#i don't care that fandom hates owen

[ellena-asg]

@sugdenlovesdingle @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @teeveeyou

Owen & TK Strand - You Raise Me Up

[tangerinelabyrinth]

In theory Martha Jones and Mickey Smiths relationship makes sense. In both of their stories they had similar themes to each other and if they had planned out their relationship (like they should have done) it wouldn't have been far off the realm of possibility that they would end up together.

Unfortunately, their story was non-existent reduced to a fifteen second clip mentioning that they were married and never showing us how they got there. Last, we leave Martha engaged to her fiancé saying goodbye to the Doctor and taking off with Mickey and Jack, with Jack mentioning her quitting UNIT and hinting that he had a job for her at Torchwood because at that time Torchwood had lost two members. (RIP- Toshiko and Owen).

I've seen talk recently that their entire relationship was put together as a joke, which just further shows how little the show, and the show runner cared for Martha's character, and because of the lack of reasoning behind the relationship feels as though last minute they decided to shove the only two black characters together. (Which is exactly what they did)

Having them end up together feels to me like a slap in the face, as it ruins all the development the characters had went through especially Martha. I hate it even more when people say it's perfect that they ended up together because both of them couldn't end up with who they wanted. (Rose and Ten) (I can't even get into depth on why I don't like when people say that because my thoughts aren't working)

The only way Martha and Mickeys relationship makes sense is if they joined Torchwood together, or Mickey joins UNIT otherwise what would be the reason for them to be around each other so much that Martha breaks up with her previous fiancé. We know Jack calls Martha in series three of Torchwood and mentions Martha being on her honeymoon, which is most likely with Mickey. I guess there is always the possibility that Martha and Mickey just decided to become freelance alien hunters together and did not join Torchwood at all, Jack did only say that perhaps Martha should do something else besides UNIT but didn't say Torchwood.

It would be nice if the showrunner actually cared for the characters, (The only two main characters of color at the time) and actually put thought into the relationship so it didn't quite literally come out of nowhere. Even having Martha and Mickey somehow come together in that episode and maybe sharing some flirty or even just friendly banter would have been a bit better in segueing into the fact they get married.

It's a shame for how little they cared for these characters and their story, it honestly feels as if they were just used as tools for both the Doctor and Rose. This is one reason in the multitude of others why I won't stop talking about the disrespect and treatment of Martha, (And the characters of color in all the fandoms I'm in) and why those who deny that these characters are treated unfairly by both the media they are in, and the fans are wrong the proof is right there. Martha's story ends unfinished, and her and Mickey get thrown together as a joke.

These are my thoughts on Mickey and Marthas Relationship, it could have worked but it didn't.

[silvertws]

I never did an introduction post so here I am!

Now who am I?

✨It's a me, Silver! :D✨

I go by he/She/they with a preference for he/they :)

I'm Demifluid but I'm fluxuating into more masc stuff recently-

Right now if people ask my sexuality I say Ace and bi though there's probably more specific labels for my orientation... I do not care to find them.

I also just might simply be Aromantic in denial tbh.

✨ If you do any of the things highlighted in red, you are not welcome here. ✨

I'm Italian! Which means no romanticizing the mafia around me please. Ffs they melt kids in acid.

I don't support any kind of homophobia, transphobia, racism, anti-Semitism, MAPS...

And remember kids...

✨Trans rights are human rights! ✨

I'm a feminist, equal rights, equal fights, if you're an incel or a femcel don't bother.

I like complot theories as long as they stay as theories and you don't push them on people.

I don't support any bullying towards furries, therians, gacha kids, cosplayers... So if you ever plan on doing that, you're not going to do it here.

Sending death threats is not allowed.

I do not support genocide or war in general, because what kind of human would enjoy that-?! Side eye 👀👀👀

If you use religion as an excuse for your ignorance or to simply be a dick, get out.

If you don't do any of this, welcome!

✨ Imma summarize some of my opinions (about random stuff) using songs ✨

Vulture -> Bear Ghost (they are a really cool band)

I'm afraid I'll go to heaven -> Moon Walker

Don't cry for your daughters Eve -> Lydia the bard

GOSSIP -> Måneskin

Dear God -> Confetti

Thoughts & prayers -> Grandson

To catch a Predator -> Insane Clown Posse

Labour -> Paris Paloma

The Exorcist -> CALYPSO

Bears and Wolves -> Lilith Max

Make of these what you will. (No, I don't hate y'all. I hate hypocrites, the patriarchy, and the corruption of society.)

I like dark humor if it's actually funny.

Now onto the fun stuff!

I have been part of the gacha community since 2019, same with Origins, Country humans... Etc.

Any cringe fandoms, yeah, you can add those to the list.

My favorite ccs on yt are Pearlescentmoon, ZNathanAnimations, Manlybadasshero, FavreMySabre, Toiu, Neitirix, CaZaCoJa, IamCrusty... And many more.

Favourite characters currently:

Cal Kestis -> Jedi Fallen Order/Surivivor

Light Steve -> Ruined Reality

Rex -> Echoes of Arcadia

Dorian -> Critical Role

Seir -> The Chaos Protocol (did I write it right?)

Owen -> OutsidersSMP

Colin -> My Hero Origins

Now, if I were to post a complete list of all my fandoms, it would be around 120+.

So I'm not gonna do that.

To name some, Ib, Mad Father... And a lot of indie games of the same style, like, a lot.

I like mythology!

Anything Minecraft related is probably on the table, and a lot of different book sagas.

To name some, WOF (there aren't all the books in Italian so I only read the main story :(), Fairy Oak, a bunch of books from Licia Troisi, LOTR (I was devastated when I was told Tom Bombadil wasn't in the movies), Eragon... (We don't talk about the movie...)

But, my current hyperfixations are any kind of Steve story (so Ruined reality, The First Saviour, Ore Quest Prime...), Horror Games, BG3, Minecraft Roleplays in general...

I really like Star Wars guys.

I play D&D! :D

(send help my party is crazy)

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So what will you find here❓❓

Well, I am an artist! I enjoy drawing and posting about it! I mostly do fanart because oc art doesn't really do well... But I will post some OCS from time to time.

I also write theories (I'm looking at you RR and Fable...) and rants or that one description of my MCYT Star Wars au and some art of that...

My favorite fandoms are Steve Saga related stuff, Origins crew (FTO,SNO,OOO,SNO,MHO), Star Wars, Fable/Mer/Siege... SMP... And many more.

I also want to maybe make fanart of those few Italian ytbers I still watch or am nostalgic about. Examples: Gabby16bit, Erenblaze, LyonWGF, (guys, the Failcraft, come on), Ratorix...

Sbriser- no not HIM. (What happened to you man? Tf is you doing???!!!!)

You will also find rants/comments on some of those fandoms!

Some oc art or au art from time to time and some random bits of lore about those!

I'm also a cosplayer...! I don't know if I'll post any of that here but my main cosplay is Technoblade and the basic Genloss henchman because I was matching with my friend who was Genloss Ranboo (check out mandydoodles on yt she's very cool guys).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‼️DISCLAIMERS‼️

I want to start commissions but until I feel comfortable enough with my style I won't so don't ask me for now.

But if anyone asks for silly doodles to post about then sure lol, I like doing funky stuff.

If y'all got questions just ask.

English is not my first language so there might be some grammatical mistakes.

If I say something offensive just make me aware without sending me death threats or canceling me right away.

No guys, being on a different HOTD team is not death threat worthy.

No, liking the last Star Wars movies or the Acolyte is also not death threat worthy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And lastly...

✨ Be respectful! ✨

✨ Enjoy your travels through my treacherous blog adventurer! ✨

[messymindofmine]

How long is this Owen hate thing going to go on? It's honestly kind of funny how people seem to just look for reasons to hate on him. I feel like 404 just gave them even more reason to do so while simultaneously deifying the Reyes'. The thing is, my problem isn't even with the characters, I like them all. My problem is with the double standards. The Reyes' are obviously not perfect either. And even though Carlos’s relationship with them seems to be better, the fact that he didn't feel like he could go to them after him and TK broke up shows that things are still not great between them. Not to mention Gabriel's comment about how Carlos should have corrected Andrea's mistake in 211 rather than think about why their son wouldn't feel comfortable introducing his boyfriend to them in the first place.

I think Carlos’s face says it all here. Mind you, this was after Bad Call yet apparently Gabriel still doesn't recognize his mistakes with Carlos. Not only that but now apparently we need do add the fact that he felt like such a disappointment to them that he married a woman and they just let him go through with it despite knowing he was gay. I love the scenes we got with Gabriel in 404 but I don't like how it seems that even those have been weaponized against Owen. Yes, Gabriel saved his son and it was beautiful but Owen has done the same more than once. I mean, the episode is meant to be a parallel of Bad Call where Owen and Carlos were the ones that teamed up. Not to mention when TK got shot in 108, Owen sat with him the whole time stroking his face and talking to him. He apparently didn't even leave the hospital for a shower. When TK woke up, it was his dad he called for before he even opened his eyes and Owen was right there. And then Owen saved him again in 110.

Even the scene where TK revives Carlos is a parallel to Owen reviving TK in the pilot

Look, there's no denying that Owen is flawed and to be fair it is easier to focus on Owen's flaws since he's the main character and we see more of him but that still doesn't make the double standard any less unfair. Owen didn't ignore TK at all in 404. He picked up the phone despite the FBI lady not wanting him too. He looked at her like she was crazy for even thinking that he wouldn't pick up the phone bc "it's my son" and gave TK the best advice he could with what he knew. And he did this while the FBI lady badgered him and almost took the phone out of his hand. Yet there's literally people saying that it would be a good thing if Owen died and cheering on the FBI lady for making that comment.

I also don't buy the argument that Owen hasn't been apologetic about his mistakes. Out of all three parents, Owen is the one that is actually seen reflecting on his mistakes and and apologizing. People go after him for the "about to be a father" comment yet Owen himself expressed regret for it unprompted. He did it again in 316 when in the midst of his own struggles and dealing with his trauma, he called TK up just to tell TK that he loved him and that he was proud of him. He apologized for the distance between them and promised to do better. And we know they're going to be talking in 408. That closeness they had that we all were so charmed by in s1 existed for a reason. And we now know that the reason we haven't seen it in a while is going to be addressed.

Look, I love all three of the parents plus Gwyn but at the end of the day parents are human and all humans make mistakes and have flaws. I like how the show reminds us of that. What I don't like is the double standard and the way people look for reasons to hate on Owen. It's gotten to the point where I have to filter tags and be very careful what fics I read bc I'm not interested in anything that just makes Owen out to be this awful parent when that's very far from what he actually is. My biggest pet peeve with fandoms in general is double standards and the ones people have for Owen compared to the Reyes' and even Gwyn are too glaring for me to just ignore

[reverseflashes]

Hello!

I’m trying to write a story or at least a short one. Where Constantine and Raven cross paths with the Rogues. I have a pretty good idea for it but even though I’ve read comics. I still don’t fully understand them I need an idea about there personality and fighting style. I’m hoping that with your help and a few other Rogue fans. I can get a better idea. Cause finding proper information is like finding a needle in a haystack for them. Constantine is literally the easiest out of all of them.😭

I really hope for good information. I want to do right by them.🥺

Anyway my chosen Rogue’s are… Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, Captain Boomerang and Trickster (Axel Walker).

Basically the ones in comics right now.

P.S. I’m also mad about Owen. He had so much potential.

Every time I checked my inbox and saw this meage on top, I reminded myself to answer it some time the same day. And every time, I forgot. I don't even know where to begin to apologize, nonnie, especially it's been exactly a month since you've sent me this. I hope, if you are still around, and if you see this, you can forgive me. And if you are pissed at me, then you are completely right too I'M SO SORRY I SWEAR

To be honest, I can read every issue every Rogues member has ever appeared in (and for some members, I did lol) and still would not be good at answering questions like this. I'll tag few blogs I know post about the Rogues at the end of my response and tag this properly so that more people will see it and hopefully share their opinions as well. :)

I apologize in advance if this is very scattered, all over the place but I've never been very good at explaining stuff like this so... yeah.

I'm assuming the fight takes between John&Raven and the Rogues.

The Rogues are Flash's villains. And Flash has superspeed; and having superspeed comes with infinite amount of skills and abilities. There is really nothing a speedster can't do. So how does the Rogues, a bunch of non-powered criminals (except for Mark, if we want to go into a bit detail lol) with only their gadgets and costumes keep up with him? How can a speedster like Barry Allen can struggle against the Rogues sometimes?

The answer is that the Rogues have the advantage of planning their heists in advance. Excessive planning, may I add! Rogues don't have to keep up with Flash's whereabouts, because Flash will always go where the Rogues exactly want him. But the Flash doesn't have the advantage of always anticipating the Rogues' next move. There are so many other reasons of course but no need to go into more details. So, in your story, whether the Rogues plans the fight with John and Raven ahead or if it occurs completely spontaneous, I believe the Rogues wouldn't be caught off guard. I mean, they fight speedsters on a weekly basis, so it is hard for them to get intimitated by anyone else.

Now another thing, and I don't know if it's just me or if it is a fandom thing, but I always got the impression that Rogues hate magic. Like I always believed that to be a fact. They don't like it at all. Maybe "superpowers" is what they really don't like but I guess, to them, it's all the same.

Len in The Flash #750

Rogues don't want to get involved in anything that is above their paygrade. They hate their plans getting out of control and things getting messy and magic IS messy, that is an understatement. So you can use this in the story; they will fight John and Raven if they have to, but they won't care about winning. Of course, they CAN win the fight, but if you use the canon fact that the Rogues never faced John and Raven before in your story, then I assume winning wouldn't be their priority. They'll buy themselves time while putting the capes through their paces (damn right 😎).

You can focus on the Rogues' gadgets as well. In my personal opinion, Mirror Gun is the most powerful and dangerous out of all of them: it can open portals, it can create duplicates, it can fire bolts of light energy, IT CAN HYPNOTIZE AND MIND CONTROL PEOPLE, it can be used to transmute objects into glass, it can be used for dimensional travel, it can trap people inside those mirror dimensions etc... (SOURCES: here and here)

Here is a panel of Sam blinding Wonder Woman with his Mirror Gun. Justice League America #158

I put this panel especially because Wonder Woman is heavily affiliated with magic.

You can find more info on their gadgets on the internet, and if you'd like, I can look into it and send you some links if I can find anything.

I was gonna mention Hartley and his flute too but I realized that he isn't in the Rogues in your story so I'll skip that.

And lastly, I'd recommend you read New Year's Evil: Rogues, a one-shot where the Rogues are in the land of Zhutan searching for a powerful sun disk of Meshta (the creator god of the Saravistraism- DC’s version of Zoroastrianism) to make their souls eternally free from Neron (DC’s version of Satan). It involves heavy supernatural themes so maybe it helps.

Also, Teen Titans: Cold Case might be a good read. There is a fight between Teen Titans and the Rogues and although magic isn't in the center, Rogues fight against members Cyborg, Red Devil and Wonder Girl (Cassie). (And Vic and Tim actually admit that they couldn't take the Rogues!)

And most importantly, they fight as a TEAM and a FAMILY. Their diverse skills and abilities complete each other, thanks years of working and planning and fighting together side by side.

Soooo yeah. I'm pretty sure I forgot half the things I was gonna add and forty thousand anecdotes but that's why I'll tag some of the awesome people in the Rogues fandom underneath this so that they can add their own opinions as well. If they want, of course, no pressure! Please feel free to ignore this.

Thank you so very very very much for your message nonnie. And I'm so so so very sorry for taking so long to answer it. I hope I made it up to you a little.

@gorogues @tricksterrune @t-bombs @longitudinalwaveme @belphegor1982 @saltywithsarcasm @smartshipfriday my brain is all over the place rn i can't think of anyone else but if you see this in the search or on your dash pls feel free to reblog it and share your opinions <33

[perpetualexistence]

Leap of Faith: A Total Drama Hug a Giant Day Submission

So, fun fact I absolutely hadn't forgotten at all: July 21st is Hug a Giant Day! Don't. Don't look at the timestamp, it's still before midnight somewhere-

As someone who's trying to bring more giant/tiny into Total Drama, it's only fair I contribute a piece into the fandom. Have a nice, fluffy Nowen giant/tiny fic! You can read it as platonic or romantic.

I'm putting it under a read more only because it ended up being like 1K words and that's a lotta words. I might end up putting this on AO3 too. And editing it slightly since this is the first draft that I put together to try to make it in time for the day.

Anyways, enjoy!

"Hey little buddy!" a voice called from around Noah's feet.

He never cared much for people on the best of days. And ever since his...unexpected growth spurt, people didn't care much to be around him either. It was fine. Nothing new. Being taller just meant it was easier to walk away from situations he didn't want to be in. It was the best for everyone, really.

Except for a certain blonde who still insisted 'once a nickname, always a nickname'.

Noah looked down to see Owen standing at ankle-height. He'd be impressed at how far Owen's voice could carry if he didn't already know how loud Owen could be when he wanted to. It used to be grating, but now it made things easier. Noah hated having to crouch.

"What?" Noah asked.

"I wanna show you something!"

"Can't you just tell me what it is from down there?"

"Nope! You've gotta come down so I can show you!"

So much for not having to crouch. Knowing Owen, this would take a while. Which would mean he'd have to crouch the whole time. His new height didn't grant him new athletic ability, so he could probably only do that for about five seconds at most before losing his balance. Which wouldn't be good for anybody.

With a loud sigh, he slid down the tree he had been leaning against. The tree groaned in protest, but it held firm. Good thing he was still a lightweight. He drew himself into a sitting position with his legs crossed.

"Well?"

"Okay, now lift me up!"

"Hey, you didn't say anything about having to lift you."

"It's part of it! Come on, lift me!"

Okay. Well, this was fine. It's not like he'd never grabbed something small before. He carried many a book before, and that had been fine. This just happened to be a much smaller book. That was also more fragile. More like a hamster if Noah thought about it. A very lovable, fragile hamster. That was the only person who had bothered to come check on Noah after he'd become giant. And if broken, wouldn't want to see him again.

No pressure.

Noah reached a hand forward to grab Owen. God, it felt so wrong that the guy who would crush him with bear hugs was now so easy to crush-

"Wait!"

Noah did his best to keep his expression as apathetic as it normally was. He knew even Owen had his limits-

"Not like that!" Owen chuckled. Wait. Chuckled? "You've gotta hold your hand flat. Like you're holding a pizza! And then I can climb on. It's for the surprise, I promise!"

Owen was still beaming up at Noah. The smile was almost blinding. It threatened to release more laughter if Noah indulged it. None out of malice though. That wasn't Owen's style.

"Whatever." Noah shrugged. It was a better idea than Noah's instinct, but Owen didn't need to know that. He moved his hand from a grabbing position to a flat one as he lowered it for Owen. Owen stepped on without hesitation.

"Great! Now lift me up, but stop when I say stop!"

Okay, this was kind of weird, but nothing too difficult. Noah lifted the normally heavy boy as if he was a glass figurine. Past his knees, his stomach, his chest-

"STOP!"

Noah's hand jerked as he stopped it. Owen stumbled, but kept his balance. Which was good. It'd be a 30 foot fall if he stumbled off. Survivable, but not without injury.

Owen stared at Noah's chest. He was close enough that he wouldn't have to shout anymore to be heard. Still, Noah didn't get why Owen was looking at his chest rather than his face.

Noah was even more confused when Owen actually started backing away from Noah. He was still mindful enough to make sure he was still on Noah's hand. Thank god for small miracles. Still, he couldn't figure out what the big guy was doing.

He got his answer when Owen started running right towards Noah. Before Noah could intervene, Owen jumped off of Noah's hand with a scream and towards Noah's chest.

Noah couldn't stop the scream bursting from his own chest. He shot his hand forward to clutch at the fabric of his shirt around where Owen landed. He only stopped squeezing at fabric when he could feel Owen's skin. Warm, and sweaty, and right there.

"Woohoo!" Owen cried. The little maniac.

"What was THAT?!" Noah screeched.

He was vaguely aware of the birds that flew away at the sound of his booming voice. He didn't care. Maybe he could use the volume of his voice to get through Owen's thick skull.

"Little buddy, it's okay! You can let me go. I've got this!"

"No, you don't have this. I have you. If I let you go, then the ground will have you."

"Okay, okay. At least let me see you?"

Noah forced himself to loosen his fingers. He slowly tilted his hand so that Owen's feet would stay standing on it.

Owen was holding onto Noah's shirt. His arms were outstretched. His face was planted into Noah's chest. If Noah didn't know any better, it almost looked like-

"I know you can't really hang out with people like you used to. You keep saying you're fine, but you seem pretty bummed out. So I wanted to cheer you up! I'd give you a bear hug, but it's really hard to do that now. This was the next best thing!"

Huh. Owen noticed more things than Noah gave him credit for. Noah wouldn't really call being around others while reading and snarking 'hanging out'. Or say that he was bummed. But maybe Noah had missed it more than he'd like to admit.

"You're going to give me a heart attack before I'm 20," Noah sighed, "What if I hadn't caught you?"

"I just knew you would."

Noah had a feeling that asking why Owen had so much faith in him would be pointless. Owen was just too trusting in nature. One day it would get him killed.

Noah would just have to make sure that didn't happen anytime soon.

"Next time just ask, okay?"

"Promise."

Noah cupped his hand around Owen again to gently press him against his chest. He didn't need to see the slight smile on Noah's face.

[devondeal]

6, 12, 14, and 21 for the Star Wars Violence Ask Game!

Thank you wifey! 💙💚 I'm gonna enjoy these

6. Opinion on canon and/or fanon use of the secret child trope? Discuss

I don't mind it. The secret child can be a good trope if the context is right for it. I mean Star Wars is centered on secret child trope pretty much. Where I'm not so into it is the Korkie headcanon that he is Obi Wan and Satine's son. It's a bit too crackhead for me and also it's not my ship so I'm biased against it.

12. Name a common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing.

Anything about Rey tbh. I may not be a big sequels person but anytime the fandom tries reduce her to an overpowered female Luke and say she's unoriginal I roll my eyes.

Like they are nothing alike. Luke got to live comfortably taken care of by his aunt and uncle. He never had to scavage scraps just to be able to eat. And before anyone comes for me, I'm NOT ripping on Luke. He had what anyone should have.

What I'm saying is Rey didn't get to have guardians or a comfortable house or regularly even be able eat. She was abandoned and did what she had to to survive. As for the overpowered thing like she's able to fly ships or fight back, like come on. I repeat, she. was. a. scavanger. She got to know ship parts and as for fighting, she's had to fight dickheads like Teedo and probably worse to keep food, homes, etc. After rewatching TFA, i notice she learns from OBSERVATION. She mimics what others do around. This is a survival skill she had her whole life.

Of course Luke is going to take a little more time to learn things. He was never put in that situation where it was do or die (as any child shouldn't). Rey was and however fast she was at learning a skill is a result of basic survival instincts.

She and Luke ENTIRELY different characters and to say she's a female version of him cuz she's from a desert????? Reductive and a big lack in media literacy tbh.

14. What's the most egregious example of fridging in canon?

God which one? 😅 Fridging is probably one of Star Wars biggest crimes. Leia is the first that comes to mind because she died to redeem her piece of shit son that she did not deserve.

But then again, Anakin's turn to the dark side is also due to fridging with his mother and his wife. Especially with Padme since there's an old version where she actually gets to live a little bit longer with the Rebellion and tried to kill Anakin.

I may not be a big Satine person, but that's fridging too to give Obi Wan angst and more Maul animosity.

I'm still going to say Leia in the sequels though as the most egregious. Because it was so out of nowhere (yes I'm aware that Carrie's death was probably the reason but I don't care. There are better ways to kill off/write out a character than fridging). Her death served no purpose other than Kyle Ron no accountability. Like what in "Jesus died for our sins" is this bullshit? Why must Star Wars' most iconic woman have to go out for a man that did nothing but hurt and betray her? It's insulting tbh.

Edit: Luminara's death was fucking awful too. Like ain't no reason to have it be so horrific. Sigh... can Star Wars like not hate women for once.

21. Best canon example of a healthy relationship in Star Wars

Romantically that is a tough one. Honestly I'm coming up short with this one. Can't say Han and Leia cuz we only see their rocky start and end and nothing in between.

Maybe Kanan and Hera but their relationship kinda got ruined for me when suddenly at the end, he wasnt aware if Hera felt the same about him??? I just thought they were basically married and I'm supposed to be believe they haven't even had that conversation by THAT point in time??? Plus the ghost baby thing creeped me the fuck out. Can Star Wars please stop with the out of nowhere pregnancies please?

So yeah canon romances, nothing comes to mind. In fact Star Wars is kind of built on toxic romance.

The crackhead in me wants to say Owen and Beru 🤣

Ooo! Wait I found my answer! Cal and Merrin from the Jedi games! They are perfect 🥺 Idk what the next game will have in store for them but so far, the way they empower and comfort each other. They accept and love each other's differences. And just adorable all around. Sweet ginger boy with spicy witch lady 👌

[kairithemang0]

kai! got a question, could you possibly share more of your headcanons or ideas about characters (any fandom you want :P)? because every time i see one of yours post about stuff like that, i just go 'whoa he makes really good headcanons' i don't really know where im going with this but,,, yea :P (im extremely tired im so sorry lol)

I'm in an Agent Curt Mega mood (bcs I'm drawing him atm and he looks really sad and angsty but I'm also feeling very sad and angsty sooo)

I just love him, I think he's fascinating. Also I'm glad you like my headcanons! I care about them a lot, idk these characters mean something to me at this point, for better or worse

Since I'm feeling sad and angsty I'm gonna make him sad and angsty

So I don't think that he was with anyone after Owen fell. I think he stayed single out of guilt. After he kills Owen the second time he spirals, never able to really keep a relationship. He's miserable. And he's just like that for the rest of his life as he plots to take down Chimera but also having a really shitty work/life balance and now nothing in his life is consistent. With Owen he could hope they'd end up on another mission together, he could hope Owen wasn't going to die. He had something to look forward to that wasn't just a next mission. After Owen dies, for either time, he really just has nothing. He's sad, he's alone, he probably only talks to his mom but even that's rarely and post staircase scene he has Tati and Barb but I don't think either of them will be too helpful in the long run.

Gah this guy just seems so lonely to me. I don't know, he doesn't seem like the type of guy to just have friends

I feel like I'm digging too deep into how much Curt cared about their relationship. I think pre fall he'd be with other guys because he didn't feel as if his relationship with Owen was really that real. Sure, Owen was one of the few who understood his experience, but I don't think he realized until after the fall how much Owen actually meant to him. This is probably what really started his downward spiral. He lost the most important person to him, someone he had taken for granted for years and then killed him (or thought he did). I don't know if someone can really come back from that, even after Curt goes back to spying he still needs Owen, he has flashbacks to him, telling him, whispering in his ear. Owen's haunting him in the worst way possible and the worst part is that Owen is alive and not only that now he hates Curt.

Post fall I don't think Curt ever recovers. I think that after killing your lover twice you can't come back from that. Again, the man probably died alone. Probably alcohol poisoning, if I had to guess.

Sorry this one is really sad

[clickclicklogin]

sick and tired of this fandom watering down characters like justin and alejandro as "hot men whose roles are nothing more than to look hot".

justin was a professional model when he first appeared on total drama. he was admired by the other contestants and used his looks to get further in the game, which was very evident in action.

i completely understand liking justin and/or alejandro for their looks, it's slightly part of the reason why i like them too, but there's also so much more to them than their looks.

in action, he found his "attraction" to be fading, as shown when lindsay, beth, and courtney don't fall for his charms. he's desperate to change that, which eventually led to his downfall when he tried to convince courtney to date him.

he was severely injured as a result from the fairy tale, and he left without anybody that cared for him and a modeling career destroyed. in the spy episode, it literally showed justin nearly having a breakdown from a cut/bruise (i forgot which was it, but i was a minor injury) and thinking his modeling career was over.

and when he got eliminated in action, nobody even said goodbye to him. the most that was given to him was a non-sympathetic wave of goodbye from courtney.

with alejandro, his backstory is more talked about, specifically in all stars.

in the episode where the hamsters and vultures have to wrestle opponents on the wheel, alejandro is forced to fight his brother, jose. he is clearly pissed as fuck by even being in jose's presence.

jose was known as the "better brother" by literally everyone. this caused alejandro to feel inferior to jose, and i'm pretty sure that's been that way ever since he was born.

in the final world tour episode, it is also said that alejandro hates being called "al" simply because jose calls him that. he hates it so much to the point he got owen eliminated because he called him al. he was distracted by cody in the finale because he kept calling alejandro "al", which just proves how much he hates the nickname.

i understand why people may like him for his looks, but it's so annoying how people just think of him as a handsome guy.

also, when alejandro got transferred into the celebrity manhunt robot by chris, nobody tried searching for him. not heather, not even his family. he was stuck like that, for like, what, a year? maybe even more? depending on the gap between world tour and revenge of the island.

he was alone, isolated from any human contact for more than a year...that is incredibly traumatizing and undeserved, no matter how much you hate him.

my point is, even though characters like justin and alejandro are meant to be attractive and use it to boost their placement in the game, they have so much more personality and backstory behind that.

thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[saccharinemeat]

What are your opinions on Hfjone ships?

oh fucking man

okay imma get crucified , but here we go. opinion on popular ones + my own rareship

Liam/Bryce

fucking SUCKS. it can only work if you're self aware about how absolutely awful and hurtful liam is,and i feel from what ive seen that the fandom just reduces them to 'omg doomed yaoi' and like, woobifies them. This ship only and only works as one sided,forced and extremely toxic (in my eyes). Bryce deserves better than Liam, and liam relentlessly hurts Bryce down to the very goddamn end (← i say this as someone who is currently fuckin obsessed with liam and self recognizes in him 😐)

Liam/Amelia

I like this one. I feel like theyre pretty good for each other, although, it's sort of a doomed one,in the sense of how it would work only if they were to be in the plane forever. I do feel like Amelia sort of lost herself in the plane forever. If those two ever got out, he'd have to take some charge on their shared recovery and Liam is NOT gonna deal with that well. Still a cute ship,and I like it.

Amelia/Charlotte

...why? this feels like pairing the leftover main characters because everyone is focused on the Boys TM. they dont really have any chemistry,like,even theorically i feel like they wouldn't mesh well,unless you wanna make Amelia basically Charlotte's therapist. But yay, women! i can't be mad about this one,really. I don't mind it

Liam/Airy

Lairy is...complicated, emotionally. I can see it actually being a thing,but it's really in a fucked up way. definitely a 'i hope we both die' kind of pairing. I think about it and it gives me heartache that i cant explain. it hurts because they both are awful in different ways but also they are trying. I will say i do enjoy it but in a way that makes me hurt. lots of angst there. I think this one especially benefits from becoming a ship that happens after moldpack being A thing

Liam/Charlotte

Okay this one is not popular,in fact i feel like nobody but me is into it but theres so much potential here. especially the way they would be so horribly,terrifyingly bad to each other. I can imagine Charlotte getting out instead of Bryce,and how different it all would be. her prideful nature and liam's manipulative tendencies are so deliciously wrong. I feel they would bring the worst out of each other. I have a lot to say about them but like. Consider those first 5 months. Liam was as isolated as Charlotte was,he only sorta rejoined the others in the last two months stretch, and I think they might've interacted during that. And just, Charlotte WOULD be interested in solving the mystery,she would jump on that chance because she needs control and Liam would be elated at first and horrified later and AGH it would be so messy and interesting. please ask me more about moldpack. im the charlotte/liam person number 1 fan now.

and now rapid fire other ships,

Oscar/Bryce - can see it,and i feel like it makes sense within Bryce's trauma streak. I can imagine them bonding and it getting a bit too close

Bryce/Stella - I wish this had more exploration,object shipcest is so insanely rare. I like it

Taylor/Amelia - kinda cute,can see it if taylor stayed in the plane. Especially if it starts as a sort of one sided crush that goes too far

Liam/Owen - this is cute,can kinda see it but only in a no-show scenario (as in, ONE never happened and this is a coworker romance thing)

Charlotte/Parker - it upsets me,but i can see them as having hooked up once and Parker catching feelings while Charlotte is super uncomfortable about it and that explains that weird tension.

Bryce/Amelia - eh. sure? it's cute but i dont care for it a lot. also i dont care for sodacentpack a lot,but it's better than sodapack alone i Guess. get ♣️'d lmao

ALSO, the crackship/crossover with showvember

Airy/Popcorn - NO. piss off the joke is boring and lame and IDK i hate it.

[welcometololaland]

Hellooo <3 I and N please <3

hi michelle! thank you for this 💜

I: How many fandoms have you written in?  Do you have a favorite?

I've written for (counts on fingers) 5 fandoms i think? 2 that i don't write for anymore, and 3 that i do. i don't want to choose a favourite but if i had to, it would be between LS and RWRB.

N: Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share?

Currently, I'm battling my way through Eurotrip (RWRB) and finishing the 10 Things I Hate About You AU (Tarlos). I have another Tarlos idea kicking around which is a canon divergence from season 1. Originally, it was a funny, short idea about speeding fines, but suddenly it has become a deep and meaningful 10 chapter fic with Owen Chaos™️ and a lot of feelings? I scare myself, why can't I just write a nice one shot? Also, I want to write The Ring In sequel.

thank you for the asks! 💜

Fic Writer Ask Game

[herefortarlos]

hi desi! :)

For the end of nice ask week: 

Fox needs help resolving some plot lines. How would you write to resolve any plot line of your choosing in season 5?

Do you have any pets? 

Thank you so much for the ask Rachel 🥰 I apologize for taking so long to answer! My mind was mush last week and I wanted to make sure I took the time to feel better and give this a good response!

Oh boy, so the notable plot lines that better be addressed and resolved next season that I can think of are obviously Gabriel's murder, Judd no longer being a firefighter to take care of Wyatt and Owen helping his brother to end his life.

I know everyone has talked about what they would like to see with solving Gabriel's murder and honestly that's the plot line I care about most because it involves our boys!! I really hope they do it justice and TK and Carlos actually work together! I don't want Carlos keeping more secrets from TK in season 5, especially after TK prevented Carlos from making the biggest mistake of his life, so they better keep that continuity going of Carlos being open and honest with his husband from now on! As much as I hate seeing either of our boys hurt, I am a huge sucker for the idea of one of them being targeted, kidnapped or hurt because they are getting too close to the truth behind Gabriel's murder. Is it too much to have one of them kidnapped twice now? 😆 We know Carlos is a good detective and when it involves Carlos, we have seen TK solve a cold case that the police had years to solve but didn't! So I think either of them could be the kidnapped and rescuer! And again, I hate seeing our boys in danger, I mean it 😂, but I really want to see them panicking and scared of losing their HUSBAND, doing everything they can and finally finding them, somehow taking down the bad guy but TK or Carlos has been seriously injured, and there's that brief minute of fear of did we lose him, were we too late 😢. But then the scene changes to a hospital room with the other waking up in bed and the other comforts them and assures them that everything is okay now 😭 And then Carlos finally decides to either take the detective's exam or join the Texas Rangers, I'm not sure I have a preference with this yet. On one hand he could carry on Gabriel's legacy and on the other he could go down his own path, which I think Gabriel would be proud of too! So yes, like so many others in the fandom, I would like to be in that writers room and make sure they do a damn good job with this plot line!!

And unfortunately I do not have pets yet!! But I'm hoping this is the year I can finally get a cat or dog!!

[doublel27]

Anon is right tho. I mean it's lovely how much carlos loves TK and how he's not afraid to show it but we need to see the same effort from tk too. Now, don't get me wrong I'm not trying to hate on TK or tarlos I know they love each other equally but unfortunately they're not showing that. Like I was really hoping for tk to call carlos his soulmate but I guess we can't have everything.

Sorry for the rant but this episode is kind of let down for me and I'm sad because I was so excited for this episode and now it's 5am and I can't sleep 😅

Firstly, I want to start by saying that it sucks to be disappointed by something you were looking forward to. Especially something like a television show that is usually a comfort and is very much controlled by real people.

Second, dear nonny, I would like to say as much as I enjoyed this episode my feelings are not without some critique. I have sucked my spouse into Lone Star with me and our major critique is one that has been a problem with this show for a long time.

Tim Minear and the writers room over-write for their episodes and then film all of they and sometimes in editing/post production they’re so intent on fitting everything in that things feel very surface or not fully fleshed out. I felt that way about all of tonight’s storylines. There was more to mine, but it all got left very shallow.

That being said, I do fundamentally disagree about TK not showing love back to Carlos in this episode.

First, I’m going to start with context. TK was just told by his father that he has a 1 in 4 chance of having a genetic neurodegenative disease that could take him (if they have the gene) anytime in the next 5-20 years.

And Huntington’s is no joke. It’s like taking Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS and sticking them in a blender with steroids. It’s devastating and relentless and there’s a reason Robert is asking Owen to help him live out the end of his life instead of his wife and children. And TK is a medical professional who understands exactly what the progress might be.

And so he doesn’t lie and he doesn’t hide it, but he stays up until Carlos is off shift to have the conversation because TK loves Carlos too much to want to burden him with the reality of this disease.

But this is one of the first times all season that TK has been the one who needed comforting. So I’m not surprised that Carlos is the one that said the soulmates line. Because TK needs reassurance that this isn’t a line too far for Carlos.

TK has been doing that for Carlos all season.

TK looked Carlos straight in the face when Carlos explained the Iris situation and just said “alright, what do we have to do.” Many members of the fandom wanted him to be mad or petty or jealous or have feelings and while there were feelings, TK put Carlos first and helped to take care of the barriers in their way.

When Carlos was kidnapped and didn’t come home, TK was the one who tirelessly advocated that something was wrong. He figured out the pharmacy connection and then he literally saved Carlos’s life and had very romantic conversation as they loaded into the ambulance.

TK then, a man who has been having conversations about having kids since season one, faced with the fact that Carlos didn’t want kids gave up his dream and plans for fatherhood because Carlos is more important. Like…he cooked fucking dinner (how many phone calls with Tommy and Paul were there to get that together) and told Carlos it didn’t matter if Carlos was ever ready for kids because Carlos is all the family he needs. That’s a level of conflict that often leads to broken engagements and divorce.

This is all THIS season. Seasons two and three TK gave every romantic speech this couple had. Carlos is just getting here with words this season. And it’s beautiful growth for both of them.

[independence1776]

19 Questions Meme

Supposed to be 20 questions, but one seems to have vanished along the way. Thank you to @spiced-wine-fic for tagging me.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 120, though some of those are moodboards instead of fic.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 492,336 words. I'm not prolific.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Star Wars, in the Kanan comics niche of the Rebels subfandom but I also work in rather a lot of Prequels-related material and I love the JFO/Survivor era. I also wrote a lot in the Tolkien fandom, Silmarillion side, but I'm only dipping my toes into the fandom at the moment and I'm not sure I'll return in depth.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? 

I am not the world's biggest fan of sorting by kudos; kudos doesn't mean best, it simply means popular. And often in the case of AO3, it means "in a popular fandom" so it skews results. There are plenty of fantastic fics that don't have a lot of kudos. And just because they're in the top-5 doesn't mean the author thinks they're their best works.

I'll step off my soapbox now. In order from most to least: To Remake the Universe (MCU), In Deep or In Darkness (MCU-Young Wizards crossover), Never Discussed But Silently Acknowledged (Star Wars), An Unexpected Welcome (Tolkien), Evolving Roles (Star Wars).

5. Do you respond to comments? Always. On one level, it's simply polite to say "thank you" to compliments. On an entirely different level, commenting on fics was how I found fandom friends, especially in my early years in fandom.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? The one where I killed (BBC) Merlin.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? *shrugs* I mostly write happy endings. Readers' choice of which is the happiest. 

8. Do you get hate on fics? A few times. I'm generally able to laugh about it now. There are a couple of hate comments I find truly hilarious.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Nope.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Love 'em. I write a lot of Star Wars-Tolkien crossovers. I have no idea which one people would think is the most out there.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes. The two I know of are on AO3 but there have been a handful of others over the years that people asked if they could translate and I have no idea if they ever were, where they were posted, or (at this end of time) even what stories they were.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? A fic, no, but for a bit, I co-wrote a short-lived series.

13. What’s your all time favorite ship? Elrond/Celebrían for Tolkien. For Star Wars, Han/Leia and Padme/Anakin. Favorite noncanon Star Wars is Owen/Beru/Obi-Wan.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? ...So I posted a WIP a couple of weeks ago. It is the only WIP I've posted because my policy is to only post completed fics. I'd hoped that I'd get some encouragement to write more but I'm honestly not sure anyone realized it was a WIP because I didn't get encouragement to continue or a single "looking forward to more!" type of comment. I lost the little bit of enthusiasm I had because I'd been stalled on the fic for a while (I began writing it in fall 2020!) and it really feels like I could walk away from it and no one would care.

15. What are your writing strengths? I am sadly the type of writer who has a hard time seeing her strengths.

16. What are your writing weaknesses? Description is my go-too weakness. You can probably add writing romance to this.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I prefer not to except for dramatic effect. I'm, for better or worse, monolingual. And I refuse to learn conlangs just to read a fic. If there's too much dialogue in a conlang, I'll hit the back button.

18. First fandom you wrote for? Mutant X.

19. Favourite fic you’ve written? I don't have an answer for that. Or at least a permanent one; there's a handful of fics that rotate through that position depending on mood, time of day, opinion toward the fandom, etc.

[pimento-playing-hopscotch]

Hi Kerry, here are some Nice Ask Weeks questions for you!!

1. What about TK’s character interested you the most in exploring his backstory, and what made you decide to explore what it would have been like had he had a little sister?☺️

2. If we were to get a flashback in s5 to a point in TK’s life, at what age would you prefer the flashback to be set?

3. What about the show made you join the fandom and is this the first fandom you’ve been in?:)

I wish you a wonderful weekend🌼☺️🌼☺️

Hi Mar! 😍💝

Oh my.... first off, I want to apologize for how unhinged the answer to this question might get and also in advance if I give you a bunch of information you didn't want- The biggest reason is the cliche reason of write the fic you yourself would want to read. I came into the LS fandom when season three had just aired, and I adored TK and Owen's relationship in the first season, and the third season did this SO dirty - like there were literally so many times they could have, should have included a scene for them and just didn't- and because of this/the Gwyn stuff, when I went looking for sweet Strand family feels fic, if it didn't have a publication date of 2020, was some version of, "Gwyn is the ONLY parent TK has ever known and Owen was not there for TK once, IN HIS LIFE, they were basically STRANGERS the day TK didn't come to work and Owen clocked that as something being wrong - and I respect everyone's right to write whatever fic they want. I would never tell any of those writers I didn't agree with them, because they had their opinion and I had mine (also I'm sorry I make way too many references, please throw something at me) but in the show The Good Wife, there's a judge who makes every lawyer preface their statements with "in my opinion" and I was like is that a nifty idea! Because I'm not going to say my take on their relationship is THE right one because it's just how I see it. Before I started my long fic I was just writing cute Strand family stories that are shorter because I didn't find those, so I wrote them. Also (and there is a very long, unhinged post that I don't think I'll ever be brave enough to write about how much it grinds my gears they killed Gwyn off) but I truly hate that they killed her off, I don't think it was the right decision or that it has served TK's character arc, and also, I think Gwyn and Owen are such strong characters and they both love their family so fiercely. Which brings us to the cliched reasons - the things of write what you know and only you could write this fic this way, I was like pfft so made up, and then I spent a year writing a fic over 200,000 words with no end in sight about children of divorce who felt very loved by their parents... and realized that yes, this was written by a child of divorce who felt very loved by her parents. Like in the show, I was also seven when my parents divorced (albeit for a much, much more cliched of a reason) and something that I really strongly see and relate to is that despite what has happened, TK loves and has always felt loved by his parents, and has never had to question that. It doesn't mean they haven't let him down and it doesn't mean that everything's perfect- it's like an early episode of Scrubs where their parents all visit and Dr. Cox tells JD, "Every one of our parents does considerable emotional damage". This is very true, and (I swear I'm trying to be concise and just failing) and I know that so many people's parents fail their kids in this respect and they don't get to have that relationship, but if you do have that bond that the Strands do and that love is never questioned (especially as TK has stated his parents were there for him any time he relapsed), then you look past the times they didn't measure up because they mean so much to you; and I really see that in TK's relationships with both his parents. And TK is just so sweet and so caring and if there are too many characters on TV that are an only child I will be like .... but what if they were a big brother/sister? (Me watching the first three years of teen wolf: why do none of them have brothers and sisters lol) Also because (this probable doesn't come as a surprise given that it's 50 chapters deep lol) writing TK as a big brother is really, really fun for me - because he would be the kid who was so excited his mom was having a baby and wanted to help as much as he could and tell his whole class it's his baby - TK Strand is a character that is very fun to write at any age

I would love to see a flashback to the beginning of his relationship with Alex; just because I'm so curious about what it was about Alex that made TK want to propose, (this would also be hard because it would be so different from his relationship with Carlos, but it's a very curious time to me)

It's the first fandom I've been in like this; probably yes, cause I don't think any other fandoms (like Teen Wolf) I was actively a part of like wrote for it- I did not expect to love this show this much - I'm a big parks and rec/west wing/outsiders fan and was like Rob Lowe as a dad- well sure- and then by the time the title card aired I was like "WHAT IS THIS SHOW" like it still amazes me how fleshed out almost every character is in the pilot/first season. Like - I hadn't written anything for 13 years before I started watching LS- but the characters they provided us with were too good to ignore

Thank you for the ask 🥰- and sorry I ramble too much 🫣🫣

[bluejaysandblackbats]

The Brother Trap

Fandom: DC Comics, Flashfam

Summary: Owen wants to connect with his half-brothers for the first time. Luckily for him, they all go to the same university. Will bad blood between twins keep Owen from the family of his dreams, or is he the missing piece they've always needed?

Chapters: 5/?

Characters: Owen Mercer, Axel Walker, Thad Thawne, Bart Allen, Meloni Thawne, Deborah Morgna, Preston Lindsay, President Thaddeus Thawne Mention

Relationships: Owen Mercer/Axel Walker, Thad Thawne/Deborah Morgna, PrestonBart

Additional Tags: POV Third Person, College AU, Angst and Fluff, Family Dynamics, Family Issues, No Powers AU

Chapter Five: Sportsmanship

Owen sat at the top of the bleachers watching the sunrise. He hadn't been able to sleep, so he thought it'd be nice to be out in the open air. Someone tapped his shoulder and startled him. He turned around to look Thad in the eye. "Jeez, how'd you—? Good morning, Thad," Owen whispered.

"Morning," Thad mumbled. Owen offered him some hot tea. "No thanks."

"Thad, is something bothering you?" Owen whispered. Thad nodded and looked straight out into the horizon.

Thad wanted to say something, so Owen stayed silent. He didn't want to risk cutting Thad off and having him shut down. "Bart and I have sleeping problems. He gets restless, and I have nightmares. Sometimes, I wake up from a nightmare, and I watch him until I can go back to sleep," Thad confessed, "I think it's the nicest thing he can do for me sometimes. It's the only time when I don't feel... Inferior."

Owen took a sip of tea and nodded, waiting for Thad to continue. When he didn't, Owen asked about his nightmares. "Sometimes my mom had to go away for work, and she'd leave us with family or friends of the family... But we're twins, and sometimes that can be a lot to handle, so we'd be split up for whatever time she was gone. I'd usually stay with our grandpa, and he'd go stay with our Uncle Max," Thad took a breath, "He's not really our uncle. He just cares about us... About Bart."

"Yeah, what's your grandpa like?" Owen asked.

"Well, he was rigid, competitive, cold. Nothing I did was ever good enough," Thad explained, "Bart and I were fourteen in track together. We used to do three events each. Our third was the relay. We were evenly matched back then, so we took turns being an anchor.

Grandpa showed up to watch us race, and everything was going great. I was the anchor, but our third was slow on the exchange, and I got second. I knew what Grandpa would say, and when Bart came to congratulate me after the race, I snapped at him. I hit him, and I'll never be able to take that back.

I have nightmares about losing him all the time, but I can't tell him that. I haven't earned the right to tell him that-."

"Thad, I'm no expert on siblings or anything, but maybe telling him about stuff like that'll make you seem more human to him. I was mentored by a guy a while back to keep me out of trouble after my dad died, and I hated him. I thought he was such a jerk. Then one day, I saw him fall apart at his desk. After that, he didn't seem so terrible. He seemed like a regular guy trying to make a difference," Owen explained, "Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't want to lose you either. Maybe he thinks you hate him."

"I don't," Thad blurted out, but he understood what Owen meant. "But if I tell him about that, I'll have to tell him how I put in the applications for us to be roommates."

"He'll get over it, but I'd open with that. Bart's got a pretty short attention span," Owen replied. Thad nodded.

"Are you gonna be here for a while?" Thad questioned. Owen nodded. "I'm gonna race Bart this morning..."

"Why?" Owen asked. Thad shrank down and pulled his hood up.

"Swear you won't laugh," Thad commanded in a feeble voice.

Owen punched him in the shoulder playfully. "On my life," he answered gently.

"I wanted him to show me how to play rugby. I didn't wanna tell you that I don't know how to play because I wanted to hang out with you," Thad confessed.

"I kinda figured you didn't know what rugby was... The thing is, I don't care what we do this week. I just wanted to hang out with you," Owen revealed. As the sun rose, they heard the loud snapping noise of skateboard wheels rolling over the cracks on the sidewalk.

"Bart's here," Thad whispered. Owen offered to hold Thad's jacket for him until he got back.

He watched as Thad rushed down the bleachers to the track and met with Bart. They exchanged words, and Thad pointed up at Owen. Bart waved, and Owen waved back. "Can you tell us when?" Bart yelled.

"Let me know when you're ready!" Owen yelled as he took his duffel and Thad's jacket down to the benches by the track. Bart and Thad stretched and took their marks. Thad looked serious, but Bart seemed beside himself with joy. "Well, you're already on your marks," Owen joked, "Get set... Go!"

The twins took off with a sprint, and Owen sat down on the benches. He took out his phone and videotaped the race, which worked out in everyone's favor because it was close. Bart won by a hair, but Bart didn't stop to see who won before embracing Thad. He picked him up and swung him around. Owen scratched his head and chuckled to himself.

Bart let Thad go, and Thad dusted himself off. He said something to Bart, and they waved Owen over. He walked over to the twins, and Thad invited him to breakfast. "Do you have morning classes today?" Thad asked.

"No, I was just here to watch the sun come up," Owen answered. They walked to the Big Belly Burger together, and the girl from the night shift was back at the register. "Hey, Thad, that's the girl from the other night." He gave Thad a gentle shove forward. "Go talk to her."

Thad approached the register, and the girl smiled at him. "I like your hair," she whispered.

"Oh, I was gonna fix it-."

"Don't," she whispered, "I'm Deb."

"Thad," Thad whispered. Deb smiled at him.

"Can I take your order?" Deb asked. Thad ordered breakfast, and she wrote her number on the back of the receipt. "Maybe I could spike it for you sometime."

"Huh?" Thad asked.

"Your hair," Deb clarified. She gave him three cups, and Thad chuckled and nodded on his way to the table. Owen nudged him, and his face reddened. He took the receipt and put her number into his phone before sending a text message. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and smiled.

Bart took two cups to fill up with soda, and Thad sat up as if he'd just remembered something. "My mom plays cards twice a month. Once with me and once with Bart... My mom wanted me to ask if you wanted to join us this weekend? It's an open thing-."

"Yeah, okay," Owen answered without thinking. He took a sip of his soda and immediately changed the subject. "You should ask that girl out."

"Yeah?" Thad asked. Owen took another sip of soda and nodded.

"What'd she say to you?" Owen questioned.

"She said she liked my hair," Thad whispered. Owen smiled. "I guess it's not that bad." Thad pulled at his bangs, and Owen chuckled.

Bart sat back down and brought their food over. He had a hashbrown in his mouth. Thad took the bag and chuckled. Bart and Thad didn't say much to one another. Owen didn't mind, though. He could tell they were getting along. "There's a party Friday night," Owen announced, "We should all go."

Thad looked at Bart. "Sounds good to me," Bart replied.

"Okay, I'm game," Thad agreed. Owen smiled and snapped a picture of them. Bart went back to eating, and Thad reached for Owen's phone. "Here, let's get one good one." The three of them pulled in and took pictures together. Owen sent them to his brothers, and he saved one of the pictures as his home screen.