#i'm sorry but some of y'all need to try to develop some kind of sense of humor 😩

[manny-jacinto]

if it's such a hassle and brings you no joy then why even bother giffing pedro stuff? I see you and a couple other Pedro posters complain like it's a job/obligation pretty often and I don't get it. you don't HAVE to gif everything, you can just do what you want. if you're burnt out you don't have to do anything at all. is a couple thousand notes really worth it?

i will ask this very seriously: baby girl, have you ever talked to people in real life? 😭😭😭

i've just said that i'm super tired and that he ended me with his new shoot (in the good way). i guess it's a strange concept to people but exaggeration can be funny fdkjnvdkjnvfdv

[lillysilvermoon]

What April will bring to you?

Pile 1

Hi pile 1! So I see that a lot of you are going through a difficult time in life. Some of you maybe are over thinkers and are feeling restricted by your own thoughts or a situation (for some I feel it's your environment that makes you feel this away). I think a lot of people here are going through end of cycles and has been really hard, especially because some of this ends are feeling like some kind of betrayal (I am so sorry Pile 1🥺) I feel like it is the end of friendship and relationship for a lot of you. BUT I have good news to y'all. This situation is because you are not seeing the BIG PICTURE, I know has been hard, believe me I know how it feels, but what I heard someone's guide say is "she is not realizing that SHE can figure it out! That's the lesson, it's all with her" and even tho not everyone reading this is a "her" I think this applies to a lot, really A LOT of you. Here me out: we can't control everything in life, endings can create space for new opportunities to emerge and hold on tight in this situation/relationship/thing will only cause you pain. April asks you go stabilize your energy, to try control less and go with the flow more. This month you bring you more balance and patience (for some it's what you will need to learn or work to be better at) and avoid extremes, maintain a sense of calm. I have a very good example: you know tiktok trend that "omg you wronged with me now I am the most BAD BICTH here me out are you seeing how bad I'm now?? Yeah now I hate you and don't care about anyone" it's what I'm talking about. Hate someone it's exhausting, and I'm NOT saying to have the toxic positive also, because this is a extreme too. Just.. focus on you in april okay? Focus on develope more patience, a calm mind and take care of yourself. April will be all about this, this "mind care" you know? And also to learn to go with the flow more, it's a big thing here.

April is about change, shapeshifting maybe, something is developing in y'alls lives. You know all this struggles and cycles? It's finalizing, and you know what the guide said about you can change the situation? This card here (it's from moonology oracle) says that YOU can still change the course of this outcome (you are in a toxic relationship and are thinking this is a sign that "ong I can change him/her blablabla" IT IS >NOT< but you can change the fact that you are in this relationship and put a end at it).

This card also talks about the need of more flexibility in situations.

I highly recommend to calm your mind because maybe will have some very emotional intense situations in this moment, maybe related to family issues (but don't worry, usually this card indicates the end of some challenge. It's also time to overcome your insecurities and stand up for yourself.

Signs: Roses, flowers, lake, oak trees (this was to specific lmao), landscape and horses (maybe you should check out Pile 2??) 4444, 6666, 222

Pile 2

Hi pile 2! Let's get into your reading, shall we?

So I think y'all have been working on something and its kind weighting on your shoulders. Maybe you are feeling overburdened, overloaded and/or having too much responsibilities and challenges, and because of this you feel like your life are lacking spontaneity... I HAVE GOOD NEWS!!!!!! I know has been hard, but you are almost there with whatever you are doing. April you brings to you lots and lots of good moments with family and friends, and for a very small group a lover (possible Soulmate connection) a feeling of true contentment you know? You will feel more confident and have the drive to overcome obstacles and moving forward in a very positive direction, I feel you will learn how to channel you inner power with very fierce dedication to bring your goals to fruition, and even tho will have work to do, will feel much more spontaneous and just happy in general, a sense of confidence in what you are doing. You will have more time to enjoy with friends and when is time to work again you'll be feeling happy and energized.

It's a moment to you stop and think abouts what you learned from your experiences rather than blindly forging ahead,you need to face your fears because they may be holding you back (you are also being called to listen to your feelings and allow your emotions to be free) it's important to you to have faith that whatever happens will be for the best. Some of you REALLY need time out for your own good and health, breathe, have time to relax because you just CAN'T be "on" all the damn time gosh, also if you feel you've hit an obstacle or failed in some way, now is the time to reflect about it and how you can do things differently next time (without judging yourself please, I feel I have to emphasize this a lot, don't be so hard on yourself you are just human)

Signs: books, wood/smelling of woods, barbie movies, color link, number 8 (I think it's a date, caterina, 222, 5555, 66, pisces, cancer

Pile 3

Hi Pile 3, welcome to your reading! I just saw 11:11 when I finished shuffling your cards and was like, literally just the time for to see it and then changed lmao. But let's get started! You may be in between 2 options or 2 paths and you don't know what to do, I think you have been daydreaming and procrastinating because of your indecisiveness and I have to be honest: you need to stop living in this wishful world. Pick and choose, but don't worry because your guides have your back, if you stop and really, REALLY be in silence (no music sir) and hear your intuition you will know which path to go, and be aware that I'm not saying will be easy, but your intuition will help a lot, I feel you may be a water sign because you got more cups, but you can just be very sentimental and make decisions based more on your heart and feelings (I got you🙌💗) and sometimes it's hard to decide where to go, what to do. I feel you need to put EVERYTHING aside, think what you wanna do? What would makes you happy? What you are good at? Those are good questions to begin with, maybe journaling would help too! I feel you maybe have to face you family disapproval depends on your choice and this is weight on you but honestly? It's your life and you have to do what YOU think it's better, because more you get older more you realize it's not worth be miserable just to make out parents/friends/etc happy. Really isn't. When you listen your intuition you will realize what you truly want, and will be easy to choose. April asks you this, and know that you shall succeed. If you are looking for a job or starting a business know that April may bring you a new start in this area, if you are unhappy it's the moment to look for something new and even tho you aren't thinking about work-related stuff it's a moment for a new plan or strategy, it's a moment to do long-term plans and think about where you want to be and who you want to be in the next 12 months, and take steps by this perspective (be realistic). And here this: you CAN be ambitious!!

You need to be more disciplined and realistic, it's also a good month to study or learn something new.

In general april brings you reflection to decide what you want, and once you have make your mind it's all yours, it's a very good month you just need to get off your head and make a choice.

For anyone facing a problem of any kind: it's reaching a solution and a fresh start in your private life is coming! It's also asked to you to take better care of yourself this month and nurture yourself more. And be aware of any insecurity you have, you need to work on them ie they will hold you back (maybe you can't make a decision because of this and as soon you take care of this you will be able to choose more calm!!) Its literally written in the book card that meditation may help with you with insecurities lmao I would give a try.

It's also a good month in family matters.

Oh, and one more thing: don't be to controlling and avoid people who are!

Signs: capricorn, cancer, water, earth, library, candles, green places, owl,55,1111, 22, 66

Pile 4

Hi Pile 4! April you be very rushing, you are progressing and gaining momentum. Lots of good moments and exciting times. If you are working on something you'll see results and you work and sleepless nights you be paying off (for some you may have some holiday romance 😏😏 there is any holidays coming? Here in my country it's just Easter - English is not my language and I actually had to go see how it's said because here it's called Pascoa lmao) you will be feeling more outgoing and full of energy (I am so happy for you Pile 4😭💗💗💗) and optimistic and independent. You will feel called to take charge of things and organize your life. Also, if you have problems to speak your truth, well, april it's looking at this problem and saying "bye bye🤭" because you will work on yourself and will stand up for you unafraid to speak up and be unapologetically you!

But I need y'all to pay attention because it's a general reading, and I see here that some of you might be turning down and refusing offering and after you can feel yearning and regret and then might start focusing on the negative. Don't do that! Sometimes, for a very big amount of reasons, we take decisions that we regret later (sometimes right after lol) but try to train your mind to think this away: it's experience. It's knowledge, take the lesson and live the rest behind with no regrets. If you need to take decisions this month don't be impulsive, contemplate and meditate over this and reevaluate what is best and important for you. Also focus on realizing what makes you feel bored or unhappy and make a change can help a lot.

And I have 2 options here: the first one is that you need to stan firm in whatever situation you are in (maybe you are recovering and things are kind hard) and the second one is that something is stuck, in this case you need to stop and think what is going wrong. Are you being stubborn and doing the same thing again just because worked in the past? If that's the case, it's time to try something new. Anything you are starting this month (business, relationships) may last longer. And you have a reminder to speak your truth (do you know that people who have womb can have problems if they don't speak? Thyroid problems too, This applies to a hell lot of stuff, feelings, traumas, anger. So please, speak. Put this out off you the better way you can) but remember the words you say have consequences and impact in the person who is hearing so be mindful. I also feel I should say this here: someone is interested in manifestation and use affirmations can help a lot, "your words are your wand, you create your own realitye every time you express yourself" (metaphysical Florence Scovel Shinn) so be mindful the away YOU talk to YOURSELF, say kind words to you even if you don't believe in them at first.

Signs: Gemini, fixed signs (taurus, leo, scorpio and aquarius), color red and orange, 444, 111, 333, 555, beach, oceans, trees and bicycles (?? Sometimes this readings are so specific that I just can't-)

Good april for all of you, I hope y'all be okay, happy and take care of yourselves (and drink you water please, also sleep well and eat right please. I worry about you all working too much) see you in my next reading.

Lots of love♡

- Lia

[thebadjoe]

I’m incredibly curious to know your thoughts after last episode. Nico seemingly being the lone Ace culprit, David admitting (truthful or not) to having seen Arei’s body, and whatever was going on with Eden at the end of last episode are all pretty relevant to your theory. Whatcha thinking?

Woot! Someone asked me a question! Hi hi! :D

I'll try not to spoil it too much because I'm currently working on another theory post to explain all of it. But I'll give a few general thoughts anyways. (DRDT CH2 SPOILERS AHEAD, ALTHOUGH I PROLLY DON'T NEED TO DO THAT BUT WANNA DO IT ANYWAYS)

You're right, a lot of what's been revealed this episode has been incredibly relevant to my theory, both positively and negatively.

I was honestly surprised by the culprit reveal. I honestly didn't think that Teruko would choose two suspects rather than only one, the seemingly obvious one (in my eyes). That was an interesting plot twist of sorts, for sure.

But realisticly, I suppose that it makes sense that she would narrow down to two suspects mainly because even though Teruko knows that the tape disappeared within a certain timeframe, she was way too distracted to notice who took the tape and exactly when.

The one thing I don't understand though is people going out of their way to claim that it was actually a third party who commited the crime and took the tape from them (somehow?). I honestly doubt that such kind of final twist would ever happen, especially being this late into the chapter.

I believe that, as it stands, we are supposed to try and solve the murder mystery once and for all between these two suspects in mind : Ace or Eden.

I get it though, sometimes, you just really don't want eitheir of them to get executed, but still, we can't ignore the painful truth and we gotta push through no matter what.

That aside, I was really happy with nearly all the reveals. Not only we got closer to the truth of the case, but we also learned a lot more about some characters. The one that caught my attention the most, surprisingly, was Rose. I didn't realise until this episode how incredibly rough it must've been for her. Poor woman. I'm really looking forward to see her development in the future.

And of course, that goes without saying, but the cutscene with Eden towards the end was just simply amazing! I really enjoyed the voice acting there alongside the repeat of that one song. We also got a lot of character growth out of Teruko, which is always a W in my book.

Oh, sorry! I've been rambling more about my thoughts on the episode by itself rather than explaining what it does to my theory, haha! But yeah, like I said before, I'm not gonna spill the beans on that matter just yet. All of you will find out soon enough in my next theory post... sometimes this week, for sure! (I'll try to push for monday, we'll see!)

I'll say at least one thing though, as a tiny reward for reading all of that. This crime solving theory of mine is starting to look a whole lot better as the chapter 2 goes on. :)

Thanks for reading, y'all. Also thanks for the question, @venus-is-thinking!

[viperra1]

hello it's me again a bit late on the draw but anyway... can you tell me more about Vultures interpersonal relationships... I know you've talked about him and a variety of the companions in particular boone, veronica, and arcade but if you'd like to detail what those are all like? or even just link me to any posts you've made about that cuz I'm super intrigued 🥹🤞

HELLOOO 😭😭 i'm sorry for the late answer!! was feeling sick for a few days and lemme tell you trying to write something coherent in another language while the fever kicks your ass is not fun. at all.

KHEM.

as for your question, thank you SO MUCH for asking!!

vulture and boone did not kick it off perfectly friendly at first, but it did not take long for them to grow closer. they still do bicker about this and that, they can be mad at each other for something (they both have TEMPER..) but first and foremost they are gentle and teasing and they fully trust each other without a shadow of a doubt! they remind onlookers of an old married couple, 'cause they can bicker in one moment and then lovingly sharing dinner and talking about their plans for tomorrow in the next instant. they be like that.

when it comes to tense and uncomfortable situations, they tend to rely on each other - boone can be rational and cold-blooded, something that the other lacks, and vulture can be quick-witted and empathetic (in order to quicky and quetly calm down a hostage, for example).

when they first met, boone thought that vulture's a little crazy and naive at the same time - and helpless, in some matters. he regarded the other with sceptisism, which vulture sensed and it caused him to close off. but then life threw some hard shit to deal with at them, and boone accepted that this man is not so helpless after all (later on, he accepted that vulture is, in fact, more mighty than he thought), and vulture opened up and learned that boone is not a threat but a protector (and a safest place he could ever find).

i got a little carried away with them 😭 OKAY now for vulture's other besties

veronica is a first friend vulture ever had! they met not long after vulture met boone (perhaps i will tell y'all about their first meeting some other time?), and honestly, they embody this rare friend dynamic where you are literally platonic soulmates and you almost never fight and just. live in total harmony. best buddies. they love to pull pranks on the others, and they tease each other constantly. if there's some mischief, they will be in it together, no doubt!

arcade's a bit different, though - i feel like when he got into vulture's party, he felt... off, at first. as if he did not belong in this established group of tightly bonded people (vulture, boone and veronica had travelled together for a lot beforehand). but vulture needed his help, so he pulled through. they dynamic started off as cautious and more bussiness-like than friendly (vulture was... tired and confused, at this point of his story) - they discussed politics, strategies, history, etc. but they will grow closer, because vulture is vulnerable, and arcade is kind and patient, and after some shit that they went through they developed a deep friendly bond. (and they started to tease each other mercilessly, too)

raul......... raul is really like a father-mentor-grandpa-uncle type of figure to vulture. raul was freaking flabbergasted by the kid at first - vulture broke into his impromtu prison cell and literally shoved some notebook at him the moment raul said something with a spanish accent. well, woulnd't you know it! turns out, vulture was mexican, in his sort-of-past life! vulture is ever-curious of anything that might be even loosely related to his past, so they bond over raul's stroies pretty much immideatly. raul is a tired old man, so they don't talk that much - more often than not, vulture would just get them both a beer and a meal and they would quietly eat together on a couch. or they would go out and raul would teach the kid some tricks with a revolver. typical dad activities, no?

i know that vulture's not friendly with cass (more like vice versa) and he adores lily. i just still haven't fleshed out their interactions well enough.

i feel like this is getting too long SO!!!! THANK YEEEWWWWWW sm for asking!! please ask me moreee and you can ask of his relationships with non-companions, i will gLADLY elaborate!!

[starseneyes]

Chenford - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 14

Death Sentence AKA "To Key Or Not to Key..."

SPOILER ALERT: It's about to get real, y'all. So, if you're the kind of person who finds spoilers disturbing, disgusting, or disinteresting (yes, I made up a word), run. This is a Spoiler Zone, and I'll be spoiling the entire episode and possibly everything that came before.

Everyone briefed on the way this works? Fantastic! Let's dive in.

Tim the Boot

Tim's standing in his cargo pants (but not shorts. Sorry first date restaurant) in Lucy's kitchen trying to make coffee in the dark.

And... Oh, I can't go any further. Tim is all domestic at Lucy's! Like, they're not just sleeping together there. I mean, we all knew this relationship was all in from the jump, but here he is making his coffee, getting dressed, and I'm struggling to keep it together because holy shit.

Tim and Lucy have been together maybe two months. They only started sleeping together about three weeks into that.

Back with N*cy was a thing, Lucy didn't want to leave anything at Nolan's. She'd rather go home every morning to keep things casual. Here she is with the love of her life, Tim Bradford... And everything is completely natural.

They have seamlessly made this transition. Yes, Tim does have a go-bag, which we could argue might have clothes in there. But I get the feeling Lucy Chen has cleared out a drawer or two for her man since he shows up later sans-bag. It's conjecture, sure, but it's sexy conjecture, damnit!

And that tumbler looks like the exact one Lucy had when they were brainstorming how to save a kidnapped Angela (after their "almost" night together at Tim's). So... was it Lucy's that she brought home from work to his place that night? Is it Tim's and it's just never gone back to his place? It looks like the same one Lucy had when talking to him at his Desk Job last episode.

Either way, I don't care, because they are sharing a tumbler and it's adorable.

Tim opens a cabinet, maybe looking for a mug for Lucy (it's unclear what his motivation is beyond the gag because he never pulls anything out) but out fall baby Boots. Classic callback to when he moved up to Sergeant.

Tim has been trying so hard to be quiet and not wake anyone. And Lucy planted a noise-maker. There's something so Tim and Lucy about that.

"Did I miss it?" "It's cute."

Awww. This is like them talking about their baby rolling over for the first time and one of them missed it. Also, I love that Lucy likely let him fall asleep, then crept out of bed to set that gag up knowing he needed something out of that cabinet, just so she could prank him.

The Prank energy of Chenford remains! Look, I've seen shows butcher the characters when they get together. For some reason, it's like the ship becomes all that they are and the characters we loved so much disappear into an angry mesh of angst and confusing, unnecessary drama.

Lucy and Tim are still Lucy and Tim. More than any kiss, shirtless scene, or domestic crumb, that is the Writers' greatest gift to us. They haven't sacrificed the two characters we love to serve a story-line that makes little to no sense.

Instead, Tim and Lucy are given the opportunity to thrive separate of one another, but still lean into the relationship they've been developing since Season 1. And we see shades of their phases of relationship throughout their journey in this new one, and that's bloody beautiful.

Seriously, folks. These Writers are crushing it, and I'm so thankful.

"Why are you up so early? I was gonna get a photo of your reaction."

See what I mean!? Think Lucy might've gotten them printed on T-shirts? Or made them her lock screen? Who knows what she would've done, but I love all of it because this is so them!

Photos of her at Midnight. Photos of him with his award. Photos of all the stuff Kojo destroyed. Photos of Tim with his retro radio.

I've heard of photos being a love language, before, but not quite like this. And I love that. This has always been Tim and Lucy's thing. And it still is.

Their wedding slideshow is gonna just be one cringe photo after another, and I low key love that for them.

"The newbie. The Boot." "I'm a sergeant." "Mmm-mmm. You're still a Boot in my book."

I gotta be honest with you, I was never a big fan of the thought of "Boot" being an affectionate name for Tim to call Lucy. Simply because we knew he'd say it to others (like he did with Celina last episode) and it just felt off to me.

But Lucy using it as her pet name for Tim? Love it. There's something so sexy and powerful with her turning that name on him, and us knowing that nobody else could ever get away with that.

She reaches for his jacket (we can barely see it, but that's totally what's happening) to pull her man down to her. And can I say, I love that this is a Lucy thing.

"Did I interrupt something?"

Yes. Yes, you did. AGAIN. Tamara, I swear, we need to put bells on you so we can hear you coming down the hall. Like I know you live here, but can't you see we were about to get new kissage to GIF?

And, Lucy, a sock on the doorknob is not that hard to remember. Gee wiz, people! We need affection, damnit!

Of course, I'm being ridiculous (we don't need physical affection each episode, and it'd be super weird, to me, after whole seasons of them barely touching for it to become the "Chenford Kiss Cam Show"), but it's fun to poke fun at Tamara.

Until it isn't... keep reading to see why.

And I've rewatched this a few times (because I'm psychotic, but also because I'm obsessed with accuracy) and while there's a kissy sound, there's no lip touch from what I can tell. Gosh, that is the weirdest sentence I've ever written.

So, I'm not entirely sure what happened there. I even checked the subtitles to see if I'd missed a "smooches" the first time through watching it live, and it's not. "Door Opens" is, but not "smooches".

So, based on what I can see, I'm going to go with Tamara interrupting them pre-kiss, again, with both of them looking to the door in surprise... again. (They're even turning their heads the same way despite being in a different location in the room).

"You're gonna be great today. Knock 'em dead."

You're knocking me dead with that encouragement! Ahhhh. Tim Bradford is finally with a woman who supports his profession, understands his talent, and encourages him with every ounce of her energy.

And Lucy Chen is finally with someone who supports her profession, understands her talent, and appreciates her with every ounce of his energy.

Finally, Tim and Lucy have their person. My husband is that person for me. When I worked full time at a brick-and-mortar, had toddler twins, and we were trying for another kid, I told him I wanted to go to grad school. His response? "Go."

After 13 months of coursework, one complicated delivery of a brilliant baby girl, and the thesis professor from hell... I graduated with a 4.0 and no debt thanks to a host of scholarships and grants. But none of it would have been possible without my person.

And I can't tell you how stoked I am that Tim and Lucy have found theirs.

Tim says goodbye, but as he's pulling the door closed, he's looking back at Lucy with a small smile that's just for her. Lucy giggles in response. I love her giggle.

And Tamara is giving her a look that Tim can't see as he closes the door that is cracking me up.

"Good morning." "Whatever." "He is!"

This cracked me up so much because it definitely has "Family" energy. Tamara knows how absolutely over-the-top Lucy is being compared to anyone else in her life—but Tamara doesn't know how much Tim truly needs someone to believe in him.

He still has doubts about himself. Not when he's in motion as a cop, but as a man. He's still trying hard not to become the only example he ever had of manhood—an alcoholic father with a wicked right hook and no remorse.

Lucy is the only person besides his sister, perhaps, who truly understands all these facets of Tim. But Tamara has to poke fun a little, because from an outside perspective, it really does feel like a Mom giving her kid that little bit of extra encouragement before the first day at a new school.

"Bradford, this isn't Patrol. This is Metro. Major crimes, terrorism, barricades, hostages. We are an elite unit. Your form's gotta be perfect, man."

The Lieutenant seems solid on him, but the team is definitely giving him crap.

"Don't worry. Happens to everyone. Metro takes some getting used to. You'll get it."

I really like Lieutenant Pine. She's a hard-ass, but she's a smart hard-ass. And I truly believe she means it.

Tim hasn't been on the outside in a very long time, if ever.

Think about it. When you join the Military, you typically have to go through Boot Camp with other new recruits, right? If you Enlist, I mean. So, Tim was at the bottom of the food chain, but he wasn't alone there. He had others on the same level.

Same with being a Rookie in the Police Force. You go to the Training Academy with others who become Rookies, and then you move up. For all we know, Tim's never left his first Station.

This is the first time he's coming into an established team of folks that he's expected to lead and build an instant bond with. This is intimidating shit.

And now he can't even do one simple thing that he's done a million times? He's on edge. Because, work has been the one place he's always been secure in life. And now that he's finally secure in love and friendship, that's the thing that feels unsteady. It's a new feeling, and it's tough for Tim to swallow.

"Lucy Chen, fist of justice." "What are you doing?" "Hi!"

Watch Eric Winter's face in the background of this scene as he approaches. Yes, I'm aware he's Tim Bradford when the camera's rolling, but this is a master actor reacting.

Look, I know the phrase "acting is reacting" can seem cliché, but it's absolutely accurate. I used to call it "listening".

In 2003, I had to go see a play as part of my theater appreciation course at University. The first Act was fine, but the second was so dull I was aching for something to break through. Then, I saw this man out of the corner of my eye. There were 20 people on that stage, but he was the only one listening. Then, he stood and opened his mouth. I remember thinking, "Finally, there's an actor on this stage."

When I went home that night, my Dad asked for my review. I gave it and told him there was one actor who really blew me away. Someone I didn't know I'd nearly met several times in the year before... who I'd nearly meet a few more times before the next month when I would finally meet him... the man I married.

So, Matthew, if you ever read these bloody things, remember that I spotted you as a tremendous actor before we even knew one another. You're just that bloody good, loveyby.

*ahem* Back to Tim. Lucy. Aaron... and an imaginary action figure.

Because Aaron saw her boyfriend coming and instead of warning her he just thought, "Nah, I'm gonna let this play out". Sunshine met Grumpy as she turned around to face Tim, his sole box of work possessions in-hand.

And special shout-out to The Rookie's socials for posting a nice shot of EW carrying the box. We can clearly see his scissors (I love that style. Yes, I'm office-supply obsessed, why do you ask?), a framed certificate, pencils (look like Ticonderoga from here), a baseball glove/baseball (hell, yeah, Little League Co-Coach), and a few other framed items.

That's it. Years and Years at the Station, and he's such a minimalist. I mean, it matches his house. Tim is not a hoarder. Meanwhile, it took four trips to empty me out of my last brick-and-mortar because I had to bring in every bulletin board from home, every clipboard, every lamp, and every post-it-note. The fun of working for a humanitarian nonprofit! Loved what I did. Hated the office supply budget.

"I'm working on my side hustle. Oh, what's on your head?"

She is trying so hard not to touch it. She really just wants to affectionately wipe it off of his head. But he really doesn't want that.

This is his first day and he's annoyed that he's died over and over and over (like poor Judy Hopps in Zootopia—"You're dead fluffy bunny!"). He's been at the top of his game for so long, and now he really is the "Boot" at the bottom of the chain.

And he doesn't want her to know. It reminds me of 5x05 when he was in the hospital and didn't want her to know he was paralyzed. Then, he didn't want her to worry. Same thing, now, just a different angle.

She has so much faith and belief in him, and he doesn't want to let her down.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing" is never "nothing" with Tim. It wasn't nothing when he told Lucy nothing was going on with him. It wasn't nothing when he told Nolan he wasn't doing anything the night before.

And Lucy knows it. Watch her face as he breezes by. She can see that something's up with him, but she's not going to call him out on it in front of Aaron.

"Metro-Police Liaison, best of both worlds."

I love how Lucy leans right alongside the wall at his door, like a high school girl who isn't ready to watch her boyfriend walk into his next class when hers is down the hall.

Tim pushes in, first, but Lucy is quick behind him to get a look at their new hook up space his new office. The generic motivational posters are killing me.

"Well, at least it won't take too long to move in." "No." *giggle*

Tim kicks her out, but she sidles up to the window to get a good view.

Tim in Metro gear is objectively a good view. Like, I'm a demisexual, so I might not feel sexual attraction like some of y'all, but I do feel like Michelangelo might have picked a different model for David if Eric Winter had been around back then.

Aaron and Lucy give the most awkward thumbs up—perhaps their personal call back to Tim's ridiculous habit of doing that in awkward situations—and he gives a patented fake smile before closing the blinds. He looks right at Lucy as they go down.

And Lucy's indignation is sending me. Tim and Lucy are still Tim and Lucy.

Lucy playing Mom to Aaron, then Tamara Calls

Lucy is a bit of a Mother Hen. She can't help it. Caring is built into her personality, and if she sees someone flailing, she's going to throw out the life preserver to help. Some of them take it. Some of them don't, but it's in her personality to want to help.

And Tamara calling makes me so happy. Because, back in the day, Tamara wasn't sure she could count on Lucy. But, now, Lucy is her first call when something is off. That trust is beautiful, and earned, and it's been a really special relationship to watch throughout the series.

"I'm taking a poll. How old were you when you did your first load of laundry?"

This makes me laugh so much. In the early seasons, Jackson, Lucy and Nolan were the OT3. They were Rookies banding together. But by the time they all moved up to P2 and then Jackson died, they didn't have as much reason to be together all the time. They moved on.

But Lucy doesn't let connections go with people she cares about. They are still friends. And I bet she bloody radio'd everyone to ask their ages, which has me screaming because they had to be so awkward for Aaron, and I am here for it.

"Yeah, Bradford, nice!" *Applause* "

You can see Tim sigh with relief as the bell sounds off.

"Well, clearly you've got the goods to be here. And now that you're one of us, you get the company ink."

Look, I was a little confused at the top of this scene with the call for ink. That seems a little... cult-ish. Forcing people to get the same tattoo (and Tim totally called it out). But I can totally roll with the unicorn stickers. My kids all put stickers all over me as kids, so Tim might as well get used to this before he and Lucy extend their family.

Why do I say "extend"? Well, Tim and Lucy already have a family. Their Found Family. And Tamara is a part of it. This little family will grow... someday.

"They're testing you, seeing how far you'll bend. " Yeah, I saw the same kind of thing when I was in the military." "Not about how many stripes on your sleeves with this crew." "It's all good. Team building." "If you're gonna lead this team, they need to know who you are. Show them the Tim Bradford that was tapped to join Metro in the first place."

I really love Lt. Pine. She's letting her Team be who they are, but she's coming in to give Tim the translations after. So, they don't have to break the rhythm they have, but she's giving him the beat so he can find his way into the music.

But Tim's pensive. Being on the outside sucks. And we already talked about how long it's been since Tim's truly been on the outside, if ever. He needs the opportunity to show them who he is, but sometimes even Tim is unsure.

Even during the exercise, they were talking about personal lives. Well, Tim keeps personal out of professional. He has boxes that he keeps everything in, and personal life is checked at the door. But these folks are so tightly woven together that all those crisp, hard lines to which Tim clings start to blur within this team.

It's not going to be easy for Tim. He was so excited about coming over, and I think he still is. But the realities of being on the outside can be tough, even for someone as closed off as Tim Bradford.

"I'm, like, really good friends with the cops here... You can call me, whenever you want, even if it's just to talk, got it?"

Tamara is a really great person. Look, she has made some interesting choices in the past (selling Lucy's car), but she is an incredible person, and I feel like she's passing on the compassion she learned from Lucy.

Lucy's gonna be such a great Mom someday.

And I'm not trying to rush a Chenford baby. But, if we look at Tamara as Lucy's older, first child... we know those younger kids will be just fine whenever they come along.

Lucy and Angela working together

One thing I'm loving about what they're doing this season is changing up who works with whom, so we get a different dynamic with the same characters we love. I adore that it's three powerful women in this scene.

Angela is my #3 of the show behind Tim and Lucy (and Lucy's a strong second). She's showing (again) that an expectant Mom can still be a badass at work.

And as someone who sucks at Stay-at-home-Momming (briefly tried it during maternity leave... I'm not built for it), I'm grateful. I love working. And I'm capable, whether or not I'm pregnant.

"And you're working the night shift somewhere... this morning you were not coming home from a party, not dressed like that. You were coming home from a job. What's going on with you? You need money or something?" "I gotta get that first month, last month and security deposit."

The shock on Lucy's face. She put together that something was up, but I know she didn't expect this.

And the music saying, "Now you're leaving"?! Oh, someone planted that to break my heart a little.

"It's not like I can stay here forever." "Why would you say that? Of course you can." "How's that gonna work? You, me, and Tim?"

How little was Chris spending the night? Like, seriously. Because they were together a lot longer than Tim and Lucy have been, thus far, and Chenford have only been making the two-headed beast for a few weeks, now.

Just a few weeks ago Tamara was offering to blare her music and clear out. But now she's ready to move?! How loud are Tim and Lucy!? Like, I'm sure Lucy can invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones for you that are higher quality.

I also wonder if the end of the Chris era plays into this. Chris wanted Lucy to move, but he was willing to take Tamara with them.

Maybe the thought of being that third wheel was really unsettling to her, and she was secretly glad when Chris was out of the picture, and she got back to her status quo with her bitchin' cop roommate....

Only for Lucy and Tim to get serious fast. Yes, they took it slow physically (because everyone's definition of "slow" varies), but they dove headfirst into the emotional commitment to one another.

There was never any doubt in either of their minds that this is it for both of them.

So, settling in has been easy for them. They've gotten to skip a lot of the "early dating" tropes because they know one another so well, they know that this is forever, and they know a lot of each other's likes and dislikes.

And I've seen folks complaining that they're not climbing all over each other. If Tamara hadn't walked in, we certainly would've seen some deep kissing from our kimono-clad-queen. Sure. But this isn't the Tim and Lucy show.

I can't remember seeing Wopez climbing all over each other all the time, or Jayla, or even Nolan and Bailey. Like, this isn't that kind of show. That's why we have the beauty of fan-fiction.

Tim and Lucy are in a mature relationship, so they're not going to make out under a blanket on the couch while watching a movie with friends (yes, teenage Rachel did this... do not recommend.). They will be sexy on their own time, and temper it down when around others. They don't need to kiss every time they see one another, and they are secure in their relationship.

Look, I have a lot of Ship Trauma, but I think what we're being given in near-perfect, folks. It's beautiful. It's layered. It's steamy sometimes. Sweet sometimes. Supportive sometimes. To borrow a line from the Musical Quilt, "there are many different kinds of love."

Matthew and I have been together almost 20 years (come August). There are times we are mad passionate, times we are sweet as sugar, times we're frustrated with one another, times we're united in grief, times we cuddle cutely...

Love looks different in every situation, but it's no less love. And what Tim and Lucy have is love.

EDIT: A lot of y'all are convinced there's a Key and one of you might've convinced me in the comments (@noblog2023 pointed out Tim would never leave the door unlocked when he left early in the morning... SOLD!).

So, here's the significance of the key:

First off, I don't believe Lucy's ever given anyone else a key to her apartment. Chris was only in there once without Tamara or Lucy, and that was when Rosalind dropped him off. And we know that psycho bitch knew how to pick a damn lock.

Lucy and Tim haven't been dating that long, and she's given him a key to get into her and Tamara's home.

Because the last person who got a key here was Tamara... and it's been a long time since anyone else had access like that. This was "their" place with the occasional bed-guest. But Tim is not a guest. He's quickly becoming family.

He has even put in the effort to have movie night with his girls.

But from Tamara's side, this is the first person Lucy's let into her world to this degree. This is serious and Tamara can see that. And she's a little spooked that with Lucy's new family, she's not going to want her weirdo roommate hanging around.

Tim and Lucy can build a nuclear family together. The kind of family Tamara once had. And that damn key is a big reminder to Tamara of that truth.

She remembers the security and love of a mother and father and child. So, once Lucy and Tim go that route, where does Tamara fit in?

So of course as she tells Lucy there's no room for her, Tim walks in using his damn key. It's almost like, "see? I told you."

For Tim and Lucy, this level of trust is easy. It's simple. It's second-nature. They are all in, so keys are only necessary to keep the monsters out—not each other.

Tim carrying around a key to her place also means that wherever he goes, he has a piece of her with him. No, it's not the same as when he carried around her ring, but it's still a symbol of connection between them. They now hold twin keys, like twin pieces of their hearts.

And who ever heart of triplet pieces of a heart? No, Tamara's key starts to feel heavy and unfamiliar, because she's missed that she is a part of Lucy's heart.

Tim does know that. If Curried Chris was able to spot that, we know That Tim knows. For goodness sake, he was there when Tamara and Lucy met. He's been there for many of the big moments between them by fate's design.

And there's no way in hell Tim's going to separate the love of his life from her best girl.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late..." "I think I'm gonna crash."

I have been so conflicted with this one, because I voted the kissy sounds out because there was no visual confirmation, but can I do that with the key!?

Just like with the kiss, there's no "keys jangle" on the subtitles. Just "Door Opens".

Like, no, Lucy and Tamara wouldn't just leave the place unlocked. So, it totally tracks that they'd have it locked, and if Tim needed a way in, it'd be because he has his own keys.

And after embiggening on my laptop and staring at Hulu in slow-motion like a madwoman—there's no key. It's an invisible key. Because when Tamara came in, she had a key in her hand. Tim opens the door with his right and closes with his left—no key.

So, a foley artist somewhere is playing with my emotions. I want to get so excited about the prospect of Tim having a key. Before I could see it on Hulu (after watching it live and it going so fast), I did a whole write-up on the significance of Tim having a key.

But there's no key. Remember, I try to write these based on what I can see. Yes, there are time I pick up on things that aren't subtitled ("you're so strong" in DOD, for example), but I don't see a key.

And, look, the creators and showrunner can come in and say, "Yes, there is a key" and then my eyes don't matter. My ears don't matter. Because, it has been declared by TPTB as canon.

I want there to be a key. But if I discarded the kiss at the top because it was heard but not seen, I feel like I need to be consistent. *braces to be murdered in the comment section this week*

"Hey. Sorry. I'm late. Ready for the movie?"

I love how he directs that to his step-daughter. Like, right away, he wants to make sure that she knows she's included, and that this is all of heir thing. He's committed to that, and Tamra just isn't in the headspace to see it.

And Tim liking classic movies is just so on-brand. I love that about him (and I realized this movie is missing in my personal viewing, so I need to fix that ASAP because it sounds amazing).

"Well, I guess it's just us. Popcorn?" "Yeah, sure."

Tim didn't hear the conversation before he came in, so he doesn't know how that "just us" cuts into Lucy a little. Tim isn't good at reading everyone. It reminds me of his line in 5x08 to Nyla, "You're the detective". He lacks Lucy's perception and sensitivity, too.

These aren't character flaws. Simply aspects of his personality that lead to him missing the tension in his girlfriend's roommate.

Also, Tim is making the popcorn.

This is Lucy's place, but Tim knows where enough things are that he can navigate his way around the kitchen, and that's so bloody domestic it makes my heart sing.

Lucy and Tamara

Lucy is making breakfast for the two of them, setting it out and trying to show Tamara that they are a family. Tamara starts asking Lucy questions that normally she would easily answer. But since Tamara has a connection with the family, she's trying to keep it close to the vest.

"Tamara? I'll be parked outside, okay?"

Tamara's not a puppy anymore. She's a grown woman and she's making her own calls. When a kid grows up, that's all you can do. So, Lucy lets her know that she's going to have her back. It's another demonstration of love. Lucy's there for her.

"Thank you. I know I volunteered us for the most boring detail ever." "Of course. You're worried about Tamara. I get it."

I like that Aaron's wordlessly riding along with Lucy. Like, we didn't have to have a conversation or assignment. It's just great to see these two hanging and working together. Aaron has had a nice front-seat to Chenford via riding with Tim, and now he gets to keep up with the gossip by riding with Lucy.

And Tamara learned a lot from Lucy. Now, we're lucky that Deon wasn't violent with Tamara. That could have gone very badly.

Tim Running the Op

He's got a good mix of our folks. Detectives. Officers. Metro. It's great to do this for us as an audience—we're seeing Tim in his new role, getting to know the new folks a bit better, and them getting to see how badass he is, plus keeping our favorites in the action.

It's a really well thought-out scene and episode to get us to this point. We've seen Tim on the outside with the new team. We've seen his unease. We've seen Lucy, Aaron, and Angela covering this from the other side. Now everyone's coming together to save an Innocent. F'ing gorgeous.

"Detective Lopez will be our spotter. She'll provide overwatch." "Why not let Metro provide overwatch?"

It's the first time Tim's being challenged in the field, and that's where Tim's completely secure in who he is and what needs to be done.

"Because we need all our boots on the ground, and there's no one I'd rather have on my six than La Adelita."

Fuck, yeah! Now, from what I understand, there was a real life Adelita during the Mexican Revolution, but the term was used to honor all the women who took up arms to help protect and defend their homes. True Warrior Goddesses. And Angela definitely is one.

That's all it takes for Metro division to stand at attention. Angela's a damn legend. So, maybe Tim does know what he's talking about, eh? Let's take this new team out to see how we do.

Metro Style Camera Work

I love the way this was shot. The way it was directed. The way it was edited. This whole sequence is just gorgeous.

While I was watching the first time, my mind immediately when to how clean-cut the sequence was a few weeks ago with Tim and Lucy rescuing that family. Nothing against how that was shot. It fit the need.

And this sequence is fitting the need of introducing us fully to Metro as its own entity. Yes, Metro has been a part of ops on the show before, but this is the first time we're riding shotgun with Metro, and it's amazing.

Through a combination of tight shots, wide shots, steady-cam that's not-so-steady and drone shots, we're dropped into the action. It reminds me of active combat films and television shows I've watched over the years. Yes, I have eclectic tastes.

Yes, I know this is a Chenford Meta... but this is a part of Tim's story. His first time out with Metro and he gets to do it with his girl? That's what I'm talking about.

Tim just CONKING out the Guy

That made me laugh. I was having Princess Bride flashbacks. Like, yes, it's badass. But I also watch too many shows/movies.

But Tim Bradford is finally getting to show them who he is. On-the-job, he is locked in. It's going to take him a little longer to develop relationship bonds with this group. He's spent a long time surviving in isolation and convincing himself it was enough.

Now he has a family off-the-job and he needs to find a way to connect with his new team on the job. He'll get there, but it's going to be a process.

"Come on. Just take one step."

I love this. Yes, the bad guy could've overheard Tim and it could've been bad for all. But, in the safety of television, I loved that little insight to his head. He's calculating. He's making decisions in real-time. He's protecting their innocent. He's the real fucking deal.

"It's okay. You're safe, now."

And that is who he is, too.

Starting out this episode, Tim was a little unsteady. We've never seen him that way. But by the end he was completely confident in himself, in his team, and in the chain of command.

Tim is getting to excel in a new arena that takes the best of all his training and experience. It's really a culmination of everything that's come before. This is the job he's been training for all his life. And he's the right person for the job.

There's just a learning curve. There's an on-ramp. And that's gonna be tough for Tim for a bit. The tension and angst isn't coming because he's not good enough. It's because naturally connecting with people isn't his thing. He keeps things in nice boxes, but these folks have to form a camaraderie to help them get through the worst of it day-in and day-out.

Tim's days of pulling over drunk tricyclists are long over. It's going to be great, but first he has to get through the bits that are not-so-simple.

Lucy Spreadsheets Poverty

So, you and I know that it's not poverty, but Aaron's got a warped view of life, God bless his heart. But I loved Lucy pulling an Ames from Brooklyn 99 and getting that spreadsheet whipped out.

Amy was my fictional bestie on that show, and Lucy is on this one, so it makes me unreasonably happy to see both armed with spreadsheets. I warned ya I was into office supplies!

"Hey, Bradford. Good job out there today." "Thanks." "They're a good bunch once you get to know 'em." "Yeah, I'll take your word for it." "Nothing against Patrol, but Metro is a different beast. We get called in situations that are already at a boiling point. That kind of stress creates a special bond."

He really looked at them and tried to shimmy away before they noticed him. But Lt. Pine is being a good leader. She's reaching out to the newbie. She knows the skills he has and the potential he has to be a real strong member of this team. But, he has to reach back. And that's not Tim's specialty.

"And I'm on the outside of that" And every single one of them was, too, at some point. Give it a little time." "Okay."

Golly, I feel this. How many times I was on the outside. I mean, I'm a weirdo, so I was never on the "inside." I thought after high school, it would be different, but in every brick-and-mortar job I've had... I was always the oddball who didn't quite fit in.

Right until the end, that is. My humanitarian nonprofit team was really solid, there, and we watched out for each other. But the first few weeks there were an absolute nightmare.

So, Tim, I totally get it. This group reminds me of the PAs at the newsroom I worked at right out of college as a Web Producer. They had so many in-jokes, and connections, and even though I tried to go to the parties and hang out... it just never clicked. Hopefully, Tim has an easier time with Metro, if he gives it the chance.

"You wanna grab a beer with us?" "Do I have a choice? It's tradition. New guy buys a round."

And that was a genuine Tim smile. Gives me hope for the kid.

"Yes, I'm happy to send over my references. And I can start whenever you need me"

How much do I love we switched from Tim to his wife and kid? There've been a lot of episodes ending with Tim and Lucy lately, so we knew that brief trend had to end (it's not the Tim and Lucy show), but I really loved that.

"I just don't want to be a burden." "You're not. Tamara, look, I get it. Your whole life you've been displaced from one home to another, but that's over now. Girl, we're family. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

Tamara needs to hear this. Since her parents died, there's been nobody she could really count on. From Swiping to couch surfing to unreliable family members... Tamara's always been the one cast out, the one that didn't belong, that one that was told she was a burden.

Tamara, my dear, you are no burden. You are a beautiful, talented, strong, bad-ass young woman who somehow didn't give up on herself even when the world gave up on you.

In Lucy, you found something you thought you'd lost forever when your parents died—family. And if you ever doubted Lucy saw it that way, too, well, time to stop doubting. You are loved, my dear.

"Thanks. But I will get my own place, eventually. I don't plan to be the weirdo roommate when you and Tim start having babies."

Did you hear Lucy suck in that breath? Because I sure did. *phew* She is not ready to talk about the immediacy of babies.

Let's be clear, Lucy Chen wants Tim Bradford's babies. But she still has a lot to do in her career before starting her family, and then more to do after she does. She and Tim can try to plan out what works for them, and there's no rush on that, yet (especially if she did take up Mama Chen's offer to freeze her eggs).

But can I point out that I love that the Moonstone Ring makes an appearance for this scene where we're talking about Chenford babies?

It can't be in every scene (that'd get super weird and kinda kill its magic), so I wasn't even looking for it, but the light caught it at one point, so I had to rewind. A welcome little Easter egg.

"That's a long way off, but I don't know, maybe it could work out. I hear you're a really good babysitter." "You can't afford my rate." "It's like that." "It is."

I get it. Family doesn't always want to take your kids, and that's perfectly fine, too. I had twins, and most people just couldn't deal with the "multiple babies at once" thing.

But can we talk about the fact that both Lucy and Tamara now have certainty that Tim and Lucy are going to have kids? Like, a few weeks ago, Tamara was asking if they were going to break up because of their work situation, and now she's talking about their babies.

Lucy has never been this serious about any of her on-camera love interests. We don't know what came before, but this is the first time she's used the "g-word" and they were both ready to switch jobs, and they are upending their lives because it's worth it!?

They are worth it. And, golly, I love being along for the ride.

As ever, thanks for reading. I have a few requests in, and one I'm working on. But, as I'm doing much better on the back and life's picking up a lot IRL, I might be a bit slower getting to them.

Have a beautiful rest of your week.

[flydotnet]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where I give myself stupidly niche requests according to this marvelous card… or something. It’s been three years dawg. (Red cross is the completed prompt, character headshots are prompts I’ve already filled).

Besides, if I didn't mess up in the first place, this wouldn't have happened.

This fic is quite a long time in the making. I started working on it last year, before I even had the idea for Rice Vinegar, a previous entry in this bingo card series. I was reading/catching up to the absolute banging series that is Brimstone in my Garden, Roses set on Fire by @inkblackorchid. I was on my yearly YGO kick, this time mostly 5D's-related (it's either 5D's or Arc-V, I've come to notice) and reading Snapping Jaws and Piercing Horns (which you absolutely should read, btw, but I have a sneaking suspicion that, if you're reading this, then you've at least heard of SJPH), when the idea for this fic came to me. I really like the friendship between Aki and Crow that the series sets up during the WRGP arc, because it's got my two favourite 5D's characters involved and also it's got canonical whump material linked to it and I'm a sucker for that stuff. Everything was here for success; I was unemployed at the time so I had a bunch of free time on my hands, the inspiration was crisp and I could fuck around and find out with writing new characters I hadn't before. Issue: I hated what I was actually writing.

Since I was reading InkBlackOrchid's works, I was like "God, I need it to be as good as hers". Problem is, I don't have her writing style at all, all the while I was somehow attempting to pastiche how she writes Aki's POV. The result was a very spiteful narration that doesn't even fit Aki at this point of her character development or even the story I was trying to tell in the first place, and a lot of clumsy descriptions. It was bad, y'all. Now, that was the first draft. I had abandonned it at first, thinking I'd just never do anything with it nor with the idea I had, but I just happened to look at my AO3 subscriptions, remembered the banger 5D's fic series, and finally went on InkBlackOrchid's Tumblr. Reading her Autopsy of Crow series of posts reminded me of my WIP and made me want to finish it so I could throw my two cents in the 5D's fight.

I mention Brimstone in my Garden, Roses set on Fire this much because my love for this series is a genuine explanation for some elements of this fic. I like its version of canon so much I wrote established Faithship into this fic as if they were actually dating by this time of the series, forgetting that actually didn't happen in 5D's proper. Sorry not sorry on that front, btw, I've always shipped them and I don't think I'll stop anytime soon. The very first version of this idea wasn't even going to delve into Aki losing her powers after her crash pre-Team Catastrophe (my very own guilty pleasure of a duel, I actually really like it lol), but since I was so inspired by something that did, I figured I had to tackle the question as well. I hope it doesn't fall flat on its face. Be Careful what you Wish for had me by the gametes.

Wow, I had a lot of things to say for something that's kind of just whump I decided to write on a whim like a year ago, huh. I don't even know if my characters sound right (as in, I think my Aki is OOC, she's too open if that makes sense?), it's my first rodeo and it's scary but hey, getting out of your comfort zone is how you improve, ain't it? I don't know if this story is good, I didn't really rewatch 5D's before writing it, just pantsed it out based on memory and what I rewatched earlier this year (I think it was this year? I remember writing a post for my side Tumblr back then mentioning Max Verstappen out of all people and I wasn't into F1 until late 2023. Anyway).

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Outside the Comfort Zone

Summary: Aki passes by Yusei and Co.'s living quarters to retrieve a copybook. Crow makes it way harder than it has any right to be. (or: a recently-ish powerless Aki finds herself having to care for a very stubborn, unwell Crow, and it goes as well as you'd expect.)

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's (set during the WRGP arc)

Word Count: 4K words

AO3 version available here.

Event run by @badthingshappenbingo

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There’s something off with the garage of Poppo’s Time, today.

Oh, of course, most of it is obvious: the air’s still, there’s a distinct lack of mechanical clicking and Yusei isn’t here. It’s a minutia of various little details that, added together, make the entire place tilt forty-five degrees to the left.

It’s, unfortunately, not just these which make her feel this way. Frankly, if it was, Aki would’ve already gone out the door and back home. She’s just here to recover a copybook and it should’ve only taken her mere minutes to do that; yet there she is, ten minutes after stepping on the other side of the door, still without her biology copybook, still in a home that isn’t hers, and unsure of where to take the situation next.

The reason might just be the odd-looking Crow that’s standing in the way between her copybook and her.

Is she friends with said Crow? Yes? Maybe? “Friends” sounds a bit strong for their relationship, she’d say; there are no strangers to each other, and she likes sharing a room with him enough to consider them on friendly terms, but they don’t share enough emotional intimacy for them to be friends. At least, that’s how she sees it – maybe he sees it another way.

(Or maybe they’re already friends, and she’s just too afraid of rejection to admit it to herself – better be safe than sorry, even around the most transparent person she knows).

Whatever their relationship is, what Aki knows without much doubt is that Crow isn’t looking like himself. His stance is slouched and unsteady, his hand is holding the doorway just a little too tight for comfort and his eyes look mussed. It’s like his gaze, while explicitly trying to focus on her, is instead looking at something right behind her – as if seeing through her, which is a thought Aki truly has no time to unpack.

“Oh, hi Aki,” he tells her with an indignant wave, head bobbing along with the sway of his hand.

“Goo – good afternoon.”

His smile turns into a puzzled expression, which doesn’t help the impression she’s gotten so far. He looks around, his left eye twitching and his brow furrowed, then looks back at her when it seems like he hasn’t found what he wanted.

“You not hangin’ out with Yusei?”

Aki almost freezes.

“What do you mean?” She asks back, a shiver going down her spine.

Crow’s brow furrows even further, finally pointing her in the direction of the dark rings under his eyes.

“What do you mean, what do you mean? You come here to hang with Yusei, right?”

“He’s… He’s not here, Crow,” her voice staggers against her will. “He’s in Peru with Jack. I just came her to get a copybook I forgot here.”

The reminder, as useless as it should’ve been, seems to have confused him even further.

“Why the fuck would they go to Peru?” Crow asks, anger sipping in his tone. “That’s on the other side of the damn planet!”

He then hacks a lung out, prompting Aki to jump out. It’s harsh, not unlike the coughs she’d get when she was ill as a child and it seemed like the world was melting around her, psychic powers mixing in with the fever – the powers who, like so many people before, have abandoned her.

The silence is too heavy. She can’t let herself falter now. She may be in danger – scratch that, she’s fine, Crow is the one who needs help as far as she’s concerned. They’re friends, or as close as it gets, and she needs to step up now that his foster brothers aren’t here.

“They’re there to follow on a lead Bommer gave them.”

Her heart sinks a little further when all she sees is confusion. In fact, anything she says seems to result in confusion.

“How? That guy’s dead, y’know,” he gulps with a wince. “I know. I watched it happen. And, like, the dead don’t send emails.”

It’s an understandably difficult thing to swallow, she’ll give it to him. To this day, and despite her (former) psychic powers and links to the extrasensory through her Signer’s Mark, she still has little idea how Carly or Misty have managed to rise from the dead. It’s beyond either of their comprehension.

What shouldn’t be for Crow, however, is the whole travel thing. He was there when Yusei and Jack announced they were going. He must’ve been there to fret over them and their budget like Jack likes to complain about. So how come he cannot remember any of this? Why is he so—

“What time is it already?” Crow asks out of the blue.

It takes her aback, but she looks over her phone screen anyway.

“It’s fifteen to six in the evening.”

His face gets splattered in surprise.

“Shit! I’ve got a shift to attend to!”

“What shi—”

His hand lets go of the doorway.

“Sorry to leave this quick, Aki, I’m in a hurry—”

He walks past her, but before he can make it past her, he folds in half into another coughing fit. Fearing the worst, Aki runs to catch him with her arms, the click of her heels almost hiding the harsh sound of his cough. Heat sips through his clothes and through her gloves, ringing the final alarm that finally allows her to deduce what it was that bothered her so much about his appearance.

Despite the audible pain in his breath and the grimace on his face when he moves his arms, Crow still tries rising to his feet on his own. He weakly bats her away with his hands, but he has to lean against the nearest wall to stay upright. It’s an unreal sight, knowing how stubborn and enduring he truly is. Where is the man who was driving with an injured shoulder mere weeks ago?

“Is this shift really that urgent?” She makes no attempt at hiding her ever-growing concern. “You don’t seem like in any state to go to work…”

“What day of the week are we on?” is all he says back to her.

“It’s… Wednesday? Why?”

Crow’s face finally lights up.

“Oh! I’ve got some time ahead of me then.” He chuckles, but it dissolves into a cough, and she can’t keep her grimace to herself. “I thought we were Monday, for some reason?”

“You honestly seem very out of it,” she ends up bluntly stating instead of going along. “I really don’t think you should go work today.” Or tomorrow.

“Can’t afford not to,” he croaks back, but it lacks any sort of sting.

What looks to her like a dizzy spell ends up taking his resolution out, his whole body pitching forward. Once more, almost in rhythm, her body moves on its own as a result, her arms catching him in his fall.

Heat lingers on her hands even after she has finished bringing him to his room.

Unlike most of Team 5Ds, Aki has never had to care for someone else. She has none of Yusei’s instinct for help nor Crow’s experience with dealing with children. Usually, when faced with this sort of situations, she’d entrust the person in need of care to someone with a lot more ease in this domain – as it turns out, most of the time, it’s asking Jack’s childhood friends to handle his problems, much to his protests. As such, she’s never had to play nursemaid before, and nobody has trusted her with such a role until Yusei came along, and for once, she hadn’t wanted that to change (except for Yusei, but this is a situation that’s unrelated to her current predicament).

Whatever she’s used to, unfortunately, is now out of the realm of possibility. The two people she could ask about it on any other occasion where the need could rise up are respectively currently in Peru with terrible reception and too busy refusing to stay in bed for much longer than a minute to give her a precious hand.

And, you know, you don’t usually ask someone who’s sick to take care of themselves, let alone help you in the process.

Very much to her misfortune, this is all without taking into account that Crow is as stubborn as a patient as he is in every other thing. It was to be expected, of course, and Crow is nothing if not stubborn; but it hasn’t made anything easier. If anything, she should’ve seen it coming as soon as he was too beyond himself to know where his housemates were and why.

Still, it doesn’t mean she shouldn’t try her best in this situation. What friend would she be if she left a comrade in need on his own, harmful to himself? (And she craves for empathy, a part of her whispers, the part of her who misses her powers for the bond she enjoyed having with Black Rose).

Despite a losing battle against his own voice and the way his limbs tremble whenever he tries holding himself out of bed, Crow is insisting that, no, he’s fine to go work, and she has no reason to worry, because it’s not his first rodeo… or something along those lines. Admittedly, it’s difficult to understand everything when he’s struggling to push the sentence out of his throat to begin with, let alone articulate his thoughts.

All that ends up doing as a result is annoying her, because this is oh so similar to Yusei but in all the wrong ways, but that’s once more beside the point. She isn’t here to lash out her annoyance at Crow being an idiot, she’s here to make sure he doesn’t die an idiot.

“I’m tellin’ you, I’m fine,” he whines, a hand already back at gripping the edge of the blanket.

“Why are you so insistent on pretending you are?”

(She doubts it’s because of a martyr syndrome like Yusei’s).

“I’m not pretendin’ anythin’. I’m actually fine.”

His voice is feeble, his words tremble out of his mouth.

“Crow, I know you’re not. Please stop making this harder than it has to be.”

He deflates with a single, wheezing sigh.

“It’s Satellite nature, I guess,” he shrugs with a slight smile. “Both Yusei and Jack got it too, y’know.”

“Speaking of Yusei, right now you’re just like him in that regard.” She lets herself sigh. “Pretending like you’re fine when all signs point to the contrary.”

“Yeah, it’s… Y’know, when you were sick in Satellite, unless you had someone to shelter you and cover your back, ‘t was like signin’ your death certificate.” He coughs again, and it keeps dragging on, worsening, and it pangs at her heart every single time. “Guess that never went away, even now.”

“Even for something like a work shift?”

“Especially for a work shift. Do y’know how tight our finances are? Jack sure don’t seem to, that asshole!” A barking cough interrupts him. “Fuck this shit, I could be literally anywhere else but here. Plus…” He turns to her, and despite the evident weariness on his face and in his eyes, his gaze is sharp. “You should be doin’ better things with your time than watching over me, though.”

Aki rises an eyebrow.

“Such as?”

He shrugs again as a response.

“I dunno. Studyin’. Playin’ cards. Drivin’ a D-Wheel. Tryin’ to… sort through what mess that must’ve been for you, these past few weeks.”

The last bit hits her a lot harder than the previous ones. Having to replace Crow in haste due to a mysterious crash, the conflicting sentiment of her first race as a member of Team 5Ds, her own crash, and now, having to grapple with the sudden and unexplained disappearance of her powers… It’s been a lot of turmoil. Too much, in fact.

Despite all of the pain, it’s somewhat heartwarming to have someone genuinely worry for her, even if it tugs at an uncomfortable heartstring. It means she has the company she so desperately looked for and thought to have found in Divine, now truthful and actually what she needed. Yet, she feels uneasy when she has to show vulnerability in front of them, afraid of what they could take advantage of, of hidden intentions that may be hiding beneath a smile. Letting go of her masks has been terrifying, even if it’s the right thing to do.

For the longest time, she could protect herself with her powers. They were her curse, they were her blessing. They made her unlike the others but allowed her to connect with Black Rose and all of her deck. She misses them even now as she’s within the warmth of Team 5Ds; who don’t judge her for them like the others. Who care for her, like Yusei has ever since meeting her, like Crow is at the moment. Even in pain, they care.

The least she can do is pay them back now that gets the chance to. Now that her powers have left her more vulnerable than ever and created a void she can’t seem to fill on her own.

“I’ll be fine not brooding about it for a while,” is all she tells him in response.

Because it’s the truth. Sometimes, letting the dark clouds consume you is worse. It’ll always be worse, no matter how easy it looks.

“You sure? Because watching over an ill guy gets boring real fast.” He gives her a small smile. “I’d know, I’m usually the one doing the watching.”

She replies with a smile of her own.

“A bit of calm would do the both of us some good, I believe, after all that happened.”

He closes his eyes with a deep sigh.

“Can’t go against that, I guess.”

“Take some rest. I’ll be here by the time you wake up.”

It’s not intended to be a lie to make him feel better about sleeping.

“If you’re lookin’ for it, the medicine is in the cabinet in the bathroom. Pretty sure we got the right stuff at least.”

“I’ll go get it.”

That, and a basin of water, and everything she can remember from hazy memories of childhood illnesses.

Yusei once told her to write down thoughts that were confusing to her, as a way to at least alleviate the black clouds in her mind. He helped her pick a cute-looking notebook for it too, just the size of her uniform pockets, red with an embroidered rose on top of it. It seemed too fitting not to pick it, and Yusei seemed even happier about it than she was. She isn’t sure if what she’s writing in it right now makes sense, but it feels nice to have a place where to dump all of the thoughts that’d usually fester and poison her mind nonetheless.

The loss of her powers continues to leave her at a loss. The best way she can describe the feeling is a bittersweet void it’s left behind: she’s finally normal, like she wished for so long when pretending to be a witch, yet now that she is, it’s like this life wasn’t for her. She misses the bond she had with her Monsters, now that she can’t caress Black Rose Dragon like she could for so long. It makes her feel lonelier in a way that’s wrong to her. It’s like she never knew what she actually wanted out of life, out of the world.

Writing down this loss, this void and this coldness is what’s helping her process some of it. It onsets the way the melancholy would’ve taken ahead of her before she met Yusei and the others. It allows her some lookback and to keep her head out of the water until she can find a solution or get used to a new situation. It feels… soothing, at times, despite it just being scribbles on paper.

A hand strangles her arm, her hands lets go of her pen, her notebook falls to the ground.

“What—”

“Who the hell are you?!”

Shaken, she stares back at her assailant – a frazzled-looking Crow, his eyes glazed over and his pupils dilated. His breathing is erratic, coming out in little wheezes, his teeth gritting.

“I…”

Aki has no idea what to do. A stranger attacking her is no surprise, but a friend? Clearly, something is very wrong with Crow, and she has trouble connecting the dots as to why he’s in such a state. Did she not look after him hard enough? Is she just as neglectful as she was when she was isolated and lost, manipulated, used as a weapon? Is this retribution for that, to be forgotten by those she cherishes?

He lets go of her arm, seemingly against his will – it seems like he doesn’t have enough strength left to actually fight her. She can hardly breathe normally, every gasp of air coming quicker than the last, but she has to compose herself back anyway. She’s the one who’s supposed to fix things here, and now, she doesn’t want to destroy anyone further. Perhaps she can still find redemption.

“What’re you doin’ here?!”

Crow’s voice is unsteady, made all the worse by the cough that’s dried it into being hoarse, and his words slur together, making him very difficult to understand. Aki wishes she knew what do say back, but…

“I’m – I’m looking after you,” she explains back, because calming him down seems like a good idea.

He cocks an eyebrow at her, doubt just barely readable in his half-closed eyes.

“Who’re you?”

“I’m Aki. I’m Yusei’s girl… I’m his friend. I’m your friend.”

His hands grab at her shoulders.

“What’s tellin’ me you are, huh?!”

She looks around the room, trying to ignore how uncomfortable the pressure from his knuckles on his shoulders are, and the heat sipping from them almost right into her skin, before finding a sign of reassurance.

“See this basin of water?” She points it with her finger, he follows it to the bottom of the chair where she sits. “It’s mine. I was trying to keep your fever in check.” That sounded like a good idea, at the time. “I’m admittedly… not great at it, unlike you are, but I’m trying.”

His gaze slightly clears up – and then his eyes flutter close and don’t open up, leaving him in her arms once more.

It’s sort of a wake-up call for Aki, as she puts him back to bed. She should’ve kept a keener eye, but instead got lost in thoughts. She was so sure she had done all of the right things already, yet there she is, only realizing after the fact she wasn’t careful by being attacked by a delirious guy who mistook her for the enemy. Talk about failing at the mission you assigned yourself.

She takes off her gloves and puts a hand on his forehead – his fever has gone back up when she wasn’t looking. It makes sense, miserably so. But this is no time to mop for herself, she must be more like Yusei. She must help out her friend even if she has her own issues. She can’t do anything about her powers, but she can do something so Crow doesn’t have to see things that aren’t there.

So she picks up the washcloth that fell onto his lap and twists it cold again, determined to correct her mistakes.

Aki is staring at Crow when he finally opens his eyes again. They’re clear, able to follow the way her hair sways when she backs up from the bed and back into the chair. Her back is trying to make her pay for the unnatural positions she made it endure, but it’ll have to bear through it for a bit. She’s not letting him down now.

“Hey,” he tells her, stifling a cough.

“Glad to see you awake again,” she confesses. “How are you?”

“Erh… Sore. Sick. You know the deal.” He sits up with the help of the headboard of the bed. “How long was I asleep for?”

“I’d say… an hour or so.”

“And you’re still here?” He chuckles, even if it dissolves yet again into a coughing fit. “Gah, forgot how much that sucked.”

“I… I didn’t want to leave you alone like this.”

“Don’t worry, I went through worse. I’m a big bird, I can deal with it on my own.”

The way she’s staring back at him must’ve looked suspicious, because he looks concerned, now, and it’s like cold water seeping through her socks.

“Hey… Did something happen?”

“No, nothing. It’s… it’s not important.”

“Tch, you’re like Yusei. ‘Not important’ my ass.”

“I don’t think I should tell you about it.”

“You’re not makin’ your case any easier. Shoot ahead anyway.”

Aki looks at her hands on her lap, her knuckles almost white. Her skin looks slightly red, especially without her gloves.

“You weren’t yourself earlier,” she manages to get out, “and you thought I was some sort of enemy.”

She can’t bring herself to look up and see what his reaction to that is. Her head’s weighing heavily on her neck.

“Shit, did… I did something to you, right?”

“You… You tried to attack me, yes,” and she realizes how bad that sounds, “but it’s nothing. You weren’t yourself and it wasn’t a big deal. I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound like you are, though… Shit, I’m so sorry, Aki…”

She rises a careful eye, only to see pain distort Crow’s pallid face.

“It shouldn’t have happened,” she replies. “I should’ve done a better job.”

“Hey. Look at me, Aki.”

Hesitantly, she does – and finds no anger, no disappointment in Crow’s eyes, only compassion.

“You didn’t have to put up with my shit, and I was trying to push you away, but you did it anyway. Attacking you was wrong no matter what. You’ve got a lot to deal with at the moment and none of this is me. Don’t beat yourself up for not handlin’ everythin’ perfectly.” He smiles. “So, thanks, Aki. Don’t worry about good ol’ me, I’ll handle myself from now on.”

Silence follows.

“Though I get why you’d doubt that. We don’t really have a good track record when it comes to that stuff, do we.”

“Not really, no,” she manages to chuckle. “But friends need to trust each other.”

“You catch on quick!” He coughs into his elbow. “I’m sure it’s starting to get late, your parents may be worried. You should head home.”

“Can I… Can I stay here for a little longer? At least until Bruno comes back from whatever errand he may be running. I’d… feel better if I knew someone could watch you over.” Like she’d like it if she was as vulnerable as Crow is right now. “It keeps me occupied too.”

He gives her a sympathetic look from which she wants to recoil, but stops herself from doing.

“Make yourself a home, then. Yusei’s bedroom should be available.”

He winks, right in time for her face to warm up.

“Thank you, Crow.”

“If you need an ear to talk to and I ain’t sleepin’, don’t hesitate, okay? I promise I won’t bite your head off this time.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, thanks.”

She doubts she’ll bother him with this when all she’s tried to make him do today was resting, but she very much appreciates the reminder. It’s always nice to know she’s not only accepted, but also cared for by people whose honest intentions she can be sure of.

It’s making her feel welcome, and just for that, she’s more thankful – her and her missing powers, her and her conflicting feelings it, her and her past that she’s just now feeling comfortable with disclosing anything about. Her and the ghost that may continue pursuing her in the future, but which are leaving her mostly unscathed for now.

Perhaps that’s what home is – and it may just take the shape of a friend’s bedroom, or of a garage.

[admirableadmiranda]

That anon not only reeks of biphobia, but also someone who never met an extroverted and genuinely sociable person? Like, I am not much for metas or psychological depth, but WWX despite flirting a lot, he didn't do it in a cheesy, irritating kind of way? I dunno if I'm making sense, but he never looked serious with other people, it was lighy hearted and a bit as if he was joking around and light up the mood. I always got confused when people bring up the "WWX is bi so he HAS to stay with other people" or whatever (I have seen such takes even in other places), because LWJ was the first person WWX wanted to know and did anything to get attention from. WWX had YEARS even before the Sunshot Campaign to have some kind of experience, such as dating or having the first kisses (from the start of his adolescence and such before the campaign, let's remember WWX was on the top 5 of most wanted bachelor, meaning that young ladies CONSIDERED him)

But again, he says he never kissed ANYONE before the Phoenix Mountain.

So that anon not only failed in nailing personality (they actual make the bi headcanon WWX be his whole personality), but also reading the text (if they ever did, which I doubt), and seems to take every action too seriously (an innocent flirt it's what it is: a flirt. Teen Dramas have flirting more serious that what it actually is)

Sorry for the bother and I hope I made sense in this whole thing- hope that anon doesn't bother you guys again, y'all awesome <3

I know what you mean, anon. Wei Wuxian likes to flirt to ease the mood and make people smile, or sometimes to get what he wants in the form of treats or information. There’s very little intent behind it, he’s certainly not seeking out partners, he just likes it when people are smiling.

And he did have several years before the Sunshot Campaign broke out, at least three if you consider that around 14 is the age that most teenagers usually start to really develop that interest, but he still has his first kiss saved by the time Phoenix Mountain rolls around and is pretty clear that he doesn’t want to give it away casually. He’s a hopeless romantic, our sweet boy, and he wants to kiss the person he loves first.

The anon frustratingly is applying a bi headcanon that doesn’t even fit him as his character, as you can very easily be bi and also comfortably monogamous (I know; I’m one of them as well) and know it well before you even have someone you’re genuinely attracted to. They not only take his actions too seriously, but ignore the intent behind it. If you read the book with one eye open, you can always tell what Wei Wuxian is trying to get with his flirting.

No need to apologize, it was really nice to get your sweet post! I don’t think they can bother me again since they got blocked, but fingers crossed there.

Thank you, you’re awesome too!!

[aspd-culture]

Hullo! Sorry to bother, but do y'all have any info/resources on identification of ASPD, and/or how to come to a mutual understanding with someone who has ASPD?

I'm BPD myself, and I've suspected my sibling is ASPD for a few years (though they were too young to be diagnosed with it back then). I can relate to some of the things they experience, but other times, the same things make no sense to me at all.

I care about them, but it's hard to know what adjustments can be made when we can't communicate needs in a way we both understand.

Sorry if this ain't the type of ask ya answer, feel free to ignore XD

Don't worry, no bother at all!

Unfortunately I'm having a bit of trouble understanding what exactly you're asking me. I did my best to answer what I believe you were asking, but if I messed anything up please feel free to send another ask clarifying your questions more and I'll be happy to answer.

When it comes to resources of any kind with ASPD, they are pretty next to non-existent, at least without a lot of stigma. Your best bet is to look into more blogs like this one where pwASPD talk about their experiences with symptoms to get an idea of what it's like for the person, and then look into ASPD stigma tags to get an idea of what is stigma vs real fact, then look at the scholarly articles with that understanding of the issues the community has with current ASPD research in mind. I wish I could be of more help, but until the researchers either start actually listening to us or move out of the way and let us write the articles ourselves, that's sort of the best way I can give you to understand ASPD without accidentally ingesting some ableist views.

As for coming to an understanding with pwASPD, as far as I understand it, that can either be super easy or super difficult with BPD. In some ways, the symptoms of BPD and ASPD are almost opposites of each other, while in others they mimic each other a lot.

One thing that might help is picturing how you feel about the world while you're splitting. Many people I know with BPD have described it as feeling like people are just trying to hurt you, or to make you think you can trust them just to abandon you at the worst possible time, etc. This is sort of how many people with ASPD view the world at all times. I think a post that might really help you understand the way pwASPD see the world is one I made about the risk factors and how they affect a child who goes on to develop ASPD, as I get into detail in that post on how our world view gets shaped by our negative experiences.

Here's the link to that post:

Another major thing that might help is to remember that even if your disorders could not feel more different sometimes, at the end of the day they are just different means of coping with the same situation, namely an inability to attach securely to loved ones and especially caregivers during formative years. Whilst in BPD that can create an intense "over"attachment (as far as non CBs describe it), wherein you want to be as close to someone as possible either to make yourself feel secure that they won't leave or to try to make up for the lack of attachment during your formative years, the brain of someone with ASPD detaches because of the same circumstance. We get taught from a young age that people aren't reliable (and sometimes pwASPD even go through a period as children wherein we tried to intensely attach, and might have developed BPD if that had worked, but for whatever reason it doesn't usually due to intense negative reactions from the people we tried to intensely attach to) and that those kind of attachments don't exist in real life, or at least not in our real life, so we have to learn to both survive trusting and relying on only ourselves, and teach our brain against its better judgement that it is actually safer to not attach to anyone.

When you have gone through all of that, I'm sure you can imagine that it's hard to want anything to do with other people and thus we come off pretty cold and detached.

I don't know if I fully understood your question, so again if I didn't my bad just let me know if you want. I hope some of it helped either way.

[anadrenalineslut]

please do not get your autism information from people on tik-tok, even self-dxed autistic people are still ableist as fuck.

I saw someone say that "autistic people have a better innate sense of justice" in order to justify why autism isn't an excuse for bigotry and that whole line of thinking is baked with neurotypical and specifically ALLISTIC assumptions. I've already made a similar post to this but it bares repeating, autistic people are NOT inherently better at seeking out justice. Autistic people are more sensitive to PERCEIVING injustice, and this will vary WILDLY based on the individual's masking needs and biases.

I've already touched on why I absolutely 100% think autism is a valid excuse for bigotry but I will summarize here: basically, autism is highly dependent on social norms and if being racist/sexist/homophobic/whatever makes you seem more normal, then why wouldn't an autistic person adopt that as part of their mask? If being sexist gets you internet clout, why would an autistic know any better than an allistic person about how bad it is to be sexist? All masking is after all is analyzing your environment and trying to figure out the rules of social interaction. If being racist makes people accept you more, why wouldn't an autistic person be racist? especially undiagnosed autistic children, and before anyone says that my perspective is limited by my whiteness, I don't think so.

Autistic black children tend to "act whiter" than their black peers do, partially because they've recognized on some level that "acting black" is bad and holds you back in life. A lot of these black "oreo" children (sorry for all the racist terminology, i hope y'all understand that i'm not making these judgments. im describing society's judgments to make my point that autism is a valid reason for bigotry) will speak in "white" english, dress in "white" clothes, and listen to "white music." many watch anime, which is dominated and fetishized by white kids in america. many will grow up to be fairly republican in values, or more accurately "libertarian" and the backlash that they receive from their black peers just further reinforces the racist biases these autistic black chilren have developed as a result of the greater white supremacy system at play as well. I bring up this type of black autistic child because it is an issue that i've heard "ex-oreos" black autistic adults talk about and I want to make sure that I am elevating black issues with my privilege and I make a full-rounded cultural assessment of autism and bigotry.

It seems like undiagnosed autistic children are at a greater risk for falling susceptible to conservative ideology because that is the ideology that rewards you the most social protection in America. Regardless of skin color, autistic children are still autistic children and if they are not given the tools to properly identify and discuss the norms they are witnessing in society, as well as why those systems are in place to begin with, how can you expect any autistic child to come to an independent conclusion that racism is bad? or sexism? or whatever form of bigotry they've fallen prey to?

the reason I bring this up is because there is a huge undiagnosed autistic to alt right pipeline that is largely going unnoticed because most of the pipeline affects undiagnosed autistic white men and I think that does a huge disservice to all the non-white male teenagers who briefly dabbled with alt right propaganda online whose intersections of oppression could not afford them the level of safety these isms afford white autistic boys so they often grow out of it way faster and earlier than these white boys are and I think that's because white autistic men are in a special kind of hell. They have to mask to survive but because the world expects them to behave a certain way, they're rarely given the message that they are better than what society tells them.

Like non-white autistics, non-male autistics they have other communities besides autism community to reaffirm their worth as a human being. And undiagnosed autistics all are united by one underlying sense of : maybe I'm an awful psychopath and that's why nobody likes me. they can see it but I can't and I think combine that with the "white men suck" movement, these white autistics are basically never given the chance to grow and be better. Like, if you're black autistic, you got "black is beautiful" and if you're gay autistic, you got "homosexuality is natural" and if youre a woman autistic, you got "gender is a social construct" but if you're a white male autistic, you got "if you think like this, you're an evil disgusting human being who's trash and everyone is right to hate you maybe YOU are the problem" and that works for neurotypicals but I don't think it works for autistics.

wow this was a long ass post, did y'all enjoy it as much I enjoyed it lmao

[cornerofcaelest]

Just a Little Lonely

Hey guys!! Guess who's coming off his accidental hiatus with another fic?

I'm- so sorry about that by the way? :'D Life things got pretty meh for a while there, and I'm still getting through some of it, so I appreciate your patience as I try to work things out. I'm not dead I swear XD.

All that being said, I hope you enjoy!

Trigger warning on this one for a graphic description of death. It's not an event within the fic itself, but rather a recollection of an earlier event. The passage will be marked out in the fic and is skippable. Stay safe y'all!

Spoiler warning for Chapter 1 of DR1 Trigger Happy Havoc and DR3 Hope Arc!

With their schedules finally just a little aligned, Makoto and Kyoko take some time to relax together.

[Pure Naegiri fluff <3]

he/they pronouns for Makoto and they/she pronouns for Kyoko

They’re pretty composed for someone with their upbringing. Somehow, that mix of intellect, dedication, and apathy did produce a whole functioning adult; they’re just fine on the surface, even if their foundation is a bit unusual. It’s all coupled with an acute and analytical sense of self-awareness and an insatiable urge to learn, too. Any shortcomings she possesses, she notes with almost professional precision, taking great care to develop herself in methodical steps.

Despite all their pain, they know how to proceed. Makoto’s influence certainly didn’t hurt, either. His compassion served to help soften their rough edges just enough for them to find a place for their feelings. Of course, it was still their work at the end of the day.

Frankly, Kyoko never thought they’d find themself this open with anyone other than themself. Yet here they are, one arm tucked under the crook of his neck, the other resting a bare hand on the small of his back, wrapping him into a loose embrace. Every point of contact feels warm and strangely comforting (even if her heart still flutters when they first settle down). He’s the one securely nuzzled up in their arms, yet the whole affair makes them feel fragile nonetheless.

For all their vulnerability, it really doesn’t make sense to feel this safe.

“I love you, sweetheart.” Makoto’s voice is feeble, trembling with the beginnings of sleep. “Thank you for making time for this.”

The utterance breaks her train of self-reflection with a gentle pause, and she can’t help but smile. He’s precious. “Of course.”

Though, ‘making time’ is sort of a sad way to put it. They can’t exactly argue it, but all they did was come home early enough to get to bed before he fell asleep. Hypothetically, that shouldn’t need to be specifically arranged.

“Now I just gotta get Pola to come home sooner, too,” he muses, rolling onto his stomach. His voice is muffled by the mattress, but he doesn’t seem intent on moving.

“You need to give her those puppy eyes of yours; they work every time.”

“I did, Kiri; all I got was a maybe!”

Kyoko can’t help but chuckle; he’s awfully energetic for someone who’s been up since four in the morning. “I see. So she’s learning resistance. That’s impressive.”

Makoto huffs. “You guys work too much.”

“Oh really? Talk about the pot calling the kettle, headmaster. You could stand to take a few more breaks, too.” One day, Kyoko will stop teasing him. But for that to happen, he needs to stop reacting the way he does; it’s too tempting, even for them.

“Hey, no, that’s totally different. At least I know when to call it quits; I have some kind of work-life balance, even if it’s not perfect. You guys don’t have one at all!”

Kyoko doesn’t miss the note of genuine concern welling up in his voice. Even if it’s been years now, he’s still the same: an open book. And, well, they find it just as refreshing, if not concerning, as they did back then. But this isn’t a killing game. This is their bedroom, in their home, with no one but the two of them (at least, until Polaris gets home, too). This is their haven, and it’s safe for him and all of his emotions to come out with perfect honesty. She welcomes it; she’s just relieved to see they still have them at this point.

“My work is a big part of my life, bunny. Polaris is the same way.” They reach to pet the back of his head- slow, repetitive strokes meant to soothe. “It’s what gives me fulfillment. It’s who I am.” Well, who they were raised to be, but at this point, they feel as though those concepts are inseparable. They were raised to find satisfaction in their detective work, and they can hardly consider that a bad thing if it’s providing them solace now. Going back to her roots and reestablishing her ‘normal’ has been one of the most healing things she’s done.

“Well, I get fulfillment from my job, too, but I also need a life outside of it. If all I did was work, I’d go crazy.” He shifts a little, nestling down into the blankets.

Good. The plan is working. “That’s because your job is only five percent interacting with students and ninety-five percent filling out paperwork and fighting with adults who insist on undermining your authority whenever possible.”

“You can’t tell me you like all of your job,” Makoto insists. The sleep continues to creep into their voice, and their protests are beginning to feel a lot less like genuine arguments and more like childish whining.

“No, but I like a lot more than five percent. Honestly, if it were solely up to me, I’d likely be working a lot more.”

Kyoko swears they hear him whimper. “...But then you’d never see me.”

“Then maybe I’ll just have to steal you away with me.” They’re not even sure what they’re saying at this point. Obviously, that’s impractical. It’s a distraction if nothing else. However… they made a good pair in the past. This is an opportunity for them to partner together under much less traumatic circumstances.

TW Start

But then, they consider it for a bit. Makoto by her side, working tirelessly to account for the hundreds of bodies discovered since they started counting again. ‘Post-Tragedy’ is a disgracefully misleading name. Establishing control is one thing; eradicating her seeds of influence entirely is another. Violent crimes are far from dwindling. Many were encouraged by their narrow escape from the first killing game, yes, but some were emboldened; some killers have traded careless, violent slaughter for elaborate plans or outright crude imitations.

Kyoko recalls the scene of a crime they visited just earlier today: a 23-year-old woman found dead in her shower with a single knife protruding from her abdomen, a broken wrist, and the numbers 11037 written in her own blood behind her. Except the knife didn’t kill her; blunt force trauma to the head did, and evidence suggests that she died in the living room, not the shower. It was a staged imitation created by manipulating the body.

Her imagination wanders further, imagining what it would have been like if Makoto was, in fact, working with them again. The terror paralyzing him, eyes stuck wide and watering as he just barely processes the scene, the trauma hitting him in waves and threatening to drown him all over again. All because some coward thought to perform some ritualistic tribute.

TW End

…Makoto has seen enough death, they think. Let him step away before it numbs him completely. His sort of empathy is rare nowadays; too many people have had to disengage completely just to survive.

“Kiri?”

They snap to look at him, refocusing on the scene before them. His eyebrows are knit together with concern- his head cocked to the side as he sits up on his elbows.

“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. You’re absolutely right; I do need to keep time to see you.” They press a gentle kiss against his forehead, then start to comb through his hair once again. Here they were trying to coax them to sleep, and all they did was worry them all over again. He’s too sweet; he’ll stay up all night if he can just for the chance to keep talking, regardless of any early morning obligations. She can’t exactly blame him; their schedules have been so misaligned lately that they’ve hardly had the chance to just say hello.

“That’s what I thought. You can’t just leave me all the time…” Much to Kyoko’s gratitude, he does lower himself back into the mattress. “I’d get lonely.”

They hesitate for a second, tripped up in their response. They’ve always been fairly independent; feeling so lonely due to just one person’s absence would have just sounded dramatic in the past. Something she’d only expect out of people like Makoto. Sensitive people, for better or for worse.

Yet, when they stop to formulate any other answer, everything else seems to fall short of their sentiment.

“Me too.”

[nightswithkookmin]

RE JIKOOK IS ESTRANGED

Them

Me

Lol

JUMP CUT ALERT: This is a continuation of an ongoing discussion behind the scenes.

DISCLAIMERS:

Article 19, UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression which includes the freedom to hold an opinion without interference through any media.

Misinterpretation of my opinion, my words constitute a violation of my human rights. Please do not take my words out of context, share it on another platform in furtherance of your own agenda. If you do hold yourself accountable first. You are the author of your own intentions and interpretations.

I do not intend malice by my words nor do I seek to be disrespectful of any member mentioned in here. I simply enjoy mentally stimulating conversations and thought provoking discussions.

Let the records show.

MATTER OF THE DAY

Thanks to everyone that's shared your thoughts on this matter with me and thanks to that person that brought this matter to my attention.

I haven't looked into it and I don't know how severe this issue is.

I think people have the right to believe in anything they want to believe in. Personally, I don't think Santa is real but clearly others do, doesn't mean I'm sane or that they are crazy.

I don't think discussions of this nature should be about who is right or who is wrong. Everyone's opinion is valid and holds true to their own delusions. Lol.

Frankly, I prefer this kind of ship wars to the slurs and abuses and they are distributing hard core porn now?? What is going on! Chileee.

I have never believed JK and Tae to be anything more than friends. At one point, I wondered if they were even friends at all lol but since they admitted to having had a falling out themselves at one point the topic is now moot.

Tae and JK have- had- have a really special bond. To me anyways. I always saw them as the evil power twins of BTS due their ability to come together to wreck havoc especially on Bang PD's scripts. Lol. I think I have mentioned this a few times now.

I smiled to myself when I heard them call themselves partners in crime. The bond is there no two ways about it- you either appreciate it for what it is or you don't. personally I love their bond. Can't stand their shippers but I love their bond. They keep the drama going for me- love it. Lol

The question has always been whether their bond is as profound as their shippers make it seem. I argue it's not and I will always argue it is not. Lol

I think it's only fair that they also question whether Jikook's bond is as profound as we make it sound. I really can't be mad at that. All is fair in love and war- at the very least we can agree to disagree.

I mean even Jikookers themselves question the extent of JK and JM's bond. Some think they are just very special friends and nothing more. I think I talked about this in my is Jikook real post when I mentioned labels and the degree of love between JK and JM?

We know JK and JM have a unique bond. The question then is how far does that bond go. Is it just platonic, romantic or something in between?

This is the question I was aiming to answer with my is Jikook real post. My objective was to try and dismantle all the nuances that keep us from seeing the 'truth' about Jikook- that they are real. At least the way I see them.

I talked about unrealistic expectations we have of Jikook, false conditionings that often leads us to see Jikook as something more than they are- the amplified Jikook. We get used to highlight reels of Jikook's interactions in edits such that we feel there is something wrong with them when we see them in real time.

I mentioned that Jimin's nurturing nature often also estops people from reading more into his relationship with JK. He is nurturing of everyone, JK ain't special- they argue, just as this person is doing.

I talked about Jimin's Idol persona, the facade of the boy in love with JK- Jimin's role within BTS since debut and how that can equally blind us into thinking Jikook is something more or less than they really are. I have a post dedicated to this topic sitting in my drafts so I will not go into the details of it here. Please look forward to that.

But this person's post touches on another aspect of Jimin's personality that I feel is one of the things that often keeps us from seeing his relationship with JK for what it really is- his inclination for professionalism.

I keep saying this, several times now, that Jimin's Idol persona to me seems well developed, elaborate and very elusive.

I have mentioned a few times how I think during Jikook break ups that they keep it civil and professional for the sake of the team and that you might not even notice the difference especially if you place high value on their skinship.

The skinship would be there, the cordiality and civility would equally be there- except for moments when they are fighting, that gets bloody. Lol. They are best friends at the very least. It is why it's important to reevaluate the metrics we use to determine whether or not they are a couple.

I wish I could dialogue with this person to understand her assessment of Jikook and what she is using to determine whether or not Jikook are a couple and what makes her think Tae and JK are. Know what I mean?

What makes her think Jikook were a couple before 2017? What makes y'all think Jikook are a couple at all? I would like to hear from y'all- but come at me with the skinship bit and I'll block you deadass. Lol

So on this person's post, I think I agree with her assessment of JM's persona but I don't agree with the Jikook have been broken up since 2017. And I think I understand where this is coming from... I think some of us do. Yes they had a few fights that year especially leading up to Jimin's birthday- August was it? but we all know JK more than made up for it with the damn GCFs. Lol. kindly visit the timeline, peruse as many content as you can and form your own opinion on it. This is just mine.

Are Jikook Jikooking all the time? Absolutely not. They are human too. They fight, they make up, they break up they get back together, they have introverted, extroverted moments, they go up, they go down- have bad hair days, it's all part of their dynamics I'm afraid. From my point of view of course.

I feel some people notice these things too and when they sense Jikook aren't in a good place they bow out and Jump ship- I don't blame them. They are shippers not supporters. What Jikook need are supporters not shippers- or maybe both, do you.

Could this person be one such people? DNF shippers? Given up on Jikook before the end of their story? I don't know. May be.

Jikook is not a fantasy that you ship. It's a relationship that you support. You can't escape into them. They are an ongoing love story- chapters close, chapters open, you just have to ride it out till the very end.

I think the challenge of their post for me is whether or not Jikook is a performance. Her post leans into the whole Jikook is fanservice bull especially in light of the recent photoshoot video which some are using as evidence Jikook don't 'click' when the cameras are off- the lies they tell on Beyonce's internet!

I think I have speculated on this and shared my thoughts on this whole Jikook is fanservice bit. I will delve deeper into it in my next post on Jimin's idol persona but as I've already said, Jikook is fanservice is equally a misnomer.

Yes Jikook does fanservice sometimes, but they are not fanservice. Fanservice is the cover for their relationship. It's their glass ceiling- nothing to see here folks just two snakes under glass. Keep it pushing. (Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Lol)

But you do raise a valid question, what is Jikook like when the cameras are not filming?

Is the mood of Jikook in that footage the general mood of Jikook behind cameras as Tuktukkers are claiming? They barely interact, JM doesn't pay much attention to Kook, yadda yadda yadda?

And the part that gives me a complex, that JK only interacts with JM when they are the center of attention. Huh???????????

Sigh.

I feel caught between a rock and a hard place on this one.

The theory you pointed out in support of this assertion isn't mine and I think I made it clear I didn't share the same thoughts on it. I said it was valid nevertheless. Chilee, this is hard. Lol

Yes JK is an introvert, Jimin is an extrovert, JM doesn't live for JK, all that is true and some Jikookers have said that too- so when you ask, if this is who they are when the cameras are off does that mean what they do when the cameras turn on is fanservice-

I-👁👄👁

I don't know the thought process that went into that theory so I can't confidently defend it. I'll ask? Lol.

Personally, I'd like to know whether or not they see the tension in that footage as tension in the first place. Chileee I don't know.

I see it as tension. Not a very serious one though. So we'd have to agree to disagree on that one.

But the part I can argue, the part I agree with is Jikook aren't hyper super duper lovey dovey on each other all the time. They aren't cuddly all the time. They have their moments of quiet- Jimin seems like the more affectionate kind who'd rub all over JK in the comfort of their homes but still...

If you ask me though, I think Jikook are tamer on cameras than they are behind scenes. I always talk about the fear and panic in the members' eyes when they see Jikook gravitating towards each other- it's probably because they know the extent of Jikook's shenanigans. They know how worse it can be because they've seen it all.

And when JK panics sometimes when JM gets closer too you just know dude is scared perhaps because of his Mochi chick's devil may care shamelessly in love policies- Jimin wild. Bless him.

I did say also that Memories 2019 is equally eye opening. These were censored bits. BigHit was holding all of that and giving us crumbs- stingy mfs. Bless.

All that said, again I don't think Jikook are hyper lovey on eachother behind the scenes. Another part I diverge from that view is that this is not exactly off camera. It was just behind the scenes of a photoshoot. Something we've seen a countless times.

This is not BTS's first ever behind scenes photoshoot. It's just a different angle that's all.

They were working. They were at work. This wasn't an alone private space for them so they can't base on this to say Jikook don't interact when the cameras are off.

The cameras were rolling. We saw them interact, JM was interacting with everyone the way he always does on camera all the time except he wasn't interacting with JK the way he does all the time, grainy footage or not- I mean let's call a spade a spade and not a big fat spoon. Lol

As to why he was doing that- let's just say there are many schools of thoughts.

My thought as I've said is JM was freezing JK out. I think with anyone that's recognized and is familiar with Jikook fights, that mood is all too familiar as I mentioned earlier.

If JM was being courteous and not mad at his man then he would have kept it 'professional' and done the 'fanservice' bit with Jk as per usual just as this person is saying since the cameras were still rolling.

Jikook is not fanservice. They are real.

I have refrained from providing a detailed analysis of that '5 minutes' footage for reasons I will explain later when I do share my thoughts on that footage- eventually. Some day.

But my hypothesis remains the same that I think Jikook were fighting or had a minor issue. As to why they were fighting, chileee I don't know. The confirmation bias in me feel it had something to do with JM's birthday but honestly it could have been over anything at all- dumplings, microphones- we all saw that slap on stage, a certain Iphone notification perhaps, did JinMin make a secret VLive without Kook again? Lol

There are plethora of reasons, I can only speculate on a few. And I think we've all seen Jimin when he is not 'Jimining' with the others, JK included. Take his mood with Tae at GDA for example- since this is not a VMin post I won't go into it.

But it seems they squashed whatever beef they were having on stage when JM extended his hands to Tae and they shaked it out.

We've seen him and Suga bicker too- which again, I am not gonna to get into out of respect for their shippers but I can point you to the On comeback VLive early this year when Suga touched JM and JM mouthed Hajima to him- which I think had something to do with what was going on with him and JK at the time but that is besides the point. Every shipper for themselves.

I contrast his 'fights' with Suga and V to show you the difference between Jimin being professional and courteous and Jimin being rah rah. He was sat next to suga, talking and laughing with him but snapped the moment Suga held his back.

He did the same in the Dynamite MV Vlive, smiling and laughing with Suga but the moment JK teased him with the Yoonmin comment his countenance fell.

Jimin is not that good of an actor if you ask me. I have said he is very Kumbaya in nature, often makes compromises for the sake of the team but that don't mean he is a pushover or one to trifle with- he scares me when he is mad. Lmho.

The scene in that footage didn't look to me as that he was being nice and courteous to JK- is that y'all's definition of professional courtesy? Damn.

If they were having a lover's squabble then the 'icy' mood of Jikook we saw in that footage is not the general mood of Jikook when the camera's are turned off.

I have to state again that I don't know much of what goes on behind the cameras and most of the things we see sometimes are equally missing context.

That been said we have seen enough of Jikook 'behind cameras' and they are more intimate than we can imagine. A certain cozy selfie at the back of an abandoned truck comes to mind. Whatever they were doing at the back of the track wasn't intended for the cameras judging from JK's reaction.

We've had glimpses of Jikook when they are not the center of attention enough to have a fair idea of what they are when cameras are off and I don't think it is that mood we saw in that footage.

We saw them at Jingle ball bell, towards the end of 2019. We saw them in their own space doing what they do best- making us feel single as fuck. Bless them.

We've seen them at awards, we've seen JK eating Jimin's ear nom nom to calm him down- like I would have just bought him icecream to calm down his nerves or rubbed his back but whatever JK. He is your man; you know him best. Good for him. Good for both of you. Now come back and feed us.

And the bit about JK only laughing with JM when he noticed he was on the Bangtan Bomb cameras in that footage- now that's nasty below the belts phony ass ass! I felt that one straight in my chest, shit. Lol

Dude was in a doghouse it seemed and I noticed them stealing glances at each other and.... sigh.

I just think JK was looking for an opening to warm his way back into JM's good graces- it's really nothing we haven't seen before.... sigh.

This is 2020 that narrative of JK hates Jimin, JK doesn't like JM needs to stop. It's dead. Pack it up. Chileee, y'all tried it with this one.

Jk is nice to JM only when the cameras are on him? Nice try.

JK is so fake and fraudulent he glared RM down till he stepped away from Jimin- again, in the very same photoshoot footage y'all swear to God is proof Jikook is not real.

Find it. RM stood next to JM. Looks up see's something- or someone. Does his tell- the hand to head thingy he does when JK glares at him over Jimin. He backs away inches from JM.

Cut to JK. Dudes a mood. Jin bumps into him, stares at him but JK wouldn't even look at him and then deadass looks away grumpyly- talk of professionalism. You doing great swidy keep going!

You can hide a relationship, fake it on God but you can never hide the intimacy. Taekook just lack that intimacy, I'm sorry. Even in that 'estranged' moment Jikook's intimacy was still there-

Even in whatever mood JK was in- which again, I believe was just due to their lover's squabble- JK still was claiming his man and exercising his right of authority over him. That's how you know they are not broken up. In my opinion. Chileee. I'm gonna get in trouble. Deep sigh.

Y'all think JK was hovering over Jimin because he was preparing to strike him down like a censored censored censored? Yea, he was preparing to strike alright- All the corners of Jimin's heart. Y'all better stop before I find you. Lol

I said I wasn't going to analyze the footage in this post but damn. This man out here serving us all kinds of brooding assorted jeonlous as his man takes a time out or two to wiggle wiggle wiggle on him Malfroy style and y'all are out here peddling nonsense. Strike one.

He was a mood alright. Did y'all see Tae rubbing his chest, arms and legs, ears did y'all see any body else in there doing that for him? Y'all's falcon cannot hear his falconer give it up and sorry, Jikook can't relate.

As I've posited, JM I feel was mad as hell for whatever reason and wasn't in the space to be that person JK needed him to be- in that moment. Doesn't mean they are like that behind scenes all the time.

And before I get attacked again for causing drama, being toxic etc by Jikookers understand that I am just a delusional person shipping these two in a way that makes sense to me. Write me off as delulu, and go please.

Whatever ambiguity surrounds that moment, to me, Jin and RM's reaction to JK clarifies things a bit. Jikook were boiling hot. JK was still keeping an eye on his man. Lol. Bless them. That's my conclusion. I'm running miles with that. Catch me. Lol

Feel free to come up with your own theory in a way that makes sense to you.

I'm not sure how long that fight lasted but from the rain day incident I'm hoping it wasn't that long. Jikook are fine I believe- I hope. Judging from the way JM drew JK out in his VLive with the whole I miss JK comment? Did that not sound familiar to y'all? And that Mickey mouse thingy- JM ain't slick. Bless him.

JM is the perched akekeke whisperer whispering all kinds of things in JK's ear, feeding JK news of what goes on on social media and what not. Dude don told his man they won a BB on his birthday, told his man Jin wasn't happy he chose his bag over his- definitely told his man Army was missing him- what? I'm going with that too sue me. Lol

Did you or did you not see Jk coming out to do a live log afterwards? And JK seemed less grumpy, in very high spirits? Wedding bells- I'm manifesting it for JK. Manifest with me.

Remember when JM did a log and talked nonsense about JK, and JK did a rebuttal log to respond to JM and address some of the things JM had said about him? Remember that? It's a jikook thing and it's back😌

I have said JM uses social media to connect with Army while JK uses it as an outlet to express himself. Through out his Live he kept talking about how he wasn't prepared to do a live and it shows in the way he kept saying it was awkward, he just kept it business and didn't know what else to share... I wonder who put his paws on him, dragged his ass to turn on the camera because Armys had asked of him- a certain quick tempered chick who dragged his man out on social media to do the whole Chuseok greetings 2020 on Twitter perhaps?

And JK is so whipped he'd do just about all the hoops to appease his man- Jikook AU written by Goldy. High five. No but seriously...

Behind the scenes, JK sneaks into JM's bed at night- Taekook does it too? Please! The look on JM's face when RM spilled that tea is enough said.

There's only two people in BTS that panic and don't want us to know they lay one on God in bed and it's not Tae Kook.

JK: Jimin hyung and I will sleep here

JM: how about we let the others choose first

Everyone shares a room:

Footage:🦄🍲🐯🧀🐺🍟🐓🥛🐑🛏

JIKOOK share a room:

Footage: 🚪👀

Behind the cameras Jikook sneak into each others bed- camera caught them live. You saw JM's face, I can't make this shit up. Lol

Behind the scenes, Jikook do laundry at 1am. *insert JM pervy face meme.

Chileee, y'all making me trip with this one. Deep breaths.

Jikook have their moments. This was one of them. Can they be human? Please. Thank you.

At this point, these folks are not even shippers. They is shoppers shopping a man for their bias. Lol. Just admit y'all want Jeon thick thighs strong butt for your bias and go. Just admit you want some tall glass of Tiger charming face husky voice strong chest for your bunny and go. Lmho

Chilee, when we say Tae and Kook had a falling out we don't mean they freeze eachother out behind cameras. Hell, we don't even mean they fake their bond or interactions. C'mon! Tae and JK admitted they are not lovers and y'all is bitter. That's why y'all is making up this nonsense about Jikook. Speak the truth and shame the devil. Peter would be proud.

When we say Tae Kook is not real, We just mean JM spends JK's birthday with him while every one including Tae is out there cruising for Jesus with friends. We just mean Jikook claim eachother even when they beefing. That ship beefed and didn't even know they was beefing and they are real? Damn.

We just mean Jikook make efforts for each other even when they are having bad days- Had it not been for Jimin they'd still be gnashing on these cold streets. Place some respect on his name, y'all's ungrateful. Lol

Tae and JK don't want each other they both want Jimin- there. I said it.

Thanks for attending my Tedtalk. 👁👄👁

Now where was I? Never mind. I'm just gonna go burn some sage. There's too much negativity going on around. Hakuna matata!

There is nothing wrong with Taekook as a ship. Personally, I'm a multishipper I ship all the ships but I support Kookmin. I don't mind their shippers calling them whatever, but my eyes twitch when people who claim they support Jikook act wishy washy with Jikook. Lol. Like are you going to withdraw your support of Kookmin if JK sits on Tae's lap?👀 Yall make me nervous. How can you think Jikook is real but then look at Taekook and go huh??? What are y'all seeing that I can't see?

Like those are two completely different dynamics. It's the skinship isn't it? Talk to me. Jikookers who see something nonplatonic in Taekook honestly give me trust issues. Y'all have me out here looking over my shoulders.

I am delusional but I'm confident in my delusions because to me it is about the love and support for JM and JK as LGBTQ plus couples. Please stop shipping Jikook, stop shopping JK and JM for eachother and start supporting them because they are real.

IN MY OPINION.

Signed,

GOLDY

[yuvon-writes-letters]

Hey guys :)

Maybe I'm going chronological for one time, so I can sort my thoughts easier.

Yeah, Goldie's much mire active than I would've thought, too. But they did all those things to keep me alive and kind of save, since we still don't know who they are exactly working against. (I mean, we don't know who Goldie exactly is either, but you get my point)

Honestly, I am pretty sure the TSB timeline is continuing, at least if my theory that Goldie just set me back in an alternate timeline is true. In this case I feel sorry for TSB, though..Extremely sorry. He still was 'my' Jake back then, even though he acted weird in the end (maybe was manipulated by entities). I mean, if what he wrote was true he went with authorities. And in the end..this could've been his downfall.

And yeah, maybe I'm not exactly safe, but I just have to go back. If I go, and if I lose my job, I have some things to sort out. And Jake luckily agreed with me that clearing up my desk isn't the worst thing I can do before leaving. We're still thinking about a location, which I could luckily deside myself. Max agreed on that. Even though he still has some doubts. (I mean, of course...His cousin opened the door with bruises all over her face.) He did promise to not ask any questions until I feel ready, though. That gives myself and Jake some time to figure that out.

And also, Jake is right! We have three Jakes and three smart people. YUVON. And of course Goldie, like you said Yu :) And some information about the previous timeline. (And that was it with being chronological)

So yeah, like I said, Max and I'll go. And I also think we can be pretty certain now that the message came from Goldie not the MWAF (which is relieving). I saw the messages and they didn't make Jake the bad guy. I honestly just don't think I can quote them yet. (They're too good, but I probably start daydreaming if I do) But they talk about Jake being an important part of my life and my heart and Max protecting me when he cannot. My dear cousin jumped to conclusions when he saw my bruised face. About Max' phone...I'll probably throw it in a river or something if he brings it with him. I told him not to, also because of Jake (he's not only worried about the MWAF apparently...He didn't exactly say it out loud, but I think it's pretty obvious) but he loves this device.

And I emphasize with you about the being kidnapped thing, you'll manage it, I know it :) And if I need to jump dimensions and box some sense into your Crow-Crew xD

No but for real, you can do that. I know it :)

Jake, find a good point in time to talk to her. But do it :)

Otherwise, I still think the 'underlying desire' theory is a possibility! But, like always in the moment, we could be wrong.

As for my stasis, I really do not wish to talk to more people who think I've been kidnapped. And I am a bit scared that could somehow lead to either them or me being in more danger again. But for now we have to wait.

I for now will pack some important things and paper & pens xD I don't want to leave y'all behind :P

Liska🐾🔥

[A screenshot is glued to the back of the letter and the quick sentence "Jake wants to talk to Jake" is written above]

Hello Jake, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am not quite sure in which way Liska will handle giving you my message, but she promised me to not read it for now.

I don't know whether she told you before or not, but as far as I am concerned she realised I am not only worried about the MWAF chasing her.

With me breaking out of this stasis I am sure that my followers aren't that far behind. And I know you can't do anything from where you are, but cross checking way to protect her doesn't seem to bad to me. Especially since we are similar but still fairly different from each other. At least it seems like that from what I have read.

For my part, I recently improved and updated Nym-OS which allows me access to Liskas whereabouts. If Yuvon should read this, she knows and agrees to it.

Still I am yet stuck on one little detail: I am trying to help Nym-OS in counterattacking. So, even though I am sure you already knoe this yourself, Nym-OS gets the ability to access location of the people attacking Liskas phone. I am almost done with that, so we are able to see a bit easier if and where people are that could be a danger.

Do you have any other ideas for ways I could help? Or even improve what I am doing momentarily. I wouldn't normally ask this since I know and trust my skills, but I think that this is fairly different from a 'normal situation'.

~ Jake

Lis,

Um. I don't know if you've seen the newest person to send in a letter, but we now have an issue.

Jessy, if you're reading this, I was sort of trying to avoid talking about this right away but I'm sort of trapped in a weird place, and Jake's here too because I'm a dumbass. I did not, so you know, let him read your letter or my reply. I figured you wouldn't want that. Sorry for dancing around the issue earlier :/ But at least you can get a good sample of the complete insanity we go through on the regular now!

Yeah... you're getting thrown into the deep end right now, aren't you. Sorry. There's no way to ease into this. You should probably either stop reading these entirely or start reading the letters from the beginning, so this will all at least make some sense. The first letter should start with the words "To whoever reads this," just so you know you get the right one.

Back to you, Lis. Yeah, I feel pretty bad for TSB Jake too. I honestly can't imagine being in his position right now.

Alright. So, you can choose the place. Great! There's way less chance of you being caught that way...

Tragedies just seem to be happening to all us Duskwood detectives, recently, don't they? Rai is chronically overworked and barely has time to sleep, I'm stuck in this hellhole and I've been forgotten by most everyone, you were shot, and poor Matt died and... well.

I never knew him, but I feel really bad for him :(

You could give Max half the truth. Tell him you have a stalker, and he's starting to get physical. Jake has been trying to help you get away from the asshole. It's not even a lie, just... not the full truth. Because. You know. The whole truth is completely fucking insane.

Writing to Jessy just put into perspective how insane everything is, I think. Gimme a sec.

Oh, fuck. My Jessy just texted me. Great timing.

Jeez that whole thing with me leaving myself out was just a joke XD If I knew you and Jake would take it so seriously, I'd never have said anything. I'll steer clear from now on.

Yeah, okay, definitely Goldie. That makes way more sense. I don't think you have to be quite so drastic as destroying the phone. Just get him to leave it at home for the trip.

Ahaha, thanks. I don't think that's necessary, though. Actually, seeing future!Jessy's perspective has caused a bit of a paradigm shift. I think I might need to reconsider what all to tell and not to tell the Crow Crew. I just sort of default to keeping things secret, now, but you've seen how well that worked for me with you and Rai, and with Jake.

Again, you probably should wait for them to contact you first, but you WILL need to talk to them when that happens. What you say to them and what you don't is up to you.

Pack a couple different pens XD We're all a bit long-winded.

That's all from me :)

(The handwriting changes to Jake's.) Hallo, Lis.

Yuvon refuses to tell me what precisely she means about Jessica. Was she somehow contacted by an alternate version of Jessica? If so, how?

I am glad it was Goldie who contacted Max. Yuvon's suggestion for an excuse seems a good one, as there are far less things to remember that way. You simply need to oversimplify everything.

I do not, unfortunately, entirely believe that Yuvon was joking when she made that comment, based on previous comments and her ongoing guilt. I can't understand sometimes why she feels the need to lie so much. It is difficult for me to read people, much less her.

I will speak to her eventually. Early tomorrow, perhaps, if nothing else rears its head. Yuvon looks tired, and I am also admittedly not at my peak. I sincerely hope she does not wake up as early as she does every single day. It may get somewhat taxing, what with the lack of coffee here.

I think that is all from me to you, Lis. If you would kindly find a way to send the next section to my counterpart without looking at it, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you :)

—Jake and Yuvon

Jake,

It is a pleasure to meet you as well, despite the unusual circumstances.

That our pursuers may be freed from the stasis is a logical conclusion. Seeing as the last known location I had on them in my universe was approximately five hundred miles from Duskwood, they will likely be some of the first to free themselves from the stasis. I do not believe I need to warn you that time is of the essence.

It seems as if I am a small distance ahead of you in the development of countermeasures, perhaps because I have had more linear time to develop them. If you are where I think you are at in the development, you likely have or will soon hit a bug you cannot pin down that makes the pinpointing mechanism simply refuse to work at all. Presuming your and my version of NYM-0S are similar enough, the issue should lie in the public bool set in line 132 of the third part of the targeting script, the script that decides what constitutes a target; you have it defaulted to "false" where it should default to "true".

As for additional countermeasures: I was attempting to work on a rudimentary automated system of pattern detection when I was brought here. Essentially, its function would be such that it would be able to triangulate using the locator features already installed to find a rough estimate of where their headquarters might be. However, I have not found any way thus far to eliminate outliers, and as such the feature is currently next to useless. I am no longer able to work on the code, but perhaps you will have more luck than I did.

That is all I can think of for the moment on that subject. However, I have an odd theory on what may be part of the reason we vary so. If you have a moment to spare, please answer me this:

When I was very young, back when Mother was still around, she took me to a doctor for odd behaviors. This included not looking people in the eyes, but there was a list. I was given a diagnosis; if you had the same experience, you should likely know which one.

Did you have this experience? If so, please prove it by stating what the diagnosis was.

Do not worry if you do not know what I am talking about; I would rather you did not guess. Simply state that you don't know. It will confirm my theory.

Good luck with your pursuers.

—Jake

(The letter tucks itself in the paper clip with the others.)

[buns-is-sinning]

The 5th popularity poll results are finally out !!

┏━━━━°⌜ Table of contents ⌟°━━━━┓

• Who did I vote for 'n why?

• Why are the results so different this year?

• What happened to Hawks and Endeavor?

• Shiggy!

• Chara placement explanation

• Poll Artwork

︵୨🎐୧┗━━━━°⌜ 目次 ⌟°━━━━┛୨🎐୧‿

Who did I vote for 'n why? -

Hawks! ..surprisingly. I knew Katsuki would make 1st place anyway (which is what I wanted) but I also wanted hawks to get on the list.

If I'd vote now I'd probably be Shiggy

Why are the results so different this year? -

• My first suspicion was that a lot of new fans started voting ...but it turns out there are actually fewer votes in the top ten this year !

• Maybe people know their actual favorites better by now, so they don't just choose who they liked best in the new season but overall.

• Maybe some charas got hyped or talked about more in events etc. In japan than here.

• I can't say for sure but it's so strange to me. Before this poll there weren't any drastic changes in the polls and most of the votes were comprehensible.

What happened to Hawks and Endeavor? -

• Hawks

↳ The last popularity roll was after he was first introduced . He immediately went on 4th place. I cannot explain to myself how he isn't in the top ten at all now. This is so damn weird .

It's not like he doesn't have fans fangirls he's extremely popular . I was already confused why he isn't getting any official merch by now but now I'm just ｂａｍｂｏｏｚｌｅｄ

• Endeavor

↳ He has been around since the first poll and was never on any spot in the list (1-20) but then in the 4th poll he went to nr.8 . Now he's gone again.

↳ I think this is because of his redemption arc it seemed like he was bettering himself but it became more and more clear that it's not really doing anything w his family.

↳ Another reason might be that we don't have as many interactions of him with Hawks as before ??

Shiggy! -

• AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

• I'm so damn happy ! - he really deserves this after the villain arc etc. ppl respecc and appreciate him a lot more .

• These are his placements from start to finish 19th→16th→15th→24th→6th

↳ Look at that big ass jump!! I think we all know why this happened but I just really needed to share it with y'all!

Character placement explanation

1. Bakugou Katsuki 💢 爆豪勝己

Why ?

↳ In my opinion there are lots of justifiable reasons for him to win and keep winning.

• Personality , character development , entertainment , looks , fangirls , waterfalls

•he is kind of an 'outcast' under the students and heroes . Which is also the reason shigaraki thought he'd be easy to 'convert to the dark side' . What i think is the important point in this is that he doesn't do that. His determination to his goal is what is so inspiring in my opinion.

•He's never afraid to say what he thinks and wouldn't lie either. Brutal honesty is entertaining to watch and sometimes you just want someone to say what you would be afraid to.

I'm sure even if you don't like him you've heard all the reasons why he's likable already, so I'm gonna move on now - If you want me to discuss why , how and what makes him so likable/popular tell me in an ask or the comments!!

Does he deserve it?

↳ This is a popularity poll.... There isn't really any debate on whether the opinion is right or wrong. I understand why some fans don't like him but seeing people get mad about a poll like this is straight up ridiculous. You don't like the chara that's popular? - then vote for your fav to be able to compete . Talk more about them and why they're great instead of just listening reasons why the currently popular character isn't.

//Tiny note - this isn't about literally everyone that dislikes him . Only people who act as stated//

• I would say because this isn't a right or wrong thing yes of course he does. Whoever wins does , because it's not about the characters actions being morally superior but his likability and connection he has with the fandom/audience.

If we wanna make a poll on which character is the most angel I'd say baby Deku wins! 🖤

2. Midoriya Izuku 🐰 緑谷 出 久.

I was actually surprised that he got on top of Shouto //no pun intended(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)// They did have more tight votes than the others .

• It isn't too wild for him to be in second place the more I think about it.

↳ He too has matured and had some major character development taking place from ch.1 to now. The major complaint from ppl who didn't like him was that he's a 'crybaby'. He doesn't cry as often now and if he does it's almost always understandable . His attitude and self-esteem has also gone up quite a bit compared to the first chapters .

He kept all the good stuff in his personality and improved on the 'annoying' stuff . ( I personally never thought he was ¯(°_o)/¯ )

• All around he has a good heart , is more likable than most protagonists , is always working on improving himself , soft boy with the goal to save people. A genuine, non-superficial , real hero at heart.

3. Todoroki Shouto ❄🔥 轟 焦凍

We all knew he was gonna be in the top 3

with all the fangirls he's got ... Mh but let's just say even the people that don't love him usually like him. I don't think I've heard a person shit talk Shouto . 🤔

• I personally didn't really pay attention to him until the U.A. Sports Festival Arc! - I know shocking .

In all the arcs after that I kept liking him more and more. I would even say he's one of my favorite characters at this point.

• There are again loads of reasons to like him. We are watching his personal journey into human/social interaction and a normal life outside his toxic household with him. There is genuine tragedy in his story that he himself didn't understand . God damn remember when he said that it was also his fault his mom is gone. We really want to support and help him, but he isn't just a sad story. We see him succeed. We see how strong of a person he is .

There's a lot more I could say about him as well but you get the point.

• oh yeah.. He's also incredibly attractive.

Poll Artwork -

I absolutely love the way Horikoshi Sensei chooses specific themes for these. They're always something to look forward to and are a big part of what makes the popularity polls so exciting!

The designs are so creative and cool . I love that their placement numbers are discreetly incorporated into their suits - the only nitpick I could find is that the villains almost got no changes which is kind of sad in my opinion !

These are my three favorite outfits!!

Click for higher resolution and full pic

1. Katsuki & Kirishima

My lord if you would hold me at gunpoint and ask which I like more out of these two I'd probably get shot . They're so awesome! (I'm sorry this is just me geeking out at this point) I keep trying to type why they're so cool but I just keep writing “they're just so cool” over and over again.

2. Todoroki

One thing I never liked about his normal hero suit is that it's just very blank. It makes total sense with his personality and the hero suit of his father being so different, which is why it works but just looking at it gives me the desire for more!

This. This is what I would love as his normal hero suit!

Tell me your thoughts by commenting or reblogging ^^

I am not a native english speaker

⌈ 𝗣𝗟𝗨𝗦 𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗥𝗔 🗯

!!プルス ウルトラ!!

!!💓更に向こうへ!!

じゃあね 🌧⌋

[violetrance]

I ship klance but why are ppl thunking that the lgbt rep between 2 characters that jeremy said is klance? It can be two different chatacterz?? Im sorry I'm just not sure why y'all excited?

Is it bad for me to assume that Jeremy wasn't specifically hinting at Klance here? Just because he's the VO for Lance, doesn't mean that he was intentionally hinting at Klance or anything like that. But on the bright side, this definitely DOES confirm some kind of LGBT ship between major or semi-major characters down the line, so that's good for representation!.

I understand where you guys are coming from and I’m definitely not implying that there could be LGBTQ rep between more characters or an end game romance between two other same sex characters. But if you think realistically, Klance makes the most sense here as my one million Klance metas have proven JSJSJ.

So first of all, Jeremy has pretty much implied that there will be an end game between two LGBTQ characters. Now to be completely honest, I do not think he was referring to minor characters as they’re not exactly the main focus of the show. He was most likely referring to main characters, as in ppl on the Castle ship. And if we think realistically here, who has been the one person that is pretty much confirmed to have an end game romance on the ship who is a main character. 

Yes, Lance. 

Now if Jeremy is referring to an end game romance between two characters that will be considered LGBTQ, this immediately rules out Allura who is the only other person on the ship that this kid has been interested in other than possibly Keith in the future. Not to mention, let’s remember the art that Lauren drew with him holding the LGBTQ sign with Shiro (who will most likely help him through this), then all of the bi flag symbolism in some of his scenes (including a good few with Keith ahem), and how he parallels Blaytz who we’ve seen FLIRTING with a guy before. Also Keith is so obviously not straight, that I don’t even feel the need to prove otherwise.  He’s also so whipped for Lance that it’s hard to miss LOOL. Now I’ve made so many analysis of Klance to the point where I also don’t even need to be convinced that if Allurance isn’t going to be the canon end game in the show, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be Klance. 

They have the development, their storylines are literally interwined, Lance has literally SHOWN romantic interest in Keith, althought subtle, it is there. Not to mention Keith literally parallels Allura which is saying A LOT. There is so much more proof, but I’m not trying to make this ask ten years long HSJSJ. Not to mention, Jeremy’s facial expressions just by the MENTION of Klance is what gives it all away too. How often Lauren and Joaquim divert us into thinking Klance won’t be canon, by saying it was a surprise or accidental, but then proceeding to give a whole ship name that means lion and saying Lance is Keith’s stability. The only logical thing I can see here is Klance happening and if it doesn’t I’ll be hella surprised, but I’ll also accept it cuz again it’s just a TV show JSJSJS. I’m just looking at things logically here. And if it wasn’t going to be between Keith and Lance, there could def be other characters, but Pidge does not seem romantically interested in anyone (they seem to keep giving her a plot line with her family), Hunk is interested in Shay, putting some sort of romance in Shiro’s plot line would make it too overwhelming since there’s so much going on with him already (this whole operation Kuron thing), and Allura is interested in Lotor (but I do think they might put Allurance together for a bit, but it most likely won’t be end game, except we’ll see). And I’m not too sure about Coran, but considering he hasn’t had a romantic interest since the start of the show, it makes sense that it wouldn’t be him as of now

[nightswithkookmin]

JIKOOK: ARE CONGRATULATIONS IN ORDER?

Disclaimer:

Everything expressed in here is my opinion. It is not intended to be malicious or disrespectful to any of the parties mentioned in here. Please do not hate on or send hate anyone mentioned in her expressly or by inference.

In my previous posts, I pointed out how this past year, from August 2019 to June 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride for Jikook. Their relationship has been all over the place with some even concluding they have broken up for good- you wish!

My inbox has been flooded with questions such as: Are they still broken up, are they good, are they married...

Y'all think I'd be here blogging at 1 AM for Tumblr if Jikook were married married?- Ok, I would. Lol

But No, Sis. Jikook aren't married. Not that I know of. But don't be sad though because THEY ARE BACK! Fully back to function. By that I mean Jimin mostly. Jk never left. Lol- I'll explain in a bit. But yes, I'm happy to report that they are Jikooking again!

I refrained from posting about their new moments especially this July moments because even though they've been back together after a long period of on and off again relationship during ON comeback through to festa season, and then May when JM finally asked for space in their relationship(see previous posts for details)

I've being unsure about Jimin. I've been anxious to know what the outcome of his asking for space to think things through would be.

Jikook have a push and pull relationship dynamic. We been known. Mostly when one steps back from their relationship for whatever reason, the other leans in to pull them back in.

Same thing has been happening from January where Jimin would be pulling one minute, the next he would be like meh and JK would be push to pull him back in.

That was the case in this (June-July) Japan comeback interviews. Jk was front center with expressing interest in JM pulling him whereas JM was like meh, I'm down for this baby but let's keep it professional for the group's sakes.

Just look at them here... (Photo of them at 2020 Japan interview where Jk said he was looking at JM)

See what I mean? Now you may not notice at first but look at JM's demeanor and compare it to moments in past interviews whenever JK is talking about him or their relationship.

Jk was on his flirting game which he usually is when he wants to break the ice with Jimin if there's been tension between them or when someone around is making a pass at JM and he wants them to know what's up- he ain't slick. Lol

At times too he takes the initiative to flirt when he is feeling super confident and cocky and hella bold and just wants to. Trust me, when he flirts with Jimin, IT IS NOT FOR FANSERVICE. He means that shit.

Now compare JM's body language in that Japan interview moment this one right here: (photo of JM and Jk at the interview where JK said from now on together)

Jimin usually acts very coy, giddy and whipped even around JK when JK flirts with him but most importantly he seems to egg JK on in such moments. He enjoys being claimed openly by JK just as much as JK loves being claimed by JM publicly- which is why as nervous as that makes him he keeps going back for more.

Now this is gonna sound controversial but I have seen JM tell Suga off at times when Suga has tried to initiate skinship with him. I won't show you the picture but you can watch it for yourself during the On Come back where they wore Purple and black. It happened right at the moment Suga touched JMs back. JM mouthed 'Hajima' to Suga to stop touching him. That's all I'm gonna say y'all. Lmho. Don't want trouble.

My point is, these boys have a filter. If they don't want something done to them they won't hesitate to say it or show it. Much like when JK pushed Tae's hand away during a VLive- and he's pushed JM off sometimes too. He is assertive more so than all the members. If he doesn't want something he won't do it or allowed it.

Suga asked him not to get the tattoos when he first expressed interest in them way back in American Hustle life. But he told them if army loves him they would love everything he does and not try to limit him. Jk does as JK pleases.

So yea, if JK didn't like what Jimin has been doing with him he wouldn't be around him much less reciprocate those feelings and actions and initiating them on his own at times. Their interactions are MUTUAL.

And yes, that was shade.

Jimin understands the guts it takes JK to take such initiatives with him and so he kinds of encourages Jk to go on with it or acts in a way that boosts JK's ego. Like when JK shouted 'arrest me' in the middle of an interview. Jk... SMH.

So it was a bit unsettling to watch JM not even try to flirt back with JK in moments like this like he usually would. Dude wasn't even initiating their shtick during this period first of all nor was he responding to them in a way he usually would.

Not sure the aesthetics he was going for here but it screamed let's keep this professional on camera and get naughty when we get home. Or much like, dude I asked for space and I'm realizing I like you just as much but stop coming on too strong.

Which frankly, is what the members have been asking them to do since October last year when the hashtag to cancel Jikook in S.K trended. So JM wouldn't be wrong to take such a stand....

Given that the crux of their issue has been that Jikook is developing into a brand almost independent of BTS' brand and this in a way is affecting the dynamics of the group, a little discretion wouldn't hurt.

The cheers for Jikook moments are getting louder and louder each year even at events such as awards and not just on stage. Jikook is taking a lifeform of it's own. Its becoming a brand almost as powerful as BTS' brand. They are a power couple or becoming one. Like or not. Their fans are becoming loud and large too. So often, lately, it seems they tend to steal the show and direct attention away from the band. It's crazy.

Tae literally had the floor, delivering his speech at the MMA 2019 but people weren't even paying attention to that at all. They were more interested in Jikook and whatever they were doing and they went nuts the moment JK held Jimin and even wilder when he placed his head on Jimin which is what lead to infamous standoff with RM.

JM had literally bumped his butt against Hobi's crotch region moments before the Jikook moment but the crowd didn't lose it as much. Please go back and listen to the deafening sounds of the crowd for yourself.

As much as we love Jikook, there are some that don't and they can be very loud. I'll leave it there. Please support Jikook. Thank you.

BTS had a whole concert end of October 2019 and the hashtag that trended was 'cancel Jikook.' That took away from the hardwork of the band and reduced it to a few seconds of two boys fanboying over eachother. That's.... sigh.

When you see it this way, the RM separating them at Jingle bell red carpet, on stage or even BigHit trying to regulate their Vlives make sense.

Moving on. So yea I wasn't sure about JM all this past few months especially as I believe he had asked for space in their relationship. You might not think much of it but given as JM had said in the past how if he had a lover he would want to be with them all the time and Jikook do spend a lot of time around each other but suddenly hear them talk about spending time apart and enjoying it and what not....

But I think I can stop worrying now because HE IS BACK! There is a new Jimin in town and he is taking names! Good for him!

And I don't mean his new hairdo this August. I mean the new attitude. This attitude:

In this interview he says he would take JK to an island which smart decision. I would take JK too cos dude can do anything, cant he?! Bless him.

But thats beside the point. What I think is happening here is, Jimin finally took a stand. He made up his mind and he is not getting pushed around anymore. Because this Jimin hasn't showed up in a while now. Now he seems quite defiant most times if you've been paying attention to him, so rebellious, so sure of himself. Good for him. Spending time to himself has done him some good. It's given him room to reflect and sort out his priorities.

He loves his work, his band and he loves JK and it's hard when all of those start rubbing against eachother. But Fuck professionalism. He is in love with JK and that is professionalism too. Add loving JK till the end of time to his profession bishes!! :p

Sorry. I got carried away.

But seriously, he seems like his old self but it's also a new self because he hasn't been that self for a hot minute. This is JK's sweat tastes like holy water Jimin. This is I promised Jk I will go to the moon with him Jimin, this is I wanna go on a trip alone with JK Jimin- but badder. If you are a hardcore JM stand like I am you'd understand what I'm talking about.

HE IS BACK BABY! Our daddy is back!

The point of this post is to say, I believe JM finally figured out what he wants. So now hopefully the up and down should die down because quite frankly it's hard to keep up with those two I swear! We need a smooth sail Jikook. Make it happen!

I love it. I love where this is going and I can't wait to see more of their interactions so cheers to Jikookers and congratulations to Jimin for putting his shit together. We wanted rain. We about to be hit with a tsunami of Jikook moments.

Stay blessed. Stay beautiful. Jikook forever.

Signed,

Goldy