#“we beat our rivals!” ok?

[againstcrayon]

I think the weirdest part about being American for me is that I've never felt super strongly patriotic. like I'm not proud to be American. I just like. Live here. Idk. Even as a kid before I knew all the fucked up things America did I got confused on why people would fly American flags at their house. I don't really know how else to explain it but yeagh

[xxplastic-cubexx]

played one game of rivals as wanda and after the match enemy team went 'im so glad scarlet witch's kids are dead' like OK??????? CAN I HELP YOU WHAT DID I DOOOOOO

[your-local-simp-writers]

Home in the Chaos

Word Count: 1024

Warnings: None

Sonic the Hedgehog x Fem! Reader

Note- You are human for this one, and their relationship is more platonic. Also this takes place during the movie timeline!

Also yall should check our our latest poll ︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

The cozy living room of the Wachowski household was a whirlwind of activity. Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic were abuzz with energy as you tried to keep up. As Jojo’s babysitter and the honorary fourth member of this ragtag group, your days were anything but ordinary. Between Tails' tech experiments, Knuckles' newfound obsession with braiding, and Sonic's endless antics, you often found yourself being pulled in every direction.

Today was no different. Knuckles sat behind you on the couch, his large hands clumsily attempting to braid your hair with an intensity that could rival a championship match. "I do not understand why humans have so much hair," he grumbled, his brows furrowed. "It is like battling a wild beast."

You laughed, glancing over at Tails, who was sprawled out in front of you as you gently brushed his fluffy tails. "It's not that bad, Knuckles. And Tails, hold still—you keep twitching!"

“Does this hurt?” you asked, pulling through a particularly stubborn knot.

Tails winced slightly but shook his head. “Nope! Just tickles a little. But thanks for helping—I’ve been meaning to take better care of them. Gotta stay aerodynamic, you know?”

Knuckles, sitting behind you on the couch, furrowed his brow in concentration as he fumbled with a section of your hair. “Braiding is no simple task,” he declared, his tone serious. 

You laughed, glancing over your shoulder. “You’re doing great, Knux. Just… maybe don’t pull so tight?”

“Noted,” he said solemnly, adjusting his grip.

Across the room, Sonic was perched on the armrest of the couch, tapping his foot impatiently. “Hey, Y/N,” he called, leaning forward. “when you’re done playing hairdresser, how about we do something fun? I’ve got this really cool idea we should try—”

 “Just a minute, Sonic,” you said, not looking up from Tails’ fur.

Sonic froze mid-step, the ball caught in his gloved hand. His ears drooped slightly as he flopped onto the armrest of the couch, kicking his legs lazily. “Sure. No rush,” he muttered, but the slump in his posture betrayed his disappointment.

Knuckles glanced at Sonic, his crimson face betraying a rare flicker of sympathy. “The blue one grows restless. Perhaps we should take him on a hunt?”

“A hunt for what, Knuckles?” Tails asked, clearly amused.

Knuckles puffed out his chest. “For purpose!”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Maybe we’ll plan something after I finish here, okay?”

...

As the day wore on, you found yourself in the kitchen, preparing sandwiches and snacks for everyone. The kitchen was warm and alive, the aroma of freshly chopped herbs mingling with the distant hum of conversation and laughter spilling in from the living room. Tails’ excited rambling about his latest gadget punctuated Knuckles’ booming declarations, and every now and then, a peal of laughter rippled through the air. It was the kind of noise that made the house feel less like walls and more like a heart—beating, alive, and full.

Sonic lingered near the counter, his hand idly drumming against its edge. His usual easy grin was there, but you noticed the subtle edge to it—like he was trying to hold something back.

“Need help?” he asked casually, though the slight upward tilt of his voice betrayed him.

“Sure,” you replied, pointing toward the stack of plates. “Can you grab those for me?”

In a flash, he zipped across the room, the plates balanced precariously in his arms as he stopped so close that you had to catch yourself against the counter.

“Whoa!” you exclaimed, your laugh breaking the momentary surprise.

“Sorry!” Sonic said quickly, his ears flattening as he shuffled back a step. His usual cocky demeanor faltered, replaced by a sheepish glance your way.

“It’s okay,” you reassured him, your laugh softening. “Just… maybe slow down a bit?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, his hand brushing over the white band of his glove. “Yeah… sorry,” he murmured, his voice quieter now.

Sonic hopped onto one of the kitchen chairs, the bounce in his step noticeably missing. He swung his legs slightly, his eyes avoiding yours as he fiddled with his gloves, the silence settling between you.

“You alright?” you asked, tilting your head to get a better look at his face.

He hesitated, his fingers pausing mid-fidget. “It’s just… I don’t know,” he began, his voice low and uncertain. “I guess I feel like I’m kinda… left out sometimes.”

The confession hit you like a weight, and you felt your chest tighten. Setting the knife down, you pulled a chair next to him, your movement slow and deliberate.

“Sonic, I’m so sorry,” you said softly, your hand resting gently on his arm. “I didn’t know you felt that way.”

He shrugged, though the gesture lacked its usual confidence. When he finally looked at you, his green eyes were unguarded, vulnerable in a way that felt rare and precious.

“I know you don’t mean to,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s just… Tails has all his gadgets, and Knuckles has his whole ‘warrior thing.’ Sometimes it feels like… like I don’t really fit anywhere.”

The ache in his words settled heavily in the space between you. You leaned forward, squeezing his arm gently.

“Sonic,” you said, your voice firm yet kind, “you’re just as important as Tails and Knuckles. You don’t have to have gadgets or a warrior thing to matter. You’re you. And I care about you—just as much as them. You’re family to me.”

He blinked, his eyes wide as if the words caught him off guard. Slowly, a small, genuine smile spread across his face.

“Really?” he asked, his voice tentative but hopeful.

“Really,” you affirmed with a nod. “And families? They don’t pick favorites.”

He grinned then, the kind of grin that made his eyes light up and the room feel just a bit brighter. Without a word, he leaned in, wrapping his arms around you in a hug that was both spontaneous and deeply sincere.

“Thanks, Y/N,” he murmured, his voice muffled against your shoulder.

You hugged him back, your hand rubbing small circles on his back. “Anytime, Blue Blur,” you replied, your smile mirroring his.

[tennis-kittens]

Vamos, Rafa !

As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.

Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me – a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could.

On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game – even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.

And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more.

OK maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was – until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you – about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday – it wasn’t just hype.

We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including the 14 French Opens – historic! You made Spain proud… you made the whole tennis world proud.

I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up.

I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there but I didn’t want to miss it.

And then there was London – the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side – not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.

Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will take when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.

Rafa that!

Best always, your fan,

Roger Federer

[bookishdaze]

Noa and Mae as Romeo and Juliet in the Next Planet of the Apes Movie?

Here's why a potential "love story" between Mae and Noa, whether explicit or simply implied, may not be such a terrible idea.

Why? Because Shakespeare told me so, that's why.

"When in doubt, it's from Shakespeare....or the Bible." At least according to a book I had to read for high school, lol.

The biblical references in Caesar's trilogy have been pointed out multiple times already, and these movies have also been described as Shakespearean tragedies. So I thought, 'ok, what kind of Shakespearean tragedy will we have this time around?'

I'm first gonna start off with Hamlet in the Caesar trilogy. I'm also gonna mention other popular movies that are based on Shakespeare's plays. Not necessarily because it's concrete proof that this is what will happen in future POTA movies. This is me simply picking up certain storytelling beats and patterns I've noticed in some of my favorite movies.

It's not 100% the same, but there are some similarities. Also, this isn't anything new. Many have pointed this out before, but I love talking about this stuff!

The Lion King, Black Panther, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are loosely based on Hamlet. A king or rightful heir is killed. Usually by an evil uncle, cousin, or family member. For some reason this always results in them falling off a very high cliff.

Everyone thinks they're dead, the evil relative takes power, and everything kinda sucks. There is not enough food in the Pride Lands under Scar's rule. Killmonger burns the heart-shaped herbs. Koba leads the apes to war against the humans.

The rightful ruler spends time in exile, recovering from their wounds and trauma. They might even get a visit or have a recollection of their dead father.

Then the rightful ruler comes back from the dead, challenges the usurper, and regains their rightful place upon the throne.

Now lets take a look at their sequels.

The Lion King 2 and Wakanda Forever share some similarities. They both follow another one of Shakespeare's popular plays, Romeo and Juliet.

Like the Montagues and Capulets, we have two rival kingdoms in both movies. We got the Pridelanders and the Outsiders. We also got the Wakandans and Talokanils.

The two heirs/rulers from both kingdoms meet. They hate and don't trust each other at first, but then they start to have compassion for the other. In Kiara and Kovu's case, they fall in love. Namor and Shuri don't fall in love, but after Namor shows her his underwater kingdom and what he has to protect, she softens and begins to understand him more. (They even got the whole Hades and Persephone thing going on, who are a couple in Greek mythology, by the way).

There are losses on both sides. Kovu's brother was killed while going after Simba. One of Namor's people was killed when Shuri was rescued by Nakia, and Shuri's mother, Queen Ramonda, died after Namor's attack on Wakanda. (Starts nervously eyeing Anaya here...)

These losses make things worse, by the way.

In the end, both pairs are able to bring the fighting between their people to a stop. The Outsiders are welcomed into Simba's pride. The Wakandans and Talokanils stop fighting after seeing their leaders return together.

In the end, they realize that they're the same. That they can't let hate and fear of the other side cloud their judgement.

Kiara tells her father, "A wise king once told me we are one....Look at them. They are us. What differences do you see?"

Shuri tells Namor while she spares his life, "Vengeance has consumed us. We cannot let it consume our people."

And I think this goes well with one of the core themes of these POTA movies. The apes are a mirror to humanity. We the audience are seeing us through them, and the characters in the movies themselves must come to the realization that they're the same.

Like when Caesar tells his son, "I always think ape better than human. I see now how much like them we are."

Maybe something similar like this will happen with Noa and Mae and whatever fight will happen between apes and humans. While I'm all for a good romance, it may end up being more like Namor and Shuri's case. There's something there. The tropes are present, but they don't fall in love. (At least not yet. Please Ryan Coogler, give me Nashuri endgame in Black Panther 3, hehe).

This is just a theory, by the way. This doesn't have to happen, but I just think it'd be neat. There would be differences though. What those differences would be, idk, but whatever happens in the next one, I can't wait!

"But but.... aren't you forgetting something?"

What's that?

"Don't they...ya know...both die at the end?"

Besides, they don't have to die. Things can be a little more hopeful for our two heroes 🙈

[serickswrites]

Used to It

Warnings: emotional abuse, threat of violence, captivity of sorts

"Whumpee, you are the most useless waste of space I have ever seen!" Whumper shouted as Whumpee walked into the room carrying a tray of tea cups and biscuits.

"I'm sorry, Whumper," Whumpee said bowing low.

"You are late! Really, I'm going to have to beat it into, aren't I?"

"Yes, Whumper, you probably will need to," Whumpee agreed. They raised their head an inch. "Would you still like me to pour the tea?"

Whumper flipped over the tray, sending the cups and saucers flying. The china broke as it struck the wall, the biscuits bouncing off the floor, and the tea creating a large puddle at Whumper's feet. "We don't want it now! Caretaker was just here for a quick visit and you took too long!"

"I'm sorry, Whumper. I'm sorry, Caretaker," Whumpee said as they bowed low once more. "Let me clean this up."

"Whumper," Caretaker said, finally finding the words to speak. They had no idea Whumper was like this. Had no idea Whumper treated their servants so poorly. "Really, it's not that bad. I only had half an hour before I needed to be off, that's not enough time to prepare all of this. Really, don't worry about it."

"No, they need to learn how to be a proper servant. I was told they were the best. That they had learned from the best. And they've given me nothing but trouble. Maybe I should cast them out. That would serve you right to be so useless! Or perhaps a daily beating is what you need."

Whumpee didn't say anything but continued to clean. Caretaker felt so uncomfortable listening to Whumper berate the poor servant and watch Whumpee agree with everything Whumper said. "Whumper," Caretaker tried again. "Why don't you go outside, you can walk me out. I'll just go freshen myself up for the journey."

"That's a splendid idea. I do hope that your visit wasn't ruined by Whumpee's complete incompetence."

Caretaker stood up carefully. "Not at all. I'll meet you outside."

Caretaker didn't move until Whumper left the room. "Let me help you," they said as they knelt down next to Whumpee. "I'm so sorry they treated you that way."

Whumpee didn't look up. "It's ok, I'm used to it. And besides, I've had much worse things happen to me. This is nothing."

Caretaker didn't want to think about what traumas Whumpee had experienced if they thought this was nothing. "Well, at the very least, let me help you."

"It's ok, Caretaker. Really, I can take care of this. You said you have a long journey ahead of you. Go freshen up."

"Thank you," Caretaker said after a pause. "Whumper called you Whumpee, that's your name? Whumpee like the lost royal of our rival kingdom? I only ask because that's an unusual name around here."

Whumpee finally looked up at that. They watched Caretaker carefully before answering. "Yes, the very same."

"Unusual name around here."

"It's a family name," Whumpee said quickly. "Thank you for your help," Whumpee stood up. "I really must be on my way."

Caretaker watched with growing dread as Whumpee walked away. They had no idea how Whumper got their servants. And they had no idea how or why the lost royal from the rival kingdom came to be a servant in Whumper's home.

Tags: @mousepaw @jumpywhumpywriter @knightinbatteredarmor @hufflepuffwritingstuff2 @anightmarishwhump

@steh-lar-uh-nuhs @celestialsoyeon @st0rmm @ay5ksal @pedro-pedro-pedro-pedro-pe

@pepeniascat @artisticdemon

[httpvomitello]

In your rottmnt x fem-reader villain can we get a part 2 where we save their lives and when they ask why y/n is standing there and says ‘I don't know why I saved you I-I just did OK!’ I feel a lack it would be funny

Hello, hello! I hope you like it ~ ♡♡♡♡

I received another request similar to this one, so I decided to combine the two!

* * * *

A New Dynamic *⁠.⁠✧

The warehouse was pure chaos. Metal clashed, shadows flickered, and Leo’s focus was locked on the fight in front of him. His katanas were a blur, blocking and slicing through Foot soldiers, teleporting right after making another one of his jokes.

He barely noticed the blur of movement from his side until it was almost too late. A Foot soldier had slipped through his defenses, their blade aimed right for his shell. Leo tensed, ready to dodge, but before he could—

CLANG!

The attack was blocked, the weapon sent flying. And standing there, right between Leo and the enemy, was you.

“Y/N?!” Leo’s eyes widened.

The Foot soldier didn’t back down, lunging again. You deflected the blow, but their blade caught your side, cutting deep. You stumbled, clutching your side as crimson spread across your fingers.

“Y/N!” Leo was at your side in an instant, catching you before you hit the ground. “Why the hell would you—?”

You winced, glaring at him through the pain. “I just did, alright??!” you snapped, your voice shaky but defiant.

Leo stared at you, completely thrown. You were hurt, bleeding, but still trying to play it cool. Typical.

“Y/N, you’re bleeding,” he said, his voice softer now, more serious. “We need to get you out of here.”

You scoffed, though it came out more like a wheeze. “It’s fine. I’ve had worse.”

“Yeah, sure,” Leo muttered, already lifting you into his arms. “Worse than bleeding out in a Foot Clan ambush?”

You didn’t have the energy to argue, letting your head rest against his shoulder as he carried you to safety.

The sewer tunnels blurred past as Leo rushed you back to the lair. You could feel his muscles tense with every step, his grip on you firm but careful.

When you finally arrived, Leo called out, his voice echoing through the space. “Donnie! Get in here, now!”

Donnie appeared in seconds, his eyes narrowing when he saw you. “What the—what happened?”

“She helped me,” Leo said, gently setting you down on the med table. “But she got hit. It’s bad.”

Donnie didn’t waste time, grabbing his med kit. “Only you can make Leo act even more like an idiot...,” he muttered, disinfecting the wound. “You go from stealing our tech to saving my brother? What’s next, joining our book club?”

“Don’t get used to it,” you mumbled, wincing as he stitched you up.

Leo stood nearby, arms crossed, watching every movement with laser focus. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said finally, his tone unreadable.

You shot him a look. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Leo’s expression softened just a little. “I mean it. Why’d you do it?”

You hesitated, your eyes darting away. “I don’t know,” you muttered. “I saw you in trouble, and I just... couldn’t let you get hurt, okay? Don’t read too much into it.”

Leo was quiet for a moment, then smiled. “Well, I owe you one. And for what it’s worth... thanks.”

The Foot Clan had set a trap in one of the city’s most rundown warehouses, and Raph was fighting, swinging his heavy fists with precision. But even the strongest can get caught off guard, and this time, Raph was running on fumes.

The last thing he expected was to see you, his not so rival, the one he’d tangled with so many times, leap into the fray.

“Y/N?” He barely had time to react as you slashed through one of the Foot soldiers trying to take him down. But that didn’t stop the enemy from retaliating. In the chaos, one soldier got a lucky strike, and you yelped as the blade cut across your arm.

“Damnit!” Raph grunted, his heart skipping a beat. “Y/N, what the hell are you doing?”

You ignored him, your face contorting in pain, but you didn’t falter. You gripped your weapon tighter, slicing through the next soldier without hesitation. But the wound in your arm was spreading blood fast, and Raph could see it wasn’t just a scratch.

“Y/N, you’re hurt!” he shouted, his voice full of concern. But before you could respond, another soldier aimed their blade right at Raph’s exposed side.

In a blur of movement, you leapt between them, pushing him out of the way just in time. The blade hit your side this time, and you staggered back with a sharp gasp.

“Damn it,” Raph muttered, pushing through his shock. “We need to get you out of here now.”

You, ever the stubborn pain in the ass, shook your head. “I’m fine, Raph,” you snapped, though your voice had an unsteady tremor to it. “It’s just a scratch, relax.”

“Just a scratch?” Raph growled, clearly not buying it. “You’re bleeding out right here, and I’m gonna make sure you don’t die ‘cause of your stupid pride.”

Without another word, he scooped you up, your bleeding side pressing against his shell as he carried you. You didn’t protest, but you muttered under your breath, trying to play it off.

“I don’t know why I’m saving your shell,” you mumbled, but your voice was softer than usual. “You’re gonna owe me big time for this, you know that?”

Raph grunted in response, but he was too focused on getting you to safety. “Just... Keep quiet and let me save your life, alright?”

When Raph barged into the lair with you in his arms, Donnie was already rushing to meet them, his sharp eyes instantly catching the bloodstain on your side.

“What happened?” Donnie asked, though he wasn’t looking at Raph—he was focused entirely on you.

“I think she saved my life,” Raph muttered, setting you down carefully on one of the tables. You winced as you laid back, looking up at Donnie.

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” you mumbled, but it was clear you weren’t putting up the usual tough act now that you were hurt.

Donnie rolled his eyes, though he was clearly concerned. “You never do, do you?” he said, working quickly to clean and dress the wound. “But the fact remains that you’re here, and you need stitches.”

You sighed, looking at the ceiling. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”

Meanwhile, Raph stood by, his arms crossed, but there was something in his eyes that was typical in his family. Worry. Concern. Maybe even guilt.

You caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Raph shifted uncomfortably. “Why’d you do it?” he asked, his voice low. “You didn’t have to save me. You could’ve just let me get sliced up.”

You met his gaze, your expression unreadable for a moment. Then, you shrugged. “I don’t know, Raph. I just... couldn’t watch you go down like that, alright? You’re... kind of a pain, but you don’t deserve to get your ass handed to you.”

Raph smirked, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m a pain?”

“Yeah,” you said, your voice still steady, but there was a hint of softness in it that you weren’t used to showing. “But you're not that bad. So I did it. And that’s that.”

Raph didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared at you for a long beat, and for the first time, there wasn’t a flicker of anger in his gaze—only gratitude.

“Thanks,” he finally muttered, his voice a little rougher than usual. “I owe you one.”

You glanced at him, rolling your eyes, but there was no denying the warmth in your chest. “Don’t go getting soft on me, Raph.”

He chuckled, but it was a softer sound than you were used to hearing from him. “I’m not. I just don’t like owing people.”

“Well, I’m not taking your money, so don’t even think about it,” you shot back, the corner of your mouth curling up into a smirk.

The night had started like any other. You and Donnie were out in the city, doing your usual thing—him, geeking out over new tech, and you, causing a little chaos just for the fun of it. But tonight, things went wrong.

The Foot Clan had found you. Or maybe you had found them—it wasn’t exactly clear. All you knew was that you were cornered, and that didn’t happen to you often.

Donnie had been watching from a distance, but when he saw you get overwhelmed by a group of Foot soldiers, panic surged through him. He wasn’t about to let you get hurt.

So, he dove in, all but crashing into the fight, his bo staff whirling through the air, knocking soldiers down with ease. You managed to get two soldiers away from him, preventing them from hurting Donnie, but it wasn’t enough to stop what happened next. You were too far from him, your back to a wall, the soldiers closing in on you.

And that’s when the worst happened. A Foot soldier’s blade scraped across your side, and you went down, your breath catching as the pain hit you. Donnie’s heart dropped.

“Y/N!” he shouted, pushing his way through the chaos to get to you.

He reached you in seconds, kneeling down next to you. “Hey! Look at me!” His voice was frantic, his hands hovering above your wound, unsure of what to do.

You groaned, struggling to sit up. “It’s fine,” you mumbled, your voice shaky but trying to stay tough. “It’s just a scratch.”

“Just a scratch?!” Donnie nearly yelled, his tone a mix of frustration and genuine worry. “Y/N, you’re bleeding out!”

You gave him a look that said you weren’t going to listen to his freak-out, but the way your lips trembled told him you were starting to feel the full weight of the injury.

“Hang on, I’ve got you,” Donnie said quickly, scooping you up and cradling you in his arms. He ignored the protests you threw at him, already making his way out of the battle zone, his heart racing. He couldn’t lose you. Not like this.

He didn’t even waste time explaining—he just rushed over to one of the medical tables, laying you down as gently as possible.

“Donnie, it’s not that bad,” you said weakly, though it was clear you weren’t exactly believing your own words.

“Y/N, don’t make me slap you,” Donnie muttered, pulling out his med kit with shaky hands. He was trying to remain calm, but it was hard. Seeing you hurt—seeing you like this—was something he couldn’t handle.

He took a breath, trying to steady himself before looking down at you. “You’re an idiot for getting yourself into this situation.”

You smirked weakly, despite the pain. “Yeah, well, you’re an idiot for rushing in to save me.”

Donnie’s face softened, and for a moment, he looked at you as if he was about to say something else, something more heartfelt. But instead, he focused on the task at hand, carefully cleaning your wound.

“You saved me,” Donnie said, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant. “You really didn’t have to, but you did.”

You tilted your head, trying to meet his gaze despite how much your head was spinning. “I don’t know why I did,” you admitted with a sigh. “I just... couldn’t watch you get hurt.”

Donnie froze, his hands still for a moment as he processed your words. He’d known you were an unpredictable force, but this? This was something new. Something genuine.

“You’re saying you... care?” Donnie asked, his voice betraying the disbelief he felt.

You gave a pained smile. “I don’t know. I think I might, okay?”

Donnie blinked, clearly caught off guard, but the look on his face softened. He took a breath, trying to hide the relief that was slowly spreading through him. “Well, thanks,” he said softly. “I guess I’m not used to seeing you... Trying to save me.”

“You’re welcome, geek,” you teased, even though your voice was softer now, a little more sincere than you’d intended. “But don’t get all sappy on me.”

Donnie chuckled, though it was a strained sound, as he worked on bandaging you up. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, though his smile didn’t quite hide the relief in his eyes.

You and Mikey were always a bit of a chaotic duo. He had this carefree, fun-loving attitude, while you were more... well, unpredictable, to say the least. Despite the fact that you were usually on opposite sides of the law, Mikey’s energy always seemed to drag you into his adventures—whether you liked it or not.

Tonight, though, things were different. You had been running solo for a while, causing your usual trouble, when you’d gotten into it with a group of Foot soldiers. Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue for you. You could handle yourself. But this time, they’d caught you off guard.

You were cornered, surrounded by blades and weapons, when Mikey showed up—grinning, as usual, with his nunchucks in hand, ready to save the day. But as he dove into the fight, you took a wrong step, and a blade caught you across the shoulder.

“Shit,” you muttered, clutching the injury as the pain surged through you. You didn’t have time to dwell on it because Mikey was already there, knocking out the nearest Foot soldier.

“Mikey, get out of here!” you snapped, trying to keep your balance. You weren’t going to show him weakness.

But Mikey wasn’t listening. He dropped to his knees beside you, his grin quickly falling into a concerned frown. “No way, dude. I’m not leaving you behind.”

You rolled your eyes, even though you could feel the blood staining your shirt. “I didn’t ask for your help, Mikey. Get back to your brothers before you get yourself hurt.”

“Like hell I’m leaving!” Mikey replied, his voice full of determination. “I’m not gonna just let you get hurt.”

And just like that, Mikey scooped you up with surprising ease, carrying you toward safety. You didn’t have the strength to protest this time. You just let him do it, even though you were clearly irritated by the situation.

“Dude, this is so not cool,” you grumbled, lying back on the medical table as Donnie worked to patch you up.

Mikey sat beside you, clearly not understanding why you were so upset. “I don’t get it. You’re hurt, and I’m saving your shell, what’s the problem?”

You gave him a sharp look, your lips pressed tightly together. “I didn’t need saving, Mikey. I can handle myself.”

Mikey cocked his head, looking at you like you were speaking another language. “Yeah, but you were not handling yourself. You were about to get sliced up by some Foot soldiers!”

“Exactly my point,” you shot back, wincing as Donnie cleaned the wound. “I don’t need anyone’s help. I’ve survived this long on my own.”

Mikey’s expression softened, and his voice grew quieter. “Yeah, but that’s not all there is to it. You don’t have to do everything alone, you know.”

You turned your head to the side, trying to hide the sudden wave of emotion that hit you. Mikey’s words were simple, but they struck something deep inside you. You had always prided yourself on being independent, doing things your own way, but...

You couldn’t deny that Mikey’s sincerity was getting to you.

“You’ve got a weird way of showing you care, Mikey,” you muttered.

He grinned widely, not missing a beat. “Well, you’re lucky I’m weird, huh?”

You rolled your eyes, though you couldn’t suppress a small smile. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

Donnie finished up with your wound, stepping back to give you some space. “You’re all patched up, but you’re going to need to take it easy for a while. That said... DON'T TRY TO STEAL ANYTHING ELSE FOR NOW!.”

You let out a dramatic groan. “Yeah, yeah, Donnie. I hear you.”

Mikey nudged you with his elbow, still grinning. “You’re welcome, by the way. I’m pretty sure you’d be toast without me.”

You shot him a glare, but your voice wasn’t as harsh as usual. “I didn’t ask for your help, Mikey.”

Mikey just shrugged. “Yeah, well, too bad. You got it anyway. And I’m glad I was there. You know why?”

You frowned, looking at him cautiously. “Why?”

“Because,” Mikey said, smiling again, “you’re my friend. I care about you. And I’m not gonna let you get hurt if I can stop it.”

For once, you didn’t have a snarky retort. You just looked at him, feeling something strange bloom inside your chest. It wasn’t weakness. It wasn’t dependence. It was just... genuine care.

You sighed, still trying to hide the softness in your voice. “I guess you’re not so bad, Mikey.”

He smirked, obviously pleased with himself. “I know. It’s part of my charm.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle, even as you fought the growing warmth in your chest. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

Mikey’s grin only widened, and he gave you a playful pat on the shoulder. “Just remember that I saved your shell, and you owe me big time, alright?”

You raised an eyebrow, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at your lips. “Yeah, sure, Mikey. But don’t expect me to make it a habit.”

He winked at you. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Y/N. Wouldn’t dream of it.”

[uzurakis]

ok not nagumo but still sakadays. hear me out on academic rivals to lovers w/ natsuki. ooooh you hate each other so much you make sooo many essays dissing each others work and you loooovvve to annoy him and get up close and— god, he's pretty— whaaaaaaaaat?????????

“still convinced your essay on the evolution of weaponry is more creative than mine?" you say, dropping your bag onto the table with a loud thud.

the guy doesn’t even flinch at your intrusion. he calmly looks up from his notes, “duh,” his expression annoyingly indifferent. "yes, i am. because it is."

you scoff, pulling up a chair and sitting across from him. "pleasee, your analysis of technology weaponry is soo dry, anyone could make that. but my piece on futuristic weaponry has, you know, imagination."

he raises an eyebrow, the only sign of his annoyance. "but imagination isn't everything. my work is grounded in reality, something yours severely lacks."

"grounded in reality? that's just a fancy way of saying boring." you lean closer, trying to get under his skin. "your essay is like reading a complicated blah blah textbook. mine's a thrilling adventure, hmph.”

natsuki’s lips twitch, almost forming a smile, but he catches himself. "thrilling adventures are for fiction, not academic essays, idiot. you're just using flashy ideas to cover up a lack of depth."

your mouth opens, ready to fire back another retort, but then you pause. the words get stuck in your throat as you notice something. up close, natsuki is.. pretty. his lashes are long and his eyes, sharp and focused, hold a depth you’ve never really seen before. his indifference suddenly feels like a challenge, and your heart skips a beat. you find your gaze drifting to the two moles below his right eye and the single mole beneath his left eye, tiny details you had noticed before, and and

whaaaaaaaaaattt????? since when did you start to pay attention to your rival? not just paying attention to beat him but literally, clearly, paying attention. his features and all, the person in front of you; seba natsuki, the one that crawls under your skin as long as you can remember. how? when? why?

wait, you just realized?

he tilts his head, noticing your silence. "what's wrong? run out of things to say?"

"uh, no. i was just.. thinking about how wrong you are." you blink, shaking yourself out of your reverie.

“right,” he narrows his eyes slightly, studying you. "you sure that's all you were thinking about?"

you swallow, feeling your face heat up. "of course. what else would i be thinking about?"

natsuki leans back in his chair, a hint of amusement apparent in his gaze. "i don’t know. you seemed a bit.. distracted."

"i’m not distracted," you say, a bit too quickly. "i just can’t believe how stubborn you are."

"and i can’t believe how stubborn you are," he counters, leaning forward again. "yet, here we are."

the proximity makes your heart race. you can see the faint stubble on his jawline, the way his lips curve ever so slightly. and those moles—how had you just noticed them before and didn’t think much about it? it’s infuriating how he can be so infuriatingly attractive.

"it’s impossible to talk with you," you mutter, trying to regain your composure.

"maybe ‘cause you're relentless," he replies, his tone almost.. admiring?

both fall silent, the air between you thick with unspoken tension. for the first time, the banter feels like a prelude to something else, something you can’t quite put into words. no fucking way.

natsuki breaks the silence first, his voice softer. "you know, maybe we’re both right in our own ways. different perspectives, same passion."

“huh?” you blink, surprised by his sudden shift in tone. "did you just.. agree with me?"

he shrugs, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "maybe. but i’m still the best around here. don’t get used to it."

"pft, wouldn't dream of it," you reply, thanking god you can still stop your own smile from forming. you find yourself stealing glances at him, those moles now etched in your memory, as the realization dawns that your competition might just be the spark of something.. else, something new.

and fuck, you don’t want to think about it. not now, not never. fuck. fuckity fuck.

n. i love u whoever sent me this prompt UGHHH U DON KNOW HOW MUCH A SUCKER I AM FOR RIVALS TO LOVERS AAGHHH *does a flipback* i love u did i say i love u nonnie @—@ i rlly hope u like it as i doo MUNCHING ON YOUR IDEA mwah xoxo

@uzurakis

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

ok I have a fun (I hope) prompt: if you were creating a jukebox musical about Taylor, which songs of hers would you use and in what order / aligned with what beats of the story? could be a musical about her whole life, or a slice of life, or focused on one element of her life and work, whatever you think would be most fun / interesting. 🤓

Oh SHIT anon this is SUCH a good question!!!!! Truly elite. And one which I will in no way do justice for!!!!!

I think instead of basing it on Taylor's life, I'm gonna base it on a fictional story a la Mamma Mia, because I think it's easier that way... So let's say it's a story about a girl trying to find her place in the world 😉 who has to leave her hometown to pursue some bigger dreams of hers 😉 but ends up back where she belongs 😉

(Some of these have different characters singing other than the lead lol)

Our Song

A Place in the World

Hey Stephen

Fearless

Sparks Fly

Superman

Welcome To New York

ME!

New Romantics

The Lucky One

Dorothea

I Did Something Bad

Mad Woman

Bad Blood

Closure

Nothing New

Back To December

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

You're On Your Own Kid

How You Get The Girl

So High School

Bejeweled

Karma

ME! Reprise Because you have to finish a musical with a big glittery number that doesn't necessarily work thematically but makes the audience go FUCK YEAH and sing along to a standing ovation lol. (Shoutout to me getting last minute tickets to see Sister Act in the West End last summer lol.)

OK so my thinking is like: A girl (or guy! lol we're gn here) in a small town with big dreams of the big stage has a crush on a friend who ends up being her sweetheart, but she ends up moving to the big city to find her big break, leaving the sweetheart back home to pine for them and move on without them. She is up for a big role but then somehow (lol we don't need to specify) her rival tries to sabotage her and they have some sort of inexplicable dance-off rumble because Theatre. Then she realizes she misses her One True Love back home (who is also as we know pining for her) and just when she thinks she's lost them forever, they show up in the Big City to make a Grand Gesture and then everybody lives happily ever after because THEATAH.

Do you see the vision is this appropriately cheesy are we running a money laundering scheme yet

[1010ninetynine]

a masterpost of what i consider gay subtext in Uramichi Onii San - the Manga

not the Anime quite yet. no offense Touko Machida but I simply do not want to deal with two interpretations of the work at this point in time.

Generally Kinda Romantic Subtext Between Certain Characters that I Think Can Be Interpreted Either Way

Uramichi and Usahara I cite this for the near telepathic communication. Say what you will - married couples are known for this shit - and while it's definitely not anywhere close to confirmed that these two characters have strong feelings for each other, imo this was pretty gay of them. But to put it one way - are you really friends if people don't mistake you for a gay couple at times? imo not really.

additionally, while it might be just beginning chapter art...tell me where our favorite bunny is looking? Is he being respectful?

(honestly i do think usahara is straight but yk...this mangaka likes his gay men pathetic methinks so there is a chance!)

2. Uramichi and Iketeru

back when iketeru was in hs and uramichi's age isn't given - but i think they're the same age? anyway the lyrics over this scene are just...gay as hell. And they're helping a child find their mom. That is married couple behavior.

(obviously could just be a joke/not intended. their relationship is literally a gag on not understanding each other because iketeru is too happy for uramichi)

3. Kumatani and Iketeru

there's also some somewhat strong subtext between kumatani and iketeru. Like first, kumatani was the first guy who got the weird shirt iketeru found.

and next, the constant protection of iketeru from alcohol is courtesy of kumatani our mvp

he even protects him from our favorite loser

while not as extreme as his protection of HACHITA THE BABY it is still noticeable that Iketeru is someone he cares about.

and both kumatani and iketeru hid their love life from the camera (as did the whole cast hehe). Kumatani literally says his love life isn't family friendly - which can mean a lot of things, including that he's homosexual. Iketeru says it's too beautiful to be shared - which can mean anything really, even that he's straight and had a normal love life that he ain't willing to share.

Imo this sequence of behaviors can be read one of two ways. First of all, you'd have to be blind to not see the obvious resemblance between Iketeru and Hachita, so the affection and thus acceptance of strange gifts due to their similarity is natural. But also...gay? Hmmmmmmmmmm

4. Uramichi and Kumatani

They kind of just hang out a lot, and Kumatani regularly reads more positivity in Uramichi than is probably there. Not really as showstoppingly romantic as the other three examples of subtext, but imo still quite a nice bit of fun in its own right. They're probably the ship easiest to imagine writing besides kumatani and iketeru and my personal favorite but before we get to that...

The Predatory Gay Man I Must Mention For The Completionist In Me

ok look. homophobic caricature he may be. but i said I would catalog all gay subtext in uramichi and imo on this website gay subtext include gay text (hxh moment) and capellini furitsuke is in fact. gay. and a horrible predatory man the likes of which rival your worst coworker. And probably beat him.

he torments the men around him and forces them to engage in behavior they're not interested in. i cite here usahara and saito's mistreatment but there might be more I missed.

like you can't describe capellini's behavior as anything but horrid and disgusting. i'll call uramichi onii san many things - particularly pro-lgbt in terms of rep isn't close. Still love it in general - and I'm pretty sure the author himself is gay given the ludicrous amount of male character thirst traps he draws - but i don't think he likes that about himself tbqh. But I don't really know him - just go on his twitter now and then.

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for but you all don't realize is coming maybe idk

Uramichi and Kikaku - a mostly one sided love story

This relationship isn't so much implied as it is easily ignorable yet true: it is obviously intended to be read as a love story of sorts, whether it be a gag about how lonely uramichi is and how he needs some emotional connection, or just plain 'he's gay'. This is literally the only guy who gets the door to Uramichi's heart regularly attempting to open treatment, let alone the fact that when Kikaku begs Uramichi to help him out with work he always agrees...maybe more so due to fear than genuine care but still.

there's probably more examples, but these are enough to prove my point imho

he also invites Kikaku to the first end of year party (there aren't any others at the time of writing, specifying in the case of a reader from the future)...or attempts to. Not to Saito Uebu or any other staff member - perhaps because he expects the ones he's closer to already be there, but still - specifically the guy who's only ever bothered him to help complete his work. It's what being horrifically lonely and dick brained does to you (i would know that best).

which leads to yet ANOTHER HEART DOOR SCENE THING

so uh yeah. uramichi's constant giving in to kikaku i think makes more sense if we consider the (slight) romantic inclination he ""might"" have for him.

BONUS: Uramichi and Utano had a moment that was pretty cute but not enough to qualify as subtext in my eyes because they kind of have no chemistry in canon so i still get to title this gay subtext but I also like them

[imobsessivesometimes]

Eazy-Duz-It // Logan Howlett x Reader

PT 4

a/n ok last of spam post as of 11/22/24 ('merican notation)

this chapter genuinely took me so long to write, writers block is so real

"Ok!" I clapped my hands to begin, "Since it's our first lesson, I think we should get to know what kind of music you like!" The kid in front of me was scrawny, grumpy, overall uninterested. Ororo told me the only reason why he signed up is because she asked. Guess the kid has a crush on her.

"I don't really listen to music." he remarked listlessly. He hunched in his chair like he was rivaling the guy from that Notre dame movie. It was hard to keep my eye from twitching. I have NO idea what I'm doing.

"That's ok! Yeah, that's, yeah, totally fine. I, uh, actually put together a list of a few songs that I think matches your--uh--vibe!" I grabbed the folder on the piano bench to my right, opened it and grabbed a semi-crumpled piece of paper out of it. "I had seen you in the halls a few times, Oror--I mean, Storm, Miss Ororo, Miss Storm? --anyways, she pointed you out to me and, well, just look at it." I put out the piece of paper to him and he grabs it limply. His eyes rack over the small list and looks back at me unimpressed. "Oh! Right, right, you don't listen to music, so obviously you wouldn't know most if not all of these songs. That's ok! We can listen to them on my speaker and that can be our lesson for the day. And maybe next time we can figure out if you'd like to play an instrument, which one, or if you'd like to sing." I take the piece of paper back from him. I stand up to go to the piano where a small speaker is perched on the top. I que a few of the songs and we started to listen. He slouched down further and crossed his arms. 

Dark Entries (Bauhaus)

The kid emanates a punk attitude. Ororo had mentioned he barely listened in class, didn't participate in exercises unless he wanted to, and he talks back to Charles Xavier. Maybe music that'll get him to stomp around and move will be what he needs.

As the chorus came on, I saw his foot start to tap to the beat, or at least what he thought was the beat. I could see the slight movement of his head rocking. I think I might've clocked what he'll like. I played a few more songs until our 50 minutes was up. I gave him the list again and told him to explore different artists within the same genre. He seemed excited to see me next week.

I lean on the door frame, watching him walk away. His head bopped a little bit, I could feel that his heart was still beating at the same bpm as the last song we listened to. It honestly made me happy to see. Maybe this faux-"music therapy" was going to work. Before I turned back into my little classroom, I heard a gruff voice call out to me.

"Hey, teach," Logan lounged down the hallway, quickly making it over to me in a few strides, "I see you got Jacob to sign up?" he smirked, clearly knowing the kind of kid he was.

"I wish, Ororo did, actually. I think the kid has a thing for her," I scoffed with a smile. Logan leaned against the wall next to the side of the frame I was against. "Not busy?"

"Nah, sometimes you gotta ditch your own class." he shrugged. This guy, I tell ya. "I forgot you got put down here. All good?"

"Yeah, thanks for asking. I didn't think you were the type to check on the noobie." I pushed his shoulder slightly. It was odd, though. The first impression I got from him is that he didn't give a damn about anything or anyone. Maybe Jean Grey, if my eyes are working properly.

"Eh, well, I thought I'd be charitable, for once." he shrugged, "I was told I need to be 'nicer'" he put in quotes, his eyes roll under his furrowed eyebrows. All in jest, I think. 

"Mm, that's sweet," I say, "Got some more time on your hands?"

He raises an eyebrow at me, "Why?"

"I just thought maybe you'd wanna listen to some music with me. I don't have any other students today, literally only one signed up. Maybe you'll be more motivated to work after." I shrug. I try not to let my nerves get the better of me. Asking Logan to basically hang out was not something I was expecting to come out of my mouth, but something in me wants to spend more time with him. Something in me makes me want to get to know him better, maybe even help him. Also, if students know that I'm buddies with the big bad Logan, they'll want to sign up for lessons with me!

Logan looked at me suspiciously. I purse my lips in a thin line with wide eyes waiting for him to answer. "I don't really listen to music, kid, hate to break it to ya."

"Literally no one here does," I push off the frame with an eyeroll. It's getting frustrating how none of these people want to even try to get into something new, "Well, I'm going to practice piano, or something. Have fun at-- well, at whatever you do," I still give him a smile before I retreat back into my room. He gives a grunt in response when I close the door. I plop down on the piano bench and sigh. 

Being in this mansion was starting to get suffocating. And being in this little room with one window felt worse than that stupid shipping container. Worse than anything that fucking "RainTec" did to me. I don't understand why no one has come to talk to me about, or even to see if I'm ok. I am, but it'd still be nice to be asked. I hope I'm not always going to be useless and invisible here. I'm hidden in the farthest corner on the highest floor of this place. It's a wonder why Logan was up here in the first place. Maybe he goes on walks or something, I don't know. He's a weird guy, nothing he does would surprise me, honestly. Well, except if he started acting like Ororo or Kitty.

I sat at the piano for a while; for how long, I don't know, I don't have a clock. My speaker pinged and a muffled voice came out of it asking me to go down to the Professors office. I think it might've been Jean who hacked into my speaker. After another second, I get up begrudgingly. Sitting in my wallows was more appealing, ignoring this would be stupid, though. Besides, it's probably something important. I quickly make my way down to the first floor where Charles' office is located. I open the door to a few people around his desk, looks like I'm the last to the party. Scott, Jean, Ororo, and Logan were the people I recognized. There was another young man, he was blue with a tail and sharp teeth.

"Y/n, I'm happy you could join us on such short notice. I hope I didn't interrupt anything," Charles Xavier greeted. He's always nice to me. Skeptically, he might be a little too nice. "I know you haven't had any training, but the x-men would be at benefit of your knowledge and abilities for this mission." he began to explain, "You wouldn't be put on the battlefield, you'd be conducting behind the scenes work from the jet." he smiled.

"Uhm, ok? What is this mission even about?" I asked.

"My apologies, I forgot you weren't here when I went over it with the other x-men. We've found a base of RainTec's that we have records of you being held there recently. We've gotten reports of mutant's captive there, the mission is to help them escape and bring the base down in the process." he finished. The Professor didn't seemed bother in the slightest by my connection to RainTec, not even by the fact that I was also held captive there recently. But, despite that, this could be a good opportunity to prove myself useful. Maybe by helping them with this, it'll show that I can help people. Logan said that the first step is wanting to help, I guess this is my second. "Are you willing to help?"

"Yeah, sure." 

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

ok so i was actually kinda surprised to find that looking at the ao3 stats and adjusting for how long ofmd’s existed (a year and a half) vs how long the stucky fandom’s been around (coming up on a decade), not only is gentlebeard on par with stucky but it actually beats stucky for amount of fics written. but i’m making a prediction now just based on how i’ve observed fandoms to work: i do think the gentlebeard popularity will peter out faster than stucky did

i’m not saying bc i think gentlebeard is worse or the ofmd fandom is weak or anything, i’m saying this bc in fandom it seems like the white masc queerbait ships* have like, an absurd amount of longevity that goes way beyond the general fandom surrounding whatever media said white masc queerbait ship hails from. im thinking abt the protagonist/rival ship from the TERF wizard series that nobody decent talks about in public anymore. before we all cut jkr out of our lives, people were still churning out fics abt the main character and that racist blond kid pretty regularly. and another example, we have those scientists from pacific rim that are more popular than any of the main characters from that movie. it’s been years and the newt/hermann fandom is still going strong.

and i say “newt/hermann fandom” intentionally, bc that’s the thing that i think actually gives these ships their longevity: when there are fans who are primarily invested in a piece of media because of a noncanonical masc4masc queerbait ship, they’re not really fans of the media itself. i mean, some of them might be, but if they are then that’s in addition to being fans of this alternate queer interpretation of the media in question. they’re a fan of the fandom mass hallucination that the fans collectively and collaboratively invented of a romantic/sexual/homoerotic relationship between two guys who on-screen might hug like once or twice (or sometimes even never)

and i’m pretty sure the reason this sort of fandom phenomenon tends to have so much longevity is bc the fans have already created this whole extensive romantic storyline using what is often some pretty minimal canonical material to work with. so when the movie franchise or the tv show ends and the shippers no longer have any new canonical material to work with, they can keep going for years because really, they were already making shit up from the start.

so compared to that, gentlebeard is way different bc everything the fans might have invented on our own the show pretty much already did for us, and anything the show didn’t do yet is probably coming for us this season (or in s3, fingers crossed). i’ve mentioned before how a lot of fanfiction seems to fall on a spectrum between “fix” and “expand,” and by the end of ofmd i doubt there’s gonna be a whole lot that gentlebeard fans feel like they need to “fix.” versus stucky, where there’s so much that needs to be fixed that you might as well just throw the whole canon out.

i don't really mean any of this as a criticism or an attack on fans of queerbait ships like this, im just pointing out fandom trends that i've noticed. i myself have been deeply invested in stucky, newmann, and the gay wizard boys at different points in my life. like there is something very fun abt putting on slash goggles and making queer content out of nothing. personally though, now that we're in an age where we're getting canon queer content, im not so engaged in a lot of the ships i used to care so much about, but i don't think it's inherently wrong** for people to still enjoy some classic fandom queerbait ships. it's just a very different thing from enjoying canonical queer ships like gentlebeard

*im using “queerbait ships” loosely to include popular gay ships in media that was never in a million years going to make these characters gay.

**a clarifying point: i don't think it's inherently wrong, however there are a lot of problematic elements to this kind of fandom activity, namely the way a lot of these queerbait ships will dominate a fandom while other characters who are important in canon get completely sidelined (and yes, the sidelined characters are often women/poc). also, less importantly, when people's primary media consumption revolves around strip mining canon for shipping content, this absolutely destroys their media literacy and critical thinking. again, im not saying this to attack ppl who engage in fandom primarily through fic/art of noncanonical gay ships, i myself have done the same thing. but i think ppl who do should also make a conscious effort to also engage with fan content that centers women/poc, or at the very least need to be aware of the issues around this kind of fandom activity.

[piercethegyos]

I wanna be yours

(introduction/pt 1)

ellie x overachiever/artsy!reader [modern!au]

Summary: You and Ellie always seem to have “hated” each other, until one day you realize that may not be the case.

[rivals to lovers trope]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Not proof read! (pls comment any mistakes i made so i can fix it)

When you were 14 you had moved to a whole new city and that meant you’d be in a new school. When you got there, you saw a pretty girl with auburn hair and green eyes. In an attempt to make friends you went up to her and spoke to her, you later regretted this decision as you realized how reckless and how annoying she was.

Your personalities were so different that it was difficult to keep up with her energy.

She was always beating you at everything too. Test results? You’d get a 95% and she’d have a 98%. Any kind of game? She’d win. It was so annoying. You were always an overachiever so the idea of someone being better than you is just irritating.

You’re both 18 now, but now Ellie has gotten more unbearable. She became aware of how much she annoys you and she now embraces it. She teases you for every little mistake you make and will brag about her test scores in front of you.

You really try to not let it get to you, but it’s so hard when she’s in almost every single one of your classes. Not only that, but she always chooses to sit right beside you. Every little thing she does irritates you, but you don’t even know why. Just something about her irritates you.

You always noticed her staring at you too. It was so weird.

Whenever you would bring this up to your best friend, Dina, she’d just tell you to ignore it. You became friends with Dina when you were 14, you met her due to her being a friend of Ellie’s.

Even though she was also Ellie’s best friend, you still loved talking to her and she was the complete opposite of Ellie. You found it shocking that someone as calm and caring like Dina, could be friends with someone like Ellie.

One day, your art teacher thought it’d be an amazing idea for your next huge project to be a partnered project. You hated working in partners or groups. You always ended up being chosen last or ended up doing all of the work.

The teacher decided she’d choose the partners randomly and of course you had to be partnered with Ellie Williams. When you heard that you had been partnered with her, you groaned.

You can hear Ellie’s chuckles beside you, it irritated you knowing that she knew how much this annoyed you. You wanted to just get up from your desk and leave the class.

The teacher explained the project to everyone, you guys would have 2 weeks to complete it and you two would need to paint portraits of each other.

You hated the idea of having to paint her.

[after school]

While you were complaining talking to Dina, Ellie walked up to you and put her arm around you.

“So, we gonna start our project today or what?” she said with a smug look on her face.

You rolled your eyes and said bye to Dina, then you turned your attention to Ellie.

“Ok, fine, how about we go to your house?” you said, trying to sound as content as you could.

Ellie chuckled before removing the arm that was wrapped around you.

“Come on, follow me” she said as she started walking.

Hesitantly, you followed her to her house.

[at her house]

“We’re gonna paint in the garage, that’s where all of my art supplies are” Ellie tells you as she pulls out the keys to her house.

Ellie’s house was actually really cozy and it didn’t look the way you expected it to look. When you got inside you removed your shoes and followed Ellie to her garage.

As much as you hated to admit it, Ellie’s garage was actually well cleaned and seemed well organized. It was obvious that she took care of this room.

You looked around and saw all of the different paintings and drawings that hung on the wall. There were even some unfinished clay models on a desk in the corner. Each painting, drawing and clay model looked like it was made with extensive care and detail.

As much as you hated Ellie, you admired her for the detail she put into her artwork.

Ellie put a stool down in front of her easel and told you to sit on it, you nodded and sat on it. You watched as Ellie carefully sketched you on her canvas.

You absolutely hated the idea of her drawing you, thinking that she’d purposefully mess it up and make you look weird. But that didn’t happen. She finished the sketch and you looked at it.

It was absolutely beautiful.

She drew you with amazing detail. She got the shape of your eyes, your nose and your lips right. It felt like you were looking at a photo of yourself.

“Woah..” was all you could say as you felt like your speech was taken from you. Ellie chuckled before telling you to take her place in front of the easel.

As you stood behind the easel, Ellie sat on the stool in front of it.

You sketched Ellie to the best of your abilities.

Although, right when you finished sketching Ellie, someone walked into the garage.

A man who you assumed was her dad apologized not knowing that Ellie had someone over.

Ellie told him that it was ok before asking you if you were finished, you nodded.

“Come on, take a look”

She gets off of the stool and stares at your sketch.

“It’s good, but it’s not amazing as mine is” she said with a mocking tone.

You rolled your eyes and groaned.

“Was that really necessary?” You sighed before looking at your phone. You realize how late it is, and how long you’ve been at Ellie’s house.

You quickly grab your bag and say bye to Ellie, not wanting to seem completely impolite.

Ellie offers to drive you to your house, as much as you wanted to say no, you looked outside the window and saw that it was already too dark for you to walk alone. You sighed and then slowly nodded.

She brings you to her car and opens up the passenger car door for you.

The whole drive there is awkward.

Ellie would try to start small talk, but you weren’t sure how you’d respond/you didn’t feel like responding. Ellie received the hint that you didn’t want to talk, so she just stopped.

When she stopped in front of your house you left her car so quick, you thanked her quickly before speed walking into your house.

Ellie watched as you hurried into your house, chuckling to herself as she watched you speed walk. When she was able to make sure you got inside safely, she drove away.

______________

This is def gonna be multiple parts, i didn’t want this to be too long. This is just an introduction to the story, next part more is def gonna happen.

[amoeganism]

TALKING TO MY GHOST AT NIGHT reo

theres a ghost in the blue lock facility, reo and bachira are sure of it. they also aren't the most reliable sources out there but it was funny, nagi can humor them for a little longer if it means reo will finally get a partner and set him free ( wc : 2.1k+ )

warnings : crack, angst if u blink slowly, reader is a slut for money and so am i, reo is into some weird shit but it's ok they're into each other i promise

“Yo! Yo! Sei-shi-ro!” Bachira called out, once again with glittering stars in his eyes as Reo’s face pales every passing second. “You will never guess what Reo and I found!”

“Nagi, there’s a ghost,” Bachira’s accomplice muttered. “We saw them when we went to eat dinner.”

“You guys are delusional,” the white-haired boy sweatdropped, were they getting enough sleep? Probably not. Ego was absolutely insane and for the first few days Nagi was in the Blue Lock facility, he swore he was losing his five senses ( he was better when he got his phone back but that’s not important ^ _ – ). “Are you guys sure it wasn’t a janitor or cook?”

“We swear!” The dumbass duo retaliated, each one taking hold of one of Nagi’s arms. “They looked like they were our age and they even had the same really ugly dark circles and eyebags as you! There’s no other explanation.”

Nagi was too tired for this shit he just wanted to lie in bed and play mobile games like an elementary school kid. “Well, leave me out of this you guys can get haunted for all I care.”

“What the fuck, Nagi?! Even after all we’ve been through? I’m like the second coming of Jesus to you! I introduced you to the art of playing with balls!” Maybe he could have worded that better but Reo was too deep in the blistering sorrow of betrayal to care about his relationship with the Japanese language.

“Yeah! Listen to Reo! You’re one of us and plus, you and the ghost look equally exhausted so that means you should be the one to talk to them!” Bachira innocently giggled as if he didn’t just set Nagi up for a demonic ritual or whatever the fuck they were planning.

“Can we at least wait until tomorrow?” Nagi whined, his eyelids felt heavy and there was too much stupidity in the room for his brain to handle in a day. His brain was swelling and any more that came out of Bachira or Reo’s mouth would cause it to explode and somehow, his batshit insane rivals teammates will find a way to bring him back to life ( maybe even with the ghost ) and beat the shit out of him for abandoning them ( Reo ).

—

It was getting late and most of the Egoists had gone to their rooms to do whatever was on their schedule next. The reasonable ones went to rest, the weird ones went to train, and then there was the demon named Rin Itoshi who went to follow his yoga routine. Ew, that name sent shivers down Nagi’s spine. He wants to see that guy trip and fall on his ass sometime, that’d be pretty funny, he thinks. It would be even better if his brother did the same. But for Nagi, instead of playing his first-person shooters like how he would like to, the boy was being shushed by Meguru Bachira who was accompanied by an oddly serious looking Reo Mikage.

“Ghost… ghost…” Reo began making different “oOOOoO” noises to mimic ghost sounds from a badly produced Halloween movie. “We come in peace. We don’t plan to hurt you.”

“Yeah! We’re totally cool, you should hang out with us! Look! We even have some random dude who’s like the same breed of human as you! Er… as you were.”

“Bachira I didn’t agree on being a human sacrifice,” Nagi tried saying, but was quickly cut off.

“Shhh! You’re gonna scare it away! No one cares~!”

“Are you mentally well?”

Bachira and Reo let out loud ear-shattering screams, each going straight into Nagi’s head and giving him the most painful migraine he’s ever experienced, so painful that he almost did not realize it was an unfamiliar voice talking to Bachira instead of one of their own. Looking up at whoever it was, it happened to be another teenager who looked relatively normal with no seemingly ghostly features at all.

“Aren’t you guys soccer players? What the fuck are you doing out here ghost hunting?”

“Wait so you aren’t a ghost?” Bachira tilted his head and asked, his eyes blank in confusion while Reo looked like he was short-circuiting.

“No…?” You replied, pinching your skin. “I’m like ninety-nine percent sure I’m alive and well. You guys are hallucinating or something if you think I’m a ghost.”

“T-then why are you here?!” Reo pointed at you and demanded, suddenly thinking you were some intruder or hitman that was hired by one of his family’s rival companies, out to kill him while he happens to be away from home.

“‘Cause I’m that freak Jinpachi’s cousin. I need volunteer hours to graduate so I came here and honestly, I regret it. Nepotism sucks—well, at least this kind. I should’ve been born as some major actor’s kid.”

“Woah! So you aren’t here to kill me, that’s great!” Reo beamed, suddenly very giddy that a cute intern the same age as him would not be an absolute danger to his well-being. It had been years since he felt this electricity in his chest, the last time being when he met Nagi, who had been stuck with him ever since that day on. The purple-haired boy was unsure of whether the pleasure he felt from meeting you was due to a new challenge, or the fact he was genuinely interested in you. After all, he thought you were a ghost the first time he saw you.

“What—huh?! Why would I kill you? What kind of unresolved trauma do you have? Was this Jinpachi’s fault? That man is fucked in the head but he has money so don’t tell anyone about it until he dies and I get all his inheritance, ‘kay?”

Nagi did not know if you morbid words went one of Reo’s ears and out the other or if Reo was weirdly into whatever fantasies you had. Rich people. Bachira, though, was giggling like a devious troll, making squelching kissy noises in Reo’s ear as you went on and on about your plan to save yourself from the world of middle-class living and kick your cousin out of the economic elites so that you could replace him, knowing damn well that Ego could hear you.

And, he did.

A large television screen mounted to the front wall of the Blue Lock Facility cafeteria turned on almost immediately after you stopped talking, displaying a far from happy Jinpachi Ego in all of his bowl-cut glory. The man’s permanent frown was even more of a frown than what Nagi thought was humanly possible, another ew in his book. Man, his coach was depressingly ugly.

Jinpachi Ego was a tired man whose tiredness plummeted into exhaustion every time he had to interact with his hellspawn of a cousin, you. “[name], cut it out and get to cleaning. You aren’t going to get any credits or paychecks if you continue standing there wasting all our time telling people your empty plans of ‘plotting my downfall’,” Ego spoke with his monotone voice, making faux quotes with his hands.

“Oh, shut up old man. You’re literally decaying compared to me. Get to bed, grandpa,” You restored, visibly pissed off but immediately switching your facial expression to a cheery one like a lightswitch as you bid goodbye to the three teenage boys before you and running off to “beat that bowl-cut’s ass”, as you put it.

“Dude, you look like you just met an angel and fell in love!” Bachira laughed in Reo’s face, doubling over and rolling on the floor.

“I think… that’s because I just did,” Reo mumbled, awe still on his face as he blankly stared at the television screen Ego was just on.

—

Once again, Nagi just wanted to go to bed but had his plans interrupted by a very desperate Reo Mikage.

“Come on! Nagi, you just don’t get it. They’re my soulmate, I’m sure of it!”

“Why can't you go alone? Why do you have to drag me into you trying to ask them out? Aren't I just gonna be in the way?”

“Nagi,” Reo whined, pathetically dragging out his name. “I need you there for moral support. I'll piss myself otherwise, you know that.”

“Yeah, and I’ll be sure to laugh at you too when they reject you.”

“I'm gonna punch you.”

“Whatever, just this once, you hear me?”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Reo saluted his closest friend, skipping to the cafeteria to find you. To be honest, he was unsure of whether or not you’d be there but considering the fact you’ve been cleaning the cafeteria at the same times for two days in a row, Reo thought he had a pretty good chance. But of course, luck wouldn't always be on the side of the rich and famous.

Nagi and Reo walked into the large, open room only to find the lights completely out, without a single sound echoing throughout the cold. An eerie feeling took over the previous excitement that Reo felt that evening, accompanying it with a chill down both of their spines.

“They aren't here, let's go back,” Nagi urged. He would never admit it to anyone's face, but the cafeteria was starting to give him the creeps. “Bring Bachira with you next time, he’d be over the moon to help you.”

“No! Wait! This place is creepy as fuck but we haven't even looked yet! Let me just turn on the lights—”

“See? You should be more like your friend here. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I don't bite!” A voice popped out from right behind Nagi, causing him to physically jump into the air and trip over and onto his knees before violently whipping around, coming face to face with you manically cackling at his reaction. “Man, you're easy to scare!”

“Hi! You're er— [name], right? That's what Ego called you last night,” Reo greeted, “I'm Reo Mikage.”

“Yeah,” Nagi chimed in from on the floor. “He's Reo Mikage.” Reo really wished he followed through with punching Nagi in the face. “He's the heir of the Mikage Corp.”

“Mikage… Mikage… Mikage…” You muttered, trying to remember why that name sounded so oddly familiar to you. Is it the name of a restaurant you went to? No, he said ‘Corp’, that wouldn't make any sense.

“That means he's super rich by the way,” Nagi added one last time before ditching his awestruck friend in the otherwise empty cafeteria that he doubted anyone would go to anytime soon; it was almost nine in the evening.

“Oh my God, you're rich?” You gushed, suddenly very interested in what Reo had to say for himself—well, even more interested. It was like a dream for you; some really pretty dude coming in looking for you specifically, ignoring the part where he thought you were a ghost, of course. But having this same pretty boy turn out to be a super mega rich heir and also be super mega athletic? Jackpot. You won in life. It's God’s apology for making you be related to that bastard Jinpachi Ego. This is your main character moment and you will make sure that boy will be yours before any other trashy gold digger other than you picks him up and takes him away. “That's like, the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“That's not the only thing you're after, right?” Reo cautiously asked. It slightly hurt knowing that you might not actually be interested in him, but only after his wallet instead. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened, but it would be the first time it's happened with someone he was genuinely interested in.

“No, no! Of course not! You're pretty funny and well uh, really cute so even if you were broke I’d shoot my shot.”

If you spoke any more, Reo thought that his cheeks would fucking burst from how hot they felt and he was more than sure his face was a burning crimson red. It was suddenly as hot as a midsummer's day with the sun shining right above his brushed, violet hair, causing his entire body to sweat. “Holy shit I could marry you right now.”

“Hell yeah, let's get married, Reo!” You exclaimed with the same ecstatic eagerness as the boy whose hands you were grabbing onto while jumping up and down.

“[name], get to cleaning. You are not getting married anytime soon.” Before you could start making up your vows on the spot, a shart voice cut through the moment with the click of a button as the television in the cafeteria turned on once again, displaying a displeased, disturbed, and beyond annoyed Jinpachi Ego who was most definitely not pissed off because he can't get himself a partner like how his cousin can.

[themosthatedbeingg]

Ⓐ

Going with our old main verse

Attractiveness:

repulsive || hideous || ugly || not attractive || unappealing || not unattractive || meh || no preference || ok || mildly attractive || nice looking || cute || adorable || attractive || pleasant on the eyes || good looking || hot || sexy || beautiful || gorgeous || hot damn || would tap that || perfect || godlike || holy fuck there are no words

Personality:

grating || irritating || frustrating || boring || confusing at best || awkward || unreasonable || psychotic || disturbing || interesting || engaging || affectionate || aggressive || ambitious || anxious || artistic || bad tempered || bossy || charismatic || appealing || unappealing || creative || courageous || dependable || unreliable || unpredictable || predictable || devious || dim || extroverted || introverted ||  egotistical || gregarious || fabulous || impulsive || intelligent || sympathetic || talkative || up beat || peaceful || calming || badass || flexible

How likely they would have sex with them:

not if they were the last person on earth and the world was ending || fuck no! || never || no way || not likely || not sure || indifferent || I’m asexual || maybe || probably || it depends || fairly likely || likely || yeah sure || yes || would tap that || hell yes || fuck yes! || wishing that could happen right now || as many times as possible || we are already having sex

Level of Friendship:

never in a million years || worst of enemies || enemies || rivals || indifferent || neutral || acquaintance || friendly toward each other || casual friends || friends || good friends || best friends || fuck buddies || bosom buddies || practically the same person || would die for them || true friends || my only friend ||

First impression of them:

I hate them so much || I don’t like them || I don’t trust them || they annoy me || they’re weird || I’m indifferent || meh || they seem alright || they’re growing on me || truce || I think I like them || I like them || I’m not sure if I trust them || I trust them || they’re cool || they’re genuine || I think we’re going to get along || I really like them || I think I’m in love || oh fuck they’re hot || I love them

Current impression of them:

I hate them so much || I don’t like them || I don’t trust them || they annoy me || they’re weird || I’m indifferent || meh || they seem alright || they’re growing on me || truce || I think I like them || I like them || I’m not sure if I trust them || I trust them || they’re cool || they’re genuine || I think we’re going to get along || I really like them || I think I’m in love || oh fuck they’re hot || I love them

How good of a kisser:

worst kisser ever || terrible || bad || awkward || just okay || alright || pretty good || good || makes me moan || excellent || exciting || oh god they’re good || I dream about it || fucking amazing || absolute perfection || we haven’t kissed

[themattress]

So, I love the Makai Tree arc from the Sailor Moon R anime.

I love the voices for Ail (Alan) and En (Ann) in the old DiC dub.

But dear God, do I absolutely HATE how the old DiC dub butchered their conclusion.

The arc was being fairly well translated, all things considered, until we hit the last three episodes. In Episode 11, the dub script does not appear to be caught up with the visual storytelling. The episode keeps on cutting to this shot of the Makai Tree as things go wrong:

This is meant to signify that the Makai Tree, which is a tree that takes in energy and then gives it back to its children (Ail and En in this case), has been getting the wrong energy from its children and as such is giving the wrong energy back. Energy that is forcibly taken from others out of selfishness will convert into negative energy that only heightens Ail and En's bad qualities. That is why Ail and En are suddenly contemplating murdering Mamoru and Usagi respectively out of jealousy even when they hadn't ever done so in the past, and why Cardians under their control are going crazy and lashing out indiscriminately. But in the dub:

Ann: That's weird. Every time someone's nice to me, I feel so much better; I keep seeing the Doom Tree, growing strong and healthy.

OK, first off, that's not the Doom Tree. In case you didn't notice, there is a tortoise and a hare at the bottom of the screen. This whole scene is meant to be Usagi offering to help Natsumi with her schoolwork because she thinks she's ahead in their wager and she may as well be kind to her losing rival, with Natsumi thinking this is like the Earth story of the Tortoise and the Hare where the hare loses a race because of its overconfidence in beating the tortoise.

So that's the first of three problems with this scene's translation. The second problem is that Serena says that she's willing to try and get along with Ann because Alan turned out to be such a cool guy so she wants to give his sister a chance, and....huh? Serena's interactions with Alan (as are Usagi's with Seijuro) have consisted him always weirding her out with his pretentious flirtations, him being a rival to her love interest, and one of her friends losing her crush on him when she learns about his messed up views on love. So there has been nothing about him to make her think he's "such a cool guy". In the original, Usagi is willing to get along with Natsumi for the same reason she's willing to get along with Seijuro: she's kind to a fault and wants to see the best in everyone even if she quarrels with them or finds them irritating. Her entire romance with Mamoru and her friendship with Rei hinges on this quality!

Third and most importantly, turning this scene into a touchy-feely bonding moment between Serena and Ann implies Ann is improving, that she's starting to learn the error of her ways, when as I stated before it's literally the opposite: she's supposed to be getting worse. She literally attempts to kill Usagi right after this conversation, and then again in the subsequent two-part finale. So this creates a huge whiplash effect and renders things incoherent. Is the dub suggesting Alan and Ann would improve if they only stopped intaking energy at all, even when they would literally die if they did that? A point they beat into our heads repeatedly?

And then there's the finale. Beyond more mention of "the Negaverse" since DiC wants to fool people into thinking these clearly unconnected villain groups are part of a single whole, we get perhaps the most insulting, totally-missing-the-point alteration of dialogue in the series.

Here's the accurately translated Viz version.

Ail: Why did you risk your life like that? Usagi: I'm willing to risk my life…to protect anyone I truly love. (Ail is shocked). En: My, how noble of you. (En pushes Usagi backward with another blast.) En: C'mon, time to beg for help, you weak little human. Usagi: I don't care what happens to me. Just please spare Mamoru's life. En: What a stupid request to make! But if you think your own life's not precious; oh well, then. (En keeps blasting only for Mamoru to shield Usagi each time.) Ail: ….Beautiful….so very beautiful….Is this what it means to love? En: Ail? Ail: En, I see now. Love can not be forced. En: Huh? Ail: Don't you get it? Love is something that is built together….by caring for each other. En: You don't know what you're saying! Makoto: He's right! When you truly love someone, the strength of that love gives you the courage to overcome anything. (En is about to lash out again when the Moonlight Knight appears.) Moonlight Knight: All the creatures of the universe are friends. Instead of fighting against them, open up your heart to them. (En is visibly on the verge of tears). En: That's easy to say! But you could never understand all the pain that we've been through! Our pain comes from us wandering the entire universe for so long with no-one ever caring about us! Ail: En… En: We had to take whatever we could! And if we hadn't done that, we never would've survived! Moonlight Knight: Nothing good comes out of stealing. It only brings shame, heartache and hate. En: YOU SHUT UP! (En blasts the Moonlight Knight into the Makai Tree, which absorbs him and goes haywire.)

The purpose here is not only to show Ail learning the true meaning of love through introspection and showcasing how En can't do the same because she's consumed by her negative emotions built up over a long time, which is why she ends up learning through the emotional impulse of protecting Ail than from harm instead, but also to show that Ail and En are not evil. It's a point En's voice actress even made: they are misguided but not malicious at heart. They are turned evil through the bad energy from the Makai Tree, but that makes them no more culpable than Mamoru/Endymion before them or Chibiusa/Black Lady after them. That's why Usagi, Makoto and the Moonlight Knight are trying to talk sense into them.

And now here's the DiC dub.

Alan: She's even braver than I thought. Serena: You don't know what bravery is! Or friendship! All you know is EVIL! (Alan is shocked.) Ann: That's right! So glad you finally noticed! (Ann pushes Serena backward with another blast.) Ann: Renounce your love for Darien and I might spare you. Serena: No! I'll never renounce my feelings! True love can't be taken away by anyone! Ann: You're a sentimental fool but I can make you change your mind in a flash, Romeo! (Ann keeps blasting only for Darien to shield Serena each time.) Alan: I've never see anyone…so sad! Maybe…maybe this is wrong. Ann: What is? Alan: This destroying love. It's such a beautiful thing. Can't you see how they love each other? Even if she is our enemy, it'd be wrong to destroy them. Ann: You're just weak, Alan! Lita: No, you're the one who's weak! You don't have any real friends! And the only emotions you know are hatred and vengeance and jealousy! Ann: Can it! (The Moonlight Knight appears.) Moonlight Knight (asshole tone): It's a bad scene, Sailor Scouts, but nothing we can't handle! These poor misfits can be beat! (Ann is visibly on the verge of tears). Ann: Misfits!? You have no idea who you're talking to, Turban Boy! Listen! It takes more than some stupid little rose to beat the power of the Negaverse! You'll see what this misfit can do! Moonlight Knight (asshole tone): Your jealousy has blinded you, Ann! You just can't bear that Darien's dumped you! Ann: He has noooooot! (Ann blasts the Moonlight Knight into the Doom Tree, which absorbs him and goes haywire.)

WOW. So not only are Alan and Ann made out to look worse than their original counterparts with Alan's shock now coming from called nothing but evil then being half-assed with saying "maybe" what they're doing is wrong and Ann behaving nothing but evil (complete with "Negaverse" dialogue) with her sad rant about the pain and loneliness she's suffered being removed (even Ail's "En..." is just cut altogether), but Serena, Lita and the Moonlight Knight all just insult them rather than try to reach out to them. "No bravery or friendship, nothing but evil", "weak with no real friends and only knowing hatred, vengeance and jealousy", "poor misfits angry at being 'dumped' that have to be 'beat' instead of healed"....it's horrendously out-of-character for all involved and against the message of the arc and arguably the whole anime metaseries. It's like DiC took Sailor Moon's "I'll punish you!" catchphrase to the most literal extreme and made her a hero who punishes evildoers indiscriminately instead of a hero who tries to reach out and help evildoers she knows have good in them and/or are in pain like Ail/Alan and En/Ann. And much like the scene in detention, it also creates a huge whiplash when Alan and Ann end up being redeemed. The heroes tell us they're evil and weak cowards who can't feel anything positive, then they proceed to prove them spectacularly wrong and there's just no commentary on it and seemingly no awareness on how bad it makes them look. Geez, I didn't care for the Moonlight Knight to start with; now I hate him!

So thanks a lot, DiC, you fumbled the ball in the very last inning.

Buuuuut maybe I can forgive you just for this: