up with whoever, have fun 👍

it’s okay guys pearl will leave *that* alliance and then be with someone else who actually cares like gem and joel or the bam girls guys it’s gonna be okay guys we have to stay strong guys gUYS-

(Is it delusional for me to think that if gem sees first hand the way scott and cleo treat pearl she would actually be like "Hey hold on don't be mean-!"?)

it’s okay…it’s okay…someone will see what’s happening between ggg and actually talk to Pearl about it…she’ll realise that this isn’t good for her…trust…

(Honestly anon I’m so tempted to write something along the lines of Gem comforting Pearl, if I stay in this torment nexus for long enough I’ll have enough motivation)

[leftneb]

There is Something Seriously Wrong with this Logo..... Chapter Two

So. Lots of you have seen this post by my dear partner ( @lailau7904 ) in which the Williams F1 design team get absolutely torn to bits. In the case you haven't read it yet I highly recommend you do because a) it's really fucking funny and b) it makes what I'm about to tell you even funnier. Though you don't have to, this post touches on entirely different things still regarding this one goddamn logo.

The original post starts like this:

Innocent enough, we made an assumption in good faith that the logo displayed on the Wikipedia page would be the same one as the official version used by Williams. Buckle the fuck up because I'm about to tell you why that was the worst mistake we could have made.

Please. Please I beg of you keep reading this took YEARS off our lifespans. Like the original post was fun and all but it was merely the top of the iceberg. If this were an hbomberguy video this would be the part where he reveals that the background was a greenscreen the whole time. More below the cut!!! :333

The Truth

Already after only a few hours after hitting "post" on the dissection, people started pointing out to us that we'd missed an absolutely crucial detail on the Wikimedia page we got the logo from, pay careful attention:

See THIS?

Yeah this means that that image is not, and never was, the official logo of Williams. All along it had been the work of a Wikipedia user by the name of Juanchocarbonero. Here you can even see the (admittedly painful) history of the file as provided by Wikimedia, this image was uploaded all the way back in 2016, it even underwent an update when the team changed their colour scheme to a lighter blue without getting fucking fixed.

But to me the absolutely most painful part about this page is the "File Usage" section. Which gives you a quick preview of just how deep the goddamn disease that is this piece of graphic design sin really spreads.

And just to clarify: the official version of the logo used by Williams on merch etc is perfectly fine. It's a nice piece of graphic design. I still quite like it. But the story doesn't end there. Not even close.

Consequences

When you look up "williams logo" on Google the image provided by Wikimedia the very first result that pops up, if you're looking for a high-quality .png of this logo that, logically, is what you'll end up using. And I mean, why wouldn't you? What reason do you have not to use it? As long as you don't look to close (oops) it's a perfectly fine, high-definition, clean and transparent image of the logo! No shit people are going to use it!

But this raises a question: Why IS it the most widespread version of the logo? That's fucking weird isn't it? Surely if the actual logo used on ex.: the official Williams F1 website (which, again, is perfectly fucking fine) was available they would've just used that, right?

Now. Small problem. If you want you can go ahead and open whatever search engine you use, if you do that I'm gonna need you to type in "Williams logo" into the search bar, and just try finding a picture that is

of the actual official logo (you can tell the bootleg from the real thing by checking if the middle segment of the W has spiky ends or flat ones. We're looking for flat ones here)

high quality (no pixels or blurring visible to the naked eye)

a transparent png (none of that chequered background bullshit)

NOT a logo with any words (such as: Williams or Racing) visible in it. those don't count.

If you didn't feel like doing any of that, I'll just tell you the answer: you fucking can't. Nothing like that EXISTS. The closest I could get are these two, both of which are mid to ass quality, so they don't count either.

No sensible individual is going to scroll google search results for 5 minutes straight just so they can use a 200x200 image, especially when they think a perfect alternative is right there.

I even found several recoloured versions of the diseased logo, including one as a sticker on Redbubble! Fuck me that's a horrible sight!

The Search

Because I wrote the previous paragrahps after we'd figured out exactly what had happened, you might be under the impression that by this point in trying to answer the question "Why the fuck is that image on Wikipedia instead of, idk, the real fucking thing?" we'd at least established the existence of said "real Williams F1 logo". You'd be wrong, because for somewhere around 24 hours after we'd made the initial, horrifying discovery of just how fucked the Wikipedia version is, we genuinely could not tell if that was the official logo or not.

The ones displayed on their website weren't at all downloadable or even copyable, a non-ass quality of the damn thing just didn't seem to exist anywhere, so we didn't dare draw any conclusions. And we were still foolishly operating on the assumption that Wikipedia wouldn't just lie to us. (this is why your teachers hate it when you use it a source btw. like this is the ONE time it's actually been reasonable)

So, in the hopes of finding the offical Williams Racing logo, the non-scuffed one because clearly it exists, somewhere, we consulted an expert on Intellectual Property: my mother!

What this "consultation" actually roughly looked like was: we went on a walk and I started rambling about the Situation from Last Night before she cut me off and pulled up the website of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, aka the place they store all the Copyright information of like, everything.

BEHOLD:

(pictured; THE ACTUAL FUCKING LOGO I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S EXISTED THIS WHOLE TIME)

Link to the actual real official legal document because goddamn this rabbithole just kept getting deeper so I like, have that now.

For refence, here is the official copyrighted version and the Wikimedia file overlayed on top of each other. As you can tell, it's disgusting. It's a poor, eyeballed imitation at best.

The copyrighted logo is horrifically low quality because, guess what, that image also isn't downloadable or copyable from the page. I really really cannot blame Juanchocarbonero for uploading his own version to Wikimedia because there legitimately does not exist a version of this logo that is freely available to the public. Like that goddamn abomiation is all we have. It's the effort that counts I guess.

My mother suggested that a possible reason for this could be avoiding the production of knockoff merch, or at least making it recognisable in case it is sold. Think about it, when your logo Doesn't Exist online, no one can use it without a license! It's kind of genius! I'm also about 99% sure they didn't orchestrate it so, it was good luck I guess?

interlude: How the FUCK does Copyright even work

I did immediately think to myself "we should REALLY fix the wikipedia version, like, stat" because I cannot in good conscience have this information available to me and not do anything with it, for the good of the people. However, this poses an issue: was the logo really not scuffed on purpose? Could it be that that version uploaded to Wikipedia isn't a 1:1 of the official logo because of copyrighting issues? To find out I had to look deeper, by comparing the official, website-available logos of various other F1 teams I came to conclusion that: [........................]

Yeah so I wrote that paragraph before actually checking for refences, but even after probably an hour of trying very hard to make sense of the copyright documents and copyright law in general we could not make sense of any of it. According to my mother (again, the closest we have to an expert, like she actually works with copyright in the context of companies but she's not specifically an IP expert. just to clarify) it's actually a lot worse for Wikipedia to have a falsified version of the Williams logo, than it would be to use the copyrighted version. This is because they're spreading misinformation by pretending that's the actual logo. And yet.

According to the Copyright Tag (the one on the top) in the Licensing section of the Wikimedia page for the thing pretending to be the Williams F1 logo, it's fine to use it because just a bunch of shapes. The thing is however, that it says that for pretty much every F1 team's logo, most of which are sourced straight from the official website. So this doesn't really mean anything tbh. According to our local expert (still my mother) it's fucking confusing. So I've decided to leave that at that.

update October 20th: as far as the Wikimedia pages on copyrighting tell me, uploading the official logo could, potentially, get me into serious legal trouble with Williams because of copyright laws. Which is still confusing because as said, every other team's logo is sitting uncontested on their respective Wikipedia pages. So basically we still don't know.

Okay. Backtrack. We forgot to ask something very important:

HOW?

HOW does one fuck up a perfectly fine logo THAT BAD.

WHY does one make their own scuffed tracejob and HOW does it end up like THAT. Clearly something must have gone horrifically wrong for it to end up like that.

I have a theory as to what might have happened:

It was either drawn or painted by hand, for a physical paintjob it's actually sort of impressively precise, but still objectively fucked. For a while I outright refused to believe that it could have been done in a digital program with the types of mistakes that were made, but you'll see this theory (partially) disproven later on so I retract it for now.

Operating on the assumption that it wasn't done digitally, a likely theory could be one involving a picture of scan of the paintjob. If the picture was taken at an angle or the logo itself was on a curved surface that COULD potentially explain the weird sort of slide everything has to it.

From then the picture might have been inserted into a digital art program, and the area of the logo might have been automatically selected using the magic wand tool, which could explain the weird growth at the top and that odd rounded off corner.

We also drew the conclusion that the file itself had been "tampered with" (aka cropped manually) by a human, because no computer would generate a resolution of 3356x2543 (you can that this is the original resolution on the Wikimedia page)

WAIT HOLD ON IS THAT IT?

The question of how the Fuck this guy managed to mess up the logo, and even more specifically why some edges were fine and some weren't (ant colony looking thing on the top left) bothered us so much that I at one point started just looking up "WIlliams logo" with the results filtered down to pre-2017 in an attempt to find when exactly the messed up logo was created. As if that would be any help.

Now what I definitely didn't expect to find was THIS

ENHANCE

Yes, you're seeing it right, THAT is the original 'Williams logo with the fucked up arm angles and lenghts'. Which PROVES that, contrary to our previous belief, Juancocarbonero was NOT the origin of the mistakes. Instead it was [checks notes] a DeviantArt user by the name of Nerdkid56?

The original DeviantArt post, which as of 9:47pm CET on the 13th of October 2024 I am about 90% sure is the actual first appearanace of the scuffed logo, is from May of 2015, which lines up well with the original upload date of the fucked up logo onto Wikipedia (November 2016). At the time that DeviantArt post was almost the only source for the logo.

And in the case you needed any convincing that those two logos are the same, here they are overlayed. You may notice that it's one shape (excluding the rounded corner which isn't visible at this resolution.)

This discovery is essential to understanding why the current scuffed version is the way it is. You might remember our confusion about the way some edges are fine while some are attempting to leave the image, the whole thing is a weird Frankensteinian amalgamation of vectors and magic wand mistakes. With this knowledge we can now assume that the mistakes happened in 2 layers:

Nerdkid56: likely just eyeballed the proportions. I'd guess he drew one arm before the other and flipped it around without really checking the angles. Also didn't give a shit about whether the arms lined up with the base or not. Legitimately bad design made in a digital program.

Juancocarbonero: why he used the scuffed W logo instead of the normal ones that were also perfectly accessible by 1 goddamn Google search is a mistery. HOW he even got access to it is another question I do not think we'll have answers to. And I've already explained some of the things we think may be responsible for the uneveness and bumps. Point is he fucked it up even more.

My theory for why Juanchocarbonero used the scuffed version instead of any other available picture goes like this: it was the only png he could find. Practically every other search result for "Williams Logo" that predates 2017 is a jpeg or absolute ass quality (sometimes both for good measure) so, despite it's flaws, Nedkid56's trace of it could have been the best option available at the time (the quality is actually very very good since it's a vector image, and I guess our friend Juanchocarbonero doesn't have an eye for design considering he didn't notice uhm, everything that is wrong with that model.)

Conclusion

The only way to right these wrongs is to go back, to the very beggining of this saga. Wikipedia. Williams I'm so sorry for what you've had to endure. I know what I have to do now. When I eventually make a proper vector image of the official logo and upload it to Wikimedia it'll all be over. And I WILL do it (but not rn this has already robbed me of like 3 whole days of my life. soon)

All of this is, admittedly inconsequental, but also absolutely fucking hilarious. Like imagine. you. one single guy, you make ONE mistake in a silly little "tracing this logo" project because you couldn't be arsed to check the angles of a silly little W. And some other guy, who you likely don't even know, over a whole ass year later, takes your flawed piece of design, makes it even worse somehow and uploads it to a site from which your little tiny innocent mistake becomes the most widespread version of a logo used by an actual real company worth over 700 Million US Dollars. HOW. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN. WHY HAS NO ONE FIXED THIS??? IT'S BEEN 9 YEARS

Just to give you a final look on just how widespread this plague is, here are some examples of media the fucked up version of the logo is featured in:

this Mr V's Garage video (the original reason we started this conversation in the first place)

the thumbnails of these two videos by Tommo, this one by FP1Will, and this one by RicksF1Addiction

such an amount of random places. likely fanmerch and fanart, and like, pretty much any place someone wanted to use the logo. it's everywhere. if you've ever had the Williams logo displayed in anything you've made I can guarantee you 99.9% chance you used the fucked version

and late thank you to everyone ( @bumblewyn @mid-nighttiger @vro0m @lemonsgovroom @mikraas @leclerced fucking hell I kept needing to add people to this list because compiling all of this took absurdly long) who pointed out our misconception in the reblogs of the original post and contributed to us actually looking into this further. and sorry to everyone for accidentally spreading misinformation lmao (it's too funny not to have been worth it tho) (ALSO it's not really our fault is it)

and to keep the tradition of ending on a live discord reaction:

[haikyu-mp4]

Answer respectfully

word count; 626 – gn!reader, I hope following the dialogue is not too difficult in this one

You’re ambitious, hardworking and gradually getting better and better at your job. Being a PR manager for the Schweiden Adlers was just another step on your way to greatness. You came from a difficult family and were always determined to not let any distractions stop you from getting what you wanted. You’re confident and you’re organised, always one step ahead, and Hoshiumi Korai is so obsessed with you.

While watching their game, you kept track of all the cameras, taking notes on who the photographers focused on as well as keeping a regular eye on your players and how they acted. They never worried you much while playing, oozing reliable confidence. You did have to tell Kageyama once that he shouldn’t stare at his hands and wiggle his fingers too much, and Ushijima that even though he gets stressed out and is not sure what to do when someone yells his name for a picture, he can’t always do the awkward smile and peace sign.

The problem, though, usually came with post-game interviews, adrenaline running high and breaths heaving, some were too happy when they won and some were too angry when they lost.

Hoshiumi is practically bouncing when he exits the court, waving to the crowd before his gaze stills on you standing behind some interviewers. As he made his way over, an interviewer cut him off and you sighed in anticipation. She had only asked a short question when Hoshiumi started his angry rant about how he obviously played well when you come up behind the interviewer holding a little paper sign that said something along the lines of answer respectfully.

So he huffed and turned back to the camera, adding something about how the team all make each other better and how he and Kageyama seemed especially in tune today, making the interviewer happily nod and then scurry off to find one of the older players as well. Your eyes were frantically moving around the room, taking mental note of everyone who decided to do interviews and other small things you managed to catch. A dull headache was lingering in the back left of your head, slowly making its way forward. Still, you managed to scold Hoshiumi at the same time.

“You’re a nightmare with post-game interviews, Hoshiumi!”

“Like in a good way?”

He smiled because at least he got you to look at him now. “How could that be in a good way?”

But Hoshiumi’s adrenaline had not worn off, and he was absolutely sure this was the perfect time to finally ask you out. “You tell me! Preferably over a nice dinner.”

“N- Hoshi! I’m trying to talk to you and you’re thinking about food?”

“Food with you!” he clarified.

“How is th-“

“Wait, were you about to say no?”

“Yes?” you said and glanced around, brain trying to force you back to work.

“You were about to say yes?”

Your eyes snapped back to him, wide in disbelief. “No! I’m trying to do my job.”

“You’re talented, you can do both. I’m paying.”

“We need to have a serious conversation about this.”

He takes a deep breath, realising he might have come on too strong again and seeing that most of the other players were moving along to the next appointment. “How about we take that conversation in a restaurant?”

You roll your eyes, you know him. “You never lis-”

“I promise to listen.”

“Fine.”

“Great!“

“Then you owe me a super nice interview after your next game.”

“Whatever you’d like.”

“And stop interrupting me all the time!”

He could not be happier, holding your jaw and pressing a quick peck to your cheekbone before running away, but not before you got to smack him with your notebook.

“Hoshiumi Korai!”

masterlist

[rosorbus]

my thoughts on evangelion 3.0+1.0

(as someone who only recently finished it)

as much as i loved shin eva, something about it didn't sit right with me. i've been doing a lot of reflection lately, and i think i've sort of unpacked it?

theres a lot of incoherent rambling here i think but i don't care, i'm not editing shit

spoilers for the rebuilds, don't read if you haven't seen them.

to start, i think it was a- no, not excellent, uh ... it was a satisfactory conclusion to most? i liked it, cried my eyes out obviously.

shinji's character got a great conclusion. i don't think that's a hot take by any means. seeing him actually talking to his father, having a real conversation with gendou, and in turn making that character, who'd probably felt like a walking plot device beforehand, human? that's powerful shit.

↓ please excuse my pathetic whining below

but... oh, mari. she was definitely a fun character, if not a little shallow and fanservicey. her presence never really bothered me though, not until shinji ended up with ...her??

that final scene genuinely shocked me. i guess i sort of get the idea?? like, his only other romantic options were the following:

A: Rei Ayanami

a clone of his dead mother that barely understands the concept of being human, and whose care for him clearly, at least to me, stems from her practically being his family.

B: Asuka Langley Shikinami

an angry redheaded girl who, unlike her version in the original series, is also a clone. this one's backstory is much more shrouded in mystery, but regardless, she's violent asf with shinji, tried to force feed him, etc. as far as we know, she no longer has feelings for him after the 14-year timeskip and is implied to be in a relationship with kensuke.

C: Kaworu Nagisa

(we'll get to him in a minute)

A and B... not great options. A is a weird dynamic, and they give off a sibling vibe to me anyway. B is jusy plain fucked. i've never thought asuka and shinji's relationship was remotely healthy, not with soryuu OR shikinami.

but did the writing team just forget about C? i understand it was established towards the end that kaworu didn't truly understand shinji's happiness, but ...that doesn't fit with the relationship i saw, at least.

to me, yeah, he fucked up a couple times. his existence ended up causing more pain to shinji but this was through no fault of his own.

"all he wanted was for shinji to live and be happy."

kaworu realizing that maybe it was not just a selfless act, that maybe it was also for himself, and acknowledging that, is absolutely character development. in exchange for becoming human, he acknowledged his own flaws.

and that is beautiful to me.

so why am i weirded out by shinji ending up with mari, you ask?

it's because she does not have depth as a character.

she feels so utterly flat to me, and that is not a dig at her, i'm not a mari hater by any means, but OH MY GOD. how do you just end like that? with this one person who doesn't feel like a real person?

and it's not like i'm mad about it because she's new, hell no. it's because she has no flaws. she feels like this perfect shell of a character to me. and maybe that's the point? i have no idea. i have no idea what was going through anno's head when he was cooking up this film.

again, to clarify, i still LOVED the movie. but mari becoming important is weird. kaworu was right there and they just kinda ??? tossed him aside ???

to me at least, it should've been him, or shinji's love life should've been left up to interpretation. mari didn't earn that ending.

(this is the only real criticism i have about the movie btw it was fine)

[destinygoldenstar]

AnalyzGolden Ranks Every Disventure Camp Season 1 Character

Well, I said I was gonna do it, so here you go.

I'm ranking every Season 1 character in Disventure Camp.

The remake, cause that's the one I watched. This tier list has the beta versions too, so I just wanted to clarify.

Keep in mind this entire ranking is just MY opinion based on how I viewed things. So... HOT TAKE ALERT(?????)

Idk, maybe I'm basic and all my faves are the fan faves. Idk.

There's no such thing as taking a tier list objectively.

I know some people take that as such and don't hear people out cause they just skip to where they place them on the tiers. "WHOA HEY YOU HAVE THAT CHARACTER A B?! YOU DIDN'T LIKE THEM?!"

CHILL. A B is NOT a FAIL. I'm not the American Education System.

F is for the GARBAGE characters. That I NEVER want to see again. They're a speck on my screen and I hated everything about them and they hurt to watch.

D is less terrible than that. Maybe there was some value I could find in them, like a few jokes or a good episode that prevents them from being an F, but I still did not enjoy them.

C is the 'completely average' tier. Yep. That's a character. Don't hate them. Don't love them. They're fine. But I almost never think about them. I often give C's to the bland characters I have very little to say about.

B is a bit similar to C but there's more merit to be found with their character that I can see. Maybe there's something I find interesting about them, even if it's not utilized to its fullest potential. I like them, but that's it. I often give B's to characters that I do like, but weren't utilized fully.

A is a solid, entertaining, intriguing character. There may be one or two things holding them back from being higher, but they are still very good characters.

S is a GREAT character. I have very little complaints I have about them, I enjoy their story, and I can see myself thinking about them quite a bit. I love them. That doesn't mean they're perfect, but I love them.

(Edit) And then there's another tier I ended up putting above that. WE STAN IN THIS HOUSE. Speaks for itself. My BIAS shows very strongly here. This is reserved for the characters I absolutely kin and adore. That doesn't mean they're perfect, but I stan them and that's all that matters.

I will say, out of THIS cast, I don't think there is ANY F tier character. Not a single one. Which is impressive. In Total Drama, in every season, there's at least ONE really REALLY awful character that I can't stand. (I fucking HATE Sierra more than words can possibly describe) So I have to congratulate this cast for that.

This order ISN'T based off of elimination order. Because I have A LOT more to say about the Post Merge characters than the Pre Merge characters. So I wanted to space it out. So it's random.

So let's get into it!

We're starting this list with ASHLEY

The cowgirl character. I'm surprised Total Drama didn't make a cowgirl/cowboy character. DON'T YOU DARE REMIND ME OF PAKETIEW, THAT SEASON DOESN'T EXIST.

I love her design, first of all. You immediately know what she's supposed to be, and she's really pretty. If we were ranking these based off of character designs, she'd be an S tier. That was the first thing that stuck out to me about her.

On top of that, she was very sweet and assuring to her teammates, she wasn't afraid to say her opinion, and she was one of the only level headed people of her alliance. At least, that didn't get the card straight away from being victimized.

When Lilly got accused for burning their stuff in Episode 4, Ashley very quickly saw through the trick and sided with her ally, even when Nick didn't. This is an episode earlier than her and Lilly's double elimination, so both of them got to be the smart ones of the team that saw right through Fiore and tried to act on it.

Their plan failed, because they outcasted Alec and Ellie in the beginning, so that was karma, but it's the thought that counts.

Ashley's whole individual arc is basically "Don't judge a book by its cover". Because she's a Pre-Merge boot, it's a very short arc. She believes the villain because the villain is a child, denies her ally warning her, faces consequences of that, and then realizes the child is a psychopath and vows to not judge people before getting to know them. Simple. Straightforward.

I will say though, her elimination was not only very rigged because of the red marker mechanic, but it also could've been avoided HAD SHE AND EVERYONE IN THAT ALLIANCE COMMUNICATED AND CAME TO AN AGREEMENT.

Seriously. This frustrated me so much watching it. They're in a four person alliance, the majority alliance that can dictate the votes, AND THEY DON'T WORK TOGETHER. Once Will gets framed, they go their separate ways, which DOOMS Will. Then their majority is gone, and it's a domino effect that results in the eliminations of EVERYONE in that alliance. Including Ashley.

It's BEYOND stupid. You're in an alliance, YOU WORK TOGETHER. That is the BASICS of alliancing!

Even the worst alliances in Total Drama have the sense to WORK TOGETHER, LIKE ALLIANCES ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.

REALITY TV'S STUPIDEST ALLIANCE.

Of the four members of reality tv's stupidest alliance however, I will say I think Ashley is my favorite. Not only because of her cowgirl motif and her caring and active nature, but also because she has one of the more empathetic motives for wanting to win the million.

In Episode 3, it's revealed that a heatwave destroyed Ashley's farm, and she's competing for money to save it. It's a simple motive to be sure, but I really appreciate these.

In Total Drama, we don't really get any motives for characters wanting to win the money besides 🎵"I WANNA BE FAMOUS"🎵. And that works for that show. Everyone in that show is a teenager after all.

In this show however, you get characters with actual motives and reasons for being here and wanting to win the million. It helps to make you route for them, especially since they all have much different backgrounds from each other.

Out of the four members of reality tv's stupidest alliance, I think Ashley is the one I would want to see in another season, because I think she has a lot of potential to be an interesting character if she's allowed to make it further.

So I'm gonna give her a B. I like her.

OH YEAH AND BEFORE I FORGET. At the very end of the season, THIS happened...

"After I got voted out, I was able to continue things with Will and... now we're dating!"

WAIT WHAT?!

UM... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?! HUH?!?!?!

And I thought Ripper & Axel were such a crack ship.

It came completely out of nowhere. I mean they definitely did interact, don't get me wrong, but I read them as platonic the entire time. So it was SO RANDOM to me.

I have no feelings about it other than "WELP, THAT'S A CRACK SHIP RIGHT THERE".

I don't hate it either, they're both good people, so I can't say this is a bad thing for them.

ALEC

This guy made it A LOT FARTHER in the game than I expected him to. I said I thought he was gonna be an early Pre-Merge boot and be Fiore's victim...

Spoilers, yes he did, but he also became her ally. That was a neat twist.

He's not a very good person obviously. He's an assistant to a psychopath, WILLINGLY mind you, he's a dirty backstabber multiple times, and he's heavily implied to be a SHIT parent.

"I wish my son was more like you."

He says this to Fiore. A PSYCHOPATH. He wishes his own kid was more like a psychopath.

YOU SICK MAN.

But I don't rank these based on morality. I rank these based on how I enjoy them as characters.

I gotta hand it to Alec for being at the very least multi-dimensional. His story about his rocky marriage with his wife and wanting to win the million to fix it is a very interesting idea for a character. Something Total Drama would never do because in that show they're all teenagers and not 30 something married men. And I like that he came to terms with the fact that divorce was the best option for him.

It came rather abruptly, but he made that choice regardless.

And even with him being a bad parent to his own child, his bond with Fiore is actually pretty sweet, ngl. Especially in Episode 11 where I actually FELT something for him trying to save this girl from the dark.

Honestly, just adopt her. You two are great for each other.

I think the duo works. Despite Alec being 'Fiore's lackey' he actually does some stuff on his own. He's the one that figured out the VR challenge was VR, not Fiore. He's the one that won the individual immunity in Episode 6. And was the main associator with Ellie where he betrays her. THREE TIMES. Yeah he deserved to get ditched in the cave.

Okay, with that last one, I understood the first time why he did it. I personally would rather have a competent teammate over a child on my team of two, but Fiore isn't completely useless so I get it. The other two times were just plain stupid and he didn't even need to betray her to get what he wanted. I can excuse the Episode 10 case cause that was more so Fiore and he just tagged along.

Episode 8, he just votes out Gabby, the ONLY one Ellie wholeheartedly trusted, even though both girls CONFESSED to be willing to work with him! And by doing that, he Fiore and Grett became the minority, dooming Grett next episode, which could've easily been himself depending on the majority's choice.

He was LUCKY that episode that they chose to boot Grett instead of him.

And it's this very thing that also gets him eliminated in the semi-finals. Cause yeah, he proved himself to be a very unreliable ally. No wonder Ellie sabotaged them so she could make the finals. I would've done the same thing in her shoes.

So in terms of SOCIAL gameplay... he was TRASH at it. I'm gonna be honest. And @banshee-king, one of my repliers of my reactions, pointed out this very thing too.

And I COMPLETELY agree with them here.

Not only was he very closed off at the start of the game, very introverted, didn't even TRY to take a part in anything social that was going on with his team. Which is probably why reality tv's stupidest alliance didn't invite him. If it weren't for reality tv's stupidest alliance being, well, stupid, Alec for sure would've been kicked out early.

And THEN he decides that his main ally in the game would be with Fiore. After she had PROVEN to be a psychopathic manipulative backstabber, and also had physical limitations due to being a child. WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE WAS GONNA DO TO HIM?!

I don't care if you were in Papa Bear mode. Ellie would've been a better ally to keep around, or hell, even Ashley or Lilly. At least THEN in the Final 4 challenge, you're not seen as the bigger physical threat to the other campers. Those three girls have their moments of being physical queens. On top of that, Ellie is NOT entirely terrible, and Ashley and Lilly were good people, so they would've had your back.

But no, instead let's ally with the demon child with a track record for backstabbing people. GUESS WHAT, SHE'S GONNA BACKSTAB YOU TOO.

I KNEW Fiore was gonna do that to him at some point. When she did, I was HOWLING. IT WAS HYSTERICAL.

So, yeah, it was COMPLETELY BELIEVEABLE to ME that Alec lost.

So... I think I'm gonna give Alec a B as well. But a HIGH B, so he's ahead of Ashley. He's BORDERING an A.

I think this is JUST BECAUSE of MY SUBJECTIVE TASTE.

And in that sense he was NOT the most interesting character to me. In these types of shows, I much prefer/grasp onto characters with a more emotional range to them. And I'm not saying Alec is stoic, but he's also WILLINGLY someone who stays out of conflict.

And sometimes that can be funny.

"I'm not going to be part of this argument."

*holds back a laugh* Alec's actually so based for that.

Y'all want less DRAMA in TOTAL DRAMA?

Simple answer.

You just walk away from it.

But Alec's personality is just so mundane, chill, and stern compared to everyone else. And I CAN see how that would appeal to some people. Especially if you hate the drama going on, Alec would be the "PREACH BROTHER" character for you.

BUT FOR ME I much prefer the Lindsay-type lackey characters. Yes she was a lackey in Island but she was also a very openly comedic character with her own loveable personality and you felt for her when she got robbed. I DO hope that in another season Alec gets the Action Lindsay treatment where he stands as his own character without anyone else to report to. I think that would be fun.

Also, there's the subjective factor of 'He's a full grown adult married man with marriage issues and I'm in my twenties with a healthy relationship', so... automatically I relate to him a lot less. Not that I need to relate to him to like him.

FOR EXAMPLE, I don't relate to this next character AT ALL, but I love them regardless, and it's GRETT

Um... it's no secret I like her.

Okay QUEEN, maybe wait a few days before you decide to SLAY, okay? 💅

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, SCREW IT. WE'RE MAKING ANOTHER TIER.

WE STAN GRETCHEN CLARK IN THIS HOUSE

THIS WOMAN IS A DELIGHTFUL BAD BITCH AND SHE DESERVES A CROWN FOR THE QUEEN SHE IS. I STANNED HER AND SUPPORTED HER WHEN NO ONE ELSE DID AND NO ONE ELSE SHOULD. NO ONE SHOULD EVER SUPPORT HER IN UNIVERSE, BUT I, OUT OF UNIVERSE, DO.

Okay I guess I should explain myself why I like her so much.

Ever since Heather DOMINATED Total Drama Island, it's been a trend for these kind of shows to have a villain/villainess characters. More of them being women than guys... however you feel about that. There was Heather, Jose, and Julia, and I really liked all three of them in their roles. Courtney's also one of them in Action... I don't LOVE her character, but she was good in that season.

So going into this show, THEY DON'T EVEN HIDE WHO GRETT IS SUPPOSED TO BE. SHE IS THE SEASON'S RESIDENT BAD BITCH.

And I gotta respect that choice. I don't hate Julia being a twist or anything, but it's refreshing to have an evil character CONFESS to being evil from the start. So I completely supported it, because not only did she OWN IT, but it also led to some GREAT one liners.

"I'd like to know who picked the teams and why mine got stuck with the old lady, a child, and four guys who looked like they've never seen sunlight."

And from there, I just really enjoyed whenever she was on screen. Because not only was she a bad bitch, but she was also a good player of the Pre-Merge game.

She immediately allied with someone who was an easy target to use and manipulate so she had a social ground to stand behind. She also quickly got associated with the team's leader, Tom, to be on even better terms to avoid elimination. It was even thanks to this that she got Tom to flip and get Drew eliminated over her ally Gabby. SMART MOVE.

She also absolutely SLAYED in Episode 6. She got FOUR of the five opponents she had in that episode out of the picture, and ONLY lost the challenge to Gabby because Gabby betrayed her.

If you think about it, she ONLY got voted out that episode because Gabby stood up for herself. She was playing the game VERY WELL.

Her only flaw in her gameplay was, well, she treated people like shit. Especially Gabby.

There's not a lot of Pre-Merge villains in Total Drama. Basically 'villain characters who are villains in Pre-Merge and then get eliminated earlier for the Merge villains to out themselves and shine'. In Total Drama, there was Justin in Action, and MK in the TDI Reboot.

GRETT BLOWS BOTH OF THEM OUT OF THE WATER, I'M SORRY.

(And I like MK, mind you. But she was underutilized.)

She is BY FAR my favorite of these 'PRE-MERGE VILLAINS'.

I don't think she even takes anything away from Fiore as the main villain. She works, AND it doesn't come at the expense of her or the main villain. She WORKS as a villain for PRE-MERGE.

But there's also another reason why I stanned her. That's because of her personality.

Obviously she's a bad person. I don't support anything she does. When I say 'I support her' it's a joke, and I mean that as in 'I support the fictional character's characterization'. I DO NOT ENDORSE KILLING OLD LADIES.

BUT it was HOW she approached being a bad person that intrigued me. I was surprised with the depth they gave her. I thought she would've just been the one dimensional "Mean Girl" stereotype, and be done with it. And I probably still would've liked her. But they went further than that.

One, she's BRUTALLY HONEST about how awful she is. Even she herself does NOT view herself as a good person. It's like if Julia was outed of the closet as a lesbian-I mean sociopath from the beginning. She confesses to getting people 'mysteriously sick' to win a beauty pageant on LIVE TV, she tells Gabby the moment they meet that she's not interested in friendships, she confesses to hating Gabby's personality and that she only wants to use Gabby, and confesses that her only social interactions are for gameplay only.

And I was surprised by that. Julia tried to hide who she was. Courtney is a person who is horrible, but doesn't think she is and goes around saying she's the best person in the world. Heather doesn't exactly hide her malice either, but she still PRETENDS to be Lindsay & Beth's friend to abuse them.

Grett doesn't do that. She KNOWS she's terrible, and doesn't feel the need to hide that at all. She also fully confesses to her abuse on Gabby and doesn't even try to act like she's a friend.

There's also the fact she actually has HUMANITY despite this.

In Episode 5 we learn that her parents CLEARLY favor her brother over her, because her brother is ten times more successful than she is. They don't even once acknowledge her outside 'your brother is better than you'. So ALL of her actions and why she came on the show was to prove herself as a competent individual who could win something in her life, so she would be NOTICED for her efforts.

But because of her nasty personality, everyone just viewed her as a worthless fat ass who cannot do shit on her own. And her relying on Gabby's alliance for her gameplay to work was just proof of that.

I felt for Grett. Even when she was getting the consequences she deserved. What was she doing wrong? Was she really somebody who would never be worth it and never accomplish anything? After all, these other people in her life already have so much accomplishments, and what could she gain?

Then the answer comes to her after she's voted out and joins the Purple Team, and they form the Villains Team. She very quickly bonds with Fiore and Alec, and feels like she can be herself around them. She found that there were other people just like her. How sweet.

She even listens to Alec and Fiore when they call her out on her faulty moves. She takes it to learn from them. Because of this, the team wins Episode 7, and she wins immunity in Episode 8.

It's why I really love Fiore calling out Grett's main fault of worrying what her family thinks of her, and teaches her that what she needs is to look out for herself and ONLY prove things to herself. That's what matters. Even if her family doesn't support her, there are people as nasty as her that she can relate to and bond with, and if she loves herself, that can lead to a much healthier lifestyle.

(Grett needs an MK in her life, man)

So, in a way, a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, where you're alone, really proves to Grett that Fiore's advice has merit.

Maybe it IS a bit rushed, and due to the Episode's rough pacing, you don't see a lot of Grett's survival in this VR on screen, and I CAN see that as a criticism. Had we watched her survival more, it would definitely be more powerful.

But for me it wasn't TOO big of a dealbreaker because of Episode 7 and 8 backing her up as finding a Villain Found Family even before Fiore called her out, and not having Teal Team to lean on anymore. So it WASN'T completely out of nowhere.

It's because of this that her elimination was AMAZING.

"Fiore, Alec, even though you betrayed me, I won't lie. I had a good time with you."

At least she's taking this well.

"It will be difficult, but I'll try and take what you said to heart. I'll stop trying to prove anything to anyone. In fact... that includes you."

"FUCK ALL OF YOU. PEACE OUT!!"

😂👏

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS

Queen Queen Queen Queen QUEEEEENNNNN

👑

The contrast between her fakeout elimination and her actual elimination, where in one she's crying for being a failure and the other she's taking pride in what she's accomplished, SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

Grett is a GREAT antagonistic character, and a good character, and I stan.

Oooohh... this one...

One character I thought I would stan, but only ended up being very disappointed with, is NICK

To the point where, knowing where he ends up, I like him a lot less.

He's a D. I'm sorry.

This is the character with the most wasted potential for me.

At the start, I liked him conceptually. He's a spoiled rich guy who was sheltered from the world by his parents up to age 26. After an argument with his parents he left the house and joined the show to make it on his own. But because of his upbringing, he still maintains the instincts of spoiled nature as though he was still at home and isn't that cut out for survival when he wants to be.

That is such a good concept for a character in this show.

I thought they were setting up some grand development for him as a character where he learned the ins and outs of survival and standing on his own and getting his hands dirty.

BUT THEY DO NOTHING WITH WHAT THEY SET UP.

He's just a spoiled brat stereotype. And that's it.

Looking back, I now realized that NICK WAS THE DRIVING FORCE OF WHY REALITY TV'S STUPIDEST ALLIANCE CRUMBLED.

HE was the one who decided to BETRAY his ally, and pinned the blame on the girls for not wanting to do that.

Especially Lilly, who I THOUGHT HE LIKED. WHERE THE HELL DID HIS DISTASTE FOR HER COME FROM?!

Yeah I get being pissed about your stuff being burned, I DO see him being the type to get upset about that. BUT he REFUSES to listen to reason when the girls try to calm him down, and even decides to TURN ON THEM.

It results in him THROWING HIS VOTE, which leads to HIS OWN ELIMINATION.

Even if he's a spoiled guy who had never been out of the house, you'd think he'd have one, ONE braincell when it came to socials.

But I guess not.

Knowing he's an early boot, I like him WAY LESS now than I did originally.

In Episode 4 I called his battle with Jake the 'Battle of the Best Boys'.

NOW looking back at it, if I had to choose between Nick and Jake I'd pick Jake in a heartbeat.

WASTED POTENTIAL.

MIRIAM

The WINNER of the season.

I think Miriam was a very good choice for a winner. She reminds me a bit of Owen and Wayne in terms of the type of winner she is.

What I mean by that is that they aren't the most physically gifted contestants or the best social gameplayers, BUT they stay in the game anyway because they're so wholesome and unassuming that nobody WANTS to eliminate them. They're also characters on NOBODY'S radar to be a potential winner.

It works very well for Owen, in my opinion. Wayne is one I don't think was handled well, but he's a bean so I can't take that anger out on him. Miriam is another case where I think this works.

Looking back, SHE DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE VOTE TO HER NAME THE ENTIRE GAME.

Every Vote Received To A Contestant:

Will - 4

Fiore - 9

Alec - 3

Drew - 4

Gabby - 10

Lill - 4

Nick - 3

Ashley - 1

Grett - 8

Tom - 6

Jake - 5

Dan - 3

Ellie - 7

Miriam - 0

THAT. SPEAKS. VOLUMES.

GUYS DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LIKING HER AROUND HAS A FACTOR? I CAN'T TELL.

Miriam was NOT on my radar to be a winner. I thought she was just a filler character going in. She would float till she sank and that would be it. But NO. SHE WON.

On top of this, Miriam also has a character arc. She starts off the show as the cranky old lady stereotype and hostile towards everyone. One would think she wouldn't even want to be here.

She roasts the younger contestants, had a stubborn personality, and had skill of her own 'back in my day'. She was just... very hostile towards everyone, even Jake who was very nice to her.

And then in Episode 5, we learn WHY she acts the way she does.

She is ALONE. Her husband and son, her only family left in her old age, were killed by a drunk driver and she blamed herself for the loss. It led her to a dark place until the show, and probably wouldn't have ever joined the show if it weren't for retirement money being ASS.

In her mind, she probably thought that she was too old to bounce back from something like that. No descendents, no family, no one left. Everyone in her life had died and she was still here.

She would be all alone when she kicked the bucket too.

It's kinda like Carl from UP.

I was absolutely touched by this story for sure, and for her to open up to Jake about this.

HER AND JAKE ARE SO WHOLESOME, OH MY GOD

I loved her interactions with him so much. I WAS TEARING UP WHEN SHE WAS DYING IN VR AND SHE CALLS HIM THE GRANDSON SHE NEVER HAD.

"Coming to this camp was worth it... I didn't think my last days would end like this... but I'm happy they were with you... you are the grandchildren I never had."

😭💗

HE'S YOUR GRANDSON. DON'T LEAVE HIM.

NOOOOOOO

"Not again!!" *cries*

AWWW JAKE, HONEY NOOOOOO 😭

Don't Make Jake Suffer Challenge. Level: Impossible.

SHIT MAN...

I KNOW IT WAS VR BUT IT STILL GOT ME.

After Episode 5 I liked Miriam a whole lot more. She was funny, the skills she would reveal were very entertaining, I loved her sass a whole lot more, and she was, BY FAR, the emotional anchor of the entire cast.

She learns to put her faith in Ellie and properly apologizes when she judged her so harshly for being the new girl. And then she calls Ellie out when she betrays them and hurts Jake and Tom.

AND EVEN THEN, she doesn't let that cloud her judgement or her gameplay. In the Semi-Finals, despite her vow for revenge, HOLDS OFF on the revenge to work WITH Ellie in the challenge and uses gameplay logic to win her over.

SHE EVEN WORKS WITH FIORE. FIORE WAS DOING WHAT SHE WANTED.

Once Jake and Tom got eliminated, MIRIAM WAS PULLING ALL THE STRINGS.

You don't mess with grandma.

But even with that I wasn't convinced she'd win because she was, well, OLD.

"Fiore had already crossed the line and Ellie is ahead of me. I can't pass Ellie with my cracking legs. What can I do...? Oh, I know, I'm gonna FAKE A HEART ATTACK."

Like... WHAT?!?!?

That was WILD. But I LOVED this game move from her cause it WORKED.

Plus it was excellent revenge.

So yes, MIRIAM EARNED THIS WIN.

She deserves an S tier.

She has a fun personality, she's good at the game, her interactions with other characters are amazing, she has a solid character arc. She's a GOOD CHARACTER AND I LOVE HER.

I don't think she's gonna be back cause of her age, and, you know, she won, but I enjoyed her in this season quite a bit.

TOM

I really enjoyed Tom as a character.

I will say, conceptually, he's kinda weird.

His gimmick is that he's a very distant and standoffish contestant on the show. A box waiting to be opened.

But in actuality, he's not here to win or for the money. He's actually A SECRET AGENT GOING UNDERCOVER TO INVESTIGATE THE CRIMES HAPPENING ON THE SHOW.

...yeah. It's kinda wild.

I don't care about the investigation itself. That plotline was super boring and I did not care for it. But I don't dock the plotline itself from Tom because Tom has more going on than just that.

And let's face it, Tom being a spy was very predictable.

I mean, when you have a character that's designed like THIS:

Your first reaction is "They're definitely hiding something"

WEAR NORMAL CLOTHES YOU TOM CRUISE WANNABE!

But to the show's credit, I think they realized that Tom was a crazy concept for a character, so they made the character's personality match it so it's not taken as seriously.

He's really bad at his job. That's not me making fun of him. It's CANON that he's bad at his job. So I can totally believe this himbo would, well, suck at his job. Had the story acted like he was a good spy and he acted like this, it would be worse. Had the story acknowledged he was a bad spy and his personality was super serious, it would be worse.

So it was much easier for me to be entertained by him as a result and be more interested in his character.

Because of the spy element, he's rather standoffish towards everyone and not very social. He's not hostile, but he's more introverted and closed off. He only really talked to people to keep his place in the game, which he needed for work, resulting in him becoming Teal Team's leader.

At least, it STARTED that way when it came to socialization. There's a certain SOMEONE who changed that, which... ooooooohh I will get to him...

I was a bit caught off guard by Tom revealing himself pretty early on to be a kind and considerate person. He's nice to his teammates. He hears them out. He was pretty likeable.

He also had his cute moments like when he got flustered from a compliment on his eyes. That was just so sweet to me.

That little detail also HAS CHARACTERIZATION CONSISTENT TO IT.

Love details like that.

It's revealed later that Tom... is actually VERY insecure.

He's really bad at his job, to the point where he's questioned if he was even meant for the role. He's also been talked down to by his bosses, making him think he's a complete failure who cannot do anything right. (Again, him being a bad spy actually works here)

So he hides himself and pretends to be something he isn't, because he thinks people would hate his real self.

And where does this stem from? Permanent reminders of failure on his face.

When he started his job, he failed at his first mission. He was taken hostage, and they proceeded to TORTURE HIM, making his body littered with scars.

"The boss wasn't happy. I was tasked to come onto this show as a contestant to investigate it. This job was my last chance, and I blew it."

Ouch...

"Were you using that mask to hide your identity or... were you...?"

"That's just an excuse. The truth is I... I felt ashamed..."

Aw...😢

So it's an insecurity on both inside AND outside. Outside, he thinks he's this ugly freak, inside he thinks he's a complete failure. Ouch.

The scene where he takes off his mask to show Jake his face is actually one of my favorite scenes in the season. Not only is the mystery cracked open, but it also leaves a good message.

Jake doesn't even FLINCH at the sight of Tom's face. He's very warm and accepting and even tells him he looks good. Cause, yeah, he DOES.

Despite imperfections painted on his face, there is MERIT to him as a person and there are people that will like him.

Your scars make you YOU, and YOU look good.

I thought it was a very sweet message.

But I can't say Tom is a flawless person, because he's got ISSUES.

This is a FLAWED CHARACTER.

THERE ARE A LOT OF THESE.

Tom is, as I've said, standoffish, he's not very good at opening up, he has a hard time listening to harsh emotions, he's quite dumb sometimes. He's also VERY DISHONEST.

I mean, he's a spy. His backstory and background REALLY inform you on his character and WHY he acts the way he does.

And honestly, I dig that. You'll find that I gravitate a lot more towards the more MESSY AND FLAWED characters. Because they're FAR MORE INTERESTING TO ANALYZE & THEY'RE FAR MORE REALISTIC.

Grett is also an example, but she kinda falls more into the 'Bad & Evil' category if we were going a Good To Evil ranking.

Tom is kind of a grey area.

I can totally see some people being annoyed by him being a LIAR. But the reason I wasn't is because, well, it made sense why he'd be like that based off of what we know about his character.

The guy even lies to HIMSELF. Like, COME ON.

I can also see people being annoyed by him getting angry at Jake. I too was annoyed that he wouldn't listen to Jake's pleas, and also shut Jake out when he tried to apologize and patch things up multiple times. Tom has anger issues for sure and is the kind of guy that needs A LOT OF TIME before he can calm down.

But I didn't BLAME HIM for being angry, because in ALL those instances, him being angry was VALID. Jake blew up in his face. He got fired. Jake broke the trust they built together. THESE ARE VALID REASONS TO BE ANGRY.

Speaking of Tom and Jake's relationship... OH GOD IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER.

Um... I don't ship them. No I don't. You have no proof that I do.

...yeah I kinda hope you kiss now.

BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, I was really intrigued by their chemistry and I totally understood why they fell for each other.

But their relationship failed in the end because of two reasons, 1) Miscommunication. (I mean, he's a spy, what do you expect?)

And 2, the bigger one) They hate themselves.

You wanna love someone, you gotta love yourself. Otherwise you'll only continue to make the same mistakes.

And as we've established before, Tom hates himself. In more ways than one. So OF COURSE he's gonna find it hard to communicate with Jake.

Now, Jake is NOT INNOCENT. Don't get me wrong. But Tom is also not very good at interacting with people, again due to his spy lifestyle and POSSIBLY not even having a family...?

"You making a call Tom?"

"Oh... I don't think so, my family isn't home."

Tom... do you have a family? Cause it sounds like you don't.

And that's really sad to hear.

In my mind, because of how he said it, Tom was lying and he doesn't have a family. So it adds to how I'm reading him as someone who previously had no one to associate himself with.

Correct me if I'm wrong though.

Anyway, Tom and Jake hate themselves and that's why it's hard for them to love each other.

I realized looking back with subtext that Tom wasn't pushing Jake away because he hated Jake for his actions. He pushed him away because he loved him and hated/blamed himself for the HURT that proceeded to happen to them.

AND IT MAKES TOM'S ELIMINATION HURT THAT MUCH MORE, ESPECIALLY WHEN, AFTER HE DENOUNCES HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JAKE, WE SEE HIM CRYING AT THE BUS STOP.

I CAN'T...

I knew Tom was NEVER winning the show anyway. He wasn't here for the money. He was a physical threat. There was NO SCENARIO in my head where Tom wins. But DAMMIT DID IT HAVE TO HURT THAT MUCH?!

Anyway, Tom and Jake DO LOVE each other. I can tell. IF they can work through their issues, they can make something strong. But I do think them deciding to keep distance and 'see where we are later' was a good call for both of them. Because in terms of HEALTHINESS in their relationship... it's quite a Grey Area as of right now.

THEY'RE NOT CUTE AND I DON'T FIND THE CUTE AND I DO NOT GUSH OVER THEM YOU READ NOTHING-

DELETE THAT TEXT.

There's one more thing regarding Tom, and that's the ending. I found this ending VERY RANDOM.

"After I gave them info about these crooked TV hosts and Jensen, they decided to hire me."

...wait what?

So... after he reported the host's crimes to the police... they made him a cop...

I'm pretty sure that's NOT how that works.

Tom was a SPY. He killed people in VR. He attempted murder on a child. He held a child at gunpoint. YOU'D THINK HIS THICK ASS WOULD BE IN JAIL.

Idk. It was just a very random conclusion to his character. But you know, he's happy and gets a better job. So good for him.

Um... in terms of ranking...

I'm bordering between A and S.

I think I'm gonna stick with a Low S. He's not above Miriam.

Just cause I just really enjoyed him on screen and as a character. Like I said, I gravitate towards people with issues.

And it helps that Tom is just really likeable and sweet. Some moments I'm just like "Your honor I love him and I want to give him a hug".

I'm not entirely sure what a Season 3 looks like for him. Because most of his mysteries are solved. So what's left for him aside from working through his honesty issues? That screams he's gonna be a Pre-Merge boot.

When Tom fought Jensen and the bus drove off a cliff, it was just a jumpscare and he was fine.

I thought they would do a thing where Tom faked his death (probably due to his self esteem issues and a 'get out of talking to Jake free' card) and he would SUDDENLY show up again in Season 3.

"WTF?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE ALIVE AND WHY DID YOU COME BACK?!"

Add more to Jake's depression pile.

But no. That's not what they're doing. That's fine.

(There's an angsty AU idea though)

DAN

...yeah, you know where I'm putting him. D for Dan.

It's kinda obvious in my reactions that Dan is my least favorite character of this cast. I did not enjoy him.

I can't say he's an F tier because he's not IRRITATING to watch like Staci. He's pretty inoffensive compared to her.

BUT THAT'S JUST IT.

I get it. Some characters can't be as developed as others. This is an elimination show after all. But at least make the early boots fun to watch!

Dan isn't. And it's not like he's an early boot. HE LASTS TILL EPISODE 7. And the entire time, his personality remains extremely bland, and he doesn't contribute much.

ANY of his moments, you can replace with any other Teal Team character, and not much changes.

Hell, I can see NICK taking his role if I'm being honest. At least Nick is a more interesting character, even if he's wasted.

This is kind of a problem with this season's Pre-Merge boots. They're very... uninteresting as characters.

Like, the gap of character quality between the last Pre-Merge boot and the first Merge boot, is MASSIVE.

I can't say Total Drama doesn't have boring early boots as well, but you REMEMBER a lot more of them.

Ezekiel is a MEME because you REMEMBER him despite being the first boot. You REMEMBER his sexist comments.

Hell, the last Pre-Merge boot in TDI Harold, IS MY FAVORITE TOTAL DRAMA CHARACTER. YOU REMEMBER HIM.

Dan is just a bland stand in to take an elimination slot.

Like, okay, what does he do?

Well one, he talks to Gabby and gets on good terms with her.

Then he forms a guys alliance and tries to vote her off. So yeah, immediately, he proves to be just like Purple Team and wants Gabby gone.

And then Tom flips, so CLEARLY that alliance doesn't work.

And yet, even after that trivia reveals itself, Dan STILL acts like this alliance is still a thing, even though these three NEVER associate a plan with each other after this. YOUR ALLIANCE DOESN'T EXIST.

He's also pretty shit to Gabby and I totally understand her distaste to him after he tried to vote her out.

What did I say in my Episode 7 reaction?

And before you say his actions and dialogue weren't sexist: GUYS alliance. Is only seen targeting female characters. Downplays Gabby's problems over his own wants.

He rubbed me off the wrong way and I don't regret bullying him.

At least everyone else on that team was interesting in one way or another, but Dan had nothing.

I GUESS the only thing he did was be the foil to Grett for Gabby's development? As he was someone who also tried to use her but was nicer to her so it left her conflicted? But really, you could've given that role to ANY character. You could've had, idk, Tom do that and not much would change.

Actually, that would add onto the 'Tom is only here for work' plot.

And that holds up really well.

So why is he not an F? Well one, like I said, he's just inoffensive.

Two, he had a really good line in the finale.

"How many times is everyone going to fall for Fiore and Grett's tricks?!"

THANK YOU. THANK YOU DAN.

TO THINK I DISSED YOU.

If Dan was supposed to be 'the straight man' of the cast, he made me want to APOLOGIZE to Trent.

Because with Trent, while he too is boring as I'll get out, at least he had a solid plotline to stand on and he played guitar. So it wasn't like he was COMPLETELY just standing there.

So thank Dan, Trent stans. Because of Dan, Trent is now a SMIDGE higher on my ranking.

ELLIE

...

F tier for giving Jake death threats.

That just... NO. UH UH. NO.

I DON'T CARE IF THAT WAS 'GAMEPLAY'. YOU CROSSED A LINE.

"You know what? You can eat shit and die."

"Maybe if you weren't so annoying, your boyfriend wouldn't have cheated on you."

"You have no right to shame me."

I hope a million bucks was worth giving a guy serious PTSD and all kinds of other serious mental damage.

Oh? You didn't win the million? WELL AIN'T KARMA A BITCH.

(I have a post where I whine about this scene. I also go in depth about Ellie and Jake in that)

OKAY OKAY OKAY, I'LL RANK HER FOR REAL. CALM DOWN.

Aside from THAT F tier scene, I actually think she's very intriguing as a character.

First off, SHE'S PRETTY. LOOK AT HER. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER DESIGN.

Remember my early Total Drama posts where I always talked about how the show psychologically damages certain characters and makes them act worse than they originally did?

THIS GIRL IS THAT.

Ellie is the DEFINITION of a person who was psychologically damaged by the show's influence.

And out of that, I have to give mad respect for her character and what she represents.

And I actually think this development was handled pretty well. I understood why she felt the need to change into this.

Because lets face it, the Ellie from the start of the show and the Ellie at the end of the season might as well be two DRAMATICALLY different characters.

At the start of the show, she was... there. She was likeable as the introverted one of the team, and she quickly gained my respect for how she treated Gabby.

Her relationship with Gabby is wholesome as all hell. (And far healthier than the boys) I really found them sweet as both a platonic and romantic item.

It really helps because of what we learn about Ellie's lifestyle.

She's a college student who wants to study fashion design. But she's desperately in debt. She has to work two jobs from dawn to dusk just to keep afloat, and it's STILL not enough.

"That money will fund my dreams of fashion school! No more sleepless nights, barely making rent, working from dawn to dusk... whatever I need to do to win, I'll do it!"

CURSE YOU CAPITALISM.

Ellie's life is very depressing. And very real to most people. It definitely explains not only her motives for wanting to win the million, but also why she's the way she is as a more introverted figure who doesn't talk to people very much. Because of her lifestyle, she doesn't have any room for socialization or relationships.

Gabby, like I said, was the first, and the light in her life who brightened her mood and spirit. They are WONDERFUL for each other, like I said.

But Ellie's personality does leave a dent on her game right from the start, as she is outcasted. It's only thanks to Fiore that reality tv's stupidest alliance crumbles and Ellie is given a shot...

...and then Alec votes her off.

Joining the Teal Team, it's clear Ellie learned a lesson and tried to salvage her outcast situation by making acquaintances with everyone, and becoming friends with Jake.

Even if she didn't want to, she still went out of her way to help the guy out and gave very solid advice that he stuck with.

And it's because of this that she gets involved in a majority alliance of good people willing to help her.

...by help I mean cut her arm off.

And THIS is where everything goes downhill for Ellie on a morality standpoint...

But then by Episode 10, Ellie is reminded of her outcast situation among the cast. She's on good terms with Jake, thus she's in the Jake Tom and Miriam alliance, the majority at that point. Even Miriam came around and apologized to Ellie for misjudging her. Unless Fiore and/or Alec got immunity, those two were for sure gone.

But after they were gone, or voting them out wasn't an option, would that lead to Ellie's elimination? For no other reason other than she's the one with the weakest bonds with the others? Jake and Tom are lovers, and Miriam is their surrogate grandmother. They are a found family. And Ellie is just... the friend tagging along.

And Ellie CANNOT afford to lose this game. Her whole lifestyle is on the line. More so than any of the others. She HAS to win this, otherwise she might never get another chance to financially achieve her dreams. (CURSE YOU GOVERNMENT)

So, in other words, she has to screw her relationships and strategize.

It's a completely understandable and empathetic motive, probably one even more empathetic than any of the Total Drama character's motives.

In that circumstance, as the numbers go down, does it all come down to popularity or strategy? When you're unpopular among your peers and that could be an elimination sentence, do you let that happen or do you take matters into your own hands?

And in the end, Ellie makes the choice to abandon what made people like her in the first place, because more than any of these guys, SHE NEEDS MONEY.

She gives in to that capitalism greed and thirsts for that money like water in a desert. And it's because of the game's harsh nature of picking off people one by one, that she decides "It's you or me".

And to survive, she has to completely DITCH her moralities, friendships, and sense of self.

ALL FOR MONEY.💰

💰💰💰

"You know, at one point, I thought I could trust you, and maybe I was too quick to judge you. But you've proven you're just like Grett, Fiore, and Alec. You're a no good trouble maker. Anything to win money, right? Shows your character through and through."

And despite people calling her out for the VERY PERSONAL SHIT SHE DOES, Ellie refuses to listen to reason.

She becomes HYPOCRITICAL. She refuses to hear ANYONE out if it's not about gameplay.

"I need this money more than you, so it's completely okay if I'M a bitch. If you're not Gabby, you can go fuck yourself."

And some people deserve it. (Alec) Some... really didn't. (Jake)

Oh, and you know why she lost?

BECAUSE SHE STILL A GOOD HEART IN HER TO NOT LET AN OLD LADY DIE.

She LOST because she was, deep down, a good person.

...yeah, Ellie is gonna turn into someone SUPER fucked up in the head after that.

I am scared for Gabby.

Now, I want to make it clear, Ellie is NOT a bad person. I do not view her as an entirely bad person. Does she do bad stuff? Oh absolutely, she's got issues.

But not only is her backstory beyond sympathetic and she has good traits even underneath the game clouding her morality, but she is just simply a case of a tragic figure.

Starting off as a good, if a bit closed off person, but due to the game's intense nature of greed, malice, and cold blood, she's forced to ditch her identity to save herself.

It's really up in the air if the Ellie Gabby fell for can be saved, or if she's too far gone.

Despite me HATING that one scene with her, I cannot say I hate her anywhere else outside of that one scene. Because I get it.

So Ellie is a definitely one of the most intriguing characters in the show, and I get her appeal.

Fun fact, before I watched this show in full, there were only two characters I knew about. Ellie and Jake. I didn't know their stories, but I knew they existed. And the comments I saw were hyping Ellie up as THE BEST CHARACTER IN ALL OF TD.

But...

I'm gonna give Ellie an A tier. Personally.

There's THREE reasons for this and why she's not higher.

One, THAT scene. HATE THAT SCENE.

Two, Episode 10 & 11 and what she says and pulls really rubbed me off the wrong way. Even if I understood why she felt the need to do it. I was NOT on her side, despite me understanding it. I'm sorry.

Three, and THIS IS THE BIG ONE:

She's quite stupid.

Unlike Tom, where the season treats him like he's dumb anyway, Ellie is treated like this brilliant strategist most of the time.

And she's just NOT.

The ONLY time I found her legit smart was in the Semi-Final when she worked with Miriam and Fiore to get Alec eliminated. THAT logic was sound, and I completely understood it, and thought that was the best option for her.

Every other time her plans don't work for me.

One, she was an introvert and didn't socialize with her teammates. No wonder you didn't get involved in a majority alliance.

Two, choosing to keep Fiore around over Lilly and Ashley. Not only were Lilly and Ashley more capable teammates that could help you win challenges, but Fiore is also a REALLY TERRIBLE PERSON TO ALLY WITH. As I said with Alec. Fiore is a CHILD with physical limitations, and she's also revealed herself to you as a psychopathic backstabber and manipulator. AND YOU WANT HER AS AN ALLY?

Ellie says her reasoning is:

"Okay, Fiore tricked us. But if she managed to do that with us, she can do the same with the other team."

Yes. She could. But you act like YOU can't be a manipulator with the other team as well. Trust yourself more than you trust this kiddo.

AND GUESS WHAT, SHE CAN ALSO BACKSTAB YOU.

It's a risk that doesn't even pay off because Ellie gets voted out next Episode! What if that was a legit elimination?! Should've thought your plan through more.

Three, despite Alec BETRAYING HER in the Pre-Merge, she decides to not only forgive him, but be open about working with him again. WHY?!

AND THEN HE BACKSTABS HER AGAIN AND GETS GABBY ELIMINATED.

Maybe Gabby would've been gone regardless if Ellie chose to side with them or not. You know what she could've done instead? Get on good terms with Jake to have his alliance work with her and Gabby to get Alec eliminated.

Four, her betraying the Tom Jake Miriam alliance overall. This one isn't too bad with the logic they give, I'll admit. Once Fiore and Alec were gone, or voting them off wasn't an option, Ellie would be next to go because of the four, she has the loosest bond.

Here's the flaws in that: Tom isn't even here for the money. Jake lost his motive for the million after his grandma died. And Miriam's whole thing is turning a new leaf. Yes it's a million bucks, but these three are also good people. JUST SOCIALIZE WITH THEM AND EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY YOU NEED TO WIN. Ten to one they'll have your back, and at least ONE of them would be willing to drop out of the game to help you. POWER OF FRIENDSHIP.

Five, let's say her needing to betray this alliance WAS the best choice. Okay. Fine. What's her plan to break that alliance? Personally manipulating Jake's PTSD to ruin his relationship with Tom.

And she claims THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY.

*groan*

📢THERE WAS AN IDOL IN PLAY, AND YOU KNEW WHO HAD IT, SO YOU COULD'VE JUST STOLEN THAT IDOL📢

...

📢STUPID📢

And BECAUSE she goes the personal route, Jake HATES HER AND WON'T WORK WITH HER, and Alec and Fiore betray her trust YET AGAIN. SO NOW SHE HAS NO ALLIES.

ELLIE, YOU ARE STUPID.

She had to rely on LUCK that she wasn't 5th place. They ended up picking Jake to go instead, but that could've very easily been HER.

So that really annoyed me. If you say a character is a genius strategist, I EXPECT THEM TO BE A GOOD STRATEGIST.

If she's in Season 3, I don't see her going far at all because of everything she's done here. Plus her loss in this Season I think really screwed her up in the head. But hey, hopefully Gabby doesn't get caught in the crossfire cause she is all she has left.

SPEAKING OF GABBY

MY GIRL, MY QUEEN, MY DELIGHTFUL CHAOTIC QUEEN.

Y'all already know where she's going, WE STAN HER IN THIS HOUSE

Also, sorry, but I'm putting her ahead of Grett.

Gabby is one of the most entertaining characters in this entire cast and was an absolute DELIGHT on screen.

If I had to describe her, she's basically a more realistic version of Izzy. Erratic, loves nature, nobody understand her or her antics.

And it's actually executed SO WELL.

I think, out of everyone in the cast, SHE's the one with the most solidly written character arc on an objective standpoint.

Admittedly, the writing IS the weakest element of this show. But that's also the case for Total Drama, so I didn't expect much.

I was a bit iffy on her at the start of the show, because at the beginning, she threatens Nick for having a cashmere coat. And like... GIRL, CHILL.

But it also immediately showcases her character. Almost NEVER, is she boring. EVERY SCENE SHE IS IN, she is FULL of personality and popping off and stealing the show.

She's got a temper problem, she adores nature, she's an animal lover, to the point where she hates it when it gets threatened, she's always very talkative and extroverted, even towards herself, and a huge optimist.

But I didn't compare her to Izzy for nothing. She is VERY WILD compared to the people around her. But she's not a bad person in the slightest for this. Deep down, she WANTS to be a good person. But because she's such a chaotic bean, the others vote her off out of distaste ON THE FIRST DAY.

And this is where Gabby's character arc begins. As she is an OUTCAST.

No one likes her. The only person who does like her is Ellie, but they're quickly separated. It doesn't stop her from engaging with her to have each other's back. Which GABBY orchestrates and has the power with her Immunity Idol. Not Ellie.

(Crazy how that works considering what Ellie becomes later)

And because no one likes her, she's an easy target for elimination. That's why Grett takes advantage of her as her only ally and the only one willing to keep her safe.

Despite this, it doesn't stop her from doing her own thing and defying orders sometimes. And even sympathizing with Grett over their shared history of bad and misunderstanding households.

Gabby's own FAMILY also doesn't like her and find her annoying, and are HAPPY that she's out of the house. They've even PUT HER IN SOLITARY MUTIPLE TIMES.

Like geez, no wonder her only friends are animals and Blabby.

The idea that Gabby would empathize with someone like Grett, even once, really speaks volumes to her morality. She IS a good person. She's actually SUPER nice.

She's just SO passionate about her beliefs that she's willing to get in trouble with the police to serve justice.

Now THAT is something to stan her for.

She's also, unlike her girlfriend, NOT stupid. Like I said, she doesn't do everything Grett tells her and she's the one who does the smart idol play, not anyone else demanding her to use it. She also DOESN'T take Dan's crap after he intended to vote her off and calls him out on his bullshit.

Like, YEAH, I wouldn't trust someone who betrayed me ONCE and tried to vote me off. I don't need to be betrayed TWICE to get that message.

TAKE NOTES ELLIE.

Gabby proves herself throughout the Pre-Merge to be able to do plenty on her own, and, no matter the opinion of others, she’s allowed to make her own choices.

And what comes is a glorious moment where she stands up for herself against Grett.

"All day I've been doing what you say, AND YOU NEVER EVER SAY THANK YOU!!!"

GET HER GIRL!!!

"YOU WERE SITTING ON YOUR FAT ASS THIS WHOLE TIME!!! I'M DONE WITH YOU GRETT!! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE PROJECTING YOUR ISSUES WITH YOUR BROTHER AND PARENTS DOESN'T MEAN I SHOULD FEEL BAD FOR YOU!!! WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS, BUT YOU CAN'T TREAT PEOPLE LIKE THIS!!"

Again, TAKE NOTES ELLIE. THIS IS HOW YOU ROAST SOMEONE.

And this is coming from a Grett Stan, as we’ve already established. I LOVE this for Gabby.

Oh yeah and she also DID TOM’S JOB FOR HIM.

And she beat the shit out of a host. Queen.

On top of this, she’s just simply a DELIGHT of a character. She’s full of personality. You have a great sense of who she is. She has a good backstory that sets ground for her development. And in every scene she’s in, she steals the show and absolutely SHINES.

I was DEVASTATED to see her eliminated in such a harsh way.

I’m really curious what they do with her in another season. Her girlfriend is Ellie, who is the one great person in her life, and as we’ve established Ellie’s developed… some problems after Gabby left.

How does GABBY feel about all of that? We didn’t exactly get an answer, you know? I THINK she was okay with it cause it’s Ellie, but it’s not clear to me.

I am definitely worried about their relationship going forward, and whether they’re gonna break up or Gabby is gonna help Ellie find her way again. I THINK THE MORAL FOR ELLIE IS TO JUST TAKE HER GIRLFRIEND’S ADVICE.

Honestly, I see Gabby as a candidate to be a Season 3 winner. You bet I’ll route for her. I think that would be amazing if handled well.

THIS IS MY BEST GIRL FOR THIS SEASON.

LILL

Or as I called her Lilly. This is because of my own personal pet peeve of characters in the same show having names so similar to each other it’s hard to know what you’re talking about.

Um… I have to admit, after she left, I kinda forgot she existed.

🎵“I forgot that you existed”🎵

Like I said, the Pre-Merge characters of this season are VERY boring. And that’s a bit of a problem.

I can’t say there’s anything to hate about Lilly though. I like that she’s a child caretaker. She was a competent physical player and probably would’ve been a good leader if she didn’t get screwed over. I like how she was the least stupid of reality tv’s stupidest alliance.

Um… that’s about it.

She’s one of Fiore’s victims, as she gets framed for burning their stuff in Episode 4. But she doesn’t even go home that episode. And she was already suspicious of Fiore. So… what was the point of this?

Yeah, I got nothing else to say about her.

C Tier.

DREW

Again, the Pre-Merge boots are quite boring.

But at least Lilly TALKS.

Now I’m not saying mute characters have no merit to them, far from it, but in Drew’s case it’s pretty obvious he’s just a stand in for early boot.

There are other ways to say character besides talking, like body language, or actions. But all I got from Drew was that he was… friendly. I guess? Yeah that’s it.

I do like how his elimination served a purpose even after it happened. He finds out first about Tom being a spy and writes it down in his notebook. But Grett steals it and tells Tom, which leads to Drew’s elimination. Grett later uses this info against Tom and Jake.

But that more so has to do with the elimination than Drew himself.

He’s below Lilly in C tier because at least I got more character out of Lilly.

He’s not D though because he occasionally has some notebook lines that are cute.

JAKE

Oh boy I was waiting for this one…

Like I said before, I knew about him and Ellie beforehand. And whereas the comments I saw were people hyping Ellie up as the best character, people HATED Jake beyond belief.

Like, OMG, the amount of hate comments I saw of this guy and how much people said they wanted to kill him.

So… paints a picture from my experience that this character is… not very well liked. A lot of y’all REALLY hate his guts.

And after my reactions of Episode 3-4, someone told me “Golden, we need to talk cause I am very concerned.” They’re a MASSIVE Jake hater it turns out.

But after watching the show for myself…

I can admit he’s DEFINITELY not the best person. He’s got issues.

So, like… I get it. And I think I get the Jake hate to an extent. I would argue some cases to the point where I could make an “In Defense Of Jake” post if I wanted. But I understand why he’d seem annoying to people.

Same with Gabby. Same with Grett. Same with most of these guys.

But I’d much rather be honest with how I feel than stick to the majority take.

So how do I feel about him?

Well I won’t hesitate.

… … …

Do you hear that? Do you hear that??

It’s the sounds of people scrolling away from the post and/or unfollowing me.

But I’m not gonna apologize for this. Because HOLY GOSH, THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER OF THIS CAST.

Since the characters elimination, I couldn’t get him out of my head. To the point where I made A COMIC POST ABOUT ANGST OF HIM BEFORE I EVEN FINISHED THE SEASON. I’ve never done that before.

I don’t think I’ve EVER had a Total Drama character that I’ve related to as much as this one. Not even with Harold. I mean technically it’s not TD, but still.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, Jake was pretty much teenage me in my shitty school years. Obnoxious, short tempered, and always venting to people about my own personal problems. There’s other reasons and things I relate to him about, but I’d rather not go into that.

I think it’s because of that, that I just plain cannot hate him. It’s REALLY HARD for me to hate him. Even when I can admit he is doing something wrong. Because… I’ve been there. It sucks. And while yes, you’re wrong, and you’re not behaving the best you could, I also know that in your mind you can’t see yourself being better, or that you don’t deserve the love you desire. So I, as an audience member overlord who has been where you are, choose to have your back and support you. Not because you’ve done no wrong, but because you have done wrong. And it’s okay.

Okay but enough about me. Why do I like him as a character?

Starting off the show and the premiere… he didn’t do much. He just made goggly eyes at Tom. Based off that, and the opening spoiling what the dynamic was, I thought Jake was just gonna be… how do I put this, “Gay Trent”.

What I mean by that is that Tom would get the major storyline, and Jake would be the love interest and have no other personality aside from that. Just like Trent. He’s a certified boy kisser and had a crush on Tom and that was his only character trait.

But, rather quickly, NO.

Jake is a very kind sweetheart, and even a bit shy. In a sweet way. He also reveals his… pretty cold home-life and how his only close family member was his grandmother, who was bedridden.

At the time, it was such a wholesome motive and I stood by him. And again, at the time, his interactions with Tom were wholesome as all hell. With every episode Jake only proceeded to have more stuff revealed about him, like his more anxious side, his trauma over loss, and even him having a bit of a bite when he gets hurt.

He was just… the cinnamon roll of the group, ya know? Cinnamon roll with a bite. What did I say in that analysis post about him?

He was working with Tom, his crush, as the ones doing the heavy lifting in getting survival supplies for the group, and was the only one on that team who attempted friendly socialization with his teammates.

And yes, I mean that. Tom was more hostile due to his job, Miriam was the cranky old lady who pushed away everyone, Dan only cared about alliances, Grett was a bad bitch, Gabby was an outcast, and Drew... couldn't even talk.

It was JAKE who was trying to form genuine bonds with some of the people around him, seeing the best in them. He saw through Tom's mask right from the start and supported his leadership of the team, and he was the only one who showed kindness to Miriam even when she pushed him away.

And while I would NOT consider Jake a good strategic player of the game, that's also because he had no intention to 'use' anybody. He just wanted to form bonds with them.

He read to me as someone who craves bonds. Love. In all forms.

He says that his grandmother was the only one who truly understood him. Which implied that the rest of family... might not be the most loving people. Do I think it's an abusive household? No. But rather one that sounds... cold. Distant.

Or maybe they're homophobic. Idk.

I mean, he calls this 'Shawn' guy over his own parents. Even Grett called her parents, and her parents are shit. (Idk who Shawn is, whether that's a friend or a sibling. Someone needs to clarify that for me.)

There's also Jake's anxieties around cemeteries. His grandfather passed away when he was a kid, and he would always go with his family to send flowers. Which surrounded him with death and loss... how god knows how many years. Idk, if forcing a child to be around a place that gives them anxiety all the time doesn't scream a cold and misunderstanding parent, idk what does.

I feel like it was that episode where the signs started to show, that "OH. This boy is NOT a cinnamon roll. He's got issues."

And then as the season went on, he shows a lot more... uh... FLAWS.

Yeah, I know, a flawed character? That's like having the plague.

He has a lot of anxieties about certain things, such as his own fears of death and loss (probably why he decided "It's a perfect time to join a reality show!"), and with people possibly using him.

It's implied that the time between this and the show is narrow. Jake was previously in a toxic relationship that fell apart when his ex, (not named), cheated on him. He couldn't get over it, and they split.

This may also be my angsty brain talking and I'm reading too much into it, but he also says when talking about the subject he "got hurt". And during the Episode 10 'believing the lie' segment, he expresses concern about how EVERYONE sees him as an idiot they can use. They can CONTROL him. They ALL take advantage of him and deceive him for their own gain.

No, it's not S/A, there's no hints of that sort of thing, but that still heavily implies that this previous relationship caused... quite a bit of PTSD from what happened in such.

So... yeah, it drives my point further that Jake is an anxious paranoid bean who just wants to be loved by people. Above all else.

I wasn’t cheated on romantically, so I speak on that front. But in my past I did have a close friendship with someone who was VERY toxic, took advantage of me, and betrayed my trust.

After the physical assault I got from them, I was a lot like Jake, actually. I was super angry at the rest of the world, always venting to strangers, I had way less of a control of my emotions, I believed everyone was out to get me, I was super clingy towards people who did come into my life positively, and I was relishing in the victim role trying to justify my inappropriate behavior to try and regain my power. (Like I said, I’m in a better place now and became a better person)

So, yeah, this story really resonated with me.

He succeeds at forming a bond with Miriam and getting her to open up to everyone, and she even calls him 'the grandchild she never had'. He also forms a bond with Tom, gets a crush on him, and gets him to open up about his intentions, and scars, and not be ashamed of them. They even kiss. How wholesome.

And then it's revealed to Jake that Tom is a spy, and has been lying to Jake this whole time about such...

And he BLOWS UP at Tom's face about it.

Yeah, so Jake may or may not be very impulsive and emotional.

This man DOES NOT think before he speaks. He holds a lot of grudges. He has no problem speaking his mind. And he loves to talk about his own past experiences with others, regardless if they ask, to 'bond' with them to get them to understand him better.

(He just like me fr)

While Tom is part of the blame too, because... he lied. Jake soured their relationship by not hearing him out and continued to lash out.

While Jake was salty in Episode 7, he got a talking down to by Ellie, becoming his friend in the process.

"He only used me to go undercover."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I... Grett said so..."

"Did you hear Tom's side? You should ask him. People are... complex. You can't jump to conclusions."

👏

GLORIOUS. THAT WHOLE THING.

Jake takes this advice, showing he IS capable of calming down and confessing to being wrong, and he properly apologizes to Tom.

Tom doesn’t accept the apology, but it’s the thought that counts.

As impulsive, paranoid, and messy Jake is, it NEVER came across to me as he WANTS to be that way. These are all coping mechanisms to people constantly using him and deceiving him throughout his life that are on autopilot. He thinks emotionally. And said emotions cloud is better judgement.

Oh gee, it's almost like he's a human being.

He’s able to fix things with Tom after they’ve both calmed down, and they both vow to try to be better and communicate whenever something came up…

Well that was short lived, wasn’t it?

Episode 10 was… horrible for Jake. Everything that could’ve gone wrong for him does go wrong.

To put it simply, Ellie, a previously established friend that helped out Jake in the past, decides to take advantage of his trauma of his past issues, igniting his PTSD, and making him betray Tom. And once he snaps out of it, it’s too late. He broke Tom’s trust. He fucked up beyond repair. And Tom denounces their relationship. All while the boy is BEGGING for forgiveness.

It reminds me a lot of TDI Episode 16, which is my LEAST FAVORITE episode in that season. Because Trent was a gullible IDIOT for falling for this obvious trap.

So you expect me to feel the same way about this and turn on Jake like Tom did, right?

Well… I didn’t. I think it was much more believable that Jake would fall for this here.

One, it’s a FRIEND that’s doing the deception, not the mean girl villainess that everyone KNEW was horrible. And Ellie has done nothing bad prior to this. Especially not towards him. So of course Jake would believe her.

Two, there’s ACTUAL CONSEQUENCES for Jake here. Trent got none aside from elimination. Gwen quickly forgave him.

Three, Jake has character context for why he’d act this way. He has trauma of multiple people using him, lying to him, and treating him like a boy toy.

Four, despite Jake regressing, he DOESN’T entirely forget the morals from previous episodes. And he DOES question the lie and DOESN’T completely believe it on a whim.

"I should confront Tom."

SEE?!?!?! WHAT HAVE I BEEN SAYING?!?!?!?!

"But last time, I promised he we had problems, we would talk things through. Something's not right. Tom would never do this to me."

ATTA BOY.

LISTEN TO THE DIALOGUE. Y’ALL ACT LIKE THIS IS NON EXISTENT WHEN ITS RIGHT THERE.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s still regressing. But I don’t consider regression automatically bad writing. Especially if there’s a reason why the regression happens.

Do you expect a couple of sorries and two talk downs to completely undo all of Jakes negative character traits? NO. THAT’S WILD TO ME.

This also adds to me supporting Jake going forward up till his elimination. Oh, he takes this HORRIBLY, I don’t deny that. He did the wrong thing. He should’ve thought with his head, should’ve have cried about it like a wuss, and should’ve chilled out for two seconds instead of bitching to Ellie the entire time. I don’t support what Ellie said to him in that scene at all, but her snapping was understandable.

And besides, I think Jake’s developed EVEN MORE trauma from this experience. And I think he got the worst off out of the entire cast. I don’t think it’s gonna be better for him after the season either, cause his grandma is dead, and when the season airs in universe his parents are gonna see him making out with a spy guy.

My instinct after Jake’s elimination was that, because of this season, he was going to be a much worse person in Season 3. He wasn’t gonna turn evil, per se, but just be a dick to his teammates. Paranoid, short tempered, and trusting absolutely no one. (Except Miriam of course) And he’d be a Pre-Merge boot because everyone got fed up with his bullshit and then I would MAYBE understand why people hate him so much.

BUT there’s a bit in the finale that KINDA gives me hope. Oh he’s still traumatized and is gonna be an asshole going forward. BUT the last scene with him in the season is him and Tom reconciling and agreeing to go separate ways. It’s done so they can “become better people”.

So… MAYBE there’s hope for Jake becoming a better person? One could only hope, right?

I still think he’s a Pre-Merge boot in Season 3, but MAYBE Early Post-Merge boot if he does get a redemption. Seeing Jake acknowledge his faults, find an emotional cool ground, become less gullible, and form some genuine bonds with people would be so satisfying to me. But he’s not gonna be any sort of finalist, I highly doubt that. Gabby I think has a better chance at that than him.

Because despite Jake’s MANY flaws, selfish, emotional, and paranoid behavior, deep down, I could see that he IS a good person who does have redeemable qualities. He’s a very kind and assuring person, like I’ve said. Despite his anxieties, he saw the best in Tom and Miriam and even Ellie before she broke his trust. It’s because of him that Miriam and Tom became a better person/more assuring of himself respectively.

Jake is a FLAWED CHARACTER. But like I said, I gravitate towards those types of characters, and Jake is not only so relatable to me because of those flaws, but he’s such an intriguing character to watch and study. I could say A LOT MORE if this wasn’t a tier list post. So, yeah, that’s why he’s my fav.

Sorry, I know this is minority. I can’t stop y’all from hating him. So instead of fighting about it I’ll just be in my corner giving him hugs.

WILL

C tier along with these other Pre-Merge boots.

Idk what you want me to say. He’s first boot. He was Fiore’s first victim. Reality tv’s stupidest alliance failed him. That’s it.

He is ANXIETY. That’s his only character trait.

Now I love me an anxious character. I am a POMNI STAN. But Will has nothing outside of his fears. Jake has anxieties, but there was so much more to his character than just that. DJ was a coward, but there was so much more to his character than just that. But this guy was just there.

At least he got over most of his fears thanks to his new girlfriend Ashley. Off screen.

I don’t care.

FIORE

Oh boy.

So this is our seasons main antagonist. She’s a DEMON CHILD and that’s revealed to the audience pretty quickly.

She’s an effective villain for sure, and she plays her role well. Her whole scheme is that she uses her age to her advantage to play the ‘sweet little helpless girl’. And it is an effective Pre-Merge strategy.

Even when she gets found out, she STILL has backup plans to save herself from elimination. That’s where Alec and Ellie come in.

Does she gets carried? Yes. But she’s a literal child so I can kinda excuse it.

My first reactions when watching her were “This kid is a PSYCHOPATH”. And that holds up. She bitch slaps a six foot tall grown man, burned people’s stuff in fire, KILLED people in VR, toyed with people’s trauma (as we’ve already said with Ellie), and then ditches their helper in cold blood at the end.

This all stems because of her upbringing where her parents treated her like a monster, and then abandoned her. Screwed up to be sure. But Fiore decided to take her upbringing as “Eh, they’re right. I am a monster. AND I’M GONNA OWN IT.”

Plus, Alec kinda becomes the father figure she never had. And she actually grows to care about him. Something I didn’t expect despite all the clues there were. But because of her refusal to change and be vulnerable, she chooses her own ego over him and she ditched him, leaving her with no one.

She’s also got some funny quips too. The VA was killing it in her role.

She’s a villain, but she’s also a villain with depth. I am NOT one of those people who thinks her age excuses her of all her actions. She may be a kid, but she doesn’t want to be seen as small and weak, so I’m not gonna treat her like that.

I’ll… I don’t LIKE her, but I’m not supposed to cause she’s a villain. So I’ll judge her based off how effective she is as a villain. I’ll put her in between Miriam and Tom.

She played her role well.

And finally, THE HOSTS

C tier. All three of them. I’ll put Trevor a bit above the other two. Idk, cause I liked that little dance bit in Episode 12, that was cute.

I don’t care about them. These guys have NOTHING on Chris McLean.

Chris McLean is just SO ICONIC of a character, and you REMEMBER him so well. These guys are just kinda… there. I don’t remember any of their lines or their interactions all that much. They’re just pretty bland, is all.

They do have the crime subplot where it’s revealed they’ve killed wildlife to make their show. But like I said, I don’t care about that sub plot. It’s very tediously tacked on compared to the actual game. Now don’t get me wrong, I love animals and that’s HORRIBLE, but you gotta make me care if it’s fictional.

I will say though that I am familiar with both the VAs of Trevor and Derek. It’s because of their existence online that I first heard of this show. Trevor especially I could REALLY hear his voice. I’m not saying either did a bad job, I’m just saying I just heard them the entire time.

But yeah… and with Season 2 having a new host, I think sim just gonna forget about them.

And that’s my ranking! Let me know what all your thoughts are!

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Damn, with your track record of unpopular opinions and hot takes, I was sort of hoping you'd be TG. Ah well lol. Have you seen the S2 trailer?

I'm not really anything.

I've certainly made a number of posts supporting Team Liquorice over Team Broccoli (I prefer to use those names as I am uncomfortable calling any faction that House Velaryon associates with "The Blacks.") and I stand by pretty much everything I said in them, but if you want to see some Pro-Broccoli posts, I can make those too. I know it's cliche to call myself "Team Smallfolk" but I really am first and foremost on their side. I've always said that this war did not need to happen and it was within the Highborns' power to stop it, to prevent the common people from having to go through The Dance. All that needed to happen was for someone to concede. That's it. Literally all it would have taken, and to her credit, Rhaenyra considers doing this.

Team Broccoli have it tricky, because the show is framed around Rhaenyra, it centralizes her as the protagonist. It puts Alicent and her faction in the role of antagonists of Rhaenyra's story. Additionally...it' would be difficult to identify as a Green, because right out of the gate, you'd have to defend yourself and clarify that of course you're NOT a misogynist. The Broccoli faction is heavily associated with misogyny as they are trying to prevent a woman from taking the throne. Naturally, this doesn't mean that people who support Aegon over Rhaenyra are sexist - and if you're one of the people saying that...um, stop it. They are fictional characters in a fictional war. We really shouldn't be taking it that seriously, and it's disingenuous to act like misogyny is the only reason a fan might choose Aegon. Even the Hightowers don't really care that Rhaenyra is a woman. That's the basis they're using to seize the throne, but that's nothing more than a means to an end. If Rhaenyra were a man, they'd still want to seat Aegon, they'd just have to think of something else to justify it.

I have seen the trailers, and I love just about everything about them. I especially love how they gave us one for each team, that is genius. The only thing I don't love is how we're already getting a reduced count of episodes, from ten to eight. Particularly since this show is apparently only going to be four seasons or so, this hurts. Like, did you guys learn nothing from the last two seasons of Game of Thrones? All the negative reception they got for how rushed they felt? Even if they wanted to say, push certain battles back to Season 3 for the sake of budget, they could have stretched things out a little more, given the episodes, characters, and plots time to breathe. I don't know, it also just depends on how much content is available to be adapted.

Hey, here's a nice thing I can say about Team Broccoli. Your trailer slaps. Team Liquorice's trailer is just kind of average. Then again, the main reason the green trailer is better is because of the Aegon content. He's everywhere in this trailer and he is killing it, so I really hope this is a sign that they'll make him more important. Also, he now has the funniest line in the entire show so far. "To war then!" Like. Oh god. You absolute idiot, you slay me. Meanwhile, Rhaenyra's trailer is...fine. There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just glad they fixed Jace's hair. (And ruined Criston's, it's a tradeoff.) I love everything to do with Alicent and Rhaenys in these trailers, they really are setting up to be the voices of reason. How bout that scene of Alicent in the dress she wore back in episode one? I'm thinking dream sequence, because why would she still have that dress after all this time? There's also poor Helaena with a knife to her throat. That kills me, because I've read the books and I know what scene that is...

[aluveras]

Not too much fun!

Peter parker x Female reader

A/n: I wanna clarify that all my female reader fics and male reader (if i make them) are trans friendly since i see =trans people as the gender they identify as, if its not trans friendly (use of genitilia for example but you can just imagine you had ur surgery) i'll say it in the fic.

Warnings: suggestive content, fluff, may being a character i enjoy way too much.

Word count: 1.2k

____________________

‘’Can you be any more obsessed bro?’’

Pete whips his head over to Ned. He could barely hear him over the crowd of people in the cafeteria.

‘’What? I’m not obsessed what are you talking about?’’

‘’Hey, it’s fine I get it. She’s absolutely gorgeous.’’

‘’Tell me something new’’ Peter answers dreamily while his chin rests on his hand.

‘’You guys are weirdos.’’ MJ says out of nowhere

‘’Yeah, well you sit with weirdos.’’ Peter says back immediately.

It was silent for a few seconds.

‘’That sounded a lot less pathetic when I thought of it...’’

‘’Yeah that’s with most of what you say I think.’’ Ned answers

‘’Ned come on dude, you’re supposed to be on my side.’’

Too focused on the conversation Peter all of a sudden felt his peter ting-  Spider sense, sensing in a very weird way.

‘’Hey Peter.’’

There you were. The most beautiful, drop dead gorgeous, jaw dropping girl he had ever seen.

Ned shoved him to say something.

‘’H-hey Y-Y/n’’ You giggle at his stutter and he swears he is ascending into heaven hearing that sound.

‘’I was wondering if you could help me with the decathlon practice,  I don’t really know anyone on the team and you seem nice. And I’ve seen you in class you’re in incredibly smart. So could you help me?’’

This is a dream. It has to be, he thinks.

‘’If you don’t want to you can say so, it’s okay. ‘’ you say because of his silence.  A hint of disappointment in your voice

‘’No! I would love to!’’ Peter squeaked, immediately cringing at how he said it.

Ned and even MJ can’t help but chuckle a little, neither can you.

‘’Okay great! At your place after school today?’’

‘’Yeah, I’ll walk with you to my place if you don’t mind?’’

‘’That would be great! Thank you.’’

You walk away with a big smile and so does peter as he watches you until you’re out of frame.

- after school –

You walk up to Peter at the entrance of the school.

He feels you coming and turns around quickly, his cheeks already starting to blush                                                    at seeing how beautiful you look.

‘’Hey Pete! Ready to go?’’ if he wasn’t blushing already he sure as hell was now that you used a nickname for him.

‘’Yeah just follow me!’’

-After walking for a bit you arrived at his apartment-

As he allowed you to step in you immediately saw and smelled a cloud of smoke and a middle aged woman cooking…or at least trying to. As she turned around you made eye contact and her face immediately lit up.

‘’Peter! Who is this beautiful young lady?!’’

‘’May, this is Y/n, Y/n this is my aunt May.’’ He said happily finally getting to introduce you to his aunt who he has been ranting about you to.

‘’Hello miss Parker, it’s nice to meet you!’’

‘’It’s May to you sweetie and it is lovely meeting you! I’ve been waiting for this ever since peter couldn’t stop talking about you.’’

‘’She’s joking!’’ Peter says quickly

‘’I don’t talk about you at all! Well that’s not true, I don’t never mention you or pretend you don’t exist or something I just-‘’

Peter was cut off by your laugh, he wish he could have that his alarm in the morning. That would make him wake up and make sure he hears it again. (he means the waking up part in a good way)

‘’It’s okay Peter, if it makes you feel better I talk a lot about you too’’ You smirk.

Peter starts blushing like crazy as he clears his throat and says,

‘’So we’re gonna go study together in my room, if that’s okay?’’

‘’Yes of course, have fun…’’

You and Peter walk to his room and just before he closes his door you hear May say,

‘’But not too much fun!’’

‘’May! Really?!’’ Peter whines

‘’Sorry, I had to!’’

As you sit by Peters bed and he sits next to you, you finally start to realize what you’re gonna do.

You’ve been having this crush on Peter for a while now, you kept seeing him stare and somewhere along the way when he wasn’t staring at you, you would stare at him.                                                             You waited for him to do something but he just never did, just kept staring and never doing anything.

So one day when you had enough of the waiting you decided to form a plan.                                               You didn’t even need help for school, it was just a perfect plan to hang out with Peter and tell him how you feel. Though when you sat there, you couldn’t even think about actually doing it.

There were times while working you two looked into each other eyes and didn’t even say anything, it would feel like the time stopped and all that there was Peter and this feeling. This feeling. A feeling that is hard to describe but so pleasing.

A warmth in your chest, a smile that you can’t hide because it’s just so strong. Your heart going faster than ever and your hands shaking like crazy. Your brain could barely focus on anything other than his eyes.

‘’Y/n?’’ Peter says softly.

‘’Hm?’’ you hum also softly.

Then Peters body works faster than his brain and he just leans in. And you meet him halfway.

As your lips softly meet, the feeling is stronger than it’s ever been. As you depart you are both blushing insanely.

‘’Thank you.’’ Peter says

‘’Thank you?’’ You giggle

‘’For letting me kiss you! And not getting mad that I didn’t ask before.’’

‘’Peter, I wanted to kiss you and you gave me enough time to pull away, don’t worry.’’

‘’Really?!’’

You start to full on laugh now.

‘’Hey! Don’t laugh I was really nervous.’’

‘’I know, so was i!’’

‘’What! Why? I’m just Peter, a lonely nerd.’’

‘’You’re not lonely! You have Ned and MJ plus I like that your nerdy, I want a hot nerdy boyfriend!’’

You immediately regretted saying that.

‘’Not that I expected you to now immediately be my boyfriend! If you don’t want that then that’s fine.’’ You just wanted to disappear. (Like peter did in infinity way)

‘’I would actually…love to be your boyfriend…’’ Peter says softly

‘’Well then…’’ there was a silence which you expected to be awkward, but you just stared into each other eyes comfortably.

‘’Can I-‘’ He clears his throat before speaking again. ‘’Maybe kiss you again?’’

You giggle.

‘’We’re together now Pete, you don’t have to ask.’’ You laugh

And by that Peter (surprisingly easy to you) lifts you up a bit and makes sure you straddle him comfortably.

‘’Wow, who knew Peter had such mo-‘’ and before you could finish your lips were in a heated make out sesh with peters.

Just as he slips in his tongue into your mouth and he leaves a long groan, the door swings open.

And there stands a shocked and happy May.

‘’You got the girl!..’’ and quickly after that she says ‘’but I meant the not too much fun part not until your further into the relationship!’’

You laugh as Peter whines again ‘’May!’’

_______________________________

[autumnwoodsdreamer]

Write a Different Chapter for Us

Chapter Three: The Good Doctor

Summary: Tony and Natasha give Bruce a call, seeking his help

Words: 1538

Rating: Teen

Characters: Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner

Relationships: Tony Stark/Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark & Natasha Romanov & Bruce Banner

Tags: established relationship, family, team as family, pregnancy, conversations

Bruce Banner, not yet awake, answered the call on reflex alone.

Lying flat on his stomach, his head half turned and submerged in a too-soft pillow, he awkwardly bent his arm to hold the phone to his ear. He groaned something unintelligible and nearly drifted off again in the time it took for his caller to respond.

“Hey, Banner? Where are you?” A chirpy voice greeted him.

“Tony?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Hi.”

“Whuzthuhtime?” the doctor slurred.

“Uh... I don’t know what the time is by you. Probably something ungodly. Sorry.”

“Whuzthuhproblum?”

“The problem? Well, it’s, uh... it’s complicated.”

Despite the dense fog of disturbed sleep hanging over him, Bruce did not miss the apprehension in his friend’s voice. He willed himself to wake up further. “When is it not?” he asked, rhetorically but at least somewhat more coherently.

Tony laughed. Nervously. “Oh, trust me: this one’s a doozy.”

Why me? Bruce thought but didn’t verbalize. Not yet willing to sit up and relinquish all hope of returning to sleep, he slid his other arm under his chest to switch the hand holding the phone and extended the other towards the nightstand to switch on the lamp. Gradually, the light brightened but remained a pleasant, unobtrusive glow—bless the soul that invented smart lamps.

“Where are you?” Tony asked again.

“The compound. In New York. And I was enjoying two weeks without you.”

“Sounding a bit grouchy there, Brucie. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, did we?”

Bruce huffed out a heavy sigh at his friend’s singsong tone. “I’m still in bed, I want to stay in bed, and you’re being a pest.”

“I love you.”

“That’s debatable.” He rolled onto his back, cinching the covers around his legs, burrito-style, in so-doing. Consciously, he quelled his irritation—Tony enjoyed acting like an over-caffeinated puppy but never bothered anyone unnecessarily. “Why did you call? What’s wrong? Is it—?”

“I’m fine.”

“Which is usually the very thing you say when you’re absolutely not,” Bruce pointed out with tangible exasperation.

“I’m fine,” Tony repeated, calmly and earnestly. “Listen, there’s something else very urgent I need your help with, but I first need you to promise.”

“Promise what?”

“Just say you promise.”

“Tony...”

“Okay, okay; I need you to promise you’ll keep it quiet.”

Bruce gave up on sleep entirely then and sat upright, a frown carving deep lines in his brow. “As your doctor, I am, to a degree, obligated to keep certain matters private,” he explained, seriously. “But if you’re in some kind of trouble or—”

“No, no; it’s not like that,” Tony quickly assured. “Maybe a bit. Not... well, nothing illegal.”

“Whatever it is, it’s getting you worked up. Just tell me,” the older man practically implored. “You have my word I won’t do anything... indiscreet. I would never do anything that could hurt you—you know that.”

A beat of silence from the other end of the faceless exchange followed. Bruce held his breath and strained to listen in as he heard mumbling and material ruffling like his friend had just slipped the phone down and pressed the speaker against his shirt in an attempt to mute a conversation between him and someone else in the room.

Tony held the phone up in time for Bruce to hear him breathe in deeply. “It’s Natasha,” he finally, reluctantly said, not really clarifying anything.

“What about her?” Bruce prompted, inwardly thinking: I’m a doctor, not a dentist—why do you always make me pull your teeth? “Is she in trouble? Is she hurt? Is she missing?”

“No, she’s fine. Okay, not really fine. Well, not not fine. You see, she’s, uh... actually, she’s—”

“Spit it out or I go back to sleep.”

Tony exhaled. “She’s kinda... pregnant.”

“Kinda?”

“She is.”

“What?”

“Pregnant.”

“Yes, I got that bit. Thank you.” Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, hard. His mouth was dry and his head hurt—typical side-effects of waking up for him, but as he grew agitated, they asserted themselves. He let out a controlled breath and let his hand slip off his face. “Natasha’s pregnant. Okay. That... that should be impossible. Her physiology... it was tampered with so much, she shouldn’t even be able to conceive. Beyond that, her immune system shouldn’t let the pregnancy get far enough for hormones to cause symptoms.”

“We know all that,” Tony said, quietly.

“Is she there?”

“Yeah. You’re on speakerphone, by the way.”

“Hi, Nat.”

“Hi, Doc,” came Natasha’s voice sounding unusually small and tired. “Sorry to wake you.”

“It’s no problem,” Bruce assured, his gentleness restoring.

“Is this too much for you, Banner?” Tony asked, genuinely concerned.

“No, I’m processing it just fine.”

“No chance you’ll Hulk-out?”

“You made a bet before you called me, didn’t you?”

“No!”

“Yes,” Natasha supplied.

“Thought so.” Two days worth of stubble scratched his palm as he scrubbed a hand down his face. “You’re still with the Bartons, right?”

“Yeah; we arrived yesterday.”

“But we can be in New York by this afternoon.”

“Hold your horses, Tony, let’s just go back a step here. How am I supposed to help you if I don’t really know what’s going on? Natasha, I’m assuming you took a test, right?”

“A few, actually.”

“Consistently positive?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, we’re getting somewhere.” As if wrestling off a vicious anaconda, Bruce kicked the tangled sheets off his legs. Once free, he pushed himself to the edge of the bed, planted his bare feet in the soft carpet and reached for his glasses to restore his short-range sight. He got up, crossed the room in a drunken-like stumble and plonked himself down at his desk. “Please explain as much as you know about what’s going on,” he instructed as he turned on the desktop lamp and located a notepad.

Natasha methodically relayed all she knew of her situation (i.e. how far along she suspected she was, the extent of her morning sickness, when she took a test, absolutely anything and everything she could tell was out of the ordinary, etc...). Bruce speedily wrote all the points down, absently making noises of acknowledgement as he kept pace.

“So?” Natasha prompted after she had divulged all she possibly could.

Bruce’s heart clenched at the worry tainting her voice. “Well, you’re definitely pregnant,” he said, calmly. Tapping the lid of the pen on the page, he swiftly reread the notes to himself. “At least seven or eight weeks along. It all sounds like it’s going well, but...” He put the pen down and pushed his glasses up out the way to rub his eyes—this was a lot to wake up to.

“But?” Tony prompted.

“You have to understand it’s still a very vulnerable stage. Through absolutely no fault of the mother, a normal pregnancy may not even reach the second trimester. It just... happens.”

A silence followed and, even all these miles apart, he swore he could feel their blood running cold.

“Aren’t there precautions we can take?” Tony asked, his voice tight.

“Mostly just careful diet and avoiding stress. I can email you some information. Listen, I know you two are pretty unsettled, but please try to stay calm and rest; it’s the best thing you can do for the baby right now. From what I’ve learnt of Natasha’s biology, it prioritizes healing. So if she stays healthy and doesn’t sustain any major injuries, her body will just focus on protecting the baby like any woman’s body naturally would. When you come home, I can run some tests, do a scan, and see where we are. In the meantime, I’ll do research and devise a proper care plan. Of course, if anything happens or you’re just worried about something, call. I can reach you within an hour.”

Even though they were states away from each other, the doctor could feel the weight lifting off his dear friends’ weary shoulders. Tony confirmed the notion with his heartfelt, “Thank you.” which Natasha echoed with equal sincerity.

The issue settled as much as it presently could be, an idle chat followed, their conversation calmly and naturally drifting between subjects of a lighter, more domestic nature. Bruce always enjoyed hearing about the Barton kids’ antics.

The unexpected call wound down on pleasant terms and they said their goodbyes, agreeing to meet together after their vacation.

Bruce, having lost all desire and ability to return to sleep, washed and dressed instead, then made his way to the medical bay which, during quiet times like now, doubled as his research lab. Promptly, he drafted the promised email, sent it off with a few helpful links, then set about gathering all his notes on Natasha’s biology and reviewing what he knew on the whole subject.

Halfway through the morning and halfway through an article about high-risk pregnancies, Bruce paused. A thought occurred to him, distracting and disturbing him. His concentration derailed and he slumped back in his chair, his gaze fixing on empty space as his eyes widened and his jaw slackened.

Stark and Romanov.

The world’s most eccentric genius and the world’s most dangerous spy were going to have a child...

Bruce raked an unsteady hand through his quickly greying hair.

Oh, have mercy on us...

. . . . .

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[all-pacas]

I should clarify my previous ask, a world in which only cameron works for house but chase doesn't, would they date? Because we both know if they start dating AND are the only members of houses team, he'd fire them both.

a) I'm not actually sure House would fire them. He makes a big deal about Foreman and 13, and Foreman himself brings up this point:

FOREMAN: You were fine with Chase and Cameron dating. You obviously don't actually have an issue — HOUSE: You're fired. FOREMAN: How long are you gonna keep this up? We know you're not — HOUSE: Wrong. Again. In fact, in the last few weeks, it's hard to remember a correct call you made. If Chase had compromised his professional judgment to help Cameron, I’d have fired his ass, too.

Now, Cameron and Chase did have unprofessional sex all over the hospital while not-dating, but it's also the middle of Chase's S3 hot streak and he manages to solve a case by himself during this period, so by House's standards, no problem. He had more of an issue with them when they were bickering after 'breaking up' in Act Your Age, but actually Cameron and Chase got it together pretty quickly, so again, didn't approach the firing threshold. Hell, even in S6, House says (or at least pretends) he wants to hire them both after Dibala. Maybe he's a shipper!

But I do think it means that House is being sincere with Foreman here. He does not give a shit who is sleeping with who if it doesn't interfere with work or standards. So Chase and Cameron could date in an AU where it was just them on the team. I don't think they would, because Cameron would lose her impetus to act on her feelings. But they could!

b) They might date in a world where Cameron stays and Chase is fired, though. It was Chase leaving that triggered Cameron to pursue him, after all — they have their kiss before she resigns, I think it was the idea that she genuinely might not see him again that pushed her to act. And especially once Chase moves to the OR, there's absolutely no reason Cameron should have to make a choice between Diagnostics and Chase; Chase himself isn't actually bitter or angry over his firing, even if he uses his summer vacation to grow House Boundaries, and in S6 he mentions (without bitterness) that Cameron always liked diagnostics more than he did.

Whether the relationship would last, though… Chase has always felt pretty insecure about House in terms of their relationship. Part of it is his own issues, but Cameron really doesn't help at times. I mean, it's basically confirmed a big part of their FWB relationship was an attempt to provoke House into jealousy. While I don't think it's as simple as "Cameron was just using Chase to make House jealous," wanting House to care was a factor, House's opinion has always really mattered to Cameron. She might not be 'in love' with him, but he's someone she sees through the lens of romance if that makes sense: he's a potential romance, not just boss or colleague, and she kind of acts like the possibility always exists, even if it's unlikely. So she gets way too flustered when accidentally saying she loves him, because she's thinking it could be misconstrued (where if someone like 13 said the same thing, it wouldn't feel ambiguous to her). As late as the episode where Chase and Cameron get engaged, Chase has "is she dumping me for House" in the back of his mind — he doesn't seem to take the possibility that seriously (he's more upset about the ghosting), but it still exists. So in a world where Cameron is spending every day working with House, gushing on her lunch breaks to Chase about their current cases, I think the insecurity would get way stronger, and probably lead to the relationship falling apart pretty abruptly, even if/though nothing is actually happening with House.

[starscelly]

looked through your tag onthe flying stars au 👀 as someone who does music ive been spinning your au in my head so if youll indulge me thinking!

roope playing guitar passably omg, im imagining him having to constantly look down at his hands as he plays to make sure theyre at the right position buuuuut if its between playing right or playing with feeling...

robo with experience in a family band has me thinking that hes the most familiar with managing sound tech and gets saddled with figuring the works every gig starting out

miro and his old ass strings REPRESENT!!! i have not restrung my guitar in years and im too lazy to start now

imagining them absolutely plagued with planning around four different peoples schedules for practice, on top of finding time and space for being a loud ass band (sure you can turn the volume down, put in headphones for guitars and bass... even if not for a group practice but otter? oh buddy) someone get them a garage to thrash around in! in the summer! minor heat exhaustion is the greatest team building exercise

its a really fun au and i really like thinking about it :) and a question for you! where did the name and branding for flying stars come from? both in universe and coming up with it yourself, i think its really cute 💚

FLYING STARS MY BELOVED omg im glad u like it and find all the little details and bits relatable and/or silly ahhhh !!!!! now that its nearing No Hockey Season ive been tossing this au around in my brain again as well and def wanna tweak/better clarify some Lore and get shit more Organized so !!! appreciate this for the vibe very much rn <3 <3

re: the name! so for myself i actually. could not remember. why i chose that name rlly but i did find some messages from when i picked it so here's just. that thought process i guess LOL

here were also some Ideas for names i was deciding between that i found in an old note. for shits and gigs

(stars and stripes but stars is in - probably incorrectly translated - finnish because. well because . well of course because.)

i just knew i wanted to use stars for Visual Purposes and also. the real life reference. and flying felt the most appropriate because theyre! theyre flying round stage!! theyre a punk band theyre goin crazy up there man!!

as for in universe oooo . i honestly dont think it'd be so insanely off base from my own thinking? i do think the shared location + history in hockey being There would make them pick stars, if not just for the Texas Being Where They Come Together making them lean towards stars for the lone star state of it all. i think there is probably a moment of like. half of them being like "okay so we're the stars. that's fine. that's good" and the other half being like Dude Do You Know How Many Bands Are Probably Called The Stars. We Need to Add Something. so they cycle through a few possibilities over time before playing their first few shows as just a band from dallas(ish) and then they see how roope and robo get and are like ohhhhhh. smashing stars. crashing stars. flying stars. FLYING STARS IS GOOOD. (and roope goes omg flying stars. like in astrology ^.^ . and this is also how they find out hes an astrology bitch)

[fff777]

reaction part 1 to 7llin' with dream episode 2

I thought this was supposed to come out yesterday according to the schedule but whatever

Oh this is a long one, it's half an hour long

I know Chenle likes wearing sunglasses a lot but him wearing sunglasses indoors ^^;; Mark's like "whatever you say dude"

Mark and Chenle: *Deadass arguing about whether Chenle wore sunglasses at rehearsal* Jeno: Let's focus, guys.

Chenle basically does the grocery shopping by himself

Meanwhile, Haechan, Renjun, Jaemin, and Jisung are just eating ramyeon and taking cute pictures

I forgot to mention this last time, but Jisung's bright orange hair reminded me of Chenle's bright orange hair during Boom. I think it's the same shade.

Throwback Thursday indeed

Pretending they were in a music video when the sunlight hit in a very aesthetically pleasing way

Renjun's hair had red streaks but I could only tell in certain lighting

The 'at home' group was discussing how the grocery group was doing and whether they'd need to call them to help and they were already coming to the conclusion that it'd be fine because Chenle was there and he'd know when it was necessary to call them.

Chenle looking for cooking wine cutely and thanking the camera person cutely when they point it out for him

Jeno was complaining about the guys being loud and noisy and embarrassing before and now Mark's just straight up yelling across the supermarket

Sensory overload for Jeno who's in the middle of Mark and Chenle's conversation

I always get creeped out by how many crew are filming them and this is no different ^^;;

Dancing in the middle of their discussion about food

YES JAEMREN GIRLIES WE ARE BAQ!!!

Mark: The Dreamies are scary

Red ginseng makgeolli sounds like something for dads ToT

Chenle is so excited at the thought of feeding the Dreamies red ginseng makgeolli...it's probably really bitter lol.

This makes me respect him as a chef lol. You need veggies!!!!

Jeno: We need spam Mark: Spam, where are you Yes Mark, I'm sure spam will grow a set of wheels and roll right over to you

As a person who only cooks on occasion, I relate to this so deeply lol

The at home crew now discussing what it would mean if someone said "this made me think of you" and sent you a picture of the moon.

Chenle: I don't want to buy this for Jisung since he asked me for it You absolute brat. They were looking for the ramyeon that Jisung wanted.

Jeno: It's not good to try things As spoken by a true homebody

Back to the moon conversation lol

Haechan said he'd just be confused by the moon picture and ask for an explanation

Jaemin said he wouldn't look at the text, but they clarified that in this situation, it was from someone he loved, and he did a 180 and said he'd call them and talk for 3 hours X'D 對人不對事

Renjun is the only valid man. OF COURSE THE MOON IS ROMANTIC!!!

Ok new situation presented by Haechan: What if someone you loved was involved in a very minor traffic accident? What would you say? Jisung: Was it your fault? Renjun: Are you okay? Jaemin: (1) Are you okay? (2) Do you know the insurance company's phone number? Jaemin once again showing he is the most practical adult ever lol.

Grocery store team still deciding on whether to buy the massive green onion

Apparently green onion parks are a thing??? What?? I want to go???? Are you allowed to chop your green onions from there??

Interesting that there's a small clothing section at the entrance/exit of the supermarket lol

Bickering about carrying groceries in bags vs. boxes all the way out the door

Mark was literally shook by how nice the sky looked when they left the supermarket lol

There she is <3

It's so cold that you can see Jisung's breath as he speaks

I think the subtitles at this point are starting to be a little bit off (in terms of timing) and so it's a bit hard to focus ^^;;

Jaemin just started the campfire and then dipped to let Jisung have a dramatic soliloquy lol.

Jisung: Jaemin didn't take off his gloves so he's coming back

Renjun looking down at him lol

Jaemin was just standing inside warming up but of course still keeping an eye on Jisung. And he couldn't help but open the door when he watched Jisung doing something wrong lol. This is such mom energy XD

Oh, it's something to make the fire change colour

It amuses me that you can see both Renjun and Jaemin watching Jisung as he struggles alone XD Mom energy all around

On his way to being a lumberjack. He doesn't wear flannel all the time for no reason.

Jisung tripping over the supplies on the ground instantly negating any hope of us thinking he was a manly lumberjack and not a clumsy baby.

Jaemin finally returns

Jaemin hyping up Jisung to add wood to the fire

Meanwhile Jaemin threw it in super fast and just walked back in with his hand in his pocket lmao.

Jaemin going back in to cook ramyeon. Didn't they just eat?

[wikiangela]

may I rant about Jeid? I'm happy we have more Will in CME because it almost makes me forget how they ruined the JJ & Reid friendship. If this was any other show I'd be side eyeing them more for that and having Reid be the godparent. These writers rly need to leave my team dynamics alone

of course! I welcome all the rants, especially if I agree hahah (seriously, you can rant in my inbox - or even dms - all you want haha)

I actually made some posts about this a couple days ago too, when I was finishing s14 haha but here's my (another😂) rant:

I love Will so fucking much (like, we saw him like once or twice a season since s2, how is it possible that I love him this much haha, he's just the best) and he and JJ are so adorable, and I'm so mad that they tried to screw with that - and like, yeah, she said that she loves Will and the boys too, but.... idk, it's just so weird and kinda undermining their relationship, basically implying that she's always wondered what if or was pining for Reid or smth (that's how it came across, at least, and I refuse to acknowledge it as part of the show, it just simply didn't happen 😂)

and like, JJ and Reid literally had one of the best and cutest friendships, they were besties, and he's Henry's godfather ffs

and suddenly JJ's "always loved him"??? like, if she clarified later that she meant that she loved him like a friend/brother but had to make it sound like that in the moment so the guy who was about to kill her was satisfied, then okay, I'd be fine with what she said

but they fucking doubled down on it! and their dynamic at the beginning of s15 was so awkward and I hated it sm (also, Reid subconsciously "waiting for her"? talking to his mom about what what JJ said means? like, wtf did he think was gonna happen)

not to mention, there was literally one episode in s1 when he wanted to ask her out and then they never mentioned it again until s14 - and suddenly they jump in with this bullshit? no thank you lol

it just seemed kinda forced, like they needed to add drama, it didn't even make much sense

in this show, platonic relationships are what matters, they need to stop playing with all those dynamics that work so well fr

also, JJ is literally my absolute fave character, can they leave her the fuck alone and let her be happy with Will pls 😂 (I'm so happy we're getting so much of them now, I love them)

[the-ace-with-spades]

This is a personal rant just so I can get it out of me before I talk to my manager so feel free to ignore if I do post it

Working in healthcare and being a trans guy that doesn't completely pass sucks. And not because of the patients, the patients are sweethearts about it 9 out of 10 times -- I had a 100 yo lady who asked me if I'm a boy or a girl more politely than most of my co-workers and then who tried to respect it harder than most of them too, and a gent that was absolutely the rudest 60 yo guy ever but still asked me what my pronouns were so he could cuss me out using correct insults.

My real name is stereotypically masc. I didn't really pass at all when I started working where I work but now I pass about 60% and then the number keeps on going up because what always throws people off is either my hips or my voice --- which, both are changing now. Before I told everyone to go by a gender neutral nickname to not confuse patients or their family and let them think what they want (because I don't care what they think my gender is, I care about helping them to the best of my ability and arguing with them is not going to help anyone) -- which was talked about with my very supportive manager when I started working where I work -- everyone knew me only by my full masc name for like a month.

I don't like to assume malice from people so if someone kept on misgendering me despite that, I'd first assume they misheard my name and took away two letters from it and shuffled one (as unlikely as it was) or that they thought my parents were doing the new age thing and named their 'daughter' with a masc name because they could. So I take the person who misgenders me to the side and clarify 'hey, I'm transgender, so a guy who uses he/him, please try to use the correct pronouns. It's okay if patients misgender me, just go with the flow, but try to not misgender me first if you can help it. Thank you'. Always add that if they have questions, just ask me, I'll be your transgender encyclopedia because I don't mind educating people on the basics.

Currently, out of team of 70, I get gendered correctly by maybe 10 despite everyone knowing. One lady is absolutely brilliant about it and no wonder because she has a enby kid herself. There's a gay guy who likes to ask millions of questions and some of them are TMI but he always takes a 'I'm not replying to that' as a solid answer and apologizes for overstepping -- he even now understands the concept of deadnames and dysphoria and how HRT is helping. There's another guy who was thrown aback a bit but went along with everything fine after like two more explanations because it was new to him. There are some coworkers who will use the wrong pronouns and correct themselves and it isn't ideal but those are mostly people who don't have English as their first language and misgender everyone because their first language isn't gendered, patients and other co-workers included. Senior personnel are mostly okay, too, with the exception of one guy - aside from him, all band 6s and band 7s use proper pronouns and nouns when talking about me.

But our team's LGBT champion, another gay guy who has worked in healthcare for over 10 years, decided to tell me a story about Jamie, who worked with the team for a short while and was also a trans guy and he decided to tell me about him by saying, "His name used to be deadname tho and he was a she for a chunk of time he worked with us." The LGBT champion, the liaison who is supposed to be the hearing ear, the whistleblower for homophobia and transphobia on our team. Then he proceeded to talk about Jamie using he and she interchangeably. The LGBT champion.

I don't like to assume malice from people so I explained, once again, that calling someone by their past name they no longer use, telling it to someone who is virtually a stranger, is a no-no, like to a child. Then I got asked if I'm planning to do The Surgery. And what the fuck that means? There's so many different surgeries you can have as transmasc and even the bottom surgery isn't even a surgery -- it's more like 5 surgeries stacked on itself. So I explained again. And then a few days later you know what I heard when he talked to a pt's doctor mentioning me? 'She saw the xxx not me." I feel like a broken record.

And you know what happened? We got a transgender lady as our patient. Transitioned in her thirties, passing a bit better than me -- I was able to tell but most people probably wouldn't. She was getting gendered correctly until someone looked at her records where she admitted she is transgender for the sake of transparency --- our records have trans women as male but identifying female, which to me just sounds awful too but apparently was chosen by a group of LGBT champions from our region's trusts. And then boom, everyone changed their fucking tale -- he needs a different catheter, he is on bed rest, you don't have to bring him a bedpan, he can use bottles, etc. The poor woman was not only in distress because of her health but close to crying when the personnel that was supposed to be helping her, kept on misgendering her in front of other people. When I tried to calm her down, she said she hadn't felt so humiliated in years and that she wishes she never sought out help. I could only apologise to her and tell her I'm trans too and I'm sorry this is happening when she should only be focusing on her health.

By the time she was leaving our care, she told me I and one of the mentioned supportive guys are the only reason she's not making a formal complaint. I told her to make a formal complaint. I told her to mention me in it and I'll confirm it all.

The majority of those people worked in healthcare for over 10+ years. The majority of them have healthcare-related degrees that took 2-4 years to get.

I'm fed up with it. Doctors have training about transgender people in med school now and you can see that with the juniors and the younger ones. But the rest of the personnel just don't care or don't think it's real or whatever else. There's this kind of numbness in those healthcare professions, which are supposed to be caring, toward treating transgender people with respect and it seems like it's pushed away to the sidelines because transgender patients are so rare.

And the worst thing is, I don't know what can be done about it. If they don't care to educate themselves when they've got a living, breathing examples working with them, explaining stuff and willing to answer question, proving that trans people are real people with lives and stories and families, then how do you make them care?

[modularnra40]

I give interviews sometimes, and I want to clarify something -- because the above graphic is absolutely a great little primer in interview questions/good kinds of answers, but I feel like it... Sort of makes it sound like these questions are cruel tricks a (presumably nt) interviewer plays on the interviewee... Which, is probably sometimes the case :p BUT not always, and it's probably not super helpful to think of them that way.

I consider interviewing kind of like DMing.... My job is to help the candidate present themselves as good as possible - for the technical question section of an interview that is pretty self explanatory; I've got some list of technical skills I want to see them demonstrate and some sort of puzzle that should let them do that. (Which is why talking out loud 100% of the time you are working on an interview problem is so important -- it gives the interviewer the maximum possible opportunity to see you at least gesture towards one of the skills they're looking for) ((also dont be afraid to explicitly ask what skills your interviewer is focusing on -- don't spend a bunch of time on fiddly technical details if they want to see broad design work, or vice versa))

BUT the 'soft' portion of the interview is also really important! Arguably more important. Technical skills are pretty much pass/fail, you either have the minimum required skills or you don't... But the personal questions is what let's your interviewer make judgements about things like -'is this person going to join our team for a month just to get a foot in the door, and then jump ship leaving us with a hole to fill (again)?' or 'is this person going to absolutely fall apart the first time they have to interact with a customer/a rookie/an asshole old guard type guy?'

All of those vague 'tell me about yourself'/'what drew you to the position' type questions where the correct answer is to say something from the job description/company website isn't (just) interviewers selecting for kiss-ups/reading comprehension--- these questions are where you let the interviewer know that you have some sort of personal interest in the job - people who hate their job and are bored by it do badly, and then quit.... Which is not good for anybody! (If you personally are fine with hating/being bored by your job that is absolutely fine... But keep it in the dl from your employer because that isn't true for most people ... Performing at least mild interest in your work signals to people that you are putting in the effort to do a good job, if you come across like you don't care.... People will assume you don't care enough to do it well)

This is why it is so, so important to ask some sort of question - if not about the specific role, then 'what does your standard day look like' is a great option - it signals to the interviewer that you are actually seriously interested in the position, and not just 'shopping around'... The more specific and genuine your questions the better this works - if you start with the generic question about their day, make sure to engage with them and ask follow ups - respond positively to the things that you like, etc (ie "well we have a daily meeting at 9 and then spend all day doing bluh", "oh that's great, I love having a daily check-in, makes it much easier to stay on track.... How long do your daily meetings tend to go? How many people attend?")

And all of the anecdote type stories are about giving you an opportunity to 'demonstrate' some sort of necessary soft skills -- ie compromising with assholes, or planning things ahead of time, or splitting up work between multiple people ... Again this is one where you can definitely ask if they are looking for any specific types of scenarios - tho they might be looking more for what kinds of things *you* consider significant. I always prepare at least 2 anecdotes before interviewing -- a 'time things went well' story and a 'time things went poorly' story; but be prepared to switch it up on the fly, if they ask for an example of a specific thing (ie focusing on the customer, or appreciating diversity, etc) then actually focus on that topic dont just tell a story that makes you look good thats maybe tangentially related -- the story can be about a time when you failed or did poorly so long as you frame it as a lesson learned (and maybe conclude with a very short 'and then a few weeks later I had a situation where that skill came up again and I didn't fuck it up that time's)

Also make sure to throw in concrete details to your anecdote -- most people sound like they're bullshitting during interviews at least a little bit, so you don't really need to worry too much about that - but concrete details are what separate the 'sounds like they're stretching things a bit because it's an interview and that's what you do, and at least they demonstrate an understanding of what we want to see' from the 'hmm this person is just straight up lying'

[erodasfishtacos]

~ MLB Curious Gazes ~

prompt: four different situations where people have run into or hung out with MLB!H - told from their perspective.

word: 6k +

warnings: language, mentions of sexual content

If you enjoyed this please - reblog, like, recommend, comment, and inbox me to chat about it!

please consider donating to my kofi - my work is FREE and it is a great way to show support!

enjoy!

-=-=-=-=-=-

The Doctor’s Office

Aubrey couldn’t believe her eyes as she sat in her uncomfortable, too small chair in the empty waiting room at the OBGYN office in the early hours of the morning. 

She was sitting alone with her baby boy sitting in his carrier on the floor - it was his nine month checkup and it was taking forever to be seen.

The woman was sitting, scrolling on her phone when out of her peripheral she saw an extremely - like extremely handsome man step into the area with a carrier.

Aubrey was a married woman but holy shit this guy was hot- without even trying is the thing. 

He had on a New York Yankees Nike hoodie and a pair of Nike athletic shorts with some calf length Blake Nike socks and trainers.

In the carrier was a fresh little baby, couldn’t be older than three months who was bundled up with a sunflower headband on.

The man was multitasking with a curly haired toddler on his other hip as he finds a seat a little bit down from Aubrey on the opposite side.

His wife was standing up at the check-in and of course it made sense that she was absolutely beautiful as well even though Aubrey could relate to how tired she looked.

The woman still had a small bit of her pregnancy bump left signifying that the baby was indeed very very new to the world.

She keeps glancing over at the man, he looks so familiar but she would remember if she had even met someone that handsome.

Then the context clues hit her, his hoodie, his toddler son was also in a little Yankees hoodie that matched his fathers and Aubrey googled quickly.

Her eyes flitted throughout the recent articles.

Styles’ Alleged $65 Million Dollar Bonus

Hot Head Harry Styles - how he managed to start three bench clearing brawls in one game!

Breaking Records and Bats - Styles manages to break his own record in the same season followed by breaking a bat in celebration

Holy shit.

She could help but watch them - this was much more interesting than reading a magazine.

Aubrey didn’t follow baseball but Harry had turned celebrity status and was this well known cocky dickhead to the media - women and men loved and drooled over him for his looks and his skills.

Right now, he sat down with his two babies - the boy looked exactly like Harry, it was quite unbelievable from the curly locks to mossy green eyes that was copy and paste.

Harry was currently tucking an applesauce pouch between his lips and guiding the boy's small hands to hold it for himself.

“Good job,  ,” He murmurs in the dead quiet waiting room as he tucks him further into the crook of his arm.

Harry looks up to his wife who joins them, she is a bit in awe when Aubrey sees him palm a bit at her bloated belly and whisper, “Y’look gorgeous today, mama.”

Aubrey couldn’t help but frown, she wished her husband did that.

YN sits down, leaning her head on his shoulder - Aubrey didn’t know her but she seems tired - of course she was a new mother.

The silence is broken when a nurse comes out and with an apologetic face says, “I’m sorry, we are running really behind today. It might be another thirty minutes,” before shutting the door again.

Harry kisses his wife’s forehead before wrapping his unoccupied arm around her shoulder, a flashing gold band on his ring finger.

Aubrey zones off for a little when her son wakes up, rocking the carrier a few times before he settles again.

She’s brought back to the couple when she hears a sniffle comes from Harry’s wife and his face turned towards hers, hand rubbing her shoulder reassuringly.

“Mama, she’s so healthy. There’s nothin’ to worry about, did a perfect job growing her in y’belly. I know these check-ups make you anxious but nothin’ is gonna be wrong,” He soothes, a near whisper because of how quiet the room is and he didn’t want to disrupt.

“I just don’t know if she’s been getting enough milk, it’s so hard to tell,” YN replies sadly, like she’s disappointed in herself.

“Y’kidding me? She’s our chunkiest baby - look at those little rolls. She’s on y’tits more than any of the boys including me,” He jokes softly, obviously trying to make her feel better.

It seems to work a little bit because she lets out a light giggle with a roll of her eyes, “No one is on them more than you.”

Harry shrugs unashamed before replying seriously, “Everything will be okay. She’s perfect and healthy.”

The curly haired little boy gets a bit squirmy with the wait after he finished his pouch, asking to be set down which his father does.

Harry is watching him carefully, his nervous but still adventurous little two and a half year old, as he toddles around the waiting room.

When he spots Aubrey and her carrier, he wanders over looking up her with wide curious eyes, he points at her son and squeaks, “Baby?”

Ever the diligent father, Harry is up and next to his son, Aubrey is a bit starstruck if she’s honest when he talks to her.

“M’sorry, he’s a curious little one,” Harry smiles at her, going to pick Ezra back up to guide him away from bothering her.

Aubrey waves her hand though, lifting the visor to show the sleeping baby, “Yeah, he’s a baby. That’s Dominic.”

The boy gazes at the baby before lisping, “Bry!”

Aubrey isn’t sure what he means but his father clarifies, “You’re right, Dominic is a baby just like your little sister Briar.”

“Okay,” Ezra shrugs and goes back to his mom to inform him of what he just discovered before crawling up and cuddling into her chest.

Harry nods, “Thanks for indulging him.”

“No pro-problem,” She stutters like an idiot and Harry smiles a bit like he knows but doesn’t say anything else before going back to his family.

A few minutes later when a high-pitched cry resounds through the room, Harry is carefully cradling his daughter who Aubrey notes looks nothing like him but like her mother even though her features were still so little.

“Shush, darlin’,” Harry coos with a soft drawl, leaning in to kiss at the newborn’s button nose.

Briar roots at her father’s chest, smacking her plump lips, and squeaking in frustration when she doesn’t find a nipple. It makes Harry chuckle before he glances at his wife and his smile falters a bit, “Sweetheart, did y’bring a bottle?”

Aubrey watches his wife shake her head, she is facing away from her so she can’t see her expression but gauging Harry’s it seems that she may be upset, “No, I completely forgot. I didn’t bring my nursing blanket either - I’m going to have to go the bathroom. M’being such a bad mom.”

The observer feels a pang in her chest, she can definitely relate to not always feeling like she is a good mother because of little mistakes she makes like forgetting diapers, buying the wrong formula, forgetting to bring a pacifier.

“Hey,” Harry’s voice is firm, “Y’not going to talk like that when s’the farthest thing from the truth. S’okay, we have four babies, we’re both goin’ t’forget things sometimes, okay? Here, let me help you.”

Aubrey wishes she had a husband who was as empowering, supportive of his wife.

He hands the whimpering baby over to his wife, he’s then tugging off his hoodie. Aubrey tries but fails to divert her eyes when his shirt rides up revealing  a glimpse of his taut abdomen and a light dusting of hair leading into his shorts, obscene tattoos covering his hipbones .

Harry maneuvers the hoodie over his wife’s shoulder, helping her tug down her loose shirt and nursing bra, and guiding his newborn to his wife’s breast until she latches and starts suckling hungrily.

“There y’go mama,” He whispers encouragingly before tugging Ezra back onto his lap to rock him a bit as he’s getting whiny - ready for a nap soon and not liking being in an unfamiliar place for too long.

-

Aubrey is buckling Dominic into his carseat when she spots the other family exiting the office. 

Harry’s wife looks much more relaxed, a smile on her face, and her arm tucked around her husband’s narrow hip, they’re parked close to each other, and Aubrey climbs into her small sedan - blasting the aircon.

She watches the parents strapp their kids into a massive, tinted and brand new cadillac escalade that was no doubt over a hundred thousand dollar car but who could expect them to be driving around a mid-level minivan?

After the kids are secured and they close the doors, Harry presses his wife up against it with his arm resting over her shoulder against the window. He is whispering to her, their mouths close before he ducks down to connect their lips.

His hand comes back to her deflating baby bump like he did in the doctor’s office, hand massaging the skin with adoration that was visible even to Aubrey as she sat in her car watching them.

Later on in the week, as she sits on her couch, a video pops up on her timeline. It’s a sports report she was about to skip until the name caught her attention. 

The sports reporter stated, “Harry Styles was fined an alleged sixty thousand dollars at last night’s game after getting into a verbal altercation when the second base man purposely tripped him.”

It flashes to the man she just saw in the doctor’s office in a form-fitting Yankee’s blue and white striped uniform with a helmet on as he ran at an impressive speed from first to second, stumbling when the baseman put out his foot.

Harry recovers quickly enough to touch the base to be considered safe. 

After that though, he’s pushing himself up and brushing off the dirt, then he’s charging towards the man who fucked up the play. 

He has no fear as he gets in the man’s face, veins on his neck standing out as he shouts. They don’t play the audio but you could tell Harry was cussing this man up and down.

It flashed back to the reporter speaking to another, “Nearly every team in the league reports that Styles is an absolute nightmare to play against from his skill to his downright arrogant and cocky attitude. He’s not someone I’d find myself wanting to hang around.”

“I agree with you there, Tucker. He has a right to be proud with all of his broken records and achievements but being a bit humble would do this man so good. I feel sorry for his wife and kids. He probably just spends all day bragging about himself.”

Aubrey clicks off the video, if only everyone in the world just saw the Harry Styles she saw just a few days ago - well they’d all change their minds on what kind of person he is. Especially what kind of husband and father.

--

The Charity Event

It was a charity event at Madison Square Garden in Time Square. 

It was for all Major League Baseball teams who had qualified for the playoffs and of course, The New York Yankees were there.

There were tables filling the whole stadium, extravagant in white linen tablecloths, multiple bars, and it was black tie dress code. 

It was a private event and it was not open to the public but after the dinner there would be awards given out and that would be broadcasted.

Nicole was there with her husband, Trent, the left outfielder with an average batting score. He wasn’t the most popular on the team by far - well everyone got outshined by Styles. 

She couldn’t help but be a little bitter that Harry had gotten a $60 million dollar bonus (the biggest bonus ever gifted but also the Yankees were not taking any chances at losing their star and their ultimate money-maker). Trent got a measly bonus of $100,000 which was nothing in baseball terms. 

The wives and girlfriends of the Yankees players did not like YN one bit. It really wasn’t fair because she was always lovely, kind, and friendly. It didn’t matter because they were all spurred on by jealousy of what she had.

Nicole couldn’t help by gaze at Harry as they sat at the same circle table towards the podium where the awards would be presented after dinner. He was in a sharp all black suit with a small team logo pin of the lapel.

She couldn’t deny how stunning YN looked in an absolutely stunning dress. It was a one-shoulder with sparkling black stripes against a tan background, it fit like a glove and accentuated her stunning legs with a high slit. ***

It blew Nicole’s basic black Gucci dress out of the water which made her even more infuriated at the woman. She knew she was being irrational and if she hated her so much, why couldn’t see stop staring at the couple?

Nicole could get away with it by looking past them at other tables but to be quite honest, the two were much too wrapped up in each other to be aware of any of their surroundings or people watching them.

Trent was off bullshitting with all the other players while the Styles’ sat at the table and Harry waited for people to approach him - like the cocky asshole that he was. He would give them a minute of his time before becoming visibly bored and returning his attention back to his wife.

As the appetizers arrived, Trent finally sat down with a grunt, giving his wife literally no attention as he dug into the salad like a slob. 

Across the table, Harry looked down at his plate, picked out all the tomatoes and stabbed them with his fork. He then brought his hand over to his wife who giggled and let him feed her the three little tomatoes for his salad.

“Don’t like tomatoes, Styles?” Henry, third-baseman, jokes as he watches him feed his wife without any shame.

“I love ‘em, m’missus just really like the little grape ones,” Harry shrugs casually - like that didn’t just sound like the most whipped thing that he could say.

Trent probably couldn’t even guess Nicole’s favorite color - let alone know something so minuscule like YN like the little tomatoes that come on house salads. 

Throughout the whole dinner, it was quite disgusting how infatuated these two were with each other - Harry had at least one hand on her body at one time - her thigh, shoulder, even cupping her neck in a way that was almost too intimate for the setting.

At one point, Harry notices that YN is a bit quiet - sipping on her glass of water and he pulls back from the conversation, murmuring, “Y’alright, mama?”

Nicole bites her lip hard at the cute pet name, feeling even more dislike towards YN - why couldn’t she have had someone like Harry?

“D’you think the babies are okay? Ezra’s been so anxious lately,” YN replies quietly, there were no phones allowed at the event and had to be left at home or at the door.

Harry kisses her temple, “Y’know Ezzie is good with m’mum, doesn’t get as anxious as he used to at sleepovers. Y’know East and Cash are probably on a sugar high.”

YN nods, agreeing and Harry jumps right back into the conversation but she notices that he keeps looking over at his wife to check on her.

Trent accidentally knocks her elbow hard and just grunts out a bland, “Sorry.”

The topic changed to traveling for games. Ellie, another wife of a player who was nice to YN were chatting about how stressful it is.

“I know, loading all three boys up is rough when we do decide to travel to games with H,” YN says to Ellie, a small smile on her face.

“Ugh, I know. Lily and Parker are the worst flyers! They usually end up throwing up or not being able to nap at all,” Ellie groans about her two little ones she has back at home.

YN let’s out a laugh that just irked Nicole to not end.

“It's going to be even harder when we have more kids,” YN laments like she’s bothered.

“Oh? More kids?” Ellie squeaks with excitement, clapping her hands together.

Nicole reaches a breaking point, jumping into the chat,“Really? More kids? Don’t you think you should focus on the ones you have? Or do you think because your husband makes an unfair amount of money, you can just have as many as you want? Hire nannies and act like you take care of them?”

Before YN frowns, about to respond when Harry interjects with a booming, displeased voice, “First off, why don’t y’mind your own fuckin’ business. My wife and I can ‘ave any many kids as we want, last time I checked.”

He continues with tense posture, all of his previous calmness disappears, “Second off, don’t take it out on my wife tha’ your husband got a shit bonus, we all know tha’ why y’pissy. And don’t act like y’dont have a nanny for your one kid while we don’t nor ever will have one.”

Nicole sneers, “You’re a cocky bastard.”

Harry smiles in faux charm, “Of course I am, dear. I’ve got a fucking beautiful wife, three healthy babies, the most records broken in history, and the fattest bank account in this room.”

“Alright, alright,” Trent interrupts and it doesn’t go unnoticed that he doesn’t defend his wife. Instead he shoots Harry an apologetic look for his wife’s behaviors.

Harry just scoffs at the couple, rudely rolling his eyes, and tugging his wife in for a kiss that’s a bit too intense but he can’t help himself, smiles against her lips when his wife pinches his thigh playfully.

He says (not quietly at all), “All these women are jealous of you, hm? S’cause you’re so beautiful and such a fuckin’ catch.”

Nicole feel a sharp pang in her chest at the indirect comment - fucking asshole.

Deep down, Nicole is unfavorably realizing that somehow YN has it all - a loving husband, who is seemingly head over heels four her, three well-behaved children, and everything she could ever want - sitting on Harry’s $600 million dollar net worth, on top of being gorgeous.

She didn’t have that. Trent and her were on the rocks constantly, has definitely cheated on her, their kid is a literal nightmare, and they’re both so reckless with money they have no savings.

It made her jealous to see Harry whispering in YN ear to make her giggle- lips brushing her ear, his hand splayed across her bumcheek while they waited for drinks at the bar, she even hears them murmur ‘I love yous’ at least twice.

Then the lights dim, spotlight on a podium in the front of the room, an older man in a crisp navy suit taking the stage.

“It is an honor for me to announce ‘Player of the Year.’ The decision by the board of Major League Baseball wasn’t a hard one. The statistics and records broke continuously by the man has led us to only one option.”

Everyone watches all the other players in room deflate a bit because they realize the award is going to Harry yet again.

 “He is again breaking a record tonight, he is the first player to earn this achievement four years in a row. The duality of this man when it comes to pitching a curveball or hitting a homer is truly remarkable.”

It makes all the players even more irritated than they already are when they look over at Harry who’s sitting back, manspreading, hand on the back of his wife’s neck gently, and a cocky, unbothered grin.

Like this award wasn’t the biggest accomplishment he could earn.

One of the players from an opposing team at a different table mutters to one of his teammates, “Fucking arrogant asshole. The only thing this award does is feed his gigantic ego.” 

“Such a douchebag,” The other agrees, jealousy tinges his voice.

“I’ve most likely made it obvious who the the recipient is this year. The New York Yankees pitcher with the most strikeouts to date and top-scoring hitter - Mr. Harry Styles!”

The crowd erupts in applause, whistles, and a standing ovation because despite his unsavory demeanor - no one could deny he was a legend.

Before he gets up, Nicole watches as he cups his wife’s cheek - locking her lips in a kiss before she has to give him a playful shove when he tries to slip some tongue.

When Harry gets up to the stage, he shakes the hand of the announcer and takes the award from him, setting it on the podium.

“Fourth year in a row has a nice ring to it,” Harry gives the crowd a dazzling white smile that have his dimples digging into his cheek.

The crowd whistles and coos.

Nicole notices YN getting teary-eyed as she watches her husband accept the award.

“I want t’thank a few people tonight. I want t’thank m’wife and the mama of my babies - YN. She’s supported me from when I was in college with no other career path but baseball, unsure of if I’d fail or not, she stuck through it.”

She can sense everyone’s eyes dart over to YN who is still staring up at her husband - who is giving her a gleaming smile right back.

“We’ve been through some really hard obstacles in our first years as a couple but she’s the reason for all this - the fact that she always believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.”

The audience is respectful, quiet as he publicly tells a story of his deep love for his wife.

“I want t’thank m’three babies. Easton, Cash, and Ezra. They inspire me to be a better better man and a good role model - even though I think y’all agree they won’t be if they watch too much how I play when I’m out in the field.”

The crowd erupts in laughter at Harry poking fun at his own antics that he’s most famous for. He goes on to thank the team, coaches, Nike, everyone on the professional side of career.

When he’s done, everyone stands back up to congratulate him, patting him on the back as he returns to his seat.

Nicole watches as Harry sits back down, chuckling as he swipes a tear off his wife’s cheek, “Why y’crying, mama?”  

“I’m just so proud of you. Everything you do for me and our babies. The best husband, best daddy. My heart is just full,” She murmurs, clearly not meant for others to hear but Nicole was eavesdropping.

Harry’s eyes darken with something Nicole can’t identify but does notice his hand creeping a bit further up her thigh.

He leans into whisper something into her ear before she sees his lightly nip at her lobe before pulling back to join into the conversation.

-

After the lights come back up, Trent abandons her to go shoot the shit with other guys.

When she trails off to the bathroom, down a long hallway from the main area - she hears a rustling from behind a door labeled with a plaque that says ‘executive meeting room’.

Nicole pauses confused, all these offices and other rooms were strictly off limits during events obviously. She was confused to hear someone in a room that was not supposed to be in use.

Then she realizes it’s not just someone - it’s two people.

“S’good, sweetheart. Give it t’me so good.”

And she knows right then and there all she needs to know about who’s in that conference room and what they were doing.

“Be quiet, you’re being too loud,” YN scolds back, the walls were clearly thin because she could hear the exchange.

“Make y’cunt not feel like heaven then,” He remarks back, his voice slower and more soft than it would be in front of people.

God, Trent and her haven’t slept together in ages - let alone has spontaneous hookups or dirty talk like that ever.

When they all end up back at the table before the closing speech for the night, Nicole spots a nicely sized mark under Harry’s jaw that he’s wearing with pride.

YN had her lipstick wiped off and was much more clingy as the night rolled on which Harry seemed to thrive on.

As she and Trent are on their way home, Nicole speaks into their silence, “I don’t think our relationship is working.”

Not after she saw love and happiness at that event table tonight - she wanted that kind of love not settling for some cheating asshole.

-

The Little League Game

It was a cool autumn evening, it was an important game - if you could call it that for the little league team that Kayla had her son on.

The goal was to determine which team would move onto the playoffs, even though most of this was all in good fun because it was for eight-year-olds and it wasn’t serious.

Kayla couldn’t lie and say that she didn’t spend some of the time curiously gazing at the New York Yankees player who would come to watch his son play.

He wasn’t at every game due to his schedule but it seemed like he came to whatever ones he could with his wife and other three kids.

They had taken the bench on the bleachers right below her so she had an up close and personal view of the family when they’ve never sat this close before.

As the kids warmed up, Harry had his youngest son who looked to be about four sit next to him, squished between his dad and mom happily.

Their middle son was next to his mom on the other side, looking to be about six, and he was wriggling impatiently in his seat - eager to join the other kids in the jungle gym.

The baby girl who looked about a year and a half old didn’t look anything like her brothers - it was obvious that she was a spitting image of her mother (who was stunning).

She was curled up in her mom’s lap, asleep with her face squished against her mother’s chest - a pacifier suckling fiercely between her puffy lips.

“Mama, please,” The curly haired boy begs with greedy puppy dog eyes as he keeps glancing back to look at the other kids.

“You stay right where daddy and I can see you, yes?” YN murmurs, brushing back his unruly curls that where getting long, “And what are our rules?”

“Stay where you can see, don’t talk to strangers, and be nice to others,” He recites perfectly, Kayla was a bit blown away by his manners.

She watches baseball. It was hard to believe their children were so mild mannered when their father was the exact opposite - at least on the field.

Harry was rustling in the diaper bag for something as his son looked at him with wide, concerned eyes, “My baby, daddy.”

“I know, Ezzie. M’lookin’ f’your baby,” His father replies softly, the polar extreme of his normal brash, crude language that had a nasty tone like he couldn’t bother giving people the time of day.

“Daddy, please,” The youngest whines, his little hand grasping at his father’s tattooed wrist as he gets to his knees to help his dad look.

“Left inner pocket,” YN murmurs offhandedly as she makes sure Cash gets to the playground safely with his friends.

“Say ‘thanks mama’,” Harry coos to his son as he manages to tug out the baby doll and hand it to the awaiting little boy.

“Thanks mama,” He replies instantly with a gapped smile as he nuzzles right back into his father’s side as if he can’t get close enough.

“How are you feeling, Ezra?” His mother leans over to ask, keeping the baby close to her chest.

“M’happy, mama,” Ezra replies simply before starting to babble to himself as he plays with the babydoll.

Kayla watches Harry and YN swap a fond look at their son but she couldn’t help but wonder why they asked him that? He seemed fine so why did they feel the need to do that?

The game is going okay, Harry stands up to cheer and whistle when Easton hits a two-base hit but YN smacks his thigh and motions to their sleeping baby.

He looks at her sheepishly before sitting back down, kissing her cheek in apology, and peeking down into the fleece blanket to watch his daughter sleep for a moment.

Then it seems like Easton starts to lose momentum after he pitches two home-runs, his face pinched in disappointment as the other team scores but Harry is attempting to keep him motivated with encouraging shouts.

Easton struggles from then on, he strikes out for his final three turns, doesn’t catch two pop-ups, and his pitches start to get a little shaky. It’s obvious in his facial expression he’s getting upset because he’s breathing heavier like he’s trying not to cry.

Kayla feels a sense of dread for the little boy, his father who’s the best baseball player in modern day history is watching his son not do well during an important game.

 Because of what she knows of him from his temper and attitude on the field - she worries that he’s one of those father’s who will hound their kid for doing poorly.

“Oh, c’mon East,” Harry murmurs softly when his son stumbles over a ground ball before another kid picks it up and throws it in - their son smacking his glove down against the ground in frustration.

“He’s getting himself worked up,” YN notes as she watches her oldest kick his cleats in the dirt with a quivering bottom lip.

“I know,” Harry replies to his wife, “Wish he wouldn’t, he’s gettin’ upset out there, I can tell.”

“Sad?” Ezra squeaks, clambering onto his father’s lap and stating, “Hold me, daddy.”

Harry obliges easily, gathering up his small son before his attention is directed back onto the game - it was down to the last few minutes and unfortunately Easton pitched a ball that resulted in a home run for the other team.

“Fuck,” Harry mutters, running a hand through his messy locks before he’s setting Ezra back down on the bleachers, “I’m going to go talk to him. Do you want to meet back home?”

YN nods, leaning down to tuck the baby into the double stroller before buckling Ezra in as well, “I’m going to go get Cash and head out. Why don’t you take him out for some ice cream? I love you.”

“I love you too, mama,” He replies, kissing her softly before kissing both of his kids foreheads and stepping down the bleachers - ignoring all the adults who are staring at him with a starstruck expression as he heads to the dugout.

It cleared out fast, nobody sticking around after the loss that ended with them not continuing on to the championship, and Easton was sat on the bench - he was stoic and there was a hard, angry expression on his face that reminded Kayla of what she saw Harry look like when he played.

As she gathers up her son and makes sure he’s got all of his equipment, Kayla stands and chats to a few of the moms before she’s heading to her car - which happened to be parked next to a sleek Masserati crossover, who would let their muddy kid go in there? Rich people, she guesses.***

Kayla pops the trunk to her van with her key as they get closer, she notices that Harry also has his up and Easton is sitting on the tailgate with his eyes looking down at the pavement. She tries not to appear as nosey or eavesdropping as she tucks her items into the back.

“Sweetheart, s’okay. Y’did so so good tonight,” Harry assures his pouty son, he squats down to start to untie his son’s nike cleats but continues to make eye contact with him. 

“No, I didn’t, Daddy!” Easton whines, tears finally starting to bubble over the surface as he begins to sob with a shuddering chest, “I gave up home runs and then I missed ground balls!”

“Whoa, bubby,” Harry simpers after he tugs off the shoes and throws them carelessly into the back before standing up, “Y’did amazing, are you kiddin’? You did three innings of strikeouts, hit two of y’own homeruns. Y’played like a professional, way better than daddy.”

Kayla’s heart aches a bit when she sees Harry sit down next to him before hugging him harshly into his side, thumbing at the tears that are running down his son’s sweaty cheeks with soft reassurances.

“Daddy, are you mad I didn’t win?” Easton asks shakily, keeping his head buried into his father’s side and his small hand clutching into the fabric of his hoodie.

Harry chuckles lowly, “Daddy would never be mad at you f’anythin’, definitely not a baseball game. Remember what mama and I said? If at any point y’want to stop playin’, just let us know and we can find something else, yeah? Just like how Ezzie does art classes.”

Easton seems to calm down after a few moments of Harry rocking him and reassuring him of what an amazing son he is.

As Kayla drove away that night, her perspective on the all-star baseball player definitely changed. It was refreshing to see someone to not hold their child to an unreasonable expectation just like she thought Harry would.

--

The Campfire

Austin was the shortstop on the baseball team, he’d brought along his girlfriend, Chelsea, to the frat party to celebrate another win.

Everyone was in whispers that Harry was bringing his new girlfriend but nobody knew who she actually was because it was just a rumor.

It was surprising because Harry wasn’t a relationship kind-of man. He wasn’t into hookups much - always said he needed to focus on baseball.

Many of his teammates were envious of how many girls were constantly coming up to Harry at parties to flirt and try to get a dance in but he had always rejected them.

Harry had never showed interest in any of these girls at the parties, never seen him disappear upstairs with one or really entertain a conversation over a beer like they’d expect.

Chelsea pokes his shoulder and nods towards the entrance when Harry walks in with his arm around YN’s shoulder.

Most were in a little shock because they seemed like such an unlikely couple - YN had written some scathing articles about him and it was no secret he hadn’t been a fan of her.

“Holy shit, Harry’s dating YN?” Chelsea whispers to Austin as the group of party-goers cheer and whistle at the allstars appearance.

“Guess so,” Austin replies with a shrug, tugging Chelsea into the kitchen for a drink.

Later on that night, there’s a bonfire on one side of the backyard and a volleyball net on the other where a group was gathering to play.

Austin and Chelsea are on the opposing team of Harry and YN - she can’t help but watch them with curiosity because of what a surprise it is that they’re dating.

Even Austin has been watching because Harry’s acting in a way that he’s never seen throughout his time on the team with him.

Harry is just all over YN which was confusing how he went from not being remotely interested in the college girls to being a lovestruck puppy.

When she throws the ball up to serve, Harry reaches over and pinches her bum which makes her squeak and accidentally drop the ball which has him cackling as she glares at him.

As they change positions, he crowds up behind her, and massages her hips, leaning down to murmuring something in her ear.

She blushes wildly before smacking him off which has him laughing hard and kissing the back of her head before taking his position.

After Harry jumps and spikes the ball hard, earning them the winning point, YN turns around and wraps her arms around him to hug him tightly.

Harry wraps his arms around her shoulders, returning the hug before pulling back to kiss her lips in a soft peck.

Chelsea elbows Austin, “Who’s that and what did they do with Harry?”

Austin shakes his head, “I really don’t fucking know.”

The group migrates over to the fire as they might become cooler and the stars are high up in the sky, the fire flickering orange and yellow crackles of sparks.

Harry plops into a chair, pulling YN right onto his lap, and she wriggles until she’s comfortable. Chelsea notices him tap her thigh as if telling her to cut it out, too much motion right on his crotch.

Jake, one of his teammates, says in a teasing tone, “YN, I’m surprised to see you around these parts . I clearly remember a strongly worded article about how stupid frat parties are.”

YN takes it in stride, smiling as she replies, “And this party just proves my point.”

The group laughs easily, they enjoy YN’s sharp wit and comebacks as they get to know her. Austin can’t help but to notice how quiet Harry is.

Normally, he’s the life of the party, loud and making his presence known to everyone but not tonight. He has his chin propped on her shoulder and she’s cuddled back into his chest.

Austin can’t make out what Harry is saying but he’s constantly whispering in her ear and accentuating each time with a squeeze to her thighs.

“Are you guys official?” One of the teammates asked bluntly, a few beers deep by this point in the night.

Harry replies instantly, a possessive squeeze, “She’s mine and off the market, s’don’t even think about it.”

“Well I don’t think it matters because she’s turned down the whole baseball team by this point. I think everyone tried to ask her out at least once,” Steve jokes as the others agree.

“Tha’s m’girl,” Harry murmurs to her before teasing his friends,“Who’d want to go out with any you? You’re all dickheads.”

Everyone continues to joke around, it’s nearing midnight and that’s right about when Harry gets in his prime - like the party just started.

But not tonight.

YN’s eyes start to flutter shut as everyone banters and drinks around the fire, obviously not used to these late night parties.

“I better get this one t’bed,” Harry states after a few minutes, thumbing at YN’s cheekbone as she tries to stay awake.

“I’m okay,” She mumbles weakly, head still heavy against his shoulder.

“You’re coming back though, right?” Kyle asks expectantly, brows furrowed.

Harry shakes his head, “Nah, m’in for the night when she is.”

All the players look at him with a bit of a dumbfounded look, Steve shooting out, “Who knew you’d be so pussy whipped, Styles?”

Chelsea’s eyebrows raise at the crude comment, waiting with bated breath as Harry’s jaw clenches as it seems like he’s biting his tongue.

“Goodnight,” Harry says in a tone Austin has never heard before - agitated and almost…offended.

When Austin and Chelsea are sneaking up to his room for a late night hook-up, she overhears Harry and YN in his bedroom.

At first, she thinks they’re in an actual argument but as she listens to them - it’s not the kind of arguement she thought it was.

“You’re always the little spoon,” YN groans from behind the closed door.

Harry squawks, affronted before huffing back at her, “S’my favorite, please spoon me, darling?”

“You’re so fucking spoiled,” YN giggles as Chelsea assumes they move into a position where Harry’s the little spoon.

“Mm, I like feelin’ y’tits against my back, s’nice,” Harry hums with a boyish tone.

Chelsea doesn’t even realize she’s smiling until Austin drags her from her stupor. 

All she knew was that Harry Styles really really fancied that school reporter.

-=-=-=-=-=-

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[toastykaykes]

Ghost Whisperer (Prologue)

This will be a Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader series. You are a Special Forces Medic, who is being thrown into TF-141 to make sure everyone stays alive and sane. Little do you know, a certain ghost will take a liking to you. Call it a,...Ghost Whisperer <3

TW: (NSFW) 18+, Violence, Language, Abuse, Sexual Themes, Sex Scenes, Drugs, Weapons, Death, Sexual Harassment, etc.

WC: 598

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What the absolute titty-fuck were y’all thinking out there?” Shepard growls while slamming the conference door shut, sealing the rest of the building from hearing and seeing the very fun conversation about to take place.

The air was so thick you could slice that shit. Shepard was glaring daggers while looking around the conference table. There sat Cpt. John “Soap” MacTavish, Lt. Simon “Ghost” Riley, Sgt Gary “Roach” Sanderson, Cpt. John “Bravo 6” Price. They all looked like they were one breath away from death, having been immediately transported to the facility after losing Maj. Hassam in Iran.

“Explain to me how you fuckwads are supposed to be the best task force in the world and let Hassam, a global terrorist, get away?” 

“We were doing what we could from whatever bullshit you put us in.” Soap said while pointing at the rest of the team. “You think it was a coincidence they just happened to know where we were in transit to? We had no choice but to retreat and let him go.”

“You wanna say that again, Captain?” Shepard challenges him, pulling out a chair on the opposite side of them. He takes his seat and tilts his head, continuing to stare at Soap.

“He said we were sold out. Someone who knew the details of our operation spread their fucking legs to Hassam,” Ghost said while looking Shepard dead in the eye. “Everyone on the team followed protocol to the fucking T, everything was done to perfection. The only reason it crumbled as it did, was because someone ratted our location. So, General Shepard, do you care to explain to us how your mission got leaked into enemy hands?” 

The room became silent. Shepard scoffed, with a deep frown plastered on his old face. Shaking his head a little dramatically, he stands up from his seat with his hands behind his back. “Thank you so very much Lieutenant for clarifying. I did not know you were compromised, I thought y’all were picking dandelions and jacking each other off.” He glares at Ghost before heading back to the door. 

As he stops in front of the door, Shepard turns to look at the men who so desperately want to fucking sleep and not hear this man bitch and moan. “I do not know how the coordinates were leaked. But I will find out. As for you four,” he sweeps his pointer finger at all of them, “I’d prefer if you kept your tone respectful. Be mindful, I am your fucking boss. With that being said, get back to the base and get some rest. You all look like shit. Also, you all will have a guest in the morning to keep you all in check so shit like this doesn’t happen again.”

This rose a response from all the men. “Why the fuck do we need another teammate? We work perfectly fine together and get the job done.” Price spoke up loudly, agitatedly looking at his mates for backup. To which a few nodded their heads in agreement. 

“Why not add to your legacy, no?” Shepard spits out, eyes darting between the four, “It’s finalized, you’ll be meeting “Patches” tomorrow morning and then it’s packs up for transport- to fix what was fucked up today! Hassam has to be found alive for questioning.” Soon followed by the slam of the door, TF-141 was left to their own thoughts about how tomorrow would go down. How next time, they’ll be ready for whatever the bastards hit them with.

“What the fuck type of call sign is Patches?”