#when the only other show i care about atm deals with coming out and you can see how it’s handled with nuance vs this

[alistairlowes]

i would love to hear how you think they handled his storyline horribly if you’re up to sharing because i thought the same thing.

another note: it’s gonna be hilarious to see this show get canceled just after two seasons of being on abc lmaooo (im so sorry to station 19 tho, y’all got canceled for this shit show 😭)

hey. first, sorry i’m late with this reply. i let this cook in my brain for a bit in hopes of elaborating my thoughts better but it didn’t really work lmao. but anyways i did say it before and i still stand by it and that is that they wanted to do something big for 100th episode that’s why we got bi reveal out in that way but the build up was shit and imo it wasn’t handled with enough care & thought put into it. literally zero character introspection before or after for something as major as sexuality. and like i truly don’t expect them to do wonders on network tv but making them kiss to establish buck is bi because it was the quickest way although they barely spoke up to that point is just lazy and pandering to a certain group of people. buck and tommy have no emotional and romantic chemistry whatsoever and i fucking hate that 180° switch oliver did with acting in that scene i was literally like “oh okay we’re really doing this now". it was forced af. they barely interacted until that point? nothing else in that episode makes sense and especially not “your attention”. what the fuck are you even talking about? i also said before it would make sense if it was about eddie so he projected those feelings (i would still think writing sucked even if bdw </3) but i’m not sure of anything at this point since they just seem to wing it as the show goes and care more about numbers, milestones and what the audience goes along with rather than what makes any narrative sense. 

like i don’t know dude, if smashing two men together like ken dolls without actually giving them any development or realization counts as good bi rep for some people then good for them, couldn’t be me tho. as someone who watched a lot of queer shows that actually bothered to deal with arcs like this properly this is giving nothing. it was rushed. bucks bi arc is clearly not about him as some tend to claim. they could have done it without random fucking kissing right away. but they did that and all other episodes followed with that and nothing else. and if i have to read one more time how i should be grateful we got “macho guy” coming out because there isn’t enough rep like that i’m gonna end it all.

but also feel free to share thoughts too i’ll add it to my everything wrong with this shit .docx. sadly don’t think it will get cancelled any time soon but whatever i emotionally detached myself from it. i don’t even enjoy other characters anymore because it’s just back and forth all the time. i’m on the side watching people argue from now on.

[elliespuns]

hello!! first of all, i don't intend to say this as a way to create a fuss or anything like that, i just see your blog as a space where we can debate a lot of tlou related topics and i want to know your opinion about it :-) anyways, while i did enjoy the hbo series, i also think it was very flawed in translating both joel and ellie's personalities - but i want to focus on joel's atm.

i don't think joel is "insensitive" on the game, but i do believe the fact that he tried so hard to hide his feelings and barely ever showed his soft side is a SUPER important characteristic of his.

i don't mind the way pedro played joel but at the same time i just cannot see both of them as the same man. and i don't talk only about the scenes where joel was visibly anxious or cried, but also the torture scene. i think it is one of the most iconic scenes on the game (also, I'm the one who asked you to take pics of it a couple weeks ago LOL) specially cause it shows us joel doesn't have to go out of his way to be a menace. the fact that pedro had to scream and etc to make them fear him bothers me sooo much.

i think pedro was more than capable to play a joel that is both too much of a father figure for his own good AND a tough son of a b*tch that can and will kill people with his bare hands to protect whatever is important to him.

from my point of view, crying during the "i saved her" scene is really out of character for game joel. when the guy just confesses he killed a bunch of people, "doomed" the whole world just to keep his little girl safe and then lied straight to her face, but his expression shows no hint of sadness whatsoever, that, for me, is the peak of his character.

"if somehow the lord gave me a second chance at that moment, i'd do it all over again". of course he's hurt that ellie doesn't trust him anymore, and of course he wasn't exactly happy to kill those fireflies, but he did what he thought was right and he'd rather have ellie hate him for another thousand years to come than know he just left such a sweet girl to die in the hands of a crumbling group, in the name of a cause he never really cared about. he knows his actions will have consequences but he doesn't cry cause he is willing to die for it (and he really did).

sorry for rambling but i really want to read other people's opinion about it!!

First of all, I love how perfectly you've just described game Joel. This is exactly how I feel about our man, and even if I tried, I could never put it into words like this. Hands down, bro, this is so well said.

Both Ellie and Joel were portrayed differently in the show (it's not the worst thing; I know that people who don't follow the game fell in love with these versions of them, and for them it's as magical as it was for us when playing), but I guess, for the game lovers, it's harder to see past this fact simply because getting to love a character and having to learn everything there is about them, growing up with them only to find out the creators (people who gave them this exceptional and amazing character) didn't care enough to stick to what they came up with is kind of a bummer. I mean, you can choose to ignore it on the screen, but yet it's something so 'palpable' you have to watch with a little *sigh* in your mind.

"It shows us joel doesn't have to go out of his way to be a menace. the fact that pedro had to scream and etc to make them fear him bothers me sooo much."

I agree. Game Joel has this death stare that makes people fear from miles away while show Joel doesn't. I think Pedro could pull it out without a blink of an eye—if only they'd given him this Joel to play.

People say that making show Joel more "sensitive" was to make him more realistic because in the game, the characters are portrayed as having to deal with the impossible (like killing 10 clickers and a bloater without any damage, etc.), while in the show, he's a real man, so real attributes and emotions are needed. I get that; that makes perfect sense. But I still also agree with folks who say that keeping Joel's "detached" and "thin-skinned" characteristics wouldn't hurt anyone because what's unrealistic about that?

Game Joel and show Joel are completely different characters in my head. I love them both. I can switch them in my head and tune into both Joels, but I still prefer the game when it comes to the story and the character Joel is.

It's funny because when I watch show Joel, I can't help but see a puppy version of game Joel, tbh. Pedro is literally able to play anything, so his version of "sensitive" Joel serves me just right when I tune into the show. But knowing Pedro would kill the "callous" and "unaffected" version of Joel, and it bugs me so much we'll never get to see it.

Btw, I'm working on your request, more photos of Joel torturing David's men are coming!

[thefourthwifeoftengenuzui]

Hiiii bonten Rindou hc???? Pleaseee. Love him frr

To be honest, I intended for this to be almost exclusively for haikyuu… BUT FOR YOU MY FRIEND! *pounds chest* I SHALL GIVE YOU THE RINNY OF YOUR DREAMS. Also you didn’t specify what kind you want so ima give you my finest shit, which happens to be my head cannon prowess. (Totally not because I hate writing dialogue, no,no, that’s so stupid 😳) Also important side note: I aint spend days finishing the Tok rev manga not to use it tf outta here. Tokrev and Jjk content is welcomed proudly.

idk if I’ll make a part 2, but on the off chance I do, look foreword to girldad Rinny content.

status: unedited

warnings: cursing, slightly sexual situations (but no smut), mafia bs, blood? Fluffy bullshit, Rindou being a dick hole, the ick, my bad Spanish

💜Bonten Rindou Hataini. Headcannons~💜

The first thing off the bat, I definitely think he is on the demisexual spectrum. I know everyone else be saying that he would be all about just sleeping around like that, but to be honest, I think that that’s more of a Ran thing. I feel like the only reason he would go to strip clubs and shit like that for work, and would actually be really grossed out when people would coddle him. If he was to have a significant other, it would have to be someone he has known for a long time, or from his old delinquent days. My best idea would be a calm friend who would give him the notes from his skipped classes. And in return he’d take them out for food or some shit. Somewhere along the way y’all would just be like, “we’re totally together right?” “Duh, why else would I put up with you.” Yeah he a lil bitch.

Any way, as for him as an adult, all I gotta say is “Mmmm Papí ¿quieres una besito?~”. Like Jesus Christ man has no right being this freaking fine. Sexy Jellyfish ass boy

Yakuza Daddy🥵. This man will spoil the everlasting shit outta you, and go to Walmart for his own shit. But had does it in the most obnoxious way possible. He gets you a necklace? “Hey babe, gotchu this, your old one was musty af, take better care of your shit.” Awww you want a new dress? “Sure babe, but just know that thing barely covers shit, and will be gone by the end of the night.” You want something just random? “Wtf am I a walking ATM? No, pick it tf up, I’m buying it, you can’t stop me. Quit arguing before I buy you 3 more.”

But when it comes to himself? Yeah he only indulges in suits and Jordan’s. Other than that, he has an avengers shirt he had since he was 12 and a pinball machine. That’s the extent of his possessions. Well that and the watch you got him for his birthday, but shhhhh he can’t let you know he cares ewwwww.

Man is literally the biggest (for lack of better word) Tsundere. Like Top three in anime. Like you got 1.Kageyama 2.Sasuke 3. Him. Like manz would rather die than say he cares. His love language is quality time and gift giving, so he’s more show you he loves you, but won’t say it first. The kinda mf that when you say I love you to them say, “Yeah I know, I love me too if only there was someone out there who loved you.” Like manz is so obvious I wanna kiss him to shut him the fuck up. (I think I have a type.) like bro the me love you tf?

In terms of icks there is one thing I no for fact. This mf wears socks to bed. And not the cute fluffy kind. The musty ass crusty socks he wore all day, then stepped in water, and now you gotta deal with it while yall cuddling. I hate this mf.

On a more serious note, because of his Bonten Bs, he doesn’t have a lot of time for us. So we make time. His time. We just barge in during his meetings, lay across his lap, watch TikTok’s, while everyone (him) are just looking like “is this bitch serious!?” >:|

Anyways, because he’s so busy all the time, the majority of what he wants to do when he gets home is just to sprawl out on the couch and just stay there. You can cuddle with him too or whatever he doesn’t mind🙄. But fair warning, he’s the kinda dude who is only ever in the mood for either ww2 documentary’s or like deep sea documentary’s. Like mf has the same movie taste as my dad, I can’t with him. It’s a good day when you can convince him to try something actually entertaining. And you know what he picks? The Fucking exorcist. He’s an asshole. The kinda dude to pretend he’s unfazed, but his left leg physically won’t stop shaking.

speaking of movies, I know I say this every time, but scream Halloween costumes. Yes. Give me Rinny as ghostface please, I’ll freaking sell my soul. Especially if it’s not the robe but one of the like dry fit and leather harness- *incomprehensible pterodactyl noises* 🥵

anyway back to cuddling, his go to position is literally the Hakari and Kirara thing. Like this mf will always have a hand on your ass. He doesn’t like PDA but this? Yeah you can’t stop him. He is an ass guy, it’s just where his hand naturally gravitates.

I cannot explain the urge to play daddies home by usher every time I see him. Like he and my baby daddy Gojo have partial custody over that song. Like bro. Yes.

Tbh I don’t see him having a big wedding. Or any wedding. I think his thing would be just handing you his debit card and saying “pick some shit out. No, don’t worry bout the price I’m rich for a reason.” And after that yall just elope to some tropical place across the planet for like a month.

speaking of travel it’s a pretty common thing for you. Just that it’s always last minute. Like bro don’t even give you time to brag to the your friends. Man just pulls up 10 minutes before y’all need to go to the airport and says, “get ready, we’re going to France. How long? Idk a month? Boo hoo bitch. Stay home then. Mhm that’s wtf k thought”. Manz is such an ass but you gotta love a walking wallet.

My last thought I’m gonna share is how he physically won’t use nicnames. Like babe is the physically most he can bring himself to do. Maybe baby. He gives himself the ick every time he thinks of doing anything else

all in all, he’s the one who is always there for you, and expects the same. He’s a great guy, under all the stress and yakuza bs. Treat him well, or I’ll treat him better😤

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ sorry this took me so long to write, I’m working on another request too, and more importantly, my final exams for collage, love that. But even do, if you liked this, please like and request something, and I will definitely be posting. Love y’all so much, I’ll see yall later.

[fumifooms]

Marchil crumbs part 5

Part 1 - Part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 6 - part 7

The anime has come and since I have my shipping goggles on I am going to notice so much. This part will be less spoilery for anime onlys (tho if you want to see me talk about why I ship them and why they’re complementary this is not a good part to start with haha). Edit: After completing this part I can confirm it’s fully anime-onlys friendly and spoiler-free! For manga veterans though there are still some fun tidbits to be found, some recontextualisations and new extra content.

Holy shit guys they’re mirroring each other in the mural and reaching out to each other AND looking towards each other?!!!! Their pose is so striking and like perfectly align?! Which means it was so intentional and the staff wanted to highlight them (for an aesthetic and/or narrative purpose I’m sure but it happened)! I will never let this go we won so fucking hard let’s goooooo we are so back

Character foils!! Dynamic duo!!

Soulmates!!

In the opening at 1:16 he looks at her to see if she’s really going to it as the most critical of monster food & muster up courage to dig into it himself lmao… "Marcille doesn’t look too grossed out, she’s picky so this food must be fine then" Aka treating her as a poison taster/good cuisine judge lmao

Doodle from the animation director (source). I should translate it but I’m procrastinating on it so uh director’s brotp? Anyways they hanging out look at them :]

Laios is thinking to himself there (he’s the one saying the subs), and in the meantime Marcille and Chilchuck talk, likely figuring out the money situation. Strategizing duo back at it again not wasting a second

In the beginning of ep 1, when Marcille is rambling about where they could go to get food and what to grab, Chilchuck listens with a big smile & even closes his eyes as they walk. The implication is that he’s thinking about food, but man the scene hits different now that it’s voiced and I remember that indeed Chilchuck is closing his eyes to her voice and enjoying hearing her talk and ramble. I may be too far gone into the marchil pit

I feel like already they’ve come far from when Chilchuck dreaded being alone with Shuro and Marcille, waiting for the Toudens and Namari to arrive.

Ok this might actually be smth I’m gonna complain about but I feel like blushes have been drawn too vividly so far. Why does Chilchuck look like he’s confessing when he tells her she’s not a burden and he didn’t mean to make her feel that way. It almost comes across as "Woah she cares what I think?" 💀 The banter ensuing is of course also great

Ep 2 was an episode centered on them both that had the "Magic/Traps are my domain, don’t interfere!" parallel… And now with ep 3 we’re back to them being haters together. That’s her emotional support man

In ep 4, it doesn’t show well with a screenshot but when Senshi talks about his unmanned vegetable stand with a treasure chest, while in the manga Marcille and Chilchuck both think the same thing, "That’s why that treasure chest akways had money in it…", but in the anime instead they literally finish each other’s thought. Talk about being on the same wavelength.

Ep 5 is a marchil goldmine actually, it showcases perfectly how much of a package deal they are lol. Always sticking close to each other. Glancing at each other during meals… They literally nod at each other before they try a bite to steel themselves. They exchange a serious thoughtful glance when Laios talks about Falin truly being gone atm. They argue a bit but they go right back to sitting right next to each other after the meal <3 My god I can’t deal with them they are so…… "Hate this bitch, not my friend" 3 secs later "Heyy bestie!!" Also he’s worried he brought her mood down after mentioning Falin. Made a post about ep 5 collecting even more screenshots.

Episode 6 my hero my beloved… Again I made a post about the ep collecting all my screenshots here, and even a clip! But this IS the marchil crumbs masterpost thus I must collect the major ones here as well. First of all, fun staff drawings for the first screening!

I already posted a screenshot from the trailer of when Chil had his head on his knees sitting next to her, but after seeing episode 5 I think it’s a fun and interesting trend to notice that they sit next to each other way unnecessarily close wow. They continue to banter a ton, she continues to be very casual with touch, and they’re really cute! I love just how much Marcille blushed damn- It’s really cute too when you remember with the bicorn chapter that Chilchuck teases Marcille BECAUSE he enjoys getting a rise out of her, flustering her and seeing her reactions. I support the teasing -> laughing because her reaction is over the top all-Chilchuck economy. Also she apologizes for having let him go alone and be gone for so long by helping him with sewing his cowl… Cuties

She looked so happy when he opened up about his age!… And then seemed… Disappointed? When he "truly was just a kid". "So you really are a kid! How boring…" This implies that her intent was to tease him for funsies… Ok lads we reached 30 pics see you next post, I’m gonna cover the "wake up clumsy head" manga-anime differences and we’re gonna go back to our usual spoilers yummy schedule.

Here’s Marcille cosplaying as a succubus in the newest Daydream Hour… She may not be a half-foot or have deep-set eyes but let’s be real I think he’d explode

part 6 here!!

[paullovescomics]

Many moons ago, when (I think it was) the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was airing on TV, I decided it might be fun to join some mailing lists dedicated to the show, so I'd have more people to talk about the show with. (Mailing lists were pre-social media vehicles for fandom, somewhere between USENET and MySpace; imagine a chain of comments on a Tumblr post, but it's sent to you in email.) It definitely let me talk to more people about a show that I loved, but it also taught me that online fandom can take just as easily as it gives. [SPOILERS if you're just starting to watch the show, i think it might be having a minor resurgence atm.]

It wasn't a terribly negative experience. I didn't get bullied or even have my ideas shit on. That season had the show's typical mystery of what's the deal with this season's Big Bad and how are Buffy and the Scoobies going to defeat them, but it also had the mystery of Buffy's previously unseen sister, Dawn. Where did she come from? Howcome all the characters act like she's been there all along when she totally hasn't been? Et cetera, et cetera, et wtf.

There had been cryptic hints dropped in the previous season (Little Miss Muffet, counting down from 7-3-0), but they were very cryptic. Babylon 5 had concluded not too long ago, and HBO's mainstreaming of the "tv show as novel" concept had not quite kicked into gear yet, so nerdy fannish brains were hungry for a well-planned-out tv narrative to sink their teeth into. This mailing list was full of speculation, sometimes based on those aforementioned hints, sometimes based on the bits of Latin and German text seen in the opening credits (the show is full of mystical tomes), to all those sorts of background details and clever quips that supposedly have hidden meanings. You know how it can get.

Of course I had my own theories, which I do not remember. That's suspiciously convenient, because I do remember that they were wrong. (Good job, super ego. You saved me from an embarrassing memory for once. That doesn't mean we're okay about all the other stuff.) Whatever my wrong predictions were, it really bugged me when they turned out to be wrong. And before they were proved to be wrong, it also bugged me when I would watch the show and someone else's theory, usually one I didn't like so much, would pop into my head. Oh, that one character did that thing that supposedly proves that such-and-such will happen. There was a mention of that so-called clue that means Dawn will turn out to be whatever annoying thing that one poster said that I didn't like. My pet theory being wrong was just the stink on top of the turd pie.

So at the end of that season, I thought, this deeper involvement in fandom has made the show less fun to watch. And that sucked, because I really liked that show. I'd found it at the beginning, and my enjoyment of it had grown from a very simplistic "hey, there's an attractive lady kicking vampires" to a real appreciation of all the character growth and the good acting and the smart metaphors and the playing with tropes, all the stuff that makes a tv show good. And one of my best friends had recently gotten into the show, though they were still catching up via my obsessive video taping (a lost art, folks). All that enjoyment was diminished, if only a bit, by my participation is a particular aspect of fandom. I unsubbed from the mailing lists and decided I wouldn't go down that path again.

Obviously, I didn't completely give up on online fandom, because here I am. But I have tried to be much more careful in how I engage with that fandom. Speculation isn't for me. It might be for you. Digging into behind-the-scenes details, and examining statements that creators have made about a story is not for me. It might be for you. What is for me is finding those stories--whatever medium they may be told in--that appeal to me, taking them in, letting myself get lost in the details that catch my attention, talking about those things with friends, and occasionally posting something here. Similar vibes seem to attract each other here. Most of the interaction is just a like, which I can interpret as appreciation for the thing that I enjoy or maybe my rambling about it, and that's nice. When folks do reply with more than a like, it's almost always thoughtful and written in a chill, conversational way.

I reckon the moral is, it's worthwhile to notice how your interaction with fandom affects your enjoyment of the art that brought you there in the first place, and it can be helpful to tailor that interaction so that you get the most positive and the least negative out of it.

[hughiecampbelle]

Succession Preference: Tattooed Baby Sibling

Requested: Hi! Hope you are well! Idk if you're taking requests atm, feel free to ignore this if so! But I was thinking of a preference for The Roy Siblings. In which the reader would be their baby sibling, but they have A LOT of tattoos and maybe how the family reacts to them or or how they deal with that part of their sibling? - anon

A/N: I love this!!! I only have about 30, so idk if I qualify as tattooed person just yet lol, but picturing this is fantastic! Thank you for requesting my love!!! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜💜

Connor comes from a different generation. He's not used to seeing tattoos in the professional world. Knowing this, you keep yourself pretty covered until you can't. It's at Caroline's wedding you shed some layers, letting your skin show in the heat. He's taken aback. He knew you had a few, but you're covered now. You catch him staring, unsure of his emotions, ready to defend yourself like always: they won't stop you from getting a job, they're a freedom of expression and art, they make you feel more at home in your body, some are just funny and others far more sentimental, that it's your money and you can spend it however you want, etc. Instead though, he just gives you a small smile. "I like the one by your elbow, kiddo." He has a lot of questions, like what does it feel like to get them and why you gravitate towards them when others, like him, feel no need. He knows you get enough judgment from your mother and father. He's your biggest brother, he loves you no matter what.

Kendall doesn't really understand them. Like Connor, he has questions, though you're often reverting back to your childhood self when you answer them: totally defensive. You're busy showing them off to Kerry when you catch his attention. There are a few fresh ones, still raised and irritated. It makes his skin hurt just looking at it. You're completely covered now, working on filling in the gaps. He doesn't see the appeal. He thought, like most "phases", you'd grow out of it, but these things are permanent. Forever. It's a big commitment he could never make. What if he likes something today and hates it tomorrow? You assure him you've never felt that way, but if you ever do, it's something you liked once and that's enough. He makes some not so great remarks about professionalism and what happens when you get older, but they're all out of big brother concern. Eventually you tell him that they've never affected your ability to get a job and that they'll look cool just like they do now when you're older. End of discussion. He doesn't hate them, but he doesn't think they're great either, especially you being his baby sibling. He'll never approve.

Shiv has always wanted to get a matching tattoo with you. Something small, delicate, tasteful, probably on her ankle. You make plans for this, but it never happens. You can never agree on what you want. You urge her to hurry up since you're running out of space. She loves them, she thinks they're really cool and also a huge middle finger to your father. You're always eager to show her the newest ones. She wouldn't expect anything less from you. You've been drawing on yourself since you could hold a marker. Every time you came home from school covered in ink your father would order either one of your siblings or one of the nannies to scrub you til skin came off. He barked that this was unacceptable behavior, but it never stopped you from doing it again. Now look at you. She doesn't hold the same fears or beliefs as your brothers. She's under the belief that if it makes you happy, truly happy, and it doesn't kill Logan, then it's fine. Why should anyone try to stop you? It's a tattoo, that's all.

Roman is the least bothered by them. Why would he care? It's not his body. He calls Connor and Kendall old men for being so uptight about it. Does he make fun of you to no end about them? Of course. Oh no y/n, a Chipotle bag threw up all over you! Looks like you've still got some unused space right. . . there. Where's Waldo am I right? If I can find the end of the maze do I get a prize? He has a habit of poking fresh tattoos and feigning ignorance, too. How am I supposed to know what's new and what's not? He also loves to point out new ones to your mother and father, who both despise them. Oops, did I do that? He runs away before you can hit him. He understands, while also an aesthetic thing, it's about pain, too. There's something satisfying about the needle that you can't get anywhere else. That noise, the constant poking, the radiating ache. He gets it. You all have to do what you gotta do to get by. A need to go back, this inner wanting for the pain again. It's socially acceptable and you get permanent art to go along with it. Win-win.

[bronx-bomber87]

Tuesday is upon us. Time for a review and to start a new season. Ahhh we have hit s3 I’m excited. Just like s2 this season is a whole new set of milestones for them. Shorter one though. I remember being bummed it got cut short but not unhappy with the progress they had made by end of it. The flirting kicks it up a notch in this episode and season really. This is a damn good ep for them chock full of goodies. Despite it being mostly about Nolan and the consequences of his insanely bad choices. Let’s get this premiere started eh?

3x01 Consequences

Episode starts off with a bang. Tim and Lucy are recruited to bring Nyla in. I love the silent communication the whole time. Great set above. No one does it better than them. So much said with just a couple looks. They have it down to a science at this point. Checking in with each other because this situation is uncomfortable to say the least. They’re bringing her straight to the executioner himself. Percy West with IA. It’s rough.

Harper is pissed by the time they get to the station. Asking if Armstrong is getting the same treatment? Tim tells Nyla that he can’t tell her that and she knows it. Nyla continues on saying no way they believe Nolan is dirty. Lucy says 'No we don’t' and Tim cuts her off at the pass. Only has to say her last name. ‘Chen…’ trying to protect her from getting too involved. She pipes up one more time to Grey. Then looks at Tim and knows it’s time to be quiet just by the look he gives. That beautiful silent communication and changes course replying 'Never mind���'

They are assigned to continue the search at Nolan’s. When they pull up Lucy is aghast they’re tearing apart his house. Asking why they’re not tearing apart Armstrong's? Tim tells her to relax they’re doing both. Continues on to say they have a job to do. That they can’t play favorites. I’m with Tim on this one. Shock surprise I sided with Tim I know ha but he’s right. In situations like this where intent and everything else is considered you have to play the game.

The game sucks sometimes but if in the end it saves your ass you suck it up and do that. Now I get Lucy’s reaction here. I do. I’m same way with people care about. Both of them are deeply loyal people. Lucy’s loyalty to John is overriding her sense of logic atm. It’s what Tim is trying to keep in place right now. He’s needs his sunshine human to keep her sharp wits about her. It's one of her best strengths in the field. His hardened edge coming out with his line above though. That instant distrust when someone's character is in question.

Lucy is so upset they could even think Nolan and Harper are dirty. Tim combats back 'You could say the same about Erin Cole just three days ago.' His logic is sound can't fault him there. Lucy says yes but she really knows Nolan though. Just like Tim does. Then we see a little of those scars re-open a tad. The ones he's been trying to heal so much make an appearance. A little bit of that Isabel trauma coming out in this moment for Tim. Rearing its ugly head.

That line above is proof of it. Flashes of his Isabel PTSD dictating his attitude about this. His instant defense mechanism to protect himself from being hurt. He doesn’t want to think he trusted Nolan as a cop and person and now that trust has been betrayed or fractured. That’s a huge deal to someone as loyal as Tim. It would be for me. So he’s gonna be cold and shut it off. This man is so deeply scarred. It makes sense he would default back to this. To his 'People let you down even when you think you know them.' mentality.

Isabel let him down multiple times when he thought he knew her like the back of his hand. They say we make mental grooves in our brain. Like a beaten path we've gone to so often it's a default to go to them even when we're trying not to. This negative path is a default for Tim and its showing. Even when you make progress like Tim has. (and he’s grown SO much as a character.) That doesn’t mean he’s magically fixed or healed 100%. The wounds may not show daily anymore but the scars are still there and flair up. I.e this moment.

It is fascinating to watch how differently they dissect Nolan’s house. Lucy with vindication on her mind and Tim with absolute distrust. Tim saying Nolan built the place from studs up. Probably created a hidey-hole they’ll never find. Negative grumpy Gus. Where Lucy is trying to find the answer to vindicate her friend. I have to say I do love her confidence through out this entire portion. Lucy really has come so far at this point in her cop gut-confidence with him. She basically bosses him around the entire time. Telling him how wrong he is LOL

I adore Tim's facial expression as she goes on about why he’s wrong. I'm dying. Like ‘Yes wifey continue.’ He's indulging her more than anything else. Anyone else bossing him around like this he would eat alive. Lucy does it and he’s bemused by it. Even a little impressed by how her brain is working right now. She brings up the point Nolan was looking for the evidence like they are now. Tim is not totally convinced but impressed none the less. Which is why he wanted her to reset herself so she could do the critical thinking she’s so good at.

Before she can continue he’s pulled away by another officer. He walks away without replying to her rant. Her face cracks me up. Just rolls her eyes and follows him. It’s the hidey-hole Nick carved out. Tim says that’s 'Now a proper hidey-hole.' Lucy scoffs and says 'For a civilian..' and chastises Tim further. (because she’s so damn good at it) Calling him on his crap by saying he just told her Nolan would and I quote 'Create a spot they’d never find.' Tim know he’s caught and has the weakest defense. ‘Maybe I over estimated the guy…’ No honey you’re just losing this fight. LMAO

If you were wondering what their marriage scene of the episode was. We’re smack dab in the middle of it haha Lucy gives her sassiest wifey reply ‘Mhmm no...’ She starts to play out what John did that night. Theorizing for Tim trying to figure out what he could’ve done with the evidence. Trying to get in his head as she moves about his house.

She starts to follow plaster footprints to his balcony. That’s where she spots the bag of garbage at the end of the hill. Tim says it was smart it’s not on his property. They need a warrant to open it. Tells hers let’s go get it. Lucy returns the favor and walks away saying ‘You can but it’s a waste of time.’ He throws up his hands LMAO So exasperated with her but follows her back in. She is clearly onto something.

Lucy tells him that’s not the evidence. Nolan wouldn’t jeopardize it like that. Says if she’s right and he’s innocent the evidence is in this house somewhere. The one outside was just meant to buy him some more time. Tim asks time for what? She replies 'To talk his way out of this.' I adore Tim not battling her on this. So much as sparring with her. How far we've come. He trusts her cop gut implicitly at this point even if he’s annoyed with it. I don’t think he’s sold yet but willing to let her take the lead on this.

Nolan ends up revealing where the evidence really is to Percy. It’s in his water heater. Lucy is beaming with being right. Tells Tim ‘I told you so.’ He just grunts as his reply. He’s on the phone with Percy telling him exactly what they found. He asks Tim to go to the women’s prison to retrieve the video of Nolan with Rosalind. Instantly you see concern wash over him as he looks at Lucy. His bristly stubborn attitude from just moments ago evaporates. Replaced by his intense need to protect her from this potential meet up. The way he's looking at her. My heart.

Already in fierce protector mode. Lucy is confused as to what’s caused this reaction in him. Because you best believe she quickly noticed a shift in his demeanor. She instantly asks him what’s going on? Tim doesn't answer her at first. He relays he’s not sure they’re the right team for this one to Percy. Lucy continues to probe him about it. Tim tells her the assignment and Lucy says she’s ok with it. That it’s not a problem. Not sure he totally believes her..but goes along with it. Percy reiterates he’s her TO and he trusts his judgment about this. Tim reluctantly gives in and says yes. Even though his body language is screaming 'No.'

They get to the prison and find out the video has no audio…so they’re going to have to get an actual statement from her. Tim is in official Fierce Protector mode and isn’t shifting out of it anytime soon. Especially with his need to keep her from Rosalind. Tells her to go back to the shop while he does it. Lucy is not one to back down as he knows but he doesn’t care. Her mental well being is more important than a fight.

He wants to protect her from this so badly. The amount of worry pouring off him in this scene could drown her. He tries to tell it's for her own good. That she has a personal connection. Lucy battles back so does he. Sadly Tim doesn't see it that way. He's only thinking of her and not himself in this moment. Not thinking about how seeing her would impact him. (Which it does...)

Once again downplays his own feelings. Tells her its not the same. It's different for him. (not unless different means the same...) Thinking if he does she will go back to the car. Ha No....He truly feels her connection is deeper than his. Thinking only of her and pushing his own feelings aside. But Lucy knows that day affected him just as much as it affected her. Thing is he won’t allow himself to have that. Won’t let her use that to stop him from protecting her from Rosalind. The irony that he says it isn’t the same. Oh Timothy…

You are about to walk in with your personal connection to Rosalind. It’s very much the same my love. That day altered them both in different ways but the same end result when it comes to Rosalind. She has a lasting impact on them both. Lucy battles back with an answer he’s so proud of he knows he can’t stop her now. Passing a test he didn’t even set up. The pride is written all over his face when he breaks and lets her come with him in that last gif.

Now he was in fierce protector mode before but watching his body language in this set of gifs says it all. It’s gone up a notch. He’s a like an agitated animal pacing back and forth. Waiting to launch on its prey. Licking its chops ready to tear her apart if she breathes wrong around Lucy. If looks could kill in that third one holy cow. He watches Lucy intently but keeps an eye on Rosalind as well. Like I said ready to strike when needed.

Rosalind ignores most of what Tim is saying. Her eyes are set solely on Lucy. Letting her know how impressed she is with her. Telling her the way she handled a very traumatic experience. It’s inspiring. Lucy trying to channel Tim and just deflect replies to her sarcastically. ‘Thanks. Means a lot coming from you…’ This only spurns her on calling Lucy defiant. The way Tim tenses up when she speaks to Lucy directly...He’s ready to pounce right then and there. But let’s her handle it. (for now)

Tim doesn’t want her to get side tracked and fixate on Lucy. Snaps at her to stick to Nolan. Rosalind ignores Tim like he isn't even there. Tells Lucy that defiance was present when the lid came down on the barrel. Telling her it must’ve driven Caleb crazy. Denying him the fear he so desperately wanted to see in her. You can see Tim getting more and more wound up. Trying to keep it in check for her but losing the battle slowly.

Lucy asks how does she know this stuff? Rosalind lets her know the camera wasn’t for Caleb it was for her… Tim is trying to head this off. Telling her not to listen to her. She didn't have a camera. These are just the mind games she plays to mess with people. Look at his eyes. He is so visibly upset she is toying with Lucy. The pre-tears in his eyes. Ugh Eric is killing me. This was what he was trying to protect her from.

Rosalind wants to prove to her she had the camera. So she goes in the kill and starts singing the song that haunts Lucy. The one we all know so very well. Knowing it’s going to rattle her cage beyond belief. The song she sang when she was facing her death. Knowing it was the possible end. Gotta give it to Rosalind for someone with no emotions she sure knows how to manipulate and use them against people as a weapon quite well.

Lucy’s reaction in this scene ugh. Melissa just crushing it in how her singing this song is wrecking her. It's take Lucy back to that day. To that moment in the barrel. Where she thought it was over for her but also fighting that future at the same time. She was trying to calm her body by singing. Give herself a little more air to give Tim more time to save her. Transporting her back to that moment emotionally by singing this song. Torturing her with it.

Tim sees how visibly upset she is. How this is breaking her. He can’t take it anymore and lets his brusk facade drop. Snaps at Rosalind to back the hell off her. The agitated fierce protector has emerged fully and Rosalind takes immediate notice. Calls him as such with a cheshire grin. He is saying so much with just three words. She got the reaction she wanted out of both of them. To rattle Lucy’s cage and to bait Tim enough to bite her head off for it. Rosalind knows it was one of the worst days of both their lives. She must’ve seen Tim pull her from the barrel. Her goal was to trigger them both. Mission accomplished.

Tim doesn't hold back emotionally in this moment. He is saying so much with so little in this scene. Everything from his demeanor, his tight protective body language, to him snapping at Rosalind. It’s very telling. He’s showing Rosalind right now this is his person. That he’s not going to stand by and let Rosalind make Lucy relive one of the worst days of her life. Of his life. Just so she can derive some sick pleasure out of it.

I don’t think he regrets for one moment protecting her so openly. I’ll always love me some protective Tim. This gives me that in spades. phew lord. But then his personal connection wasn’t the same right Tim? He is over her BS and ushers Lucy out. Says he will have IA follow up instead and she finally breaks. Knowing she no longer has a captive audience. Says Armstrong has lasted this long cause his contingency plans have contingency plans. Tim translates that to Lucy as he has a to go bag set up. They just need to find out where.

We end with our lovely couple in the parking garage. A place that becomes a special spot for them as we all know. Lucy tells him he was wrong earlier. Tim being Tim One doesn’t know what she’s referring to and two has a sassy reply of ‘Anything in particular or just in a global sense?’ LOL Trying to be a turd when she’s starting a meaningful conversation.

First off I envy Lucy of her ability to see the good in people. No matter what. Even despite the hard ships she’s been through. Doesn't let that damage her outlook on life in general. I’m like Tim where I’m hardened by my experiences. Even more so by my failures I see in myself. It is my default reaction emotionally just like his reactions are. He starts to fight her on it and she doesn’t let him have an inch. Tells him ' No.' God I love her so much. She's so damn good for him. Refuses to let him stop her from what she needs to tell him. Letting Tim know that without a single doubt in her mind she KNEW he would find her that day.

The conviction and absolute unwavering faith in her tone has Tim reeling. Doing that thing where he deflects and doesn’t feel worthy. How he can't believe this is how she views him. With such reverence. It’s written all over his body language above. The way he clenches his jaw and sighs. His whole body defeated. Truly feeling unworthy of her praise. Lucy sees this body language and follows it up with ‘No matter what it took.’ Tim can’t stand the thought of taking ANY of the credit though. He still bears the burden and guilt of her being taken. Where Lucy thinks she only survived because of him. What a pair these two are.

To Tim she saved herself. She was no damsel in distress. He refuses to let her think she didn’t do it her damn self.. Letting her know she’s a survivor. He wants to empower her and never take away from the fact she saved herself by throwing that ring outside the barrel. He just can’t let himself have any credit. He still feels too laden with the guilt of putting her there in the first place. I love how she looks at him after he says this. With even more reverence than she had before. This moment sets the tone for the entire season.

The irony of this conversation is they’re trying to both lift one another up. Support each other emotionally. Yet they’re both fighting each other on that support. Idiots in love I tell you. Lucy is trying to convey to him her unwavering faith in him she has. As a person and someone who would’ve moved heaven and earth to get to her. And he did he truly did. Lucy KNEW by throwing that ring Tim would find her. Not a doubt in her mind.

Obviously it was group effort to get to the scene in the desert. Without everyone involved he wouldn’t be there to find her ring. She knew if they could get Tim there he WOULD find it. Find her. Lucy is trying to show him it is possible to know someone like she knows him. To let her know despite everything that’s happened her faith in him has never wavered only grown really.

Now Lucy does some deflecting of her own. Not taking his compliment by saying no it wasn’t me it was you. That it was her faith in him that saved her. Knowing he would find the ring thus find her. They’re both trying so hard compliment the other in this moment and both are deflecting like idiots in love do. Trying to build the other one up. Tim continues the deflection by making it all about her again. Saying he hopes Rosalind didn’t screw with her head. Lucy is confident and head strong in her reply. If it does then she'll deal with it.

Then she defaults to a work flirt with him. With no shame in the game. Perfect way to end their scene honestly. Saying even if it does mess with her he will be there to help her. Where is the lie? Tim starting off the season in massive denial with his reply. Please honey you are not only going to help her but enjoy it. It's like he doesn't realize he spent the latter half of this episode doing just that. It's innate for him to protect her and help her through things. Lucy has broken that section of his wall off never to be rebuilt again. The sun is shining brightly in that portion now.

Her sassy ‘Mmmhmm’ as her retort is everything. She isn’t buying what you’re selling Timothy. At this point it’s 100 % part of who he is now. If this episode proved anything it was how much Tim cares and respects her. In every sense of the word (s). But I do love the cute work flirt banter to end their final scene of the ep. The immense amount of flirting at the end of this moment is palpable. Hell of a way to kick off a season for them my goodness. Also is he driving her home? Looks like she's rounding the corner to the passenger seat of his truck. A girl can dream eh?

~~~~

Side Notes-Non Chenford

I love Harper getting upset with Nolan for not looping her in. One of his biggest atrocities with this whole thing. Her asking if he taped the convo. Of course he didn’t Nyla….That requires thought. Needs that song from Wizard of Oz. 'If I only had a brain...'

Then to watch her get dismantled by Jackson’s dad…it hurts to watch every time. She is visibly shook by it too. Because he 100 percent is right in his anger and tearing her apart the way he does. I just love Harper and it’s hard to stomach her getting torn apart for Nolan’s mistakes. She had a hand yes but he drove them off the cliff.

Wesley is over his crap by the time we get to the meat and potatoes of his SL haha by time Nolan agrees to be a CI and go under he says ‘I quit’ LOL

Him finding Angela after and confronting her with the pregnancy test is adorable. Lopez being Lopez ‘You know I peed on that right?’ LMFAO he’s so lovely about her meltdown about it. Well done Wes. He’s truly her person and I love to see it. Also Her puking on the phone with Grey when she found Armstrong's to-go bag had me laughing so hard.

I do love how Harper rushes to take the entire blame for John. Not that he deserves it but I do love it. Just like Tim I’ll never be over how far she’s come as a character.

Thank you to everyone who likes/comments/reblogs. You make my whole day when you do so ❤️ excited to delve int s3 with you all. See you in 3x02

[murdererofthumbs]

I find it fascinating that some people think that Roman’s mountain top outburst with Matsson was a fucking business strategy, that it was actually a negotiation tactic. I’m sorry, but did we watch the same scene? Not only did Matsson fuck them over by giving an offer the board absolutely won’t refuse (which shits right on the genius master plan of Kendall taking over Waystar - yet again, for what?), he also pretty clearly blew his lid off. Is revealing all the ways they planned to fuck the deal supposed to be this amazing tactic? Absolutely not. He lost it, it was a culmination of all the grief, all the anxiety, and all the anger at Matsson for dragging them up there days after their father died, and he just fucking erupted. Comparing him to Logan in that moment only matches if you think about Logan fucking losing it and making a stupid decision because he lost his tempter (like his little tantrum after PGN went to shit). I feel like in their world, you’re either an emotional wall or you lose, that’s it. No cards on the table, because you can’t manipulate someone if not only they can clearly see through you, but you also just come out with unhinged monologue, revealing everything (which I’m happy that Roman did it, he needed that catharsis, but also - not a good business move overall). Lucas was not intimidated by Roman, he was amused, he threw more money at them to solidify the deal, because he saw an emotional value ATM holds for them. That’s what the picture from Shiv was about, that was his one big fuck you. In the end of the day, it is a big dick competition.

I also saw some interesting (if only questionable) opinions on Shiv - Matsson stuff. Like yeah, I think girlie was definitely winning this episode, especially when you had her brothers as a comparison, who just stood there with dicks in their hands, looking absolutely clueless half of the time. At this point what is going on between Shiv and Matsson could be considered a mutual symbiosis; they are kind of like two parasites feeding of each other, playing each other off but to the benefit of both of them. But this cannot be long-term, we all know how things go - the closer you get to the sun, the more painful the fall is going to be. Matsson getting Shiv on his side (with quite a lot of enthusiasm on Shiv’s side, she did try to play her own angle all along), is a very easy way of getting himself an insider to the company. It’s also very easy way to take care of Kendall and Roman problem. Shiv has a motivation to stab her brothers in the back, she can sense that she is not being included, and she can very clearly see that her brothers are actually incompetent and don’t have a plan. Which means that Matsson going with “you remind me of your dad” was an extremely good move on his side. It solidified it for Shiv, it literally lifted her of the ground. Because everyone with a pair of working eyes can see that Roy siblings cling to Logan like he’s a raft, and all they want to do is either make daddy proud or be like daddy. For Shiv it’s a compliment of a highest standard to be compared to Logan, because Logan was the big boss, because in the end of the day - Logan always won. They are still playing the same old game, and I’m worrying that it’s about to bring the same results it always brought, just from a different person.

Then again, obviously this show is very highly open to interpretations and I might possibly be giving a bit too much credit to Matsson (in the end of the day he might turn up to be a complete idiot, business-wise, although I doubt it), but that was my overall read on the last episode.

[princeanxious]

Hi! I was wondering about your Lost Guardian au from ages ago, do you think you’ll ever plan on updating it and if not, could someone else take up the fic?

So heres the thing. If someone wants to write a fic *inspired* by The Lost Guardian, i’m not gonna stop them, and i’d probably feel super honored so long as the inspiration was correctly credited!

As for ‘taking up the fic,’ the short answer is no.

I have active drafts and the rest of the story already planned out to its finish, notes, even a branch-off fic set post-story that will likely go up on my nsfw blog if i ever get around to editing it. The Lost Guardian hasn’t been abandoned, it’s simply on hiatus. (And yes, i recognize 3 almost 4 years so far is a really fucking long hiatus. The Chapter 9 draft doc was made in december of 2020, and last edited in July 2022)

I started writing that fic whilst still in highschool, a time where I was 17 and didnt have to worry yet about getting my license or maintaining a part time job, i had an over abundance of freetime even partially to my detriment, the fandom was booming and I had plenty of feedback, and this fic was (and still *is*) a story im proud of.

But i’m 22 now, working a full time job to pay rent and account for a number of minor ‘disabilities’(best word i have for them atm) that I cant ignore or push to the side nor treat poorly, from the lasting effects on my body of stunted growth to celiac/glutent intolerance to adhere to that directly determines how easily my body functions for the week, to dealing with glasses i cannot afford to break and taking care of teeth i cannot afford to fix, taking care of my mental health and using the free time i have to do what brings me the most joy at that time.

The sanders sides fandom has heavily quieted down with the season finale hiatus and I’d like to think I did pretty well for going six long years dedicated solely to that without cracking under the silence, because *I knew* when I caved to something else it’d be a long while before I had the drive to come back with any sort of resolution to my active works. Thats just how my hyper fixations work. I cannot focus on multiple at once, it’s too much to process simultaneously and takes away my enjoyment bc I tend to watch/consume things repeatedly to catch every little detail i missed. And it doesn’t help when one loses steam because their content barely breaks 100 notes(80% of which are likes, 15% are reblogs with the occasional comment, and 5% are self-reblogs) when back in the height of it all, a few thousand notes was pretty average interaction. This blog still has about 11.5k followers, almost all of which came from the height of the fandom period. So for now i’ve moved onto the FNAF DCA fandom, bc it is fresh and new to me.

I know you didn’t mean to poke the bear here, I get it, but like.. C’mon. Any other fic of mine likely wouldn’t have gotten the same reaction in full but, still. I’ve had to answer this question a handful of times over the years at the point, which might be why this response feels so charged, and i’m sorry.

I don’t mean to come off as snippy or rude, but it *is* kind of invasive to offer to finish one’s creative work when it’s taking too long and theres very little payback for it. I’ve got adhd, delayed satisfaction isn’t a thing I experience. Just guilt that it wasn’t finished in a way for me to post it in time before I broke and lost all motivation to share it.

In my head, TLG has been long finished and held the ending for years, theres just been no energy to put in the effort of finish writing it for others to read. I’m still trying to get my life together to change that, don’t get me wrong, but the American economy is literally in shambles so who knows how or even if i’ll manage that. Call me selfish for being content with only mentally having my creative story’s ending and a collection of rambles and notes to show for it, but at the end of the day, it’s still my story, and i dont feel comfortable with people trying to ‘take up the mantle’ to finish it, when they don’t know how it ends.

I’m glad you like it enough to want to, though, I really *really* am. I’m just sorry I haven’t been able to finish it for you all. And i just don’t know when that will be, I just know that I *want* to do so, however long it takes.

[invisiblegarters]

Only Friends Ranking - Ep 1

Will probably never liveblog this one because I'm watching with a friend (if you read this you're the best thank you for putting up with me and my crazy lol) and so we mostly talk to each other during. :D Never done that before and I have to say it's already a blast.

So now that I am slightly more coherent and not just flailing about making high pitched sounds and flapping my hands (I believe I can fly) here's how I feel about our characters and their relationshipsI re:

Characters (Most to Least Fave atm)

Sand: As expected, I adore him. He's so tough but such a marshmallow underneath, I worry because it looks like he's signing himself up to get his heard trampled, and much as I enjoy First's tears (me and all of GMMTV I think), I just hate knowing that he's gonna be going through it, haha. Sand protector indeed. Heartbreak sucks and he's gonna feel it firsthand here. I really enjoy how irritated he is 90% of the time but I am worried that Ray of all people is gonna be his bi awakening. Please BL Jesus no. Also I hope he keeps his backbone because one thing I can't stand is a character who gets spineless the second they fall in love. Also please don't make him sing anymore I adore him but a singer he is not. He really does have the look though. Impeccable vibes.

Boston: Second fave right now, also as expected. I just love his slutty, slutty ass. Love that he mixed business with pleasure to mess around with Top again and instead he has to deal with Top setting his sights on Mew. Love that he's hooking up with everyone, no wonder Neo was like "I never have any clothes on" lol. Whether or not he cares about Top as a person, he is definitely feeling some kind of way about Top not wanting a repeat of their hookup (and Top has already told him this. Boston, babe. Either you are smitten or you are just that much of a narcissistic asshole. Could go either way really). I adore him and every ridiculous bone in his body. If they want to bring in a new dude every episode for him to go at it with I would not say nay.

Chueam: I knew she'd be high up on the list because Lookjun, but I would like April to appear please. I love how encouraging she is towards the whole TopMew thing, and girl, I feel you on the "have some fun, get laid, he's hot" thing. Lesbians next ep please

Mew: First surprise for me. I adore this guy. Adore him. He knows exactly what he's worth and he's paying attention, my guys - he clocked Top pretty fast so you can't tell me he's not fully aware of both Boston's and Ray's feelings (still loathe the idea of a RayMew endgame but mostly because the Ray of it all, lol). He's pretty and quiet and doesn't like to party like his friends so everyone assumes he's this naive dumbass (and I mean everyone - I think from Top to Ray to Boston to Chueam they all see him much the same) who doesn't know what he's about, and yet he keeps showing (not telling, this is Jojo at work and I love him for it) that he really, really isn't. Top is going down, my guys. Mew is gonna wreck this man so hard that he's not going to know which way is up and I for one am here to see it go down. If he makes out with Sand a little about it I wouldn't complain (I know, but hey. I can dream).

Nick: I admire a dude who will put a thirst pic on another dude's phone as a come on. I appreciate that he knows what he wants and he's going for it, and I anticipate he's gonna go full on crazy in a way no one expects when things start to go bad with Mr. Boston, and I am fully seated and waiting with the biggest of grins on my face.

Ray: I knew he would be awful, and I am so so happy! I can't tell you how pleased I am right now - he's awful! The way he grabbed Sand's face like he was a prize dog at a show and not a person

(exhibit A)

was pitch perfect, I hate his guts (mostly affectionate). And yeah yeah deep-seated insecurities and probably daddy issues blah blah I don't care. I'm nine thousand percent positive he's only going to get worse and I am here for it. I do like that we can already see exactly how needy he is - he's going to be so needy and I fully expect him to lash out the second he feels like he's needed in return because he's so used to taking, I want to see him and Sand really go at it once Sand gets fed up with the bottomless black hole of need he clearly is (please Sand get fed up with it), especially since it's clear that the only person he's willing to give concessions to is Mew. I desperately want Sand to wreck him but well. I also highly doubt it'll happen. We'll see. I fully expect that I will hate him for real at some point (it's on my bingo card) but if anyone can drag me around to loving him in the end it's Khaotung. Hopefully there's growth in store for him, else he'll get boring very quickly.

Top: Ah, Top. SO OTT that you know he absolutely doesn't mean it. WHen he grabbed that mic I was so terrified. I can barely handle whateverthehell First was doing I can't do Force as well. Please don't put me through it I will cry. He's just...not my favorite. Yes he's a playboy and yes he's gonna say a lot of playboy things and I honestly can't wait to see Mew destroy him.

Relationships (most to least fave)

Currently, I want to know what is up with Top and Sand so badly that it is painful. I desperately want them to be bitter exes but my real guess is that Top fucked around with someone Sand cares about and he hates him good for it, while Top has no clue who Sand even is. My first guess is a relative but could just be a close friend. Sand hates him though, and I love it. I want them to angrily make out about it.

MewTop has me in a chokehold right now, completely unexpectedly. I am not a ForceBook fan - they were cute in Enchante but I had not time for ABAAB so I expected they'd be meh to me. Not so. I'm obsessed. I can't wait to see them implode and for Mew to go full crazy.

BostonNIck: Again, I just think Nick is gonna go off in a way no one expects. It's always the sweet, quiet ones (see: Mew, even though I don't actually think he's all that sweet really).

RaySand: I like their antagonistic thing but I'm really incredibly not here for Ray being Sand's first bi experience, although I think it would make sense for Sand, who is way sweeter than his tough exterior implies (compare this with Mew, who has the sweetest of exteriors but I suspect could easily cut a bitch and not even flinch), to fall head over heels for the first guy who comes along and rocks his world (and whatever else you can say about Ray - and I'm sure I at least will - I'd bet cash money he is very very good in bed). This was honestly the one I thought would have me in a chokehold in spite of myself so I'm surprised to be less invested in it than I am the other two right now. I assume once the angst really kicks in though it'll get me even though I'd rather it not, because the one thing that will always be true about me is I love angst.

Also I was today years old when I discovered that some people think that First and Khaotung have no chemistry. This bluescreened my brain for a good five seconds, lol. Send help.

In conclusion

I really liked the ep. It gave good set up and a good foundation for all the mess that we know is to come, also I lost the betting pool on who Boston was messing around with in the trailer (I hoped Ray, guessed Papang, was blindsided by Drake). I would love to chat about this with any and everyone. because I don't want to annoy my watch buddy too much and yet I am already obsessed and fear I might. I'd apologize for the person I am about to become but well, I'm not really sorry. 😊

I am also very much looking forward to the meta that is going to come out of people much smarter (and less prone to making silly jokes) than me.

Only Friends Era let's goooo!

[baalzebubuu]

So. Why exactly do you think the head of HR would chastise and insult one of her bosses for doing something that, while risky, was the only thing that could be done at the time to keep Kronos locked away AND reawaken the Underworld? And WHY would they then treat said boss like a fool for being freaked out over her powers seemingly inverting when, 1.) her powers were working as they usually do up until spring, and 2.) there were few known precedents over what Erebos would do to those that make deals with them (i.e. as far as we can see, Hades didn't get his pre-king powers "inverted")? I understand that you have your gripes with LO (some I can even agree with), but damn, at least be fair with your critiques, and also maybe don't mock these characters for having certain bodily features that are often the focus of negative attention IRL...

(P.S. No Greek god/goddess would accept a nymph insulting them to their face like that - they've done far worse for lesser, and even indirect insults, and a nymph being the "Head of HR" in the Underworld OR Olympus realistically wouldn't save them from that wrath, ESPECIALLY if it's coming from the queens themselves; yes, I also saw your Hera post - Hera may be leery of Demeter at times, but she's far from being genuinely terrified of her (ep. 188 clearly shows this), and please remember that Persephone was in danger due to MINTHE'S jealousy over a damn tabloid photo, not Hera's (you know, the GODDESS OF MARRIAGE, who's allowed to play matchmaker if she sees chemistry between people since THAT'S ONE OF HER JOBS, and who also likely wanted to give Persephone experiences outside of the latter's sheltered life) decision to have Persephone intern in the Underworld.)

All good points! These comics are meant to be mostly skits just what the fans always wanted to say to the characters themselves so I don’t really take them seriously in terms of plot or any of that nature

Also I’m not really much for posting here on tumblr

But DW I’ll answer the best I can with some background lore I have currently in store

Originally Gunnarr was a Humble devoted loyal Mage Serving under Freya the most powerful revered goddess in the Norse Pantheon and they were sent Away under Mysterious Circumstances

And they’re placed in high regard by many connections with Justice goddesses due to their good behavior and devotion to them Which somewhat explains why they’ve gotten away with the BadMouthing certain scenes and if any god ever really does anything to HR Freya definitely won’t be too happy about it and would cause a whole dispute between pantheon

As for Getting away with badmouthing with Hades and Keeping him on his Toes HR and Hades have a very long history working for him for up to thousand or so years

HR and Hades Essentially had a relationship just like Bojack Horseman and Princess Carolyn

And HR essentially is completely done with his Foolishness and 99% of The Olympus Family

To the point of calling them out at with whatever legal problems the gods will cause as even if they DIE being called out HR gonna die knowing he was right and essentially their point proved

they don’t really care if they Die by Their hands

( till they eventually became nicer Because of their poly relationship)

As for the part about Persephone reaching That Tower because of Minthe

I was Planning on making a comic about it soon where HR talks to Minthe and gives her consequences but I never really had that much planning how to execute it right

As for how i usually draw Persephone I was mostly following along to how other creators were doing things, not much thought put into it

However that I will apologize for since i do admit they are in bad taste

Let me know if I’m missing a part that I forgot to explain

Edit: Also i am very sorry this post was poorly written I suck at explanations

And it’s the morning by the time I made this post and I’m heading to work atm

I very much apologize for this lackluster explanation

[helluvapurf]

-Oop, almost forgot about today being the debut of the newest HB episode "Unhappy Campers" lol Lets talk about it!~ :>

*Spoiler warning ahead for those who didn't see the ep yet-*

Soooo to start things off, lets get to the Positives!

*-M&M get to stand out more in the main A-story for a change, yay! 👏👏And even including a bit of drama for the couple to deal with as they started to clash over their roles in this "mystery"-solving; especially with Millie revealing to carry some insecurities over not feeling "appreciated" outside of a supportive role/killing-machine… poor girl :c Glad to see she was able to have her moment to shine on stage by the end while Moxxie "took care" of their suspect, the gal deserved that time to just let loose on her own, yknow? 🥺

*-The summer camp aesthetic was a fun change of scenery for the story here, and I liked the designs for characters like the blue demon client at the start, alongside Millie & Moxxie's human disguises ("Moxxine" & "Millard"), they were cute~ :3

*-While Blitz didn't play too big of a role here in the long run, his gentle coaxing to his sister Barbie Wire at the end to try and amend things was rather touching to see (not really seeming to mind her pronouncing the "O" in his name either, unlike with other characters)… even if ultimately tragic given her rejection at the end :(. I really hope we get more insight of their family background later, 'cause there's alot of story potential for Blitz to try and face the "shadows" of his past (outside of just general exes-drama), in a meaningful character building way imo 👍

*-Not quiiiite as strong on the humor aspect (which I'll get into in a sec-), but I'll admit there's still some good chuckle-worthy moments like the "kid-stuck-in-a-crater" gag, along with this one still-shot during the Blitz & Moxxie VS Barbie fight lol

*-Nice to see a return of those Asmodean crystals, ever since their cameo in "The Circus" I've always been curious to see them in-action given their role as another portal-making item :o the crystalline-looking portals made from them look so pretty too~

As far as the Negatives of this ep are concerned? …Ehhhh-

*-As much as I enjoyed the M&M spotlight… I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the execution a bit… "clunky" at certain points ^^; Mainly on Moxxie's end 'cause… oof did he feel rather cringey at times, getting randomly hung up about some camp kids not liking him over Millie? :| Like… okay sure, its one thing to criticize her not prioritizing the "investigation" mystery as seriously as she should've… but I mean, you're basically doing the same thing trying to win over everyone as this ditzy teen girl, Moxx so like… who are you to talk? :/ Thankfully he got over that by the end and made things right by his wife but still… smh, dude >>

*-For a character as hyped up as Barbie Wire's been by the fandom since the pilot… I'm surprised that her first-ever reveal is only in the last few minutes of a B-plot? .-. Like… this is the long-lost sister of our main character, mind you, and her presence alone through that one photo in "Ozzie's" was enough to shake up Blitz to the core… so, why wasn't she given more of a major story to come back into her brother's life? 🤷‍♀️ I don't even mind that she's not interested in making amends with him atm (esp. with his stalkerish behavior here I can't really blame her tbh, as much as I love the guy- ^^;), but still…more additional context in-general could've helped make her debut a lil more interesting imo (same with Stella's brother Andrealphus).

*-Humor wise… ehhhhh yeah, some of it didn't really sit right with me tbh :/ Like, okay I get HB's always been a rather "raunchy" show since its inception, and I'm all for some clever adult humor when done right…

…But I mean, did we really need bits like M&M pretending to be "siblings" while disguised (when… idk why they couldn't have just pretended to be a regular teen couple tbh? .-.), only to then having that big "steamy" moment in front of a crowd of campers…? :| Idk, humor IS subjective at the end of the day so, I guess your mileage may vary on some of these joke executions… 🤷‍♀️

*-Pacing felt a bit imbalanced (again), with moments like the big ending fight scene feeling rather… "stiff", in some parts? : o Idk, probably could've benefitted from adding in a few more minutes or something to make it flow a lil better .3.

*-Fun as it was seeing Millie getting her own song for a change (that's not just another love duet with Moxxie)… idk, it admittedly wasn't the most memorable compared to some previous HB songs (minus the lil lyrics popping underneath like a cheesy music video, that was funny lol) 🤷‍♀️That and Moxxie's own "solo" attempt at the campfire scene was… again, cringey (though I think that was the point lol) :P.

-----

…Aaaaand yeah, that about covers my initial first impression thoughts of the ep! If I had to give my own rating again… prooobably somewhere around a C-rank? Again, I still enjoyed the M&M (+mainly Millie's) spotlight overall, but with the rushed-over Barbie Wire addition & some of the cringier humor bits… Iiii just don't know if I'd consider it among my fave eps anytime soon, imho ^^;

[thatgirl4815]

Hey, I’ve been interested in your Only Friends theories since the beginning of the show and I like how you delve into how SandRay’s relationship is and how far they’ve developed. It’s very articulate and impressive. But there’s this theory that I’ve come across where if you remember back in episode 7 when Rays father asked Sand something but we don’t know particularly what. And the though this theory isn’t mine, the theory states that Rays father is dying due to some unknown illness and that he asked Sand to take care of Ray. And yet it’s only until the last couple episodes where Ray finds out and lashes out at Sand bc he knew all this time and hasn’t said anything. And hence we get the upcoming fight between Sand and Ray where Ray tells him that his life couldn’t get better with him and it’s going down to hell. And the scene where Sand looks unhappy while sharing the bathtub with Ray. Though it would be strange how Sand would only know this and not Rays actual group of friends since he knew his freshman college year? Like why would Sand know and not the others? Do you think this could affect their relationship where there is no coming back from it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Hi! First, thank you! :)

About the theory - that is super interesting! I haven't heard that one yet. I know the pervading theory atm is that Ray's dad asked Sand to convince him to go to rehab, possibly even paying him to watch out for Ray. I've always thought even that seems like a little bit of a loaded ask for someone he's just met; he asks if Sand is Ray's friend and Sand says yes, but Ray's dad has no other way of knowing the extent of their relationship. For all he knows, Sand and Ray are classmates or something and Sand just happened to be there when Ray got into his accident and offered to help. So in the case of Ray's father being terminally ill and asking Sand to watch out for Ray, I personally find that to be a bit of a heavy topic for a first meeting. Especially because, if Ray's dad was going to tell any of Ray's friends, it would likely be Mew (that's assuming he even knows who Mew is).

I think the biggest reason why any deal between Ray's dad and Sand would anger Ray is the depth of Ray's grudge against his father. We've only witnessed one interaction between them, but it's clear Ray thinks his father cares more about money than about him, and we can assume Ray blames him at least partly for his mother's death. I can imagine how any notion of a secret dealing between his father and Sand would feel like a betrayal, but I still suspect Ray will blow the entire situation out of proportion (no matter what it may be).

I don't think Ray cares too much for his father, but at the same time, I believe his death would reaffirm to him that he's a problem—it would only instigate an "everyone around me dies" mentality. I can see it creating a wedge between him and Sand, but I'm not sure it fits the context of the apartment fight with everything we've been shown so far. The only dialogue we know of there is “You think my life will be better with you? It's only going down to hell" and Sand asking Ray if he thinks he has no dignity. Both of those, but especially the dignity line, don't connect very well with this theory imo. The dignity bit most likely refers to either 1) Sand being a "second option" for Ray, always at his beck and call despite being mistreated or 2) Ray's suggestion that Sand is being paid to look after him. I find the second option more plausible since we seem to be moving on from the "second choice" conflict after RayMew ended last episode.

Of course, Ray's dad could offer to pay Sand to look after Ray, even in the scenario where he is dying of an illness. I find it a bit less likely that this is the case overall because, as I said above, it seems like such a weighty thing (it would be as if Ray's dad is saying "So I'm gonna die soon and I don't know you, but I'll pay you if you look out for my kid"…that just feels very off to me).

Anyways, I'm starting to ramble, but while I think this scenario could create conflict between Sand and Ray, I don't think it's the most plausible option based on the reasons above.

[trust-ceremony]

Your tags on the Mei agency post are so true. Especially the shipping part, people really act like her and Red Son are just like. Hunt|ow with a different coat of paint, it completely erases Mei's whole entire character.

Anyways, say more

I love complaining thank you for giving me an opportunity

I've watched TOH but it isn't really my thing so I never really cared about Huntlow much but I think I get what you meant and honestly I think the characterization of Redson in the fandom erases a lot of Redson's actual character too

I feel like the fandom tends to erase his character and infantilize and that unfortunately happens to most traumatized/abused characters which. As someone who has gone through abuse is really gross imo. I don't really think about Redson that much so I don't have too many points for him but yeah mischaracterisation sucks

Onto Mei, who I have a lot of points about. I feel like the fandom reduces her personality down to “bubbly girlboss” when she’s really not. Honestly I think the only time that she actually is bubbly (that i can remember atm) is when she’s making fun of or mocking people (main example that comes to mind is her with redson in rotsq) her temper is kind of just removed from her character by most of the fandom even though it’s a reoccuring trait that she’s had since the pilot. I guess the reason could be that she was more angry than usual in s4 ep9 and since it was one of the main things in that episode people actually noticed it (because no one in the fandom actually notices Mei unless she has something major in an episode) but there was a reason she was so upset. I think anyone would be upset if their best friend had a breakdown in front of them and then flew away to where you wouldn’t be able to find them and then you were forced to wait around and do something that you perceive to be useless instead of stopping the person who caused all of this. I’ve seen some people call it out of character which is already bad but seeing it attributed to Redson just feels worse because she’s already only ever talked about in relation to other people. In general I feel like some people don’t really get the point of Mei’s character and only talk about her in relation to OTHER PEOPLE (even with how people talk about the samadhi fire thing for some reason??)

I think Redson and Mei work together so well because they’re so similar. With stuff like both of them feeling out of place in their families (small complaint again but the fandom generally doesn’t talk about Mei’s family issues either and imo they probably effect how she deals with emotions which is interesting), feeling like they will never live up to expectations, they both seem to have a few shared interests and their personalities bounce off eachother very well beause they have similarities but not too the point where they’re the exact same person. I think the whole samadhi fire training (while unfortunately mostly off screen) developed their characters and relationship with eachother so much. Their friendly banter (idk if that’s the word) actually seems friendly whereas before the training it was a bit antagonistic. Both of them having the samadhi fire at one point causing Redson to be able to help Mei in a way that no one else probably could have. Speaking of that I think it’s also really interesting that Redson doesn’t seem to want the fire back at all people also never talk about that.

I think this problem exists with every character in the show actually. Everyone gets put into small character archetypes just to fit into the view of shipping and other stuff to a degree where people just miss the entire point of a character. I think people should have fun with what they want but some people treat it as if it’s canon. The reason it annoys me so much with Mei in particular is partially because she’s my favorite character and partially because there’s literally no other content of her alone which is exclusive to the fandom actually I’m pretty sure she has the most centered episodes out of everyone in the main crew (aside from MK but he’s the mc so it makes sense)

Have a silly image of her

[ash-imagines]

OMG WAIT YOU WRITE FOR OSOMATSU-SAN??? Is it alr if I ask for headcanons of the bros supporting a trans reader? (ftm preferably but it can be more open if you want it) You don't have to write write all of them if you don't wanna, I just kinda need supportive stuff atm

Admittedly, this is kind of a new concept for the sextuplets. Ichi, Totty and Jyushi (and maybe Kara) are the only ones that have seriously looked into the LGBTQ+ community prior to you coming out, but all 6 are fairly sure they identify as their AGAB, so this is brand new territory. However, they all think it makes sense. If you don't feel like the label that was slapped onto you at birth is a fitting one, you should absolutely be allowed to find and use a better one! It's just common sense, right? It should be common sense, anyway.

Oso doesn't treat you any differently after you come out to him. He won't make it a big deal if you don't want him to. Take it from somebody who is completely the same person now as he was in high school: people change all the time, right? Small changes, big changes, doesn't matter. But you're still yourself when you change. Even if you're completely different today from the person you were yesterday. And that's why he still loves you, because you haven't stopped being yourself. You're just becoming a happier version of yourself, and that's pretty kickass.

Kara gets all poetic about it, like he does for many things. Lots of cute, slightly painful metaphors, like comparing you to a butterfly, or the moon, or a flower blooming, or any other thing in nature that changes phases. Even if it's kinda pretentious, you can't help appreciating how far he goes to make sure you know he loves you no matter what. All the cliche flattery is completely sincere, he means every word. He's just dramatic as hell.

Choro is a little freaked out, not because of you but because he's super worried about saying or doing something wrong and totally ruining everything between you. You have to admit it's cute to watch him fumble over his words and get all worked up, but eventually you reassure him that it's okay to make a mistake here or there. As long as he isn't purposely misgendering or deadnaming you, it's understandable to mess up a few times at first.

Much like Oso, Ichi doesn't feel the need to make a big deal out of it and won't if that's not the energy you're looking for. He's more the kind of person to show his support in small ways. If he manages to find anything with trans pride flag colors, whether they be there intentionally or not, he'll probably get it for you. He'd also be really excited to go to a pride parade or other pride event with you, he's kinda always wanted to but never felt like he had a real reason to before... which is silly in retrospect, he absolutely could have gone if he felt like it. But now he can also go with you, which makes it even more special.

Jyushi is much better than his brothers at parsing out the kind of response you're looking for, his emotional intelligence in general is a lot higher than that of his brothers. So if you're looking for a big, excited reaction from him, he's gonna throw you a coming out party. If you're looking just for acknowledgement, he can also do that. He and Ichi are probably the most likely to Choose Violence when it comes to addressing transphobic assholes, as well.

Y'know, it's kind of a funny coincidence, but people occasionally mistake Totty for a girl. Especially if he's not with his brothers. Sure, he is a bit of a twink and he does care about fashion, but it bothers him that people immediately label him a woman just for those things. Anyway, his point is that people are so weird about gender roles and all that. Like, it's completely baffling what things people will attribute to being Inherent and Exclusive to One Gender Only™️. Having a larynx? Oh that's only for men. Being creative? Oh that's only for women. And so on and so forth. Again, it's baffling. All that to say, try not to let it get to you too much. If people misgender you or are transphobes, they just have bizarre, socially ingrained notions about gender that don't reflect reality. You and him can be cooler, happier individuals than those who are so damn invested in goofy societal expectations.

[minimitchell]

Daran did a great job with the Ben and Kathy scenes but since then it been bad lol. btw do you know why people are speculating that Tony must have had personal issues meaning he couldn't work as much last year? Or is it fans just trying to find reasons for Callum being offscreen? Idk cause other characters have been offscreen just as much when they should be reacting to stuff like Ash and Vinny, and it's not just Callum that's been reduced since CC took over, it's Bens whole story which ofc means Callum has fewer scenes, Ben does too...

okay i've gotten so many asks about callum and whether or not he's being "fazed out" or whatever so let me just say my opinion on this once:

let me first say it's absolutely bullshit that he didn't get an on screen reaction to mick's disappearance. i 100% agree that he was one of the people who should've gotten one, especially since they remembered to have him at the stag do. although i know that might just be down to one writer remembering to have him there or wanting him there and another thinking it's not that important (i haven't checked the writers btw). but i don't in any way think callum is being treated unfairly atm or that his screen time is deliberately being reduced. like you said, he's not the only character who has appeared less recently. and it's not like we haven't seen him for months, he appeared just 8 eps ago. i think people's views are just biased when it comes to characters they like and you're always more inclined to think they're being "mistreated" when they're not used the way you want them to be. but in my opinion that's not the case here. he (and to a lesser extent ben) is just being used as a supporting character instead of being a main focus right now. and i know that's a bit weird for us ballum fans because we're so used to them always having a sl and always being in the forefront of the show for the past 3 years. but they're simply taking a backseat right now, it's just more noticeable with callum because he doesn't have any other ties around the square now whereas ben will always pop up in his family's storylines.

i really think they're both gonna feature more around april/may after lola's death, supporting jay, dealing with the aftermath of her death and of course caring for lexi. i also think if cc really wanted to axe or "faze out" one of them (which lbr would be callum, he wouldn't axe ben), he wouldn't have put them back together. their break up in august could've served as a perfectly fine, definite way to end them if he really had no interest in them together and then callum could've just gone away with stuart and rainie. but he didn't do that, he deliberately had them get back together swiftly before lola's sl kicked off so he obviously does have plans in the long run for which he wants them together.