#see. this is another gripe I have with the show’s good people good bad people bad

[quotidianish]

Me when I only redesign characters Adam has a relation too anyway BIBLE YAOI BLAST

[moonssugar]

one thing about his dark materials fans is that they will never be satisfied

[batneko]

Okay I was trying to come up with a sugar daddy bowuigi AU and I ended up spending so much time thinking about the setting that this is gonna be another long one

So! It's modern day, big city. I prefer to think of it as still a world full of magic and mushrooms and monsters but if y'all want to picture this as a human AU feel free. In this world instead of a king Bowser is the third-generation owner of the biggest demolition company in the city. They took a slight dent lately because Bowser doesn't exactly get along with the city planner... but the company is still best in the business and not hurting for work.

Then there's the Mario brothers, who run a tiny independent plumbing company and by sheer coincidence have a phone number exactly one digit off from Koopa Demolition. They're good at what they do but because they can only take at most two jobs at a time they sometimes struggle. And they can't cut costs (any more than they already have) so the only leg up they have on the competition is promising to be faster than anyone else at the same price. It means they have to work a lot harder (and will definitely backfire sooner or later) but right now they're doing pretty well. Reasonably well. They're doing okay.

Having nearly the same number as a different business means that occasionally both groups will show up somewhere thinking they're about to negotiate a contract only to find out they just wasted their time and gas money. Hard feelings build up. Once, when the bros actually managed to convince a building owner to replace the lead pipes instead of tearing everything down, Mario and Bowser very nearly got into a physical fight. (It doesn't help that Mario is dating Bowser's ex though neither of them will admit that's part of it.)

And then one night Bowser goes back to a demo site to check on something, ends up getting hurt, and Luigi happens to be working late on a job nearby and comes to his rescue. He insists on accompanying Bowser all the way to the hospital, and while he's waiting with him mentions that it turned out to be a good thing the van broke down because if he wasn't walking back to the subway he might not have heard Bowser cry out. Bowser asks how Luigi is going to get home now, since it's so late the subway isn't running anymore, and Luigi says "I'll... I'll figure something out." Bowser calls one of his people and makes them give Luigi a ride. It's awkward for everyone.

The next day a tow truck shows up to take the Mario Bros' van to a mechanic. They're like "we didn't order this??" and the driver just says it was paid for in advance. Luigi realizes what happened and, thinking about the bad blood between Mario and Bowser, tells him the client last night was really grateful for him working late. Mario says they should thank him and Luigi says he definitely will.

So he goes to see Bowser, who is still laid up with a broken foot, and brings him a fruit basket. Bowser is like, I will absolutely eat this fruit but fixing the van was supposed to be payment for Luigi's help. He doesn't like feeling indebted. And Luigi says it was too much! There must be something Luigi can do to thank him properly.

Well... there's this stupid local businessman dinner that Bowser really didn't want to go to. Having somebody to talk to will make it more bearable. Luigi says sure, and the day of the dinner Bowser picks him up two hours early to go out and buy him a suit. Top to bottom, shoes and all. Luigi is a little offended Bowser didn't think he had nice enough clothes... but once they get to the venue and see what everyone else is wearing he can admit he did not have nice enough clothes.

The dinner goes well. Luigi IS a local businessman and nobody questions what he's doing there, even if they haven't heard of his company. Talking with Bowser is surprisingly easy, especially since plumbing and demolition have enough overlap that they can chat about work without having to explain much. They have a lot of similar gripes about clients and contracts and tools.

After a pretty nice evening and maybe one too many glasses of wine, it's all too easy to forget this wasn't supposed to be a date-date and fall into bed with Bowser. When Luigi gets home, rumpled and dressed in clothes he didn't leave in, Mario just congratulates him on what looks like a successful night.

A few days later there's a delivery. A brand new set of the power tools Luigi had mentioned he daydreamed about. Luigi calls Bowser and says this is too much, he can't accept it, and Bowser just says, "keep 'em or throw 'em out, I'm not taking them back. Already wrote them off as a business expense."

Luigi keeps them, but he can't explain this one away. He tells Mario that the person he went out with last week is... from a different socio-economic bracket. (Mario is not allowed to judge, Peach pays for most of their dates too.) They both avoid using the S-D words, but Mario says he feels too weird accepting work equipment from a stranger. Better tell the guy to stick to personal gifts.

So with something like brotherly approval, Luigi starts dating Bowser. He gets clothes, a new phone, fancy dinners and nights at expensive hotels. Bowser is not a bad date (except for when he is) but Luigi always feels a little weird knowing that their relationship is transactional. Even though Bowser clearly likes him and wants to make him happy, Luigi feels like he can't speak up about Bowser being demanding or talking down to people. Because if he's not agreeable enough Bowser will just find somebody new.

Meanwhile, Bowser has NO IDEA that Luigi thinks this. Somewhere along the line he got it in his head that his affection is a burden. He hasn't thought about this enough to put it into words, but he feels like he needs to reward people for being around him or they'll leave. He's not even trying to be a sugar daddy, he treats all of the (few) people he loves like this.

It's not until they've been dating long enough for Luigi to meet Bowser's son that anything changes. Luigi immediately sees that Bowser is pulling the old "new toys make up for not actually being around, right?" and can't stop himself from telling him that NO it does NOT make up for it. Your son wants your TIME.

He's extremely surprised when Bowser listens. And after Luigi tells him that asking Junior about his day and his hobbies will make him feel more cared about, Bowser starts making an effort to ask Luigi those things too.

Eventually he starts to think that... maybe? Bowser has just been romantically incompetent this whole time? So he tests it, and the next time Bowser tries to demand he take a week off to go on a boring business trip with him, Luigi (calmly but firmly) says that he can't possibly miss that much work but Bowser can call and talk to him every day. Bowser goes for it. He actually seems really excited that Luigi is "allowing" him to have so much of his attention.

Oof. Now Luigi feels bad.

After a couple more weeks of trying to wean Bowser off buying his affection (except paying the phone bill because Luigi seriously couldn't afford to do that himself) Luigi asks Bowser if he can officially call them boyfriends?

Bowser practically falls all over himself to agree. Everything is good, they understand each other, Luigi even has his own section in Bowser's closet. He could see this relationship lasting for the rest of his life.

Now he just needs to figure out how to tell his brother...

[jennay]

Last Night

Part 1

Masterlist

Noah Sebastian x Reader

If I missed any tags or you want to be added to the list let me know!

Tags: @lma1986 @jilliemiw86 @missduffsblog @thisbicc @yeehaw-my-guys @thescarlettvvitch @vinyardmauro @cheyyyyr @clubfairy @xxkittenkissesxx @lh3 @dominuslunae @myownthoughts12 @cookiesupplier @somewhere-diamond @bloody-delusion-expert @glitterydeputyshepherdwagon @aprosiacperson @skulliecadaver-blog @bangchan-ed @hey-diddly-ho-neighborino @itsafullmoon

You leaned against your kitchen counter, staring out the kitchen window, watching as the leaves continued to fall from each branch on this peaceful autumn morning. You sipped your coffee, letting the liquid warm your chest and stomach.

You landed in Oregon three years ago and were just now becoming accustomed to the weird weather changes. You'd be lying if you said you didn't miss the California sun but had to go; you couldn't stay there. No matter how often you tell yourself you can move to a different part of the state, your heart will never be happy knowing your past is that close.

Reflecting on things, they seemed like a mixed bag of sweet and sour. It's all about the could-haves and the lessons you learn the hard way, with a bunch of 'what ifs' buzzing in your head.

You remember being on your grandma's porch, flipping through those old photo albums. Those moments are frozen in time, safe behind that shiny plastic. Every time you look at those pictures, you get this pang of nostalgia, wishing you could return to those carefree, pure days. It's like this little ache in your heart that knows you can't rewind the clock; you could never go back.

"You know, you can't go back and change the past, but you've got the pen when it comes to your future. Take what you've learned, keep moving forward, and make the best of right now—that's fine," she told you. "You've got this; you're a smart cookie."

You exhale heavily, setting down your coffee mug with a clink. There's this hollow feeling in your gut, and man, you wish she was here to talk to. You could use a dose of her wisdom right about now. Life's not bad, honestly. You have a decent job and a cool apartment you share with your best bud. It's not like you've got significant stuff to gripe about. But there's this gap, you know? And deep down, you know it's about love. You've built these walls so high that no one's getting over them to hurt you again. No way.

So you've been playing the field, treating hearts like they're just another game. But it's not just a game anymore, is it? It started as a laugh, something you thought you could switch off whenever. But time's a sneaky thief; before you know it, you're looking at someone pretty damaged in the mirror.

And these games?

They've turned into habits, the kind of habits you don't shake off, the kind that people go to therapy for...the kind that your grandma warned you about.

The sound of vibration on the counter drags you from your thoughts, and you glance to the side, seeing your phone light up with Jolly's face plastered on the screen and the name Jolly Green Giant above it. You let out a small laugh every time he calls. The picture...the name. It's suitable for him.

You press the phone to your ear and tap the answer button, a reflexive smile spreading across your face. "Hey there, sunshine!" you greet with genuine warmth.

"Wow, you picked up!" Jolly's voice comes through, his accent coloring every word like an artist's brush on canvas.

"Caught me at a good time," you reply, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Your mind's eye paints a vivid picture of Jolly's familiar expressions. What's going on?" you inquire, keeping the tone light.

He takes a slight pause, the kind that signals something's coming. "So, we're here, in town, for that show tomorrow, remember? The one I've been talking about?" He sounds hopeful, as if willing to remember.

A nod, though he can't see it, and a whispered curse. "Shit. It slipped my mind."

He laughs, the sound teasing yet affectionate. "I should've bet on it, but hey, how about we make up for it? I'm free in an hour—how about you?"

A chuckle escapes you, the situation all too familiar. "Let me guess, time for our annual 'what's new and crazy' session?" You play along. "Just downed a coffee, but when have I ever said no to more caffeine?"

His laughter rings clear, a sound that's always been a prelude to good times. "Thought you'd say that. But let's switch it up and grab some lunch. I'm starving, and I bet you skipped breakfast again, didn't you?"

You laugh, "Yeah, I'm ready for lunch. Send me the address of where you want to meet."

"See you soon."

Your smile widens as you approach the restaurant, and you spot Jolly through the glass. He's engrossed in the menu, a picture of patience as he waits for you.

Anticipation bubbles within you, mixed with a flutter of nerves. You know it will be like old times, and he'll have many stories to tell you, but there won't be an awkward moment.

Pushing open the door, you walk over to the booth, his back to you. Stealthily, you slide up beside him, hovering until his gaze locks yours. His smile bursts, a warmth flooding his body—part of him had the sneaky suspicion you might duck out, but here you are.

He shuffles to make space, a silent invitation to join him. Then, in a move as natural as breathing, he pulls you into a bear hug, his head cradled against yours. "You made it!" he exclaims, his voice a mix of joy and disbelief.

Your laughter combines with his, and the embrace feels warm and safe. "You thought I'd miss this? Not for the world," you assure him, the ease of your friendship wrapping around you like the coziest blanket. "You look amazing." As you pull away and observe him, you say, "How do you never age?"

He shrugs you off and slides a menu in front of you.

"I think you're blind."

You laugh giggling as you order your food. You stand up. "I need to pee."

"Thank you for that." Jolly teases.

The fluorescent lights flicker overhead as you leave the bathroom, casting a sterile glow on the floor. The bathroom was supposed to be a brief escape from the diner's noise, a momentary pause from the laughter and clinking dishes.

But now, as you walk back to your seat, your heart clenches. He is bathed in the cold blue light of his phone screen, his face illuminated by a FaceTime call.

And then, the voice on the other end of the line—a voice you recognize all too well—cuts through.

His laughter dances in the air, a cruel melody that grates against your raw nerves.

"Who are you with?" The words hang in the air like a blade, slicing through the fragile bubble of denial you've carefully constructed.

You sit down, and your legs are suddenly weak.

Jolly turns the phone toward you, and there it is—the face you've been avoiding, the face that haunts your dreams. Noah. His eyes, once warm and familiar, now hold a storm of emotions: regret, longing, and something darker, something you can't quite name.

Your eyes blur with unshed tears. Why does it hurt so much? You thought you'd moved on, stitched up the wounds he left behind. But seeing him again, hearing his voice—it's as if the scars have split open, bleeding again.

"Fuck," you whisper, the word a prayer and a curse.

Jolly's oblivious, still laughing, unaware of the raging within you. You tear your gaze away from the screen, focusing on the flickering candle at your table.

You won't let this unravel you, not today. Not when you've worked so hard to rebuild the fragile scaffolding of your heart.

You stand up, pushing your chair in with a force that startles the people near by. The room blurs around you as you make your way to the exit. Memories flood your mind—the stolen kisses, the whispered promises, the nights tangled in each other's arms. But alongside the sweetness, there's bitterness—the lies, the betrayal, the shattered trust.

And Jolly, your supposed friend, the one who knew your pain intimately, who witnessed your tears and held your hand through sleepless nights—why would he put you in this position? Why would he expose you to the hurricane of Noah's presence?

Outside, the air is cool against your flushed cheeks. You take a deep breath, tasting salt and regret. The sky above seem distant, indifferent. You wrap your arms around yourself, a feeble attempt to hold the pieces together. But the ache remains a phantom limb that refuses to fade.

You walk away, leaving behind laughter and Facetime calls, leaving behind Jolly and Noah. The door closes softly behind you, muffling the sounds of the music and chatter. And as you step into the gloomy cold air, you wonder if healing is a myth, if love is a beautiful lie, and if betrayal is the only truth that matters.

[icyrambles]

y'know i love idw1. it is by far my favourite continuity purely because it has the balls to actually do some weird fucked up shit with those robots but one of my forever gripes with the series was how they handled the combiners.

also spoilers for idw1 (not massive but enough that i should warn ya if you haven't read through the series)

not in the sense that i hate combiners or combination but mostly just because i think it's weird that they never tackle the horror of being a combiner. it's never really touched on that most of the combiners were forced together and that combining has a permanent effect on a cybertronian's mind.

sure you've got prowl but idw is written so that the reader is meant to hate prowl, or at the very least dislike him, so you're automatically geared to not give a fuck if he's suffering a little bit. and his relationship with the constructicons is never really given the screentime it probably should've gotten so we never get to hear their opinions on being forcibly fused with an autobot's mind. (clearly they don't seem to mind it at the very least but i have a hard time believing that they just magically were okay with suddenly being part of a gestalt)

first aid literally shows up on cybertron with five other guys that he's only vaguely familiar with and starscream just decides that they're "good enough" and forces them into a gestalt. and then we literally never get to see if first aid gave a fuck about this whole situation. hell one of his gestalt members, rook, literally gets killed in lost light and first aid just, doesn't care, and neither do any of his gestalt mates. they're just like, "eh, moving on"

fucking hell, sunstreaker, ironhide, mirage, and motherfucking optimus prime get put into a gestalt with prowl and the most they have to say is "wow prowl you're really fucked up" and that's it. do they just all have to deal with the consequences of being a combiner. optimus never seems to bring it up ever again and neither does sunstreaker, even when they're in the same place together.

the combaticons seem to be rather fucked up about the whole thing, but that's not because being in a combiner team fucked them up, it's more because they combined with a fucking corpse and sharing a mind with a brain dead swindle seriously sucked ass.

like think about the effect of combination for a quick second.

a mech is forced to share everything about themself, from memories, to thoughts and emotions with another group of mecha (up to five depending on the combiner) and they just, don't get a fucking choice in it. idw talks a lot about bodily autonomy, what with the themes of functionalism and cold constructed mechs but they don't seem to apply the same emotion to the combiners. they're just a plot tool to be throw around when the writers needed a big bad to face or a defender against some type of higher force

combiners are only scary because they're big and angry and difficult to control but the real fear should be focused on the existential horror of having a character whose mind is forcibly fused together with another group of people

[bow-wow-wark-wark]

Toshiro defense post

Hi everyone! So, I know this topic has been discussed a bunch of times before xd, but I keep seeing people say nonsense about Toshiro so… strap in cause this is another Toshiro explanation post!!

IMPORTANT: I do want to clarify that it’s fine if you dislike Toshiro. After all, everyone has the right to dislike characters so I’m not going to stop you, I know it’s not that serious. But then I’d like to ask you to stop spreading misinformation about him, use him for angst stuff that mischaracterizes him or any of that xd. Like, dislike him in peace xd but stop using him as a villain. Also, before any of you say “I understand his complexities but…”  let me stop you bc most of the time you don’t xd. Like you acknowledge the microaggressions and other things but use other poor excuses for hating him or invalidate that, so please read this post and keep an open mind!! Finaly, this post is going to touch on and disprove the following topics: 1. Toshiro hates Laois (together with stuff like how he is ableist and an asshole) 2. Toshiro is a huge hypocrite for liking Fallin (together with how he doesn’t really love her) and 3. Toshiro was racist towards itsutzumi (without getting too into complex race politics). I will also back up my arguments by content in the anime and some of the extras from the manga, despite that I will not delve on spoiler related content so, let’s get to it!

1. Toshiro hates Laios.

Something that people use to hate on Toshiro is his famous fighting scene with Laois, saying things like “Toshiro was ableist towards Laois” “Toshiro is a hypocrite because he complains about poor communication, but why didn’t he say anything himself?” “Toshiro hates Laois” but before we tackle this let’s recap:

In this scene they fight over the fact that Laois has poor social skills and doesn’t understand the ways Toshiro expresses his annoyance at him and his desire to have some space, he also accuses Laois of being unserious about saving Fallin and even says that he has always hated Laois. This scene resonated with MANY people that have experienced this exact same conversation with “friends” who would get mad at them for showing neurodivergent traits, I am one of those people as well so I can totally understand.  So, them seeing themselves in Laois and their acquaintance in Toshiro people accuse him of being ableist, but this:

Is not that. First of all, it’s important to note that Toshiro’s complaints come from his cultural background as an easterner, where he is used to subtle communication, and by his upbringing as an heir of his island (something that is explained by this thread in great detail!! But to summarize it basically says that he has become more reserved due to his retainer’s overbearing nature and do to being compared to his father constantly and by being surrounded by rumors of his family, so he chooses to not speak out as to cause more trouble for himself). Second of all he doesn’t really do anything ableist… many people say that they hate him “because he was a huge dick to Laois” but apart from expressing his frustration by yelling and fighting, something rude of course, what ableist or horrid thing did he do?  He didn’t call him names or anything, and even acknowledges the fact that Laois is someone who acts in good fate and doesn’t mean any harm to him, but he still dislikes his actions (not a bad thing at all). It’s also important to note that Toshiro is TIRED in this scene, he hasn’t eaten or slept in 3 whole days and suddenly he bumps into a bunch of problems and the girl he loves turned into a monster by this guy who seems WAY to relaxed about it and who he already has gripes against, my question is: Who wouldn’t lash out? Additionally, this scene is important for him too!! As he finally stands up for himself and expresses his feelings, something that drives his character development into being a better guy.

On top of all that, it’s also important to note that Toshiro himself shows signs of being neurodivergent just that in a different way than Laois. For example, his hyperfocus on saving Fallin making him ignore his needs, his overreliance on social cues to understand others, his stand offish an awkward nature that doesn’t let him connect with the people around him and his difficulty to express his needs. These are things many neurodivergent people can relate to, and dare I say, things Laois shares with him!! They both suck socially which is literally what causes this, so what makes him so different? So hard to forgive? What makes it hard to understand him but not Laois? And let’s all not forget the fact that Laois has been pulling a microaggression on him by calling him a butchered version of his name this entire time! It doesn’t make him evil! But it shows how they have a complex relationship where both sides where right. (Also, I know this is a complicated topic and I know there are poc people who hate him BUT, to me the issue is that he 1. Has a meltdown and 2. He’s not white. Like it is very known and said that poc cannot express themselves in such freeing ways as our white counterparts, so it’s harder to be nd and poc than white and nd, which is somehow the case for Toshiro as well xd. Many people say that he shows how people only like nd traits when they’re palatable, but this argument goes back to you, you might find nd traits better when it’s on a white guy you can baby and not on the Asian guy who should know better. None of them should have to, characters are allowed to do bad things and fix those errors).

 Lastly, Toshiro mends his mistake immediately!!  He doesn’t hate Laois, if anything he holds complicated feelings towards him for a while, which most of the cast do (more on this later). Some people seriously act like this didn’t happen, but at the end of the fight he admits that he doesn’t hate Laois (media literacy check but not everything a character says while angry is true!!) but envies his free spirited and straight forward nature. And if this doesn’t seem enough to mend his mistake, he gives Laois the calling bell, which will immediately send someone to help him and fetch him to the east. Would you have a guy that you HATE as a refugee in your country? Plus, he’s serious about the bell too! This scene wasn’t added in the anime, but there’s a point where Toshiro and Kabru are leaving and they keep hearing the bell, which they point out as annoying, despite that Toshiro always keeps it with him and says that if the noise stops, he will know to fetch Laios. If he really hated him, why would he keep a loud object around him just to make sure he is safe? (There’s literally a scene where it goes off after Laois throws it and he just acts embarrassed that it’s interrupting a conversation, but he doesn’t leave it or anything).

2. Toshiro is a huge hypocrite for liking Fallin.

With that point out of the way, lets get to the 2nd problem: Toshiro’s crush on Fallin. Let me preface once more by saying I LOVE Farcille and think they’re a very cute ship, but using Toshiro as your angst bait is not cool and super ooc (clarification: I don’t mean like a respectful joke about him getting rejected or exploring marcille’s thoughts on his proposal, I mean bashing on him hard or saying that he would intervene or disapprove of a farcille relationship).

Ok so in this case, many people say that Toshiro is a HUGE hypocrite because of 2 things: 1. He likes Fallin but dislikes Laois even though they’re almost identical, and 2. Because he claims to love Fallin while abandoning her and condemning black magic.

So, let’s get into why this is not true:

We have already discussed how Toshiro does not dislike Laois, but pushing that out of the way, the one thing he “dislikes” about Laois is the one thing he does not share with Fallin, which is their social awareness. Fallin is significantly more socially aware and tends to do things as to avoid burdening others, putting her needs aside, she’s someone who is very thoughtful and mindful of the people around her, unlike Laois who, while also thoughtful and kind, is not as receptive (Also crazy to note that her and Toshiro share this “not fully sharing my feelings as to not burden others” thing). Besides that, he likes that Fallin likes bugs/nature (the same thread from before has a nice possible explanation if you want to check it out) something that could be related to Laois’s love for monsters which, fun fact, he doesn’t hate at all!! Something that, funnily enough, others seem to give Laois flack over but not Fallin (crazy how there aren’t as many people shitting on Marcille or chilchuck for this?? specially since Fallin also likes monsters but Marcille never says anything about it and centers her annoyance on Laois? Wow… (I don’t hate Marcille for this either btw, I’m being sarcastic). And on the topic of this double standard, I’ve seen many people ask how he thinks he can marry into the Toudens while hating Laois (bad), while at the same time seeing so many “omg marcille thinks the only downside to marrying Fallin is Laois” (funny), crazy how its bad when Toshiro does it, huh? (Even crazier is the fact it’s only half true for both of them xd, they like Laois he is their friend)

So, once more he dislikes that Laois doesn’t give him space but likes Fallin because she does, especially because they aren’t very close at all. Toshiro has a hard time getting close to others and it’s stated that he tends to put barriers around himself with people who are “close” to him like maizaru and Hien. But since Fallin is an acquaintance at best it’s easy to like her from afar and the traits she seems to show outwardly.

Which leads me to the next point: Toshiro mani pixie dream girlifies Fallin. It is true that Toshiro has idealized her and doesn’t know her too well because they don’t talk but... is that a crime? There are many characters who hold biased opinions on others (like kabru with Laois or senshi with marcille or marcille with the orcs, etc.) and that doesn’t really get critiqued either. I don’t think it’s the sign of a horrid man for him to like Fallin without knowing her to well xd, it’s pretty normal for a crush and also if you consider his nature. Besides, this is once more influenced by his background: in one scene chilchuck mentions how the proposal thing is common in the east + he is an heir xd, so it’s only logical to be thinking about marriage, specially since his dad has high expectations for him (something that I know has not yet been shown in the anime, but it is present on extra manga content). It’s important to note also, that he doesn’t claim that he knows her best, puts words on her mouth or push his feelings towards her either. He proposes, she says that she will think about it and as far as the anime is concerned, he waits patiently for her answer. He doesn’t say “curse you woman you are coming with me!” or anything like that, and even if he expresses that he wants to leave with her to the east, that is ONLY if she says yes and agrees to that, so its illogical to say any of these things without proof.

Now onto the 2nd main point of this section: He abandoned Fallin and hates black magic. 1st of all, he didn’t abandon Fallin, he left to gather his retainers to search for her in a way he thought more efficient and once we see him again, he HASN’T EATEN OR SLEPT IN 3 DAYS OUT OF DEDICATION ALONE!! (If you use the argument that he abandoned Laois, that can also be explained by this). Now, him hating dark magic and claiming to turn in Marcille to the elves. This is not the best, since it poses conflict for our protagonists but 1. He doesn’t even end up doing that and helps them out after all is explained and 2. Put yourself in his shoes, what would you do if your crush turned into a monster that killed all your party? “Toshiro didn’t love Fallin enough to accept her as a monster unlike Marcille” Are you guys listening to yourselves? What he sees is a Fallin that has been desecrated and turned into a monster, something that will harm her and others + he’s not a magic specialist so how would he know or believe that they could turn her back to normal? He condemns Marcille but not out of lack of love, but I would say because of it, as far as he knows this could only turn worse for her anyways. Also, Kabru points out his illogical line of thought, claiming that it would be better for Fallin to die then, and Toshiro realizes how stupid he sounded a moment ago xd; Kabru points out how he also would have done anything to save her, and he backs down in agreement.

Once more, maybe annoying but not bad guy material. What’s more, this one is a really pressing matter as I have seen SO many Farcille fan artists and editors using him as an easy villain that hates Marcille (he is canonically scared of her) or as a cuck that doesn’t get Fallin. Somone pointed out once how he gets treated like a female character that gets in the way of an mlm ship and I agree. But while sometimes funny, it gets absurd at times and tends to border on making him someone he is not. I’ve even seen people say he’s homophobic (XD) or make him the token straight guy (something that in most fandoms means being an annoying incel character). In addition, many people say that Fallin would hate him for being “mean” to Laois but 1. She is very kind and would probably understand him. 2. If she realizes Laois has forgiven him, I don’t think she would meddle in to fix her brother’s problems because he wouldn’t want that and that’s just not her personality.

2.5 Small section.

Before we move into the last section, I’d like to add a small section called: you guys don’t understand Toshiro’s personality. Let’s be clear Toshiro is a shy, quiet, reserved, sentimental, rigid and half-hearted guy. It’s not common for him to start things, he tends to leave problem solving to authorities, he isn’t too confident in himself, and he is also an outcast in his homeland. Yet so many people describe him as being arrogant of self-absorbed and I really don’t know where that is coming from. Like, I’ve seen a bunch of people say, “oh how can he think he’s good enough for Fallin?” or variations of the sort but... I don’t think he thinks that he just decides to shoot his shot anyways. I’ve also seen some people describe him as some “pretentious rich asshole”, but this is also never showed or implied in text. Toshiro does not flaunt his wealth; he doesn’t act like he is better than ANYONE in the party, he just has money by being an heir (something not fun for him) and that’s it, but he doesn’t even use his status to get anything from anyone either., so… where is this coming from? (Racism? a need for a bad guy? who knows?) Plus, many people seem to dislike him because he is an aristocrat but… the system is not the same as being like a prince, his family just has influence in the east. Besides, characters like Laois or Mithun were also well off and from influential families and don’t get that type of flack. There’re also characters like Laois and Kabru, who express the desire to join this “aristocratic/monarchy” system by becoming king and lord of the dungeon. Who, then again, don’t get that flack.  

3. Toshiro was racist towards itsutzumi.

With that out of the way, we have reached the final point: Toshiro owns people (making him racist ig). Ok so let’s preface by saying 2 things: 1. Dungeon meshi is not a racist story, but a story with racism and many complicated race relations that get treated respectfully for the most part. With this is included, the complex treatment of beast skins and other races seen as less human like kobolds or ogres like Tade.  2. The retainers are not slaves; they are servants for Toshiro’s family.

Ok, so it is true that Toshiro’s father bought itsutzumi from people who were abusing her (and Tade as well but people don’t bring her up when talking about this xd) and later put her to work as a retainer, so therefore he owns her right? Yeah, but not as a slave. Slaves do forced labor and are kept in inhumane conditions, which she is not, as she is given a home, education and the most labor she does is chores (which she usually avoids anyways) and probably some fighting of the sort. In fact, you could even say that she was enslaved prior to being bought by Toshiro’s father (not that this is an excuse for buying her necessarily, but once more this relates to complicated race things). It is also important to acknowledge that as a beast skin itsutzumi (a non-human) is seen as less valuable and gets treated unfairly by maizuru. And while it can border on othering behavior, like being tied up for misbehaving, this is once more pushed by maizuru and not any of the other retainers or Toshiro himself.  With this argument usually comes the mention of the cursed collar that was kept on her, which is definitely a bad thing, but once more it is made by maizuru without Toshiro having ANY knowledge about it. I don’t judge any anime only for not knowing this, but in one extra it is revealed that Maizuru actually used the collar on Toshiro himself as a child, so that he would not leave too far from her side, so she explains that she made a similar one for itsutzumi; in this extra he looks surprised and remembers the traumatizing experience so... yeah, he didn’t know.

Additionally, many people compare the argument that he doesn’t own them, but his father does with the sixpence drama from a long time ago. Saying that this doesn’t excuse the behavior and that he should have done something, but that can also be explained. 1. Toshiro actually doesn’t meaningfully associate with any of the retainers prior to leaving to the island, (as explained by the adventurer’s bible and other extras) except for Hien as they are childhood friends and Maizuru. Besides that, he holds no relation to any of them, so he could not have known about itsutzumi’s situation, and it’s even shown that he doesn’t know how he should treat her at all. Despite that Toshiro does show consciousness towards their situation, saying that he would like to talk to Tade about being so adoring of him and his father, but he isn’t sure how to approach the issue. With that, we could assume the same could be said about his feelings towards itsutzumi. 2. “He left her to die”, technically no. They know she’s a capable fighter, so they probably didn’t see any problems with leaving her and also, itsutzumi scapes his party. Meaning that they know she doesn’t like them so why would they go back and search for her? If anything, Toshiro might have thought of it as an easy way to give her freedom, once more, why would you force someone back when you know they don’t want to be there?

“Why didn’t he let her go sooner?” This is explained by the first bit that he didn’t really know her and by asecond thing: contrary to popular belief, Toshiro doesn’t have such a big control of the retainers as it may seem, and it is ultimately maizurus or his father’s choice as to what to do with them. Like he didn’t want them to come with him to the island, but they don’t heed to that and come anyways. So, what makes anyone think that he could just change his fathers wishes? So yeah, he doesn’t own people they work for his family and that’s it.

So, this is the end of the post, if you read all of this, I greatly thank you and I hope I could make at least one of you change your mind. If not, oh well. Once more is valid to dislike characters, you can keep doing that but stop seriously stop with the angst bait or misinformation spread. That is all I want to say, so thank you again and see you later.

[fishcat480]

Bad Day

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Damon Salvatore x Plus size! Reader

Warnings: None

Description: You’re having a very bad day when Damon Salvatore decides to make it worse, but then maybe he also makes it much better.

It was one of those fucking days.

You know those days when everything just goes completely, spectacularly wrong?

You shouldn’t have even been surprised. Once you’d woken up and your favorite sweater had had cat puke on it, you should have given up there. But no - you just had to power through and continue your day.

You got a call right after breakfast that your car payment hadn’t gone through, and now you’d have to pay a late fee you couldn’t afford. While running errands, you’d managed to knock over your Starbucks in the middle of the aisle of Target, forcing you to have to buy another coffee. And once back home, you were greeted with a passive aggressive note from your neighboring apartment asking you to close your door “just a tad quieter”.

By the time you had to get ready for work, your ‘fucks to give’ meter was dangerously low.

You quickly tossed on your uniform shirt and broke several traffic laws driving to the Grill, because of course you were late. At a red light, you tossed your messy Y/H/C hair into a ponytail, griping at your reflection as some asshole in a sports car cut you off. Really? Who the hell drove sports cars in Mystic Falls? You’d only ever seen one person do that, and that was Damon Salvatore.

You scanned the license plate. Then you squinted to see inside the drivers seat and swore loudly. Damon fucking Salvatore. And he waggled his pale fingers at you before peeling off at top speed.

He was there at the Grill when you finally clocked in, tossing apologies at your manager and ignoring Matt’s teasing grins as you settled behind the bar and counted up your liquor. The day bartender threw you a goodbye and a sympathetic look.

Once finished your count, you sauntered over to Damon, who was enjoying a scotch on the rocks with a self righteous grin on his face.

“You cut me off.” you said, placing your hands on the bar.

He shrugged. “Did I?”

Damon had been drinking at the bar of the Grill long before you worked there, but somehow after you started you felt as if he was suddenly there all the time. You’d had an easy relationship at first, due to your infamiliarity. He was a flirt, you were determined to make good money. You flirt with Damon, he gives you a twenty on top of his tab. That was how it had always been for you, and for the other bartenders before you.

But something had changed, and you remembered the day that it did almost as well as you remembered Damon’s drink order.

It had been a slow night, with only Damon and his buddy Alaric holding down the fort. Most of the other drink orders came from tables, and those were practically empty too. You elected to pass the time with Damon and Ric, talking about nothing and everything. That quickly nosedived into a pissing contest between the two men and which one could do a handstand when you mentioned offhand that you were able to perform a fancy little trick, and that had been your downfall.

“There’s no way!” Ric was crying, his words slurring out of the side of his mouth. “You prove it right now.”

You folded your arms across your chest and shrugged, your grin too confident. Damon’s eyes were laser focused, and he took a long drag of his scotch, watching you intently.

“Don’t tease us…”he said finally.

You sighed, and cursed yourself.

Normally, you wouldn’t mind showing this particular party trick off for customers. It happened sometimes on raucous nights, when people were coming from or on their way to parties, looking to boost their mood and spend their money. It felt good to do it and see the looks of awe on their faces, sometimes even lust.

But you were feeling very self conscious at the prospect of doing it for Damon Salvatore.

You couldn’t deny he was attractive. His face, yeah, but his swagger was practically debilitating. He had the confidence of a much older man, which was funny considering you were the same age. There weren’t guys your age acting like him, of that you were sure.

It fueled your desire toward him as much as your flirtatious little routine did.

But Damon was always on the arm of the skinniest, hottest girl in the room. He’d chased after Elena Gilbert for a while, and she was less than half your size. There was no way his flirting had anything more to do with you than you wished. He liked to have fun, plain and simple.

Ric was slamming his fists on the table now, demanding you not to leave them hanging.

You mustered up all your courage - they knew what you looked like, you thought. They were asking you to do it.

So you lifted yourself up onto the bar in a much more fluid motion than you might have ever expected from yourself, and in one easy rotation you were doing a handstand.

You could feel the fabric of your shirt rising up, but you ignored it. You carefully started placing the majority of your weight on your left hand.

You could hear Ric and a few customers oohinh and aahing at you, and it spurred you on. You lifted your right hand into the air, and separated your legs a bit. And then you were doing a handstand on one hand.

You held the pose as Ric hollered and cheered, and then easily flipped backwards and onto your feet again before jumping back behind the bar, standing once more on your own two feet.

“Am I drunk or did I just witness cirque de soleil?” Ric asked.

“You’re drunk.” You told him, as you wiped off the spot on the bar where your feet had been. “But you did witness something pretty cool.”

Your eyes flitted over to Damon, curious to see if he had any kind of reaction. What you saw stopped you in your tracks.

His eyes were dark - darker than you’d ever seen them. There was something hungry in their expression, like you were dessert and he had saved plenty of room. His lips were covered by his tongue as it slowly lapped over it, before he closed his mouth and swallowed.

“Let’s do a shot.” Damon decided, reaching out and placing his hand on top of yours. “I’m buying.”

“Shots!” Ric called, and you internally groaned. He definitely did not need another one.

But you were glued into Damon’s atmosphere, and you watched as his thumb stroked along your hand. “You want me to do a shot?” you asked.

“That was hard work you did up there.” He encouraged. “You must be thirsty.”

You flushed, hoping Ric couldn’t see the effect he was having on you. When you glanced over, he was exclaiming happily as a Bruce Springsteen song came on, completely ignoring you. Your blush must have been crimson, and your cheeks felt as if they were on fire.

Damon’s thumb was still marking its path on your skin. You needed to get away fast.

“I’ll get those shots.”

“Sounds good.” Damon said.

“I’ll need my hand to pour them.”

He let out a sound of displeasure, but withdrew his hand from yours and you robotically turned away, pouring three shots of Bulleit bourbon. If your hand was shaking and you spilled one, that was between you and the security camera.

You, Ric and Damon cheersed, tapping your glasses on the bar top before throwing the alcohol back. Ric sputtered and coughed, and you giggled as he tried to compose himself.

“Well that’s me!” he said, standing up and lurching dangerously to the left. “I’m tapping out.” He went to put his card down, but as usual Damon stopped him. He started waving his card in your direction, but you made no move to grab it.

“I don’t even bother running you up a tab anymore. Damon’s always got it covered.” You admired that about Damon. A lot of people thought of him as kind of shitty, but you knew better. He was loaded, and he always spent the majority of that money on other people. Even after Elena had rejected him for good, he still came in and covered her tab from time to time. He’d done it for all of their friends. He’d even done it for Matt - despite their apparently rocky history.

Ric sighed in defeat. “Me and my teacher’s salary are very thankful.”

Once Ric had left, it was you and Damon. Alone.

Never before had you felt so nervous serving him by yourself. Whatever you’d seen in his eyes after your little show had altered the atmosphere between the two of you. It thrilled you and scared you all at once.

“How come you never told me you were so flexible?” Damon asked, as you cleaned Ric’s empty glasses. He hadn’t taken his eyes off you, and you were avoiding meeting his gaze like the plague.

You shrugged. “I didn’t realize you had any interest in my level of flexibility.”

“If it’s about you, I’m interested.”

Since when did he say things like that to you? God, and if his words didn’t just send shockwaves straight to your core. Had you stepped into an alternate reality where Damon Salvatore was horny for you? No, that couldn’t be right. He was a flirt, and he was probably still heartbroken over Elena picking his brother.

“Damon.” you said finally, meeting his eyes. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

He frowned. “And why not?”

You gave him a knowing look. “I know you.” He was looking for a rebound, and you wanted more than that.

His frown deepened, and within a few moments Damon had gone from sad to furious. There was something working beneath the surface, and he looked….hurt.

“Well, fuck you very much.”

He stalked out of the bar, and your jaw was on the floor. Never did you ever expect Damon to get mad when rejected. How many girls had said no or called him names or even slapped him while you’d watched, bemused, from your side of the bar? And every time he’d smiled or shaken his head. He’d thought it was funny. So what made you different?

The next time you’d seen him, he’d asked for a drink and didn’t say a word to you other than a hi, bye or check, please.

And then this morning he’d cut you off, as if he somehow knew you were having a shit day and wanted to make it even fucking worse, as only Damon Salvatore could do.

Which sucked, because you’d spent weeks wishing that he would man up and talk to you, and explain why he’d been so hurt that day. You’d spent weeks wanting to have Damon back, cracking jokes and flirting with you and being your best customer.

So you confronted him. It was going to be another slow night, and you more than had the time.

“You cut me off. And you did it on purpose.”

This got his attention. He looked up from his drink, his nostrils flaring.

“I cut you off because you’re not a very good driver.”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh, come on! I wasn’t even moving!”

“And yet, your inexperience was glaringly evident.” He downed the last of his scotch and shoved the glass toward you. “And I’ll take another whenever you’re ready to work.”

Oh, he had another thing coming if he thought he was going to speak to you like that! You clicked your tongue against the roof of your mouth and moved quickly to pour him a shot - you were on the clock after all, even though you’d much rather leave him hanging - but not the top shelf he was used to. Oh no, you were pouring him the cheap stuff.

You slammed the glass in front of him and slid it over, glaring. He gave as much as he got, giving you a wicked little smile before taking a sip.

And promptly spitting it out.

“What the fuck is that?” He asked, rising to his feet. He grabbed a handful of cocktail napkins and dabbed at what he’d spilled onto his shirt, but the damage was done.

“Oh, sorry, were you looking for something specific? Unless you specify, we typically just give customers the rail.”

You had no issue being bitchy bartender tonight. In fact, it was kind of fun to dish it out. And he deserved it for being a jerk.

“What the hell is your problem?” He yelled. “I cut you off. It happens. I’m kind of an asshole sometimes.”

You groaned in frustration. “What about the whole silent treatment for three weeks? I tell you I don’t want to sleep with you and you act like a child!”

He bristled violently at that, and then looked around for a moment. You weren’t really sure what he was doing until he grabbed Matt by the scruff of his neck and brought him around to your side of the bar.

“Y/N needs a fiver. You’ve got this covered, right?”

Matt sighed, but started cleaning pint glasses. You were about to protest when Damon began dragging you off, and Matt smiled apologetically.

“Just go with it! It’ll be a lot easier!” He tells you, and then he’s gone and you’re being dragged through the back of house and out the back door.

Once outside, Damon released his grip on your arm.

“What the hell are you doing?” You ask, incredulous. “I’ll get written up if I’m gone too long.”

“Look.” Damon says, ignoring your pleas. “You…you hurt my feelings that day, ok? You said something kind of mean, or implied it at least. But…I shouldn’t have handled it like that. I’m working on that stuff.”

“Mean?” You asked. “What did I say that was mean?”

He sighs. “Do I have to spell it out?”

You nodded. “All caps, double spaced, please.”

He laughed despite himself. “You basically implied that I am some womanizing creep that wanted to use you for your body.”

You blinked. And then blinked again.

“Ok, two things… the first: are you NOT a womanizing creep that uses women for their bodies?”

He raised his eyebrows, and his head tilted in thought. “Ok fair point.”

“And the second: that’s not what I meant at ALL.”

He brought a finger up to his mouth and placed the tip on his lower lip. “……you didn’t?”

“No. Damon, what I was trying to say was that I’m not your type, and that you probably just wanted me for a night because you were drunk. Which is great and fine, but that’s just not what I’m looking for. I want a relationship.”

There was confusion in his too-blue eyes, and he took a step toward you, entering your personal space.

“What do you mean you’re not my type?”

Oh lord, this was exactly what you didn’t want to talk about right now. You blew out a steadying breath, choosing your words carefully.

“The girls you date are usually of the same variety….both in looks and in size. So I just figured I wasn’t really your type.”

Damon’s entire face changed. Gone was the confusion and the mock anger, replaced with a quiet rage. He flexed his knuckles, and you involuntarily stepped back. He kind of looked pissed.

“You think I didn’t want to sleep with you because you’re not skinny?”

You struggled to get words out. “I mean, yes? In a way…”

“Are you fucking stupid?”

Did he really want an answer to that? Based on the dangerous look in his eyes, it was probably in your best interest to stay quiet.

He was now fully in your space, standing with you toe to toe. His arms were crossed over his chest, which was absolutely heaving. He was very, very angry and it was kind of turning you on.

“I have been throwing hints at you since the moment you started working here. I tip you double the amount I tip anyone else, I always call you pet names, I’m constantly flirting with you…and you really thought I just wanted one random night of fun because you were warm and available?”

His words were like shockwaves to your system. Now that you were faced with it, you realized that no other bartender had ever said anything good about Damon’s tips. Anytime you were switching shifts, he never called anyone else “darling” or “sweetheart”. He flirted, sure, but you were always different….

“Oh my god….” You said quietly. “Oh my god, I didn’t even realize…”

His hands were on your hips, and your senses were assaulted by him. He smelled good, clean with a hint of spice. His eyes were making you melt with the heat of his gaze. His fingers, too, worked over your skin in delicate little circles, and you knew that given the chance those fingers would drive you wild.

“I do want to sleep with you.” He says, and you sigh but he places a finger on your lips, shushing you.

“I do, and I’m not afraid to say it. I got…overwhelmed when you did that sexy little handstand, and I moved too fast. But what I really want is to take you on a date.”

You tentatively wrapped your arms around his neck, your forehead resting against his. “Yeah?” You ask.

“Yeah.” He breathes.

You don’t answer, just press your lips against his and let yourself drown in him. His lips are like brands against yours, and you can imagine steam coming off you both as your mouths battle for dominance, slotting and slanting over each other again and again until you’re breathless.

“Ok, but if you bring me here for our date there will be actual hell to p-“

He cut you off with another searing kiss. A promise.

So maybe it wasn’t such a bad day after all.

[amaritypewriter]

Can you possibly write sub!val x fem!reader, but reader is kinda shy and actually loser👍⁉️

“Tears and all”

Hi there I know this took me a bit minute! I’ve been very busy but I hope you enjoy the quick read and your tried my best to stick to your request! THIS IS AN NSFW POST

Sub!Valentino x dom!reader, kind of blowjob?, riding, reader is kind of a loser,

- Ah yes Valentino; people can’t seem to stay away him, I mean how could they? He’s one of the top overlords of hell, a V. someone powerful and famous but there was another thing he was, a switch.

- To be honest Valentino never thought he would find himself in this position, situation maybe but he never thought you’d be on top of him fucking his brains out in his own studio! He always thought you were gorgeous, but too much of an innocent little loser to ever do something like hook up with him, not to mention porn! To him you were just the innocent little babe who ran the light cords in his studio.

- So to think he was surprised to have his wrists currently tied to the bed and he’d be begging you to stay would be an understatement.

- “Well comon show me what you got, stupid slut,” Valentino cruelly spat out, “For someone in the position you’re in, you sure are mean and prideful.” You hissed, “Fuck off, babe nobody been tied me up and fucked me good since I died. So good luck bitch.” He retorted tugging of his chained wrists. Right there you had two choices, walk away and realize this was all a misunderstanding mistake or crawl over him and ride his dick until it broke, let’s just say that’s exactly what you did.

- Valentino watched you curiously as you crawled over him and leaned down, as your soft delicate hands wrapped around his tip precum was already squirming out. You slowly griped your hand over his cock and with your thumb flicked the tip softly, his eyes widened this managed to receive a soft grunt out of him. You slowly opened your mouth and spit on it before taking it taking all of him into your mouth. “Fuck- a-ah” he whined as you began sucking, you could see how his thighs tensed up hard as you took one into your grip, stretching his legs with your right hand.

- You could tell how much he wanted to thrust up into your mouth, and make you take him deeper he wanted to fuck your mouth so bad; however, something in your trapping gaze assured him that if he moved a muscle, you would stop. Your mouth felt so good and warm so when you removed your soft curled lips from his cock you heard an audible whimper. “What’s that, Valentino whimpering in bed?” You said trying your best to tease him the way you saw he teased others, “What, no snarky comeback?” You said before moving forward to his face, “Shut up, stay in you fucking-“ he couldn’t even insult you before an audible gasp was heard from his voice. You completely took him inside you, squeezing his thighs with yours “fuck- you’re so -ngh tight”. You began moving your hips, slowly at first but just looking at Val’s face it was obvious he wanted you to go faster; so that’s what you did.

- Eventually you began bouncing up and down going balls deep while he watched you take his cock in, you could see his desire and you felt it too; your face felt so hot you were chewing up your lips while arching your back to take him in deeper. You felt the was his cock twitched inside of you and it felt so fucking good, your heart and stomach pulsed and twisted for this man. Your tits bounced up and down mesmerizing him, you wanted his attention, you got it now. You used all of your force to take him inside you lifting up and down was so exhausting but so rewarding. You could tell he was about to cum the way he twitched and moaned, it all felt so dirty but so good. For once you weren’t locked up in your office editing his movies with other actors wishing it was you. His hips bucked into you before he arched his beautiful back calling out your name as he released ropes of white cum into you. You continued your work fucking him through his orgasm and yours, before lifting yourself up from his still twitching dick, grabbing your coat. “Clean yourself up Val, you look disgusting.” You said lying through your teeth knowing damn well he looked so beautiful tears and all.

[integra1127grimmreaper]

Mr. Grinch (Joel Miller)

Joel Miller Masterlist

Warning: swearing, fluff

Summary: A little Christmas story inspired by Lindsey Stirling's version of - You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch.

Mr. Grinch... that was what everyone had nicknamed Joel after just one day in Jackson last year, when he and Ellie had first set foot in the community last winter. Now, one year later, and another winter in yet the nickname still stuck. You found the entire thing to be quite amusing; yes, Joel could be grumpy and sometimes comes off as just plain mean, but there were good, loyal qualities to him, ones that only those dearests to him were witness to. So, that's why to make lightly of the nickname, you had decided to do something fun about it in the annual Christmas eve pageant.

You had come across an old burlesque record sometime back, the beat of the music perfect for what you had planned. Your outfit; a cute red winter dress, green tights and Santa hat.

The pageant was taking place in the mess hall, as the Christmas eve community dinner was to be taking place immediately thereafter. A small stage had been erected in the hall, with tablets setup for all to enjoy the show and dinner after.

The hall rang out with whistles and cheers when you made your way to stage, everyone soon quiets down, and the music begins to play.

*

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch You really are a heel You're as cuddly as a cactus As charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel

The room was eerily silent as you comically performed on stage whilst singing; everyone knew exactly where you were going with the chosen song. You on the other hand, were having a field day with it, as people's eyes kept jumping back and forth between you and the table you were clearly trained on during the entire performance.

*

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch (Mr. Grinch) Your heart's an empty hole Your brain is full of spiders You've got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch

You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch (Mr. Grinch) You have termites in your smile You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch Now given the choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crocodile Seasick crocodile

"Shit, it's you!" Ellie bawls out in realization, but you continue like nothings amiss. Everyone nervously stares back at the table as she chuckles out loudly then.

"The song is about you, Joel! You're Mr. Grinch!"

"Now, Ellie... don't be looking for trouble where there ain't none" Tommy attempts to neutralize the situation before things got out of hand.

"Nuh-uh..." Ellie retorts with a stiff head shake, hollering out then.

"See! I fuckin' told you! She just winked at him!"

The sounds of gasps ringing out at her words, as everyone braced themselves for your impending demises at the hands of the man you were clearly referring to in the song. He, on the other hand sat dangerously silent, as his dark narrowed gaze remained fixed on you as the performance continues.

"Ellie..." Tommy drawls out in annoyance, and then it happened.

"She blew him a kiss!" Ellie screams, griping onto Joel's shoulder; shaking him back and forth in excitement.

"Wait. What?" an open-mouthed Tommy stares at you on the stage.

*

The words that best describe you are stink, stank, stunk (Ooh) No, no, no Stink, stank, stunk Oh, Mr. Grinch Mr. Grinch...

The music ends and the room is filled with nothing but awkward silence, Tommy silently eyes Joel; preparing himself to have to stop his brother from strangling you in front of the entire Jackson community. Ellie then jumps out from her seat and starts cheering loudly and you chuckle out, taking a dramatic bow.

"Now, Joel..." Tommy attempts to divert his attention away from you as you step down from the stage.

Everyone sat with bated breath as you made your way toward Joel's table with a cocky smirk plastered on your lips.

"Joel" Tommy warns, jumping up to stop him when he gets up, but Ellie and Maria hold him back.

"What hell are ya two doing?!"

"Wait" Maria remarks as you and Joel meet each other in the centre of the room.

Placing a hand on your hip and cocking your head to the side; you smirk at him whilst striking a pose.

"Hey there, Mr. Grinch..."

Joel's eyes narrow to tight slits as he silently grinds his teeth whilst staring down at you for a second. Silent gasps ring out when he steps closer to you, reaching out to take the Santa hat off your head; Joel plops it onto his own, a broad smirk spreads across his lips as he pulls you flushed against him.

"Hi, Baby..." Joel drawls, tipping down to capture your lips in a deep kiss.

"What the fuck...?!" Tommy voice rings out, along with loudly gasps of surprise.

"Knew they were fucking long before this, FYI..." Ellie remarks smugly, causing both Tommy and Maria to scowl at her disapprovingly.

"What?" she shrugs at them.

"He's always looking at her all-googly-eyed... and she's even worse. Also caught him from my bedroom window; sneaking out of her house and back home in the early hours of the morning when no one's awake."

Joel and you chuckle into each other's mouths at her words, resting your foreheads against one another's with broad smiles.

You had your suspicious of her knowledge, but both had decided to keep your relationship a secret till now. Finally deciding after four months that it was time to make it public, as a matter of fact; it was Joel who had come with the idea of your performance when you had let him in on the town nickname for him.

What the residents didn't know; was that even with only one good ear, Joel had still managed to pick up on the word 'Grinch' being softly uttered whenever he was around. He wasn't too keen on it at first, not till you had told him that you found it to be a cute name for him. That 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' had been one of your favorite Christmas movies as a child. That in the end Mr. Grinch wasn't as bad as everyone believed him to be just lonely and misunderstood, with a heart of gold hidden underneath all that grumpiness, just as your Joel.

When you playfully performed the Mr. Grinch song for him, Joel found it utterly amusing and that's how you came to be performing it tonight. Proving to everyone that your Mr. Grinch wasn't as bad as everyone believed him to be.

"C'mon Baby..." Joel slings his arm around your shoulder and directing you towards the table.

"Lead the way, Mr. Grinch..." you pat his ass affectionally, causing him to chuckle yet again as the rest of Jackson stared at the two of you weirdly. 

[blowflyfag]

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT/FEDERATION MAGAZINE: OCTOBER 2011

THE CULT OF CM PUNK

“All it took for The Straight Edge Superstar to turn the world upside-down and ignite the WWE Universe was one microphone. HEre we’ve given the “Voice of the Voiceless” another soapbox to explore his many issues with WWE management, his epic match at WWE Money In The Bank, his fellow Superstars who deserve a better shot, and what, if anything, is going to change now that he’ back for good. 

By JOHN MIHALY PHOTOGRAPHY BY PER BERNAL, DIGITAL IMAGING BY ERIC HEINTZ

[The Second City Saint reveals his cult of personality, and shows off his new T-shirt and WWE Championship during his unexpected return to WWE a week after leaving with the title (Raw, 7/25/11).]

In your estimation, what do you feel is wrong with WWE right now, and what would you do to change it?

What’s wrong with WWE right now is that there isn’t enough youth. Most of the ideas are old. They worked in The Attitude Era or in the ‘80s-and I'm not necessarily saying that they’re bad or they’re wrong-but they need updating, they need tweaking. There needs to be some young minds spinning the webs, so to speak. I’m sick of seeing people who are excellent wrestlers get passed over for people who have abs or who were good-string linemen in a European football league. I think there are a lot of people who, on their own terms, have made their own personas and perfected their craft simply out of love for what they do. They’re not trying to be bodybuilders or football players who fail miserably and then call their uncle or their dad and say, “Hey, I’ll give that wrestling thing a shot because I suck at everything else.”

Why do you think it’s such a strike against guys who-like yourself-are fans but aren't from a sports or bodybuilding background?

Now, this is complete speculation. I can't even tell you what somebody else is thinking. I can only say what I think works. And I'm not going to be right 100 percent of the time just like they're not going to be. Somewhere along the way I think we lost the Midas touch. This whole thing became uncool. I think people who love it aren’t going to go do something else  if they get fired. Like Colt Cabana. He’s a perfect example. He is a wrestler. If he gets hired and it doesn’t work out, he’s wrestling somewhere else the next day. He’s not trying to shoehorn himself into an accounting job. He’s a wrestler. He’s always going to be here. So I just think if you love wresting sometimes-maybe-you’re punished. You’re placed last in line. The attitude is: You’re always going to be here,  maybe we can use you later if we need you, but right now we’re going to use this guy because he was good at college football, and he didn’t quite make it in the NFL.

Another one of your gripes is how the WWE Championship looks. How would you redesign the title? What is the definitive look of that particular championship for you?

Oh god. How long is this interview? Honestly, I think old Dwayne used to have a cute little blue cow on his title or something. Then, of course, Stone Cold had the Smoking Skull title. I don't know. I think I could Straight Edge the hell out of that thing. A couple of “X”’s might make it look good. Make it look like a title should look like, and not make it look like some sort of weird, rapper bling. I feel the definitive look, though, is what I like to call “Bret Hart’s Title.” I think everyone likes to call it the “Winged Eagle Title.”That’s a little bit redundant. I’m pretty sure most eagles have wings. That’s the one that always sticks out in my mind.

This anger with your job has been festering for a while. Was there one moment backstage when you felt that you’d had enough?

I can name one off the top of my head. How about main-eventing a pay-per-view as the World Heavyweight Champion against Undertaker and then, a few months later, being in a dark match against R-Truth at WWE TLC? That’s pretty ignorant in my mind. This is the problem. We do this too many times to too many of the Superstars. It’s a start-stop kind of thing. The company likes to spotlight certain people. Like, “This week, Kofi’s cool,” and then, the next week, “We changed our minds-we like Dolph this week.” It flip-flops back and forth ad nauseam, and the next thing you know, the people couldn’t give a crap about either guy.

When did the powers that be really begin to take your leaving WWE seriously?

I told them probably a year out. They would say, “Hey, how about we talk about your contract?” And I would just say, “No, I don’t really feel like it.” And they would say, “Ok, back off. Punk’s crabby and temperamental.” We’ll get him next week.” And the next week it would be, “Hey let’s talk about it.” And then maybe eight or 10 months out, it was, “Hey, I really want to sit down. We really need to sign you a new deal.” And that’s when I straight up said, “No, I’m not interested.”

[CM Punk perches on the top rope to hear out The Chairman’s final contract offer (Raw, 7/11/11).]

Take us back to your title match at WWE Money In The Bank. What did you do differently that day knowing that could have been your last day on the job?

I don’t think I did anything different that day. I’m a man of my word. I wasn’t going to skip out on my contract earlier. I was going to let it run out. These to do, and I was going to let it run out. These are the terms. I agreed to and the dates I agreed to do, and I was definitely going to finish up. But I think I talked so much about everything and everybody that all eyes were on me and it created a high-pressure situation. Thankfully, I thrive very well in those situations. I’d say I pulled it off. All this stuff i talk about, about ebony the best in the world, I certainly proved it that night. The match went near the 35-minute mark But i wrestled for 93 minutes one time back in 2002 or 2003 in a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match.

You mentioned on the Bill Simmons B.S. Report podcast that you had made the decision to come back and resign at WWE Money In The Bank. Do you think your decision was at all clouded a little bit too much by all the emotion going on that day?

I can definitely put it aside. I can be a robot if I need to be. Resigning was something that was on my mind day -in and day-out whether I was at the gym or sleeping. I was dreaming about it, I was really trying to figure out what was the best decision for the company as a whole. I love what we do. I ‘m not going to get along with everybody I work with. I’m certainly not going to agree with everything all the time, But at the end of the day, I want everybody’s voice to be heard. I want this place to succeed. So I had to weigh my options. 

[The conquering hometown hero wins his first WWE Championship (To add to his three World Heavyweight Titles) at WWE Money In The Bank (7/17/11).]

They say  a man’s refrigerator is a window into his soul. When you Tweeted a photo of the WWE Championship inside your fridge the night you won, we couldn’t help but notice that there was a jar of peanut butter in there. Isn’t peanut butter meant to be stored at room temperature?

Is it? Why? I'm not saying we have to end the interview now, but here’s a good wrap-up for you: WWE has stored their peanut butter at room temperature for over 30 years; I'm putting it in the refrigerator now. It’s time for a damn change. I don’t eat my peanut butter like everybody else, I suppose. I don’t spread it on anything, because I try to stay away from bread and all that, so if I’m eating peanut butter, i take a spoonful of it, and i eat it like ice cream. It tastes better a little frozen. 

Another thing we noticed is that you used the “W” word a lot in your tirades these last weeks. How much do you dislike saying “sports-entertainment”?

I don’t hate it as much as you would think, but I really do think it’s ridiculous when you’re not allowed to say “wrestling.” At the end of the day, that’s what goes on in that ring. That ring is our stage. What we do on that stage is we wrestle. I’m not playing grab-ass. I’m out there fighting to win. Wins and losses mean something. Wrestling happens to be damn entertaining.

So is it weird to call yourself a “Superstar” as opposed to a wrestler?

I don’t think it’s weird. I think we’re all Superstars. Absolutely. I don’t think there’s anybody else who can be called that. Would you call Brad Pitt a Superstar? Do I think Brad Pitt can do what we do? Absolutely not! Brad Pitt gets scripts and lines to study months ahead of time and he has a very controlled setting in which he looks the best he possibly can. He has makeup on, there’s lighting, there’s people doing the sound and everything. We go out there on live TV every Monday night and kill it. That’s where the entertainment part comes in. It’s more entertaining than a Brad Pitt movie. There are no retakes, you know? There’s no Take 1, Take 2–”I screwed that up, let me do it again.” IF we screw up, we screw up. That’s the entertaining part. 

Entertaining was your baseball analogy equating John Cena to the Yankees-which caused him to punch you. But let’s follow that analogy a bit further. Earlier this century, your Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox were quite similar. Then the Red Sox were quite the equivalent of baseball’s nouveau riche, effectively placing that franchise and fan base in line with the Yankees. Won’t the same thing happen to the Cubs when they win? And what about you? If you continue to win, wont you in turn become what you hate?

Possibly. We’ll have to wait and see. Is the same thing going to happen to me? It’s quite possible. That’s life, though. I really think it depends on the person. Am I going to change? Absolutely not. I'm not changing anything. Will the WWE Universe maybe get sick of me? I think the people get sick of anything if it's shoved down their throat. I think free-thinking people like variety, and they like change. There’s no reason why multiple people can’t be marketed correctly and in everybody’s face constantly so there’s a choice. 

[Punk ruffles the feathers (and tie) of new COO Triple H (Raw, 8/1/11), and hopes for a retro design akin to, in his words, “Bret Hart’s Title” (above left).]

One thing you did change is your entrance music, to Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality.” Did you consider anything else?

No, that was the one. It was a throwback to my Indie days, but it also just fit. I have tremendous guts, I’d like to say, and it was just a gut feeling that this was the right thing to do, to change my music now. Did I like my old song? Absolutely. Was it recognizable? Sure, I had it for five years. Was it time for a change? Was it a risky thing? Yes and yes. But ultimately, I think it was the right move. I haven't been able to get the song out of my head since last Monday. It’s a song that came out in 1989, when I was on my little league team, and now it just jumped into the iTunes Top 200. That’s powerful. That should speak volumes to the WWE management. They should say, “Holy crap, this kid has the power to do something like that. Let’s see what else he can do.”

What’s really different now that you’re back? What are we going to see that’s not status quo?

I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but i will tell you that when the Ramones were voted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. This is, after all, the establishment that shunned the entire band for its entire career, and he wanted nothing to do with it. He was extremely adamant that, “No, you don’t get the privilege of having the Ramones in your little club.” My good friend, Lars Frederickson [of the band Rancid], got on the phone and said, “Marky, listen to me. You almost have responsibility to the underground to accept this award and be in the Hall of Fame to show that you are as big as the Beatles, you’re as good as Led Zeppelin, all these mainstream bands that the Ramones maybe never got credit on the same level as.” And that’s kind of how I feel about WWE right now. I’m a guy who, for all intents and purposes, never should have even made it to WWE. Then I had roadblock after roadblock thrown in my way. Not only did I get past those roadblock thrown in my way. Not only did I get past those roadblocks, I did it while flipping off the people who put up those roadblocks. I feel I have a responsibility to the younger wrestlers on the roster, the ones that aren't signed yet, and the future of wrestling as a whole, to help make this place better, and to change this place. I certainly can't change it by sitting on my couch in Chicago.

[marshmallowprotection]

sorry if you've been asked this before, but what is your opinion on V's GE Saeran? i've seen someone say that Saeran's character was ruined in his AE and i genuinely dont understand why or how 😭

I don't think I've ever seen someone say that VAE Ray or VAE Saeran are bad. I've seen plenty of people talk about how Another Story, in the simplest terms, "ruined" Saeran's character. I believe most of the people who say it generally wanted to a route with Unknown, and not Ray, Suit Saeran, or GE Saeran. They wanted to try and explore being the assistant to Unknown while he tries to destroy Saeyoung and V in every way imaginable, and dismantle the fabric of the RFA.

I don't fault people for wanting an Unknown route because I can't say I didn't want one, either. But, I don't appreciate people hating on Ray, Suit Saeran, GE Saeran, VAE Ray, or VAE Saeran. Sure, they may not be your cup of tea, but are you really gonna kick them in front of the people who like them?

By all means, it's okay to not like character but I get so frustrated when I see character hate in the main character tag. I'm all for the criticism and commentary on why a character isn't your favorite, it can be super interesting to see why people don't mesh with certain character elements. But, blatant character bashing ain't it. Saeran is not the character who gets bashed the most often in our fandom, we know that award goes to Rika and V.

But, even so, I come across people bashing Another Story for one reason or another, and when it comes to Saeran, there are a lot of reasons why I understand he's not everyone's cup of tea there, and I'll say I understand why people don't like certain aspects of his route or the way it's portrayed. You don't have to enjoy Another Story, it's just that, Another Story. But, I really do hate when people bash the others just because they wanted an Unknown route and can't stand Another Story for that reason alone.

I haven't seen as many people do that in recent years, but I can remember seeing it quite a bit back in the beginning. Listen, though, I have my own gripes with the VAE. I've talked a lot about how I hate the way Cheritz forced you to pick out forgiveness to get the Good Ending.

Sure, it's called "forgive or judge", but you are made to feel awful if you chose judgement. Cheritz got backlash for that, and I'm glad that Saeran's After Ending RINGS HOME THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FORGIVE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO, AND IT'S OKAY IF YOU WANT TO FORGIVE THEM, IT'S YOUR CHOICE AND THAT SHOULD BE RESPECTED.

I think, if anything, what people hate about the treatment of VAE Ray and VAE Saeran is that they do not get to reunite with Saeyoung on screen unless you play the forgiveness ending. You feel forced to be the one to give forgiveness even if you don't want to be—to be able to see the brothers be together again. That's the only thing I can think of that would frustrate a new player who is upset with the way the VAE's written upon first playing it.

Saeran and Ray have minimal screen-time in the VAE, as well. They have one scene that shows up before the forgiveness ending, and it isn't bad for them? It's a scene that has them acknowledge that they were hurt, and that it feels hard to look towards the future when they feel like they lost everything.

"Can I ever return to a normal life, V?"

"Of course you can, once you feel ready."

How is that not in character?

What is not in character there?

What makes that bad for Saeran's character? Saeran doesn't want to be angry. He doesn't want to hold onto hatred and anger, especially in the confines of Another Story. It might be different for Unknown or even SE Saeran, but for the characters in Another Story, they don't want to be angry anymore, not Saeran, and not Ray. That's typically what people get really angry about the first place, though. They get angry because they want them to be angry. They project their feeling of hurt and anger onto Saeran and Ray and expect them to feel what they do.

That's simply not how it works in this world. You can't force someone to judge another person forever just as much as you can't force them to forgive another person. It's your choice. I understand the hurt that people feel, people tell us that we HAVE to forgive, and they don't let us feel angry or upset. Cultures typically dictate this idea of forgiving and letting go, but that's not healthy for everyone. As long as you are not hurting yourself or others, hold onto your hurt and anger. It's that simple.

And if people tell you that you're wrong for that, fuck them. But, in the same vein, it's important not to shame another person for making a different decision. I cannot stress this enough because people don't seem to understand me no matter how often I say this, as long as you are not HURTING YOURSELF OR OTHERS, feel whatever you need to feel about what happened to you. Your feelings are no less valid if you choose forgiveness over judgement, or vice versa. Everyone's feelings matter.

Respect other people and know that if they care about you, they'll try to respect you, too. Forgive, don't forgive, judge, don't judge, do what is best for you, and stop shaming Saeran for choosing peace. He isn't going to judge you for choosing to have judgement over forgiveness, Jesus Christ.

If there was another reason why they hated VAE Ray or Saeran, I'd love to hear it, but I think this pretty much covers why people may not like em'.

[queseraone]

Rank the episodes of season 6… 😈

This took me forever, because I had to go back and look at transcripts and watch clips for several episodes...

And being the insane person that I am, my ranking process involved giving each episode a grade for (a) the episode itself, and (b) the Chenford.

Fair warning, this is a loooooooooooooooooong post, but here we go (from worst to best, in my humble opinion):

6x10 | Escape Plan Listen, I hated this episode. Take out the Chenford content and it absolutely lands near the top of my list of most-hated episodes of The Rookie ever. Because it barely felt like an episode of The Rookie—it was a constant parade of villains. I don't watch this show to follow random bad guys, I watch for the characters I love. And we spent less than half of the episode with my people (one day I'll re-watch and keep track of the exact percentage). I haaaaaaate Monica (she's honestly like a cartoon villain at this point), and I still have no idea who the Big Bad is/was?? Could someone please enlighten me?

The Chenford scenes were about the only redeeming moments for me. Love, love, loved the return of our beloved Battle Couple™. I loved seeing them riding together (Chenford in a vehicle together is everything to me), and they had some great conversations that very much felt like small steps forward. But those small moments weren't enough to redeem an incredibly disappointing episode for me, so that's why this lands at the bottom of my list.

6x05 | The Vow This episode ranks low because nearly every plotline felt abrupt and forced. There wasn't much follow-up to previous plot (the Budny shooting was apparently resolved to the point that Lucy was okay with being gifted a reminder of a moment that had her breaking down the last time she was on our screens...), nor was there enough build-up to anything we saw. It very much felt like they needed another episode or two in between to fill in a lot of those blanks.

I liked the Chenford (or I guess the Tim and Lucy mostly) because it definitely packed an emotional punch (especially the scene when Tim shows up at her place and she turns him away), but the contrast between Lucy laying awake worrying about Tim and her almost comedic use in Aaron's storyline was jarring, like we were watching two very different versions of her character. We know she's damn good at compartmentalizing, but that felt like a stretch.

6x03 | Trouble in Paradise This one is tricky for me, because while I loved the Chenford in this episode (it included one of my new favourite Chenford moments!), the episode itself was a snooze. I give absolutely zero fucks about Nolan and Bailey, and spending a huge chunk of time following them on their snooze of a honeymoon is not it. I still can't tell you what happened on that island(?), I just couldn't get invested (also that was the least romantic/passionate honeymoon to ever happen). And we had very little of Angela, Nyla, Aaron, etc., so that was a bummer too.

Seeing Tim and Lucy riding with Celina was fun, the Chenford domestic moments were lovely, and it was so nice to see Tim being so supportive of Lucy through her detective exam and with the trophy (!!!!), etc. Great moments, but I just can't get past the dreadful A-plot of the honeymoon.

6x01 | Strike Back My biggest gripe with this episode was that it felt anticlimactic following the intensity of 5x22. Yes, they picked right up in the immediate aftermath, but it was lacking somewhere. I think because they did that time jump and seemed to leave that whole storyline in the dust until the end of the season.

There were things I liked and things I didn't like with regards to Chenford. This episode was a great example of the challenges that come from the transition from TO/rookie to sergeant/aide, to boyfriend/girlfriend. TO Tim and BF Tim are very different, and the lines got blurred a bit. I hated the sprinkler thing (that's not on Lucy or Tim, that's on the other officers, and that's the hill I'll die on), but the conversation at the end of episode was so intense, and that's exactly what I want, the show to make me feel things.

6x09 | The Squeeze I'm going to start this one off by saying (again)—it was Lucy's birthday. What in the Sixteen Candles!!!! This is a timeline fumble, even for The Rookie. In that opening scene at the apartment, I was fully expecting Nolan to open that pastry box and having cupcakes or something, so I was flabbergasted when they just blew past not only the fact that it was her birthday, but that she also spilled so many feelings and he was basically like “okay, cool.” Nolan is a terrible friend (if they can even be called friends at this point).

Moving past that... where the hell was everyone?! Tim wasn't in the second half of the episode, Aaron had all of four lines, Bailey wasn't in it at all... and yet Monica. was. everywhere. Ugh.

ANYWAY. I did love seeing everyone rally around Tim (even though it made it even more obvious when they weren't when it was Lucy going through a difficult time). And the highlight of the episode for me was the Chenford elevator scene. Watching Lucy clearly contemplating, then making the decision to follow him into the elevator—I love that she acknowledged how she was feeling, but still managed to set that aside and be there for Tim. What a showcase of her empathy. (But truth be told, she needed that hug just as much as he did.)

6x07 | Crushed I LOVE seeing them all working together on one case. The team dynamic is a huge draw for me, and it's definitely something they've moved away from in the last couple of seasons (a byproduct of moving half of them out of patrol). So that felt like a really welcome return to their roots.

I really enjoyed watching Tim and Lucy in the immediate aftermath of the breakup. Do I wish we'd seen Lucy opening up to someone other than Sgt. Grey? Yes. But more than that, I'm glad we got to see her processing. She's hurt, she's confused, she's angry, and she's earned the right to feel all of those things.

Dr. London read Tim like a fucking book, and his actions solidified that—this is just another example of the way Tim continues to delude himself into thinking everything's fine, when in reality it's absolutely not (ahem, lie detector scene). I'm really happy that we saw him pursue therapy of his own volition, not because it was department-mandated or because someone was requesting it. Recognizing that you need help is a huge step for anyone, but it feels particularly monumental for Tim.

6x02 | The Hammer What a fun episode! Was it the best? Absolutely not. Was it worthy of being the monumental 100th episode? Eh. But as a whole I really enjoyed this one! It started off strong with the return of “Daddy Cop”—HELL. YES. And I really enjoyed the way they carried plotlines early in the season. Th first few episodes flowed together quite well, and it really felt like it was spanning a handful of days. The group scenes (the bachelor and bachelorette parties) were a lot of fun, I really wish they'd do more of those! I actually liked Nolan and Bailey's wedding vows (it's probably the closes I've ever been to caring about their relationship). I was pleasantly surprised to see Henry again, though it felt like a waste to go to that trouble (on-screen and off) to not have a scene with him and his dad. There are a lot of other characters I would have preferred to see instead of Skip Tracer Randy (Elroy! Ben! Pete!), but I did love Grey's “Sit down, German.” 😂

And then the Chenford. Again, it flowed really well from their tense moment in the previous episode (I'm reluctant to call it a fight), and it was nice to see them navigating the aftermath of that, and then come back together at the wedding. The thing with The Hammer was ridiculous in the most TR way, so I enjoyed that whole interaction. The ring imagery was !!!!, but also feels a little bit cruel in hindsight, knowing where they were going with that relationship this season. But I'm going to stay firm to my thinking that they couldn't possibly be cruel enough to do that without actually making it happen for real one day. ANYWAY. I loved hearing them say “I love you” (though I still wish we saw the first ones), and the dance scene was, overall, wonderful. I loved that it was Tim approaching Lucy, the “it's about damn time” look on her face, the way they come together so easily, the way they look at each other... love.

6x08 | Punch Card Another instance of seeing the team working together, so that contributes to this landing high on my list. (The good parts outweighed the absolute absurdity of Nolan and Bailey seeking medical help when they've only been trying to get pregnant for about five minutes.)

It was fun to see Lucy as a TO. I've long thought that path could be a good fit for her, however I'm not on board with the idea of it being something she resorts to after not be able to pursue the career path she really wants... The show would never do it, but it would certainly be fun to see Lucy be an incredible training officer in parallel to Nolan doing a terrible job at it (no one will convince me that he's a good TO, he's awful). Regardless of the longer term intentions for this, it was nice seeing Lucy work with Celina and to see her kicking ass at it.

And then, of course, the Kojo scene, already such a favourite for me. Beyond seeing my beloved pup again, it was also such an important moment, for Tim, for Lucy, for Chenford. We've seen Tim put on this strong façade (as he always does), but this really shows the audience just how much he's hurting in the aftermath of Ray/the breakup. And it also lets Lucy see that Tim still cares, because until now, she's been more or less been operating on the assumption that Tim walked away easily. It felt so incredibly hopeful, and showed us just how deep their feelings run.

6x04 | Training Day There was a lot to dislike in this episode (Nolan saying the exact wrong thing to Lucy, Angela and Nyla not being as supportive of Lucy as I'd hoped/expected, seeing Lucy struggling post-exam results...), but there was so much to love.

I love Tim and Aaron working together, and Tim busting out a training acronym just makes me so damn nostalgic. And sorry not sorry, it was refreshing to see Nolan get called out (and face repercussions, however minor) for his ineptitude as a training officer. Because while, yes, Celina is a rookie and bound to make mistakes, like Nyla said, “as her TO, that is on you.” I know he's the main character, but I'll say it until I'm blue in the face—it's so fucking boring watching a character win over and over and over again. There's no depth there.

Lucy being an absolute badass was wonderful, and when I tell you my heart stopped when I heard that gunshot, my god. And that hospital scene??? What can I say but the hospital scene!!!!!! That was everything. Great music (*sidebar, they've made some really beautiful song choices this season!!), great to see Tim rushing to her side, and it was just the greatest of the great to watch him supporting her, the way she melts into him, how impeccably Melissa acted that scene... all of it was phenomenal.

6x06 | Secrets and Lies Oh god, what does it say about me that my favourite episode of the season was the one with breakup?!?! 😅 But seriously, the episode gave us alllll the emotionally intense moments, and I'm here for it. Loved the Tim and Angela scenes (my favourite relationship on the show outside of Chenford), loved Nyla working with Aaron again and seeing her dip her toes back into UC work, loved seeing Commander West(!!!!!) back.

Obviously the breakup (and the events leading up to it) was painful as fuck, but they did it SO well. Eric and Melissa acted the hell out of this episode, and it paid off in a big way. It was emotionally compelling and I felt (and continue to feel) so strongly about their scenes. They made it so easy to feel for both of these characters, and that speaks volumes. It hurts like hell, but it was so well done!

Whew, longest post ever! (I suppose I could just have gone 10, 5, 3, 1, 9, 7, 2, 8, 4, 6, but... that's boring!)

Again if I was ranking on Chenford scenes alone, things would certainly shake out differently. And even still, I could probably swap a few of these spots.

Thanks for the fun/exhausting question! 💗

[laylawatermelon]

I have thoughts about this ep...

(It's not good... But not bad)

911's writing of this storyline seems to be teetering in the wrong direction and it may cause a disconnect with some viewers.

Hi! I literally took a nap and woke up with an essay 🙃.

But let's get to the good stuff.

This season has been phenomenal. The acting and writing has all been consistent with the original past 4 seasons. (Season 5 and 6 were good just had a different tone)

This has been due to the show runner returning.

Now that we've gotten all the facts out of the way here's my opinion.

I'll be honest, the twin/lookalike story that came up is causing me to pull away and not in a good way.

If I objectively look at it as a fan this cones out of left field and may intrigue a set of fans. Those fans are likely in the higher age range. (Nothing wrong with it but just an observation)

(i keep up with updates online so it didn't bother me that much)

But for me as I was watching it and the scene came up and then The Grey's Anatomy came up I don't know why but a flash pinged in my brain of this feels like a Telenovela/Soap Opera.

And it is in fact a storyline commonly used or mentioned of the long lost twin or the doppelganger who's back to destroy, seduce, etc. to shake up the main characters life.

I will say that what 9-1-1 has been doing is a good job between toeing the line between supernatural and realistic.

This is leaning a bit to close to the former and can lose some people.

(i will say that this storyline isn't hitting like it usually does the others, even if I wasn't an buddie fan. Hell as an Eddie fan I'm still confused)

The tone of the show this season has been lighter so of course the storylines do reflect that.

My only gripe is what makes 9-1-1 compelling in the first place is the odd fact that the characters don't die and they're realistic (enough) in their cases and drama.

They're gripping enough that they can use these cliches to grip the audience backed by stellar performances and direction.

I just don't like the soap opera-y feeling I got from the trope. (Personal preference what can I say)

Now the next episode will probably expand on this storyline and will cause the conclusion to be touching and heartfelt.

I'm just a bit sour about the lead up to it because it's like oh this woman who looks exactly like my deceased/missing partner appears in the same vicinity as me (despite living in a very big very populated state) so I must get to know her better. I end up throwing away my morals and then something bizarre happens and then something else happens and I find out she's insert - (illusion/twin/stalker/literally anything out of pocket you can think of).

The audience swoons because of course she is (bad/evil/plotting etc).

It's not gripping me.

Emotionally however I'm intrigued how this will eventually effect Christopher as it he sees her he's screwed for life.

In addition to his dad talking to her in the first place, therefore unintentionally enforcing his women all leave/slight lack of respect for their feelings as they're replaceable (she would literally replace his mom in name and face) or disposable (Marisol as the woman left behind).

Yes Eddie's happy but he's also being more reckless than he usually is.

He's always been aiming to find what they had but his actions have implications.

(imma put on my buddie hat for a second this is all/j)

Like how he leaves his son with his dad and goes on a date with another person constantly. 😤 Rude

(no lie they are good coparents though even if they are platonic. They work better than some romantic straight families on tv)

Back to analysis mode though, this action has dangerous implications on both how relationship with Christopher and how he can harm him and eventually how their relationship can decline because of this.

It's not just the disloyalty to both his current partner and son but the example he'll be setting.

Chris probably may end up listening to Buck more as a result because he wouldn't/hasn't hurt him in the way his father currently does with this situation. For relationship advice and such.

Yes it's good drama (in an emotional/analytical sense) I'm just sulky about the telenovela feel of it don't mind me.

I'm positive their performances will make it lean more towards the procedural drama movie feel the show is known for.

Hell this had to happen some day right? The soap operafication of 9-1-1.

Hope is a beautiful ride at least. 🤷🏾‍♀️

(ps this episode was great all things aside)

[allwormdiet]

Arc 5: Hive, Concluding Thoughts

Boy this arc had a little bit of everything, huh?

Okay, lemme go back through my posts for this arc, that interruption in the middle of the blogging put a fucking hole in my recollection

Somer's Rock was a neat sequence, as much as I hated having to put up with the fucking Nazis seeing the disparate factions of the city come together in service to the city's stability, and then of course it's immediately undercut by the fact that the bulk of those factions are immediately planning to use this alliance to seize greater power for themselves. Way to show that the system works and then immediately show that the system is ripe for exploitation and abuse.

I think at this point I've settled on the idea that the Merchants are, at this point, bit players who haven't warranted much attention until this alliance business. Maybe they'll matter more down the road, maybe they won't, but they're little fish in a medium pond and the Undersiders have sharper teeth than they do at this point, which is saying something. Still stupid as fuck that the leadership are all getting high on their own supply, but I guess when you're the cape you get to call the shots.

Once that's settled, we come back around to Taylor's civilian life, and god. Fucking. Damn Emma Barnes. What is up with this girl where she feels as diabolical as the fucking villains? Her dad can't be the only thing, obviously it's not great that he's threatening a criminal trial in order to keep his daughter from consequences but if he was a catalyst for her change it would've been well before high school. I guess Sophia is the only variable that we know about, but Sophia doesn't seem to give that much of a shit compared to Emma, so what gives?

The entire meeting with the school is fucking agonizing. The system is failing Taylor Hebert at every step, if anyone with authority did anything to back her up she could've been so much happier, but of course that didn't happen. Like, no fucking wonder she found her solace outside the system; there's no place for her inside of it.

Maintaining that Mr. Gladly ought to die screaming, hope that manifests

I like most of the team-up that we get to see, obviously Kaiser and the fucking Nazi twins are lousy to deal with but at least two of them got their fucking asses whooped by Lung, so silver lining

I like Newter, little nervous about the drugging people thing but as long as we're keeping things consensual (outside of fights, I mean) then no complaints. Kicked fucking ass during the fight, too, that was rad. Labyrinth is hard to judge given that she wasn't super present, but her power's neat and I'm glad they got her out of the asylum. Sundancer has a fucking sickass power and I'm sad that she's having a bad time with her team, be nice if she could just ditch them or something if they're such a bad time. Coil's mercs are fucking hardcore, where did he even find a guy who could still perform marksmanship with a busted leg?

The raid on the warehouse was cool, another great display of Skitter's power and versatility

Oni Lee is a terrifying son of a bitch, that fight was tense right up until Skitter figured out how to crack his power and coordinate the others to take him down. She's a natural leader when she's given the opportunity, it's a shame she's been so isolated for so long.

For all that Taylor has gripes about the extra effort to save Newter being a waste of time, she didn't know about his disease immunity and she probably wouldn't have felt good about herself if she'd skimped out on the extra sanitation.

Also, interesting to see that Taylor has a reason, however small, for being so weird about drugs and drug users. I just thought that was her being judgmental, and... okay it's still partly her being judgmental, but there's more going on.

And then there's Lung. Holy fucking shit, Lung, you only had fifty guys under your command before Bakuda went on her recruitment drive and you only bothered to take the Docks? Dude you could be putting up numbers across the entire city if you wanted to, so what's going on that you don't want to? Is it contentment? Can you be content when you've apparently conquered multiple other gangs?

Setting that all aside, this motherfucker puts on a hell of a show when he's fighting. Lung gets the absolute shit kicked out of him, gets impaled repeatedly, gets cooked to shit by the power of the Sun in the palm of your hand, and it takes Newter's hallucinogen to actually topple him. He straight up has them all dead to rights before Taylor snatches victory from the jaws of defeat, that was going to end so fucking poorly otherwise.

The eye thing is. Okay so I still don't know if that's Taylor's inclination, Lung's luck, or both. I don't know if Lung is gonna get to stick around for long after a defeat this thorough but maybe they'll keep gouging them out when he's in the Birdcage, I dunno. Meanwhile I suspect that Taylor is only going to move onward and upward when it comes to inflicting bodily harm on people, but if eyes continue to feature... I dunno, it'll be telling at least.

And then more hangtime with Rachel! Learning more about her, how she thinks and operates. God willing between the fight and these revelations Taylor figures out how to smooth out their interactions and actually be, like, friends. The thing with the jacket was cute.

And then with the interlude there's two big highlights. First and foremost is obviously Gregor the Snail, which. I like his vibe. I like his vibe a lot. He seems like a very cool dude to hang out with, and I feel bad that he has to put up with so much shit as a "monster cape." Fucking shit luck on that one, hope his life gets easier at some point.

Second is what I'm guessing is Cauldron. Not only bottling up powers but selling them, or else distributing them to their own ends, and using human experimentation to refine the process without much care for what happens to the victims. Not comforted at all by the fact that they apparently can just give people retrograde amnesia, that's a fucking alarming power for a parahuman to have and I shudder at the abuses they could get away with as long as that's in their toolkit.

...Man. Buying yourself a superpower. That's fucked, is what it is. All the benefits and you don't have to suffer immense trauma.

Hoh boy, okay, no use speculating on that much longer. Arc 6 next, and once again utterly goddamn flummoxed at what's supposed to come next. Coil maybe? He's been properly introduced and I know he's going to matter more down the road, so maybe this is the point where he starts gaining further prominence? That can't be the entire arc though, there's gotta be more going on than that, but fuck me if I can predict what it is.

Only one thing to do if I want to find out.

[totheidiot]

hitchhikers guide to the galaxy for the fandom ask:)

AAA 100% was hoping someone would ask for this fandom so so so let's go let's go

favorite male character : judging by my blog theme, it should be obvious... marvin the paranoid android, my beloved... i feel so deeply for his character, i think about him all of the time...

favorite female character : favorite character of the entire series, the one and only tricia marie macmillan. my only gripe ever with the series is how it handles trillian in particular. by far, she was the smartest person in the entire main cast. the curse of being a female character in classic science fiction series 😔😔😔😔

least favorite character : i have no idea about this... I enjoyed every character in the series very wholeheartedly. the main cast of arthur, ford, marvin, zaphod and trillian, all the other side characters.

favorite ship : forthur, of course, never misses. but surprisingly, I really like zaphod x trillian as well, they have so much potential and they are worth developing. if i ever wrote a ship!fic for h2g2 (specifying ship!fic, because i have particular moods where i feel like writing a gen marvin-centric fic and one of these days, i might just give in), i would wrote for them.

favorite friendship : though forthur is my favorite romantic ship, i like their friendship too much. they are one of those parings that are compelling in both a romantic and platonic context. alternatively, i also like zaphod's dynamic with literally anyone.

favorite quote : h2g2 has such BANGER quotes, i have to make a top 3 list for this question. three of my favorite quotes in no particular order:

the obligatory "the story so far: in the beginning the universe was created. this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."

"now the world has gone to bed / darkness won't engulf my head / i can see by infrared / how I hate the night. / now i lay me down to sleep / try to count electric sheep / sweet dream wishes you can keep / how i hate the night - marvin."

"there is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. there is another which states that this has already happened.

worst character death : MARVIN'S DEATH. IT AFFECTED ME IN A WAY NO WILL EVER UNDERSTAND. bro was not present the entire so long and thanks for all the fish book and in the LAST FEW CHAPTER HE SHOWS UP. ONLY TO DIE. it was so tragic to me, "i think i feel good about it" right after "we apologize for the inconvenience." if i think too much of his death, i will cry.

this made me so happy you have no idea moment : an odd scene to be happy about but that marvin lullaby scene in life, universe and everything. for a non-marvin option, another one of my favorite moments is the one at the end of the restaurant at the end of the universe where the scrabble pieces spell out "what do you get if you multiply six by nine"

saddest moment : marvin's death but also the whale and petunia scene. that scene with the sperm whale should not BE THAT SAD. this series is one of my favorites and i will remember a detail from it and i will be more at awe and more in love with these books. like the thought process of the bowl of petunias like "curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the bowl of petunias as it fell was oh no, not again. many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the bowl of petunias had thought that we would know a lot more about the nature of the universe than we do now.” AND NOW THAT IN LIFE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING, WE KNOW THAT IT WAS ONE OF AGRAJAG'S REINCARNATIONS.

favorite location : i have got to be 100% honest... i do not understand the different locations in this series at all. like the whole deal with krikkit and milliways just went right over my head. just to answer this question, let's just go with magrathea because that's really important.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/740123102285086720/all-the-griping-about-ownvoices-claiming-to?source=share

Re: your response:

It's interesting because in the DS9 slash shipping fandom and particularly with Garashir, a lot of people DO write Julian Bashir, a character of color as their perfect woobie they projected on to - he probably gets that more than any other character in that fandom. And then there ended up being a backlash that people were "writing him as white," including in an actual academic paper I saw from someone who is on Tumblr, while they were willing to explore writing him as fully queer and neurodivergent headcanons in fic.

Which is interesting to me because most of the stuff that writes him as queer is stuff that just ships him with Garak or another dude, but doesn't spend a ton of time on his queer *identity*. And I'm personally fine with that; I've read enough coming-out stories and didactic identity explanations in both fic and professionally published/released original work to last me a lifetime. But if writing a COC without drawing attention to their racial/ethnic/cultural identity is "writing them as white," shouldn't writing a non-heterosexual character without drawing attention to their queer identity similarly count as "writing them as straight"?

Anyway, I go back and forth on this because I also understand how Islamophobia and general racism against MENA works, how the "good Muslim" or "good Arab" is one who is as assimilated as possible, and how it can feel with fic that has a COC but doesn't go into their background like that person is only ok with POC *up to a point*. As well as the issues with how in canon, Star Trek's diversity shows a lot of POC but has only started to recognize actual non-Western "cultural" touchstones very recently. (E.g. When they referenced literature, it was always Shakespeare or the ancient Greeks or Poe, never the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Rumi.) I get that. At the same time, I've definitely read stuff especially by non-MENA people which wrote about "his culture" in a very exotifying way that seemed to suggest that that kind of cultural identity is only "real" if it happens in a very stereotypical way. And I also think especially with a character who is so heavily framed as British, with a British accent, played by an actor who is half-English and grew up there.... I've also seen the brainworms in fandoms from Star Wars to Bridgerton with how people can't accept European characters/actors of color as European, and I do wish people would consider how they're suggesting that English identity can only be "white" by acting like it's wrong to ever portray Bashir as English. Something I've heard plenty of British POC complain about as like an attitude in their country that actually harms them.

I think these questions are complicated, because you have racist phenomena on both ends. There definitely are racists who only accept POC if they are as un-POC as possible, if they are assimilated, and see them wearing or saying or doing things that mark them as culturally different as "threatening." But there are other racists who think the only right way to write "diverse stories" is to have them be heavily cultural and represent stereotypes - the poor, urban black American, the Arab who lives in the desert and wears a thawb and is a devout Muslim - and that POC who are not like that talking about their own lives are somehow not "authentic enough." The thing that the movie American Fiction is about.

--

Yeah. Fandom isn't nearly as bad about characters of color overall as some wank would say. Fandom fucking loves Asian characters who are the unmarked leads of Asian media (and no, I don't think it's just because they're pale or because some idiots in the 90s thought anime characters were white).

Bashir was treated in canon in a way that fandom likes. Naturally, fandom took note.

My own woobie blorbo is Rico from Miami Vice. He's much less the single perfect tear woobie than Sonny (his buddy cop partner who is white), but he still comes in for lots of whump and screen time and narrative focus. Ye Olde zine fandom was unkind to him, at least in the m/m parts (though a lot of that is because all of the old slash zines were edited by the same couple who were... like... kinning the ship that he's a rival to).

But a lot of fans who watch that show see a very pretty, very cultured man with epic buddy cop tension with his partner, nice suits, and tons of whump plots, and they're like "God damn, where is the fic???" If canon provides, the fannish interest will be there to at least some degree. (Getting enough good writers in the same fandom at the same time to launch it as a place readers will stick around is another story, unfortunately.)

My personal view, admittedly as a white girl, is that Sturgeon's Law means what we really need is a bunch of canons that dangle tasty blorbos at us and much less policing of fic. And then a solid reccing culture to sort through the bad stuff.

I've seen a lot of complaints about writing characters as "white", and they often strike me as clueless or disingenuous. I'd rather have a bunch of "Oopsie, Garak caught Bashir using the holodeck for kinky roleplay about himself" fics than people with no clue trying to inject MENA stuff that wasn't in the show and that they aren't personally competent to handle. And half the time, this complaint seems to be some sort of unintentionally racist bilge where the speaker thinks the fic is making someone too cultured or too upper class or too kinky or some other shit that has nothing to do with anything.

Honestly, I sometimes think that the real complaint is "How dare fandom sound like the upper-middle class suburbanite bookworms that so many of us are?!?!"