Charlie Kelly Would Accidentally Be The Best Zookeeper Ever Without Any Prior Research. I Feel Like He

horrible gay people who hate each other (they are in love)

sometimes i need to remind myself that i'm writing fanfiction for free and i'm allowed to have a shitty sentence or two

I don't think we talk enough about what Mac falling for Johnny means in terms of his perception of love and his relationship to Dennis. I mean, we talk a lot about Dennis catfishing and e-dating him and the sexual component of it —which gives us plenty to unpack about Dennis' psyche, so it's understandable— but my favorite aspect to dissect is Mac's willingness to "fall in love" with a ghost.

In the episode, Dennis mentions there being texts between them so we know Mac wasn't just talking to a wall the whole time, but he's been stood up by Johnny so many times.. yet he keeps at it, keeps going on errands and to motels just in case Johnny decides to actually meet him this time. He's constantly waiting for someone who never shows up for him, and that's reflective of Mac's entire character. He keeps searching for love and validation from his mom, his dad, Dennis.. and when he doesn't get it, he just keeps on pushing, putting in more effort because maybe this time it will be enough. He holds so tightly onto his faith in god, a being he can't even see or hear, but that represents a hope for eternal love if you do everything right and conform nicely to its supposed expectations.

Mac isn't a stranger to loving distant beings, so of course he fell in love with Johnny. He's so desperate for someone to love him back but the only form of "love" he recognizes is a distant kind. That's why he can't give his date from the episode a chance, and why he doesn't want anything to do with uncle Donald. Easy and earnest love isn't something Mac knows. Hell, it isn't even worth it. Love, in his experience, requires work and sacrifice, otherwise what's the point?

This also plays a lot into his dynamic with Dennis, and why Mac will never let go of it. Sure, we saw him kind of trying to move on in 'The Gang Gets Romantic' by fabricating a love story for himself with Greg, and a more genuine attempt in 'Frank vs. Russia' by dating Johnny, but all roads eventually lead back to Dennis. A part of it can be attributed to Dennis not letting him move on —keeping Mac at arm's length while giving him just enough to keep him hooked— but that's not all. At this point I don't think there's anything Dennis could do or not do to put a definitive end to Mac's obsession with him, because he's exactly the type of person Mac craves in his life. As mentioned before, Dennis is someone that makes him earn his love and respect, and Mac can't find that in other potential romantic partners. He already tried looking for it online, where you can meet all kinds of people from all kinds of places, and who did he find? Dennis.

Obviously, the Johnny thing being orchestrated by Dennis means that Mac "found him" on purpose, but the point here is that Mac didn't know that. From his perspective, it was a fresh start with someone completely new, a guy that met his subconscious requirements. It just so happens that his requirements are Dennis. Because as mushy and gooey as it sounds, at the end of the day Mac is irreversably in love with him. He loves Dennis so intrinsically that he falls for him a second time, without even being aware of it. And I suspect he always will, no matter how many times he tries to move on.

One last edit before I go to icbiballtay and my life changes forever

now mac is here :]

just a heads up for all writers out there!

I was recently told AO3 is currently being plagued by bots that comment on people’s works and falsely claim their fics were AI generated. and I can see how vile and discouraging hearing that is for authors who put so much time, effort and dedication into creating their fics.

now listen to me, if you ever get a comment like this on your work, please please please please know that they’re most definitely bot who comments the same thing on dozens of people’s works at random without ever reading the works. at all. they just copy and paste the same script onto random fics, any fic they come across.

they’re bots with malicious intentions, and they most certainly want you to lose motivation and/or delete your works. DON’T GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT.

if you ever get a comment like this, just delete the comment and/or report it to AO3.

remember that their comments don’t mean your works look “AI generated”. it only means these bots come across your fic and leave the same copy and pasted comment on it like they do to other writers.

don’t let them make you question yourself. they’re nothing but spam bots. YOU are a writer and you are fucking awesome.

Sure, Paul might be Pokey's trophy, as he's the titular guy who didn't like musicals, but Emma is the one Pokey hates the most.

The opening number (and Emma's presence in it) points to the entirety of TGWDLM being an in-universe musical to lure new members to the hive (in the form of us, the audience). So Emma and Paul are only being puppeted to echo their resistances, over and over and over.

Paul is distressed the whole time, but he's also a hero, he tries to save everyone (and fails, of course), while Emma is left to bleed and limp and scream. She's puppeted in a mockery of her fear and agony. Other deaths are bloodier, but hers is drawn out.

And this makes perfect sense for Pokey. What's the main thing we know about him?

He hates any voice that isn't his own.

Paul is outspoken about disliking musicals, but otherwise is a pretty passive guy. He doesn't make waves or stand out, he's too shy to even ask Emma out until the end of the world.

Emma is loud, opinionated, defiant. She has a very distinct voice.

Paul escapes Pokey for so long because he just doesn't like musicals, helping him avoid the traps that probably caught most of the townsfolk early on. If he liked musicals, or even tolerated them, he'd probably have been consumed by the goo pretty quickly.

Emma actively defies the hive. She starts the story in a job where she is literally required to sing and dance, and instead of just going with it she says fuck you and quits. She even clarifies that she could do it if she wanted, but she just doesn't want to.

Pokey has constructed the entire show to lure in new victims and also torture Emma specifically. In this essay I will

your sunny severance fic is my favorite thing in the entire world i love it SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! EXCELLENT JOB BRO!!!!!

Aaaaaa thank you so much!!!!!! I'm so glad people have been enjoying it I was so nervous when I first published it asgdjgjhkk,,,, it's my first ever fanfic and because it's such a self-indulgent cross-over between two of my favourite shows I thought it wouldn't get that much attention :DD

But the support has been overwhelming and I'm so thankful for every comment and kudos I get!! <33 so lovely to know that my silly little story can bring so much joy to someone!!!

Aaaa thank you for this anon this made me smile so hard <333

Btw I might upload chapter 10 today teehee ;)

The first trailer for Glenn’s new series, Sirens, has dropped!