its always sunny in the bathroom where we drink bleach and neglect our souls

Top 5 non-Sunny characters you would like to see interact with the Sunny gang

This is probably gonna be super indulgent and entirely contingent on what I've watched in the past few months but! That's the whole point of this, isn't it?

These are in no particular order bc I'm adding them to the list as they pop into my head, which I guess....is a particular order after all.

1) Sam and Dean Winchester.

Look okay I know. But honestly I feel like a crossover would weirdly work? Sam and Dean working a case in Philly and they stumble into what they think is your typical dive bar only to have to deal with the Gang. Dean and Dennis would definitely clash. Dee and Mac would try to hit on them. And honestly I would just love Charlie getting the vindication he deserves when the Winchesters tell him Ghouls do in fact exist.

2) The Hargreeves Siblings.

Mac asking Diego to teach him his "cool knife tricks." Klaus shamelessly flirting with Dennis. Five trying to get a drink at the bar but Frank insisting they've already done the underage drinking thing. Then I want them to devolve into an argument about time travel and timelines and arguing what superpower is best/most useful.

3) The Leverage Crew

Just because they're fundamentally opposites of the Gang. They're "Bad People" that actually care and the Gang just... doesn't give a shit about anyone. I feel like the Sunny Gang would admire them for stealing from the rich but would definitely be lost on the whole "giving it back to the poor and needy" thing. "Wait....so you guys don't keep what you steal?" "Not all of it, no." "Why????" And Parker just leans in all "I know I thought it was weird at first too bit you get used to it. It actually makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside." And that just doesn't compute for the Gang at all.

4) The New Girl gang

The NG gang can teach the Sunny Gang True American and the Sunny Gang can teach the NG gang CharDee MacDennis. And together they can come up with a terrifying hybrid drinking game that combines aspects of both. Also why do I feel like I want a Charlie/Nick Miller friendship so bad now????

5) Ian Grimm and the MQ team

I just....I don't have a good explanation for this but give me Dennis thinking Ian is so cool and Mac getting jealous or something. And the Gang trying to give them ideas to "improve" their game that are all terrible.

put “top 5” anything in my ask and i will answer

Why I have a tag for “late season MacDennis sucks ass” even though I love MacDennis.

Someone asked me why the Mac-is-a-predator jokes bother me so much when everyone in the gang is a predator and I wrote a thesis so here:

1. Gay men sexually harassing uninterested straight men is a homophobic stereotype that exists in the real world and is used to justify killing them. I'm totally cool with Sunny joking about truly awful stuff, but there are different connotations between writing a straight man as a sexual predator (like the other dudes in the gang) and writing the only gay guy in your show as a sexual predator, especially when he only really got predatory with Dennis after he came out. No one on the writing team seems to REALIZE they're playing with fire, as opposed to when they play with other dangerous stereotypes. To use an example off the top of my head, it's a dangerous stereotype that women make fake rape allegations to get what they want, and yet we have running characterization of Dee doing just that, and the show handles those jokes well. The framing of those jokes is that DEE is evil and deceitful, and we see that because the most overt scene of it is a character-based scene where the point is to highlight how similar and simpatico she is with her brother. With Mac, the predator jokes are like 20 times an episode, they're often super clumsy or lazy jokes, and they often read less as "Mac is a predator because he's a terrible person" and more as "Mac is a predator because he's openly gay now and openly gay men are kind of like that". There are SO many people who believe that gay men are inclined to be predators and the writing team is lazy and careless about that. 2. Alternately, instead of toning the jokes down, they could make them more extreme. The best Mac-is-a-predator jokes are the most ridiculous ones, like the life-size sex doll he takes everywhere with him. That's objectively insane and that's why it's funny, because the takeaway cannot possibly be "gay men are just kind of like that" because NO ONE IN HISTORY has ever behaved that way. It's so over-the-top that it blazes right past the real world stereotype and straight into cartoonish absurdity. But most of the predator jokes aren't anywhere near that level of extremity.

3. They've turned the predator joke into Mac's entire characterization post-closet, basically, and while Mac's always been someone who violates other people's boundaries he's also always been a very rich and developed character with a lot of different angles to make him funny. If you watch S13 and S14 almost every joke Mac has is the predator joke. It's super one-note and for me, a lot of the things that made Mac entertaining have fallen by the wayside to make room for just nonstop "Mac wants to bang Dennis". Sometimes we get the religion joke I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. It makes the MacDennis relationship super boring. Legit every scene between them is "Mac pervs on Dennis or talks about how great Dennis is, Dennis acts disgusted, rinse and repeat". Compare that to earlier MacDennis stuff like "Great Recession", "Mac and Dennis Break Up", "Buys a Boat", even "Suburbs", where there was a lot more going on psychologically for both characters, a lot more give-and-take regarding how they treated each other, a lot more variation in the jokes, and a lot more room for genuine tenderness and warmth. Now it feels like Dennis just legitimately hates Mac and Mac wants to bang Dennis because it's his kink.

5. It doesn't really make sense as progression for Mac because prior to S12, he was sexually attracted to Dennis and to men generally (especially beefy men) and now he's ONLY attracted to Dennis. After seasons and seasons of characterization and humor mined from the fact that he wants to be with men, now that he's out the only interest we've seen in men who aren't Dennis is enjoying the stripper in "PTSDee" and internet porn. It's almost like now that he's out, RC and the writing team are afraid to have him actually BE the gay dude he wanted to be when he was in the closet and transparently lusting over Dolph Lundgren.

6. The jokes aren't funny enough. They're just not funny. Write better jokes dudes.

7. Because they're hitting the predator angle so hard, Mac's had less interaction with non-Dennis members of the cast in any episode where Dennis appears, and even when he is around other members of the gang it's often just like, ABOUT Dennis. I love the Charlie/Mac friendship - I think it's the heart of the show - and since S12 they've had only two episodes of meaningful interaction ("New Wheels" and "Woman's Right"; Mac's role in "Texts" is all about Dennis and doesn't count). This also just contributes to making Mac a flat, one-note character because part of the reason the gang are so well-written is because their interactions with each other drive, inform and reveal the most complicated, human and consistent parts of who they are.

8. They’re wasting so many opportunities for Mac storylines on this. They could be doing so much fun stuff with Mac crashing and burning on the dating scene (milk some adrenal glands buddy), or switching his religious soapboxing for horrible dumbass gay politics soapboxing, or trying to sue some poor rando for discrimination, or I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know, there are things they could explore and they’re just not because they’re too busy doing this almost every single episode.

Anyway I wrote all this salt instead of getting dressed for work.

İasip.

The first character I ever fell in love with: this is so embarrassing to admit but Dennis circa season 1, it's so funny to me how in the first season he's basically the voice of reason and he steadily turns into a creepy fuckboy lmao

A character I used to love/like but now do not: Dennis for the aforementioned turning into a fuckboy

A ship I used to love/like but now do not: I kinda don't have any always sunny ships personally

My Ultimate Favourite Character (TM): Frank since he usually makes me laugh most

Prettiest character: ig Dee? Of the guys Mac is probably most handsome though

My most hated character: haven't really got one, they're all kind of as shitty and as funny as each other really

My OTP: like I said, not really into shipping always sunny

My NOTP: I do have an opinion on this at least, Dennis and Dee is gross. Don't do incest kids

Favourite episode: probably The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis or Frank's Little Beauties, but The Gang Turns Black and The Gang Makes Paddy's Great Again are up there too (the last one mostly just for the Dennis doll XD)

Saddest death: I have no idea lol

Favourite season: probably 7, it has the most really funny bits imo (rum ham, do not diddle kids, rude man who shushes and so on)

Least favourite season: I like bits of all of them but for some reason season 11 sticks in my mind least so I guess that

Character everyone else in the fandom loves but I hate: I dunno why but I don't tend to be huge on the McPoyle episodes like everyone else so I guess them maybe?

My 'you're piece of trash but you're still my fave' character: definitely Dee

My 'beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this' fave: Rickety Cricket is literally the epitome of that term I think

My 'this ship is wrong, nasty and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but I still love it' ship: I dunno really

My 'they're kinda cute and I lowkey ship them, but I'm not too invested' ship: ok I'll break ranks here and say that'd be MacDennis, if that turned out to be a thing that'd be kinda cool but I'm not placing any bets

Thanks for asking! C:

Ship Questionaire

I found this on my old blog from back in 2016 and I want to do it again

Rules: Pick your top ten ships without reading the questions.

Macdennis (Mac x Dennis - IASIP)

Skysolo (Luke x Han - Star Wars)

Stormpilot (Finn x Poe - Star Wars)

Finnrey (Finn x Rey - Star Wars)

Hanleia (Han x Leia - Star Wars)

Sethon (Seth Meyers x Stefon - SNL)

Luke x Lando (Star Wars)

Charlie x The Waitress (IASIP) I only vaguely ship them... I’m sorry...

Bravid (Bryan x David - The New Normal)

Kogan (Kendall x Logan - Big Time Rush) included as an homage to my first OTP

Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6? The first time I saw them: on the SNL 40th anniversary episode, when they started talking about their children ☺️

Have you ever read a fic about 2? Yes! So many! And I’ve written a bunch too!

Has 4 ever been a profile picture on tumblr? No

If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be? Well, considering one of them is dead, not too upset.

Why is 1 so important? Because! They’re! In love! And they’re horrible people! But! They’re stupid! Himbo love!

Which one has the strongest bond? I’d say Finnrey. They probably literally have a Force bond.

How many times have you read/watched 10′s fandom? So much when I was in middle school, but not at all since then.

Which ship has lasted the longest? Kogan 😔 I’m ashamed to say. But of the ones I actively ship, Bravid has been around since like 2014 or so.

How many times, if ever has 6 broken up? Canonically, never!

Is 4 still together? They never were. Don’t rub it in.

Is 10 canon? Nope

If all 10 ships were put into the Hunger Games, which couple would win? Probably Finnrey? Because I think they’d be the most powerful. But there’s so many Star Wars ships, it’s hard.

If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ships to break forever or else she’d break them all up, which ship would you sink? I’d say Charlie and The Waitress because I don’t really care about them being together, but I’m sad about their dynamic changing since DDL... so Kogan I guess. Not canon, and I don’t really ship them anymore.

Has anyone ever tried to sabotage 5? Luke, but not intentionally. Lando, sort of intentionally, but we forgive him cause he’s cool.

Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason? It’s not canon, but they definitely would have to.

Do you spend hours a day going through 3′s tumblr tag? Depends on my mood, but it’s happened many times.

I don’t feel like doing a whole tagging thing so.... help yourself! I’d love to see other people’s!

MacDennis Week Day 7: Free Choice

Fic request by @shawnnhunter

“I don’t want to think about what I’d be like without you.”

It’s an easy night after a rough day. A few shots along with ham soaked in rum and more cigarettes than he’d like to admit, and it gets easier to forget his car stuck in the river and the tall, beautiful brunette with a liking for angel dust. At the end of the night, Dennis and Mac find themselves alone in Dee’s living room and there are some things Dennis decides he just can’t let go.

“You called her the love of your life,” Dennis murmurs softly, kicking the carpet gently under his feet.

There’s a long pause before Mac finally looks up. There’s something in his eyes that looks strangely like fear. “I thought we didn’t have to talk about it?”

Yeah, maybe that’s what Dennis implied earlier. But by now, he’s completely plastered on rum ham, and his earlier words don’t hold much substance anymore. “Some pretty serious words, don’t you think? The love of your life…”

“Well, I obviously didn’t mean it,” Mac chuckles awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. “She really wasn’t all that.”

Dennis rolls his eyes at Mac’s excuses. The other man started making more and more of them as the years had gone by. He never believed a single one of them. “You don’t think you’re just lying to yourself?” He asks casually. “Or are you just okay with it?”

“Dennis…” Mac sighs heavily, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.

“I know it’s easier if… we don’t ask questions and I just let you go about your business…” Dennis bites his lip as he ponders the other man. Mac won’t meet his eye, he just gazes at a spot on the far wall. “But the truth is… sometimes I think about it… our lives,” he clarifies softly. “I know there’s things you’d rather not talk about. Maybe because you’re not ready.”

Mac tries to ignore the flush rising in his cheeks. He can almost blame it on the alcohol in his system.

“I just…” Dennis sighs as lets his shoulders sag. After the long day he’s had, there’s a heavy weight on him that’s he’s desperate to be rid of. “I don’t want to think about what I’d be like without you.”

Mac looks up in surprise, like Dennis had said the last thing he’d been expecting. And maybe it’s because Dennis had never spoken about his reliance on the other man. Nowadays, he hardly has anything good to say to him at all. But in just the short amount of time they spent apart… Dennis realizes it wasn’t just the gang he missed, it was Mac.

“I didn’t… I didn’t think it mattered to you so much,” Mac crinkles his brow in confusion.

“Well, apparently it does,” Dennis replies softly. A part of him hates himself for it. Admitting his dependence is borderline admitting weakness. There’s nothing he hates more than weakness. Not only did he fail to control his anger, but his disappointment in himself for repeatedly losing his cool was only compounded by the fact that he genuinely can’t function without the other man. And that’s not a truth he wants to face.

On any other day, he’d be furious and confused and maybe a little hurt. But now it feels like he’s simply run out of steam. He’s too tired to care, and for some reason he needs Mac to understand what he’s feeling. What he learned today, is that there are some things he can’t blame on the gang.

“Sometimes I don’t like who I am. But you seem to like me, so…” Dennis shrugs and continues softly, “I don’t know… makes it easier I guess.”

Mac’s brow is furrowed. There’s a lot that Mac doesn’t understand about the way Dennis’ emotions work. Then again, Dennis had never been generous with the specifics. He hardly understands it himself.

There are days when the emptiness inside him threatens to swallow him whole. Sometimes the dullness of the days will stretch into weeks of not feeling, until it reaches a point where he’s numb to the numbness and he’s just existing. Not living. Then without warning, the pendulum swings to the other end, and suddenly he’s feeling too much. The slightest inconvenience will set him off and he’s screaming at the world around him, screaming his throat raw for everything to just stop.

Mac doesn’t get it. How could he? He doesn’t get any of it. But he’s there.

Somehow, that helps.

“Well… I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Mac eventually says softly.

Dennis swallows and looks up to meet Mac’s eyes. “Thank you,” he whispers.

Mac nods and bites his lip. A moment passes and Dennis gets a crazed image in his head. An Alfa Romeo. Two seats, just me and a babe. Just me and a babe. Would it be so bad if he replaced the faceless, busty chick in his fantasy with a familiar face? A guy with shitty tattoos and slicked back hair… A guy that brings with him a warm feeling of home and comfort, and never fails to make him smile. Would that really be so bad?

The moment ends when Mac murmurs, “I’m heading to bed, Den.” He drops to the floor and messes with the sleeping bag that’s been his make shift bed for the past few months. 

Dennis watches him with a hint of a smile on his face at the old nickname. There’s a deep longing in his gut. An ache. And he used to think he knew what he wanted. There’s an ideal in his head that he strives towards, an image of himself that he sees and wants the world to see. And though he’d never admit that reality doesn’t quite live up to the vision in his head, sometimes reality sneaks up on him with a sharp smack in the face.

The rum ham is slowly settling in his stomach and he thinks maybe it’s time for him to retire as well.

Maybe his life hasn’t exactly gone the way he would have liked. Maybe none of it is ideal, and he’s stuck in this endless rut with his best friends and his sister, running a shitty bar in Philly, getting older and never reaching the level of success he’d imagined for himself years and years ago. It’s a rare moment of clarity when he can admit these things to himself.

He’s so close. Just a step further and maybe he could admit that there’s a person in his life that he wants more with. Two seats, just me and a babe. But he’s not quite there yet.

On a deeper level, Dennis acknowledges that he needs Mac. Needs him like a lifeline on a sinking boat. He’s not better off without him.

But they could have more. They could be more. If only they both weren’t too stubborn to admit it.

I always felt there was //something// off (other than the fact it was not written by anyone in the sunny writing staff) about Flowers For Charlie, but I was never able to point it out. Are there any moments in particular that made you believe this episode was not canon?

I’m kind of with you here: it just generally feels off, and the fact that it was written by outsiders makes it easy to dismiss as an elaborately produced work of fanfiction. But I guess if I had to explain exactly why it feels off, I’d point to two things:

1. It relies too heavily on a wacky situation not originating from the gang.

Mad scientists?! That’s not something that exists in the Sunny universe -- that’s an AU fic prompt. And it’s not executed particularly well, either: nothing about the "science bitches” feels remotely plausible, from their research question to their methodology to their conclusion. A philosophical conundrum: if the gang are no longer the worst, wackiest, most unethical people in their own universe, are they even still the gang?

2. Charlie’s cooling toward the Waitress violates the rules of the Sunny universe.

I feel very strongly about this: pre-”Dennis’s Double Life,” Charlie’s love for the Waitress is as constant and unshakable a force as gravity itself. It is absolutely fundamental to the character of Charlie Kelly that nothing could possibly make him stop loving (his fantasy of) the Waitress -- not a decade of rejection, not the temptation of Ruby Taft, not a thousand restraining orders. I do not buy for a single second that a couple of science bitches could succeed in convincing Charlie that the Waitress is vapid and beneath him.

(Side note: do I find it similarly unrealistic when Charlie cools toward the Waitress in “Dennis’s Double Life”? No, I do not. That’s a different situation: in that episode, Charlie finally gets what he’s been dreaming of nonstop for years and years, only to find that the reality doesn’t match the fantasy. I find it COMPLETELY plausible that he would subsequently lose interest in the complicated flesh-and-blood reality of the Waitress. That is, in fact, the only thing that could have cured his obsession with her -- and that is not what happens in “Flowers For Charlie.”)

With all that said, I will reiterate that the “You’re the Inspiration” MacDennis dance scene is totally canon.

tagged by @reinako !! thank uuu! ily Rules: Always post the rules. Answer the questions asked, then write eleven new ones. Tag eleven people to answer your questions as well as the person who tagged you. 1. Who is someone on tumblr that you really enjoy talking to and why? @amandaoneill youre the only person i talk to

2. If you could cosplay any character right now who would it be or what are your opinions on cosplay?  um.. my fursona cosplay is cool people put a lot of work into it and i respect it 3. Who are some artists you enjoy? (can be music, art, whatever you want!) wolfcigs (nadia), h-e-l-y, toulouse, dominate, lingrimm, pastelcore, woodlands., sabertooth-raccoon, tons more but those are the first that come to mind. all are on furaffinity 4. What is one career that you’ve always secretly wanted to have but thought it was too far fetched?  idk..  nothing really 5. What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to how people act on tumblr? um literally everything but i guess the biggest is when people try to say you cant like anything thats even remotely problematic and if you do you’re a terf/racist/whatever 6. What is your personal style or what style do you wish was your personal style?  summer: tank tops and short winter: tshirts and flannels 7. Top 5 otps?  klaine, amberprice, macdennis i guess but im divorcing the fandom, pentahawke and/or isahawke, POLY LITTLE LIARS 8. Top 5 notps? (if you dont want to answer this one then maybe list some more otps!) charl.iemac, price.field, emi.son, sp.oby, ez.ria 9. Does it make you happy to see your mutuals post their selfies or their artwork?  yes! 10. What is something you really love about yourself?  my boobs 11. What is your favorite way of staying positive? dont dwell on stuff

oh wow im literally an idiot i just answered all the wrong questions oh well im keeping them and ill do these too

my questions 1. have any pets? what are their names? I have 4 cats!! nosey, couver, tsuki, and tegan! 2. do you have any tattoos? yes i have a simplistic rose and knife on my back and the hand symbol laura palmer makes in the twin peaks finale on my hip 3. opinions on veganism and vegetarianism? you’re stronger than i could ever be 4. do you have any phobias? if so, what are they? spiders 5. favorite food? mac and cheese i guess but i also love burgers 6. favorite song at the moment? HMMM idk if i really have one ive been listening to a lot of like ambient electronic recently so i dont have a specific song but i love this mix by coccolino deep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xz_7tCVgoY 7. coke or pepsi? (pick one, then you can tell me your favorite soda, this is for science) coke, but overall i like dr pepper and cream soda  8. do you like pina coladas? i.. think so? ive had one like once in my life 9. do you have your drivers license? yep 10. what is your middle name? marèe its literally marie but uwu special snowflake

and i tag um @wlllow @cuckyoin @xenosaga @jackaloup @drownedsoda and anyone else who wants to.. i dont want to make new questions so you can do either of the above sets or both lol

Can I just say, while it would be incredibly cruel of rcg it's not queerbaiting because mac is, undeniably gay and has stated so multiple times in canon. No matter if macdennis happens mac still isn't straight and therefor it rlly isn't queerbaiting. I just feel like this is important to mention because it's important to note when shows actually do queerbait

I was actually mulling this over earlier, so thank you for bringing it up!

after some thought, I’ll partially agree that it doesn’t fit the classical definition of queerbaiting, which as defined by wikipedia is “what happens ‘when people in the media (usually television/movies) add homoerotic tension between two characters to attract more liberal and queer viewers with the indication of them not ever getting together for real in the show/book/movie’“ (x). in other words, to qualify for queerbaiting, the basic formula requires two variables:

1) an interpretation of potential non-platonic tension between two characters, such that a reading of said tension is queer by default (not straight OR not cisgender); i.e., a queer romance.

2) metatextual guidance of said tension without the conscious intention to realize it; i.e., baiting.

I don’t think I have to actively mention shows with a penchant for queerbaiting. and to that extent, I’ll give RCG props - even while mac was still in the closet, not once was macdennis as a pairing dangled in front of anyone like a carrot on a stick with the explicit intention to lead people on with [what they would ultimately consider] fantasy. they’ve stuck to subtext quite well thus far. we’ve seen a rapid shift in the few episodes set after mac’s coming out, however - mac dreaming about dennis stripping (and then encountering it in real life a moment later), mac buying dennis a rocket launcher for valentine’s day in the same episode dennis laments no one loving him enough to get him a cool present.

if I’m reading this right, you’re making the argument that you can’t queerbait with a canonically-queer character, correct? if so, that’s the part where I’ll respectfully disagree, with the addendum that I don’t off the top of my head know of any teased pairings that already involve at least one (1) Not Straight character (besides, like, rod and nicky from avenue q, but I don’t think that counts. er. maybe dumbledore and grindelwald?). in my opinion, two characters don’t necessarily need to be straight to qualify for queerbaiting; I’m going to guess that’s usually the case due to a lack of solid representation, but that’s a different argument. in this case, mac’s sexuality doesn’t qualify or disqualify him - the same tension present in the closet is present outside of it. we can interpret instances of non-platonic tension between mac and dennis before and after ‘hero or hate crime,’ which is enough to fulfill the first criterion.

my concern re: cruelty actually had more to do with the second part - and just to stress this point, is not as one-to-one as “if mac and dennis get together in the finale, RCG get a cookie; else it’s queerbaiting and the show is ruined forever.” I’m more worried that the rapidly-textualized narrative is going to be flushed out in the finale; that mac’s feelings and dennis’ emotional reactions will be hamhandedly set aside in favor of the status quo. my argument for the second criterion - the baiting part - is that the show’s now taken an active interest in this narrative, which means they’re now responsible for it, too. if the endgame isn’t macdennis, so be it; it’s a dark comedy about terrible people, they’re not supposed to get what they want.

but, if they sever the plotline irresponsibly - if they dismiss mac’s dreams and dennis’ big feelings and carelessly assume the mantle of Better Off As Friends without a decent, respectful explanation - it can qualify for queerbaiting, under the context of (1) yet another potential non-straight narrative (2) consciously and deliberately led, after heavy layers of subtext (now sustained with actual text), to yet another straight ending.

I don’t need to see macdennis canonized in the season finale. I’d love it very much, I’d be ecstatic, this is easily my most passionate ship in years and I would have kittens - but if it doesn’t happen I can be at peace with that. what will get my goat is if the very idea of anything happening between mac and dennis is treated as nothing more than a joke. my hope is for respect, not canonization; the latter’s a nice bonus, but I’m mostly just tired of the insinuation that queer romances don’t happen on tv just because they’re queer. I’m too old for that shit, and I would hate to see it happen on a show I respect.

I don’t think the finale will go down that route - honestly, I don’t! but if I seem skeptical, here’s why - I’m holding RCG to higher standards than I do most other showrunners, precisely because they’ve met them before. I wasn’t disappointed with the end of ‘hero or hate crime,’ not in the least, but I was worried about that episode too! I’ve come to expect a good deal from this show - it’s not a privilege I hand out often. but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my reservations.

I am choosing to trust the writers, but I’d prefer to be prepared for anything. especially if that ‘anything’ happens to rhyme with sheerskating.

me immediately reacting to the press release for the season finale

press release post here, but I gotta yell about some shit and I feel like doing it in the tags will not contain my yellingness

also, obviously, spoilers below

OKAY, SO - I would not at all be surprised if the season finale ends with dennis actually leaving the gang and going to north dakota to try to be an actual father, nor would I think that’s the end of dennis’ involvement with the gang. I’d be shocked, #SHOCKEDT I tell you, if he didn’t end up coming back to philadelphia after a few episodes. it’s different, it shakes things up pretty dramatically, but it’s no crossing a rubicon, if only because sunny’s got two more seasons after this one, and given how big a role glenn plays in the show period, I’d be more than a little surprised if we said goodbye to dennis at the end of the season.

like, my expectation is - dennis makes some comment or comes to an understanding of what a shit father frank was to him, and decides he’s not gonna be that guy, so off he goes to north dakota at the end of the episode. s13 I would imagine sees him trying to be a parent and either not being great at it, or simply missing the gang too much to stick around. (which does make me sad for the kid, honestly. I’d hope they could work something out where dennis at least has a role in the kid’s life?)

now holy shit for the They Went There moment - mac suggests they pretend to be a couple??? look if that ain’t a confirmation that mac’s coming out of the fucking closet on wednesday, then what the fuck is. with that said, my immediate reaction is that it’s actually weirdly nice to see this, in that I find it super-validating as a pretty shameless macdennis fan. I don’t mean to imply that “omg RCG is listening!!!!11!!11″ - in my 10+ years of experience with fandom, shipping was always kind of given the sideeye whenever fans tried to seriously discuss how plausible in canon their chances were. which, I get - most ships don’t have a chance in hell of becoming canon, because queerbaiting or behind-the-scenes show politics or “the world is just not ready” or the showrunners aren’t feeling it; and usurping a show’s story just for the sake of a romantic pairing and appeasing a vocal slice of the fanbase is unfair and would probably be detrimental to the show - in my opinion, anyway. feel free to disagree!

but it’s welrdly kind of nice to feel like I’m not just seeing things, especially because I definitely don’t think RCG feels like they’re doing this bc they’re beholden to a tiny contingent of fans on tumblr. like, okay, cool, I’m not crazy for thinking mac has a big ol’ crush on dennis. take that reddit

and, to switch from doylist to watsonian perspectives, um holy shit mac???? going from being an ArmoredClosetGay to actively suggesting he and dennis pretend to be a couple (which........how does that get dennis out of his jam anyway) - that’s a big leap no matter how you slice it. and I don’t think it’s the same thing as making macdennis canon, either (although shit, kudos to y’all who guessed that was the finale - it was a lot closer than my guesses at least). the release did say it’s (1) a suggestion, so dennis could be like ‘wtf???? no’ and it could not pan out, and (2) playing pretend, which ends in relationships really only in the realm of fanfiction. (I mean shit I’m still gonna hope for it but in like a passive, ‘if it happens awesome but if not I’m not surprised’ kinda way? like damn RCG you’re really cutting into my business here aren’t you)

but I find it extremely interesting because of how much mac could really get into it, and I’m curious to see dennis’ reaction to mac happily playing the role of his boyfriend (if they end up going down that route). like that... kinda suggests uncovering mac’s feelings for dennis in a definitive way? and I really want to see what dennis thinks of that - if he’s made uncomfortable with it, if he’s uncomfortable with how comfortable he gets with it, if it doesn’t work, if it’s the suburbs ep 2: electric boogaloo. I’d also be interested to see if it stretches beyond the scope of this episode and into s13, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if it didn’t. (I’d def be disappointed if it capped off macdennis like once and for all, but I do watch the show for more than just that. besides, that’s what fanfiction is for.)

tl;dr holy shit