#it depends on what timeline and what universe tbh

[torchstelechos]

*Steeples fingers together* The peer review process is important, its good, it means that your biases dont get past first draft stage. Having said that it did hit me with the psychic blast of "Oh shit thats actually worst, you know thats worst right?"

[voidhope]

The Other Woman

—

Synopsis: Where Miguel leaves Y/N to go back to a different version of his old wife found in another universe.

Pair: Miguel O’Hara x Spider!Reader

Tags: ANGST!!, long term established relationship, heartbreak, marriage, cheating, mental health, cold/distant Miguel

—

A/N: Hi! I don’t really write at all!!

I have been a silent reader on tumblr for years but this idea has been playing in my mind so much I had the urge to write it. I have been down so bad for Miguel been on his tag like 24/7 indulging in all the content creators have been putting out. So I’m excited to join in giving content, however keep in mind I kinda suck! Apologies for any mistakes, anything confusing, or it not being well written enough. Honestly could have made this into multiple parts with better details but nah. Tried my best ^^ since it’s my first time, any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Honestly tbh we all don’t have a solid grasp how the whole canon thing and multi universe works yet so!! A lot of what is written is made up to suit my storyline so please don’t get mad about the inaccuracies.

I love a good angst and today’s story will be EXTRAAA angsty!!! As well kinda long!!

—————————————————

The moment that changed your life was while working on an experiment during your college finals. You were a proud and gifted physics major that was so passionate about discovering and exploring what the world didn’t know.

You had snuck into Alchemax late at night. You wanted to show your professors just how much you could do with the right tools. Next thing you know, playing with their machines, you had spawned a spider right in-front of you. The glowing vibrant red spider had sunk its jaw into your hand.

Your life did a complete turn and you spent the rest of that week freaking out while changes to your body were happening. Causing you to fail your semester after missing exams. Things felt like it could only get worse when a massive blue suited masked man showed up out of nowhere in your dorm interrogating you.

“Where’s the spider?” He had a strong grip on your shoulders. You couldn’t focus while trying to process why this man had what seemed like claws sticking out of the ends of his fingers.

“I don’t know, it like died after it bit me!” You exclaimed nervously at the freakishly strong man. Trying to reach for anything behind you to use as a defense weapon.

“Dios mío no me digas eso…” He groaned loudly letting you go. Having the opportunity to grab something, you threw a sanrio plushie at him. Only causing him to wave his arms in annoyance. “That spider is from my earth and somehow you brought it here. Now you’re a spider-man.”

And the rest is history…

—

You learned that the man was Miguel O’Hara and when he found you he was just starting his missions with the multiverse. You being the few of the firsts to join his team.

Your situation was quite bizarre and he called you an anomaly for a long time, spending hours studying you and also training you. You ended up being the one case that can’t be explained no matter how much effort was put into monitoring you.

Almost like it was meant to be. Your universe remained perfect with its current spider-man doing fine. No big collapse of a black hole or anything. When you got bit by a spider from Earth-928 your DNA merged with that universe making you fit in perfectly. You were one of the only spider-people with an uncertain timeline with new canons being created depending on what universe you were in.

What changed from you being just a piece of research for Miguel is when he then realized that maybe you were a gift from the multiverse. After all the grief and pain he’d went through the universe had given him this person that worked out perfectly no matter how hard he tried to push them away. You fell head over heels for him and vice versa, all while canon events were being created with both of you together.

You were there as his team grew, slowly turning into a family. Then both of you getting married finalizing that this was your home. Everything felt perfect. Although a relationship with Miguel could have its up and down days, nothing could ever tear you both apart. Or so you assumed.

—

“I’m sorry Y/N.” Miguel couldn’t look at you.

“When did this start? Please be honest with me. Did I do something wrong?” You begged at him. You knew he was acting off recently but never did you think it would result to this.

You watched as he exhaled deeply staring at the ground. You felt like you couldn’t breathe as you studied his face trying to grasp onto any emotion he was showing. The atmosphere in his office felt so cold. You so badly wanted to catch his gaze and find the warmth and love his red irises used to give you. He was doing everything to push you away. He was abandoning you.

“You did nothing wrong. I met her during a mission 4 months ago.” Was all he replied.

“Who is she?” Your heart kept breaking. His face hardening as the question slipped through your lips. You knew Miguel wouldn’t leave you for just anyone. Deep in your heart you knew what this was about. He never responded but he didn’t need to when you saw his eyes flicker over to his monitor screens. You followed his trace and saw the photo of Gabriella in the corner.

“Does she have another version of your daughter?” You tried again. This is what made him look directly at you. Miguel kept opening and closing his month unsure how to tell you the truth. You weren’t stupid and he knew that. After everything he couldn’t just walk out on you with a lie.

“No.” He paused thinking of how to finally share the truth without it ruining you. There was no way out of this. “She is a younger version of herself. There is no Miguel in her universe and she’s not important to the timeline. She lives a regular life. I-it’s a chance for me to start at the very beginning.”

You felt your heart being ripped out of your chest. You processed the words carefully. She doesn’t have a child yet… Not only was he leaving you for her but he was going to fall in love with her all over again and start a family with her. A family you wanted so badly to have with him.

“What about with what happened last time you tried to live a life in a different universe?” You didn’t understand how this was happening.

He was always so carful he would never do anything to cause that again. Everything you had witness Miguel work so hard for to keep safe for years. Sleepless nights, returning bruised and beaten, frustrations and constant stress. Was it all for nothing? Is he throwing all his work away?

“This is different.” He turned away from you. “I pushed myself then into an already established life. This time I am creating that life. After all the research we did on you…” He knew that this was going to tear you apart. “I learned that if done right I could have a child from two different universes that won’t disrupt anything.”

It clicked to you then that all the research he was doing on you lately was for this. The research he did on you that time was different, personal, intimate even. As he was testing your DNAs together and seeing the outcomes. He mentioned a child and you were foolish enough to assume he was doing research to see what it would be like if you both had one together. You were giddy even as you watched him work. You had both spoken about having a family together in the past but had been too busy with spider activities. You thought it was a sign of him getting more serious about it, knowing how badly he wanted one. You would have never thought he was doing it to see how he could get back his previous child. The one you could never give him.

You had truly believe that Miguel had recovered from his obsession that his grief gave him. He accidentally destroyed a whole universe needing that life back so badly. You had spent late nights watching him re-watch clips over and over of what he had lost. It slowly stopped once your relationship blossomed with him and you thought he was ready to move on and start new. Why would you have never thought that with such a perfect opportunity presented to him that he wouldn’t drop everything for it.

“I think it’s best that you leave.” He spoke with a soft tone. As if not looking at you any longer will make the problem go away. You couldn’t wrap your mind around how he was just throwing you away like this. As if he wasn’t making you dinner, giving soft kisses, whispering I-love-you’s not so long ago.

You felt too choked up to ask anymore questions. Your throat tight and painful as you held back tears from escaping in-front of Miguel. You just nodded and headed straight out the door not being able to handle another second in that room. Your knees and hands were shaky as you speed walked into the nearest bathroom and let it all out.

—

It didn’t take long for everyone else to know something had happened. Everyone had gotten used to seeing you and him sitting together at lunch. You would make him cute lunch boxes and everyone would gag a bit while watching the two of you smile together. Some cringing seeing their scary boss being so soft around you. It was a big surprise when Miguel started to eat alone with a bag of take out food and you no where to be seen.

His teams he sent out for missions were all confused when you weren’t assigned to anything. Knowing you were one of the best, one of them slipped out a “Call for Y/N!” In the middle of fighting an anomaly too strong for them. Miguel only looked away.

It wasn’t until a new woman showed up in Miguel’s office with a grip around his waist. That’s when the spider-community realized that this was way worse than they thought.

—

You on the other hand had spilled everything to Hobie when he caught you that day leaving the bathroom with puffy eyes. You had been staying with him in his universe until you could gather yourself together to return to HQ. You knew you were going to leave for good, but you needed to go back to retrieve all your things. You couldn’t stay with Hobie forever. Worse that you weren’t from there.

You still had some hope that Miguel would come looking for you and tell you that he was all wrong. However almost two months had passed and not a word from him… That’s when you knew it was time you should return to what you once knew.

Stepping into the portal Hobie followed close behind you. He told the few others who were once close to both you and Miguel that you would be visiting. Stepping through the portal you were immediately greeted by Jessica and Peter B Parker.

“Oh, Y/N.” Jess sighed your name sadly while pulling you into a hug. You felt like you wanted to cry all over again. Missing your friends so much. Peter B came behind giving you a hug on the side.

“He’s on a mission right now.” Peter spoke up. “It might be a long one too but don’t waste anytime just incase.”

You nodded pulling away from them. Looking up around the headquarters building faintly smiling at the past memories you had here. You started heading to different areas gathering all the little things you had left around. Hobie had stitched for you a cute backpack with different scraps of patterned clothes and covered in patches of punk band logos but made with hammer space technology. Making it fun for you to fill endless of your things in the bag.

The last stop was in Miguel’s office. Doubt started to fill your mind; maybe he already threw out all of your stuff. Why would he even keep it after all of this? What no one could warn you of was the other person sitting on his platform.

“Hello!” She chirped at you. It felt like the air in your lungs had just been punched out. You knew her too well. From all the photos and videos you had seen peaking over Miguel’s shoulder. However seeing her in person was something you had never expected. You knew it wasn’t the original her but it was a copy paste image for sure.

“Hi.” Was all you managed to choke out. She was beautiful, stunning. You could see clearly now the similar features she shared in another universe with her daughter. The parts that Miguel didn’t have. She kept smiling kindly at you, almost in a graceful way. You started to feel all your insecurities start eating you up from the inside. How could you have ever compared to her.

“What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.” Getting off Miguel’s platform she walked closer to you. The room started to feel suffocating.

“Y/N.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you! It’s nice to meet other girls around here.”

Your eyebrows furrowed as you realized she had no reaction to your name. So Miguel never told her about you… Or that the fact was he was still even legally married to you.

“My boyfriend isn’t here right now but, if you want, I can tell him you stopped by.” She continued as you stayed silent.

“Oh, no it’s okay. I just came in here to get some stuff.” You rushed as you really wanted nothing to do with Miguel at all. You almost worried that he might even get angry knowing you got to speak with her. If he already dislikes you this much you couldn’t even imagine how he would feel if you got in the way of this for him.

You started heading over to the familiar drawers around the room. Grabbing your old hoodies and shirts finding your most comfortable of things here. You treated this place as one of your safe spaces as you used to spend so much time here.

“Oh I didn’t know these were all yours! I was wondering why this was all around. When I came here I wanted to do some spring cleaning but Miguel wouldn’t let me touch anything.” She followed besides you. “It’s so mind blowing seeing all this technology. We don’t have any of this where I live-“ She continue rambling but you started to zone her out. You felt like you were about to have a panic attack any minute. There was one question that kept burning in your mind.

“Are you and Miguel already planning to have a child?” You blurted out. Your eyes widened a bit as you surprised yourself. She let out a loud laugh.

“Oh dear no! We have only been together about 6 months. You must be new around here so you must not know much about us.” She chuckled.

In some cruel way you were hoping she would have said yes. You had that twisted hope of maybe Miguel just keeping her to have a kid and ditching her after he gets Gabriella and run back to you. In reality he was playing the long game, he really meant it when we said he was starting over. “He’s never mentioned kids anyways. I’m not even sure if he’d like them or do well with them.”

With that statement she made you looked at her appalled. Anyone could see in Miguel how good of a father he could be. Just in the way he takes care of the society he built here. You started to realize that she really has been left in the dark. She doesn’t know anything. She probably doesn’t even know that she’s a replacement of another self. You wondered why Miguel was doing this. It felt like he didn’t just toy with you but with her as well. A man you came to love for how selfless he was, to realize now everything was for his own personal gain. Suddenly you started to feel bad for her. You couldn’t dislike her, she wasn’t doing anything wrong and she doesn’t even know.

“I got all my stuff. Nice to meet you.” Was all you could say as you zipped up your bag and turned straight around out of there. Not giving any glance back at her, you left to one of the empty training rooms to recollect your overwhelming thoughts. All of the self healing you tried the past month thrown in the garbage.

It wouldn’t be too soon that news of you going around the building was returned to Lyla. You had cut out all coms while you were gone so she immediately popped up on your watch when she found out.

“AH-“ You jumped as the tiny AI was suddenly in front of your face.

“It’s so wonderful to see you Y/N. Oh my god!”She started. Then she went on rambling about how she knew everything and had seen everything. How she didn’t agree with what was happening and was doing everything she could to convince you to stay. After 5 minutes of her rambling you stopped her to let your emotions out.

“Lyla, Lyla It’s okay. Just stop. It’s all complicated I know, but this didn’t work out. I wished Miguel just cheated on me like all the other fucked up normal men out there. That I walked in on him deep in another random girl. Though painful I could have tried fixing and fighting for us. But instead what I got was him emotionally cheating on me and chase after something he knows I can never give him.” You felt yourself choke up. “I can never ask him to give up what he longs and dreams for just for me to be happy. I lost this battle the moment he laid eyes on her.”

Finding comfort in the AI your husband made. You’ve created a bond with Lyla that Miguel found cute but you knew now this might be the last time you’ll be speaking with her.

“You can give him a family y/n… you guys have been married two years now. I know you’ve both set the thought aside until the multiverse issues are better but you can fight for him. You have to snap him out of his fantasy. He still thinks about you.”

“Lyla you know deep down truly he never just wanted a family. He wanted exactly what he had. What he lost. Which should be impossible but being by his side seeing how insane the multiverse is… Good for him for believing in something so hard he’s found himself even a third chance to do it.”

“I hate that you’re being too kind about this situation.” Lyla paced around you.

“I love him so deeply Lyla. You know that very well. It’s so hard to suddenly hate him. I am angry, but I’m also emotionally drained I can’t do this.” You let out a deep sigh. “I’ve watched him long for this family when we just met. For some stupid reason when things worked out for us I thought I would be enough… When we got engaged and he would spend some days at home with me not even coming to HQ. I thought he was finally moving on not just from his grief and past but from the weight of his work. I saw a bright future for us.”

“You can still have a bright future with him! You moving here gave him a new canon event, another chance at life in his timeline. Here in his own universe! He’s just too obsessed and he’s lost himself in that.” She exclaimed with her hands up.

“Our canon event was our wedding.” Your frowned deepened. “But the universe didn’t say anything else after. It doesn’t say our canon event means we are suppose to live happily together forever I guess.”

“I’m just trying my best to be optimistic. I rooted so hard for you and Miguel when you joined the team. I know you can remember the amount of times I would force you both in rooms.” Lyla recalled.

“And I’m grateful for it… Even if this didn’t work out. I was given precious memories, not just working with you and being on this team but falling in love with Miguel. I know I’m being all depressed and hopeless but I feel like even if I move on I’ll never be able to replace him and find a relationship like this again. However he threw me away so easily and maybe he never valued me as much as I did to him.” You felt your emotions bubble. “I became who I am here. I’m going to miss everyone so much.”

“You can still stay here and work with us.” She edged on.

“I can’t just sit around here begging at his feet to return to me or moping around doing missions while watching him with someone else. I want to hate him so badly. I know he’s your boss and you’re basically hardwired to do everything for him and you’re trying your hardest to fix what you think is his right path. But think of me a little more and how miserable it’ll be. I’m the only one hurting here.”

Lyla paused and stared at you with an almost glossy-eyed look. While she worked she could see the inner term-oil Miguel was hiding and the emptiness he was turning to since trying to start new in the other universe. It just wasn’t her place to hold this conversation and he was the one who needed to get a grip of himself and really think and talk with you. She can’t be the one trying to mend the pieces for both of you together. What Miguel did was so wrong. She knew you were right and she didn’t want to see any more damage be caused to you.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She looked up at you sincerely. “I hate this outcome for you. Not only are you loosing your husband but your home. When was the last time you’ve even been in your universe?”

“Like a year ago for a mission…”

“Exactly! Even if things are over with Miguel, you have all of us here! I wish you could stay. I understand you leaving, I really do. I know a lot of us will try visiting you but I’m tied to Miguel…” You started to see how it clicked for her too that it’s most likely you might not see each other for a long time. “Even if a spider-person is visiting you I can’t just show up on their watch… It’ll go back to him and I know you wouldn’t want that. I know I’m an AI and I can’t hold real emotions but I mean it when I say I’m going to miss you.”

Tears poured down your cheeks as her words hit you. Going back to your universe is going to be a struggle. You have nothing there now. However nothing can compare to the pain of the outcome you’ve had with Miguel, and you needed out of here ASAP. Your mental health getting worse the longer you stay. Even the other spiders you have come to love can’t bring that spark back right now. You needed genuine time for yourself, even if it’s self destructive, instead of putting on a fake smile everyday here.

“Bye, Lyla.” You whispered. She nodded and waved her hand goodbye at you before disappearing. You took your watch off your wrist placing it on a nearby desk. With it you pulled the divorce paperwork out of your pocket neatly sealed and already signed on your half. Opening a portal you took your last glances at the place you spent so many loving memories in.

Tears blurred your vision as you stepped through the portal. Once your legs landed on a rooftop of a building in your dimension, you racked out full sobs falling to your knees.

You were always just the other woman.

—————————————————

Thank you so much for reading!! I know it was a longer one ~

would anyone like a part 2? If so anyone want a angsty or happy ending? I think it’ll be more in Miguel’s perspective as well!

EDIT: You can now read PART 2 here

[tazmiilly]

hii sorry if this has already been answered but I see that in abw ford is often drawn with a wheelchair or cane and I was just curious if there was a specific reason behind it? (like condition, etc.) tbh I personally find the drawings rly comforting as someone w chronic pains I heart ford and how u draw him sm <3

This was answered with the help of my partner so i say “we”

The reason we started doing it is because it’s fucking awesome, but there wasn’t anything specifically in the ABW Journal 3 passages that alluded to him having mobility aids, if that’s what you’re asking. Everything we’re about to discuss is stuff that we just came up with on our own.

Without going into too much detail, in February of ‘82, Ford fell and fractured his right tibial plateau. Due to several factors - the fate of the universe being at stake, Ford’s own fragile mental state, the looming presence of Bill, etc. - Ford did not immediately seek treatment. He tried to “suck it up” and “tough it out” for quite a while, which of course only exacerbated the injury, and by the time he finally did go to a hospital, his leg had been permanently damaged. He walks with a limp and has long-term arthritis in that knee.

Additionally, to protect his mind from Bill, Ford had Fiddleford perform a DIY sci-fi craniotomy on his parietal lobe (this is their universe’s equivalent of the metal plate being installed in the head). Again, though, circumstances being what they were, it was a messy procedure, and Ford has been dealing with the side effects of the surgery ever since.

Most of the time he walks with a cane, but there are plenty of instances in which he uses a chair, such as if he has to travel long distances, navigating difficult terrain, or even if his pain is just particularly bad that day. (Caroline note: I made a whole post about his various mobility aids! You can read it here!)

So the big difference in this universe - what makes it “better” - is that Ford is not forced to be alone and adrift for thirty years. Ford’s problems don’t go away immediately, but he doesn’t have to face them on his own. In this world, he has access to help and, though he struggles to at first (this is Ford, after all), ultimately accepts it. We have a ton of notes about where the exact point of timeline divergence is, what exactly happened, and a great deal of these do contribute directly to his use of mobility aids, but I think the really important thing is that he doesn’t feel he has to stand alone. He can depend on others for help and he can use a cane to walk around and he can use a chair if he needs a break.

[alchemicaladarna]

So I'm like at least one hour late to the discussion, but I just realized Bad explaining his headcanons about the DSMP. Like the timeloops and DreamXD pulling people from different timelines and universes to basically be his "playthings"/puppets makes so much sense for so many characters. Including kind of an explanation to Q!Bad's lore on QSMP.

Because months ago, he mentioned that Q!Bad was stuck in a timeloop for a while, and that could be referring to his time on the DSMP. I'm not exactly sure when this timeloop happened, but I saw people saying this took place sometime after the Hunger Games. But tbh this could take place before that...

So, to me, this is confirmation that he existed as this very ancient demon that got yoinked from his universe by DreamXD, and then all the events of the timeloop (DSMP) took place, and then somehow, the timeloop broke and Q!Bad made his way to Quesadilla Island where he is now trapped there. And depending on your theories for what the Island/Fed experiments are, you can say q!Bad might be stuck in another loop.

[ninyard]

Came here from your in universe tweets posts and have just realised you're also Irish.

What are your thoughts on Kevin Day seeming so American through and through? I personally wish Nora had given him an accent or something seeing as he was raised by his Irish single mam. Like I kinda wish there had been some cultural differences there even if it was done badly.

However I think Nora was very on point with the fact that if somebody was going to make a very violent stickball sport it would be an Irish person.

I don't know anybody IRL who's read aftg and I would love to hear somebody else's thoughts on Kevin's Irish heritage lol

I wrote these silly little hcs about Kevin’s childhood in Ireland but a lot of that is kind of dependent on Kevin having had more of a childhood in Ireland (which I don’t think happened but I haven’t got a clue what the timeline of Kayleigh being in Ireland to Kevin being born is tbh)

Personally I wish Kev was a little more Irish and I also think the Irish mammy thing would’ve had a HUGE influence on him (again depending how old he was when she died). She would’ve been his best friend if he’d grown up with her. Also the internalising of his problems is VERY typical of an Irish man but I’d like to imagine Kayleigh tried to break the cycle of that mentality in sons/first born sons and it was destroyed by the Moriyama’s.

Things I would maybe like Kevin to have/do:

- just a little bit of an accent. On certain words, or if he’s drunk or tired, or if he’s speaking with an Irish person, his accent QUADRUPLES in intensity.

- burns in the sun SO EASILY but also wears shorts when it’s barely even hot at all

- he drinks tea when it’s cold because it’s comforting and it reminds him of his mam. It’s the one indulgence he allows himself because she took her tea sweet so he heaps two teaspoons in when he feels like he needs a hug

- I’ve mentioned it before somewhere but I believe that Kayleigh was from the west, from a gaeltacht area and spoke fluent Irish, and raised Kevin to be bilingual until she passed, and he never continued and honestly probably forgot it. He remembers little words here and there but really not much at all.

- right after he graduates he spends an entire summer in Ireland before he starts with his pro team. It’s a silly decision for his exy career really because he could use all of the professional practice he can get, but he needs it. He goes back to Ireland and visits all of these places he doesn’t remember, the places where Kayleigh grew up and took kev when he was a baby. Maybe his grandparents are still alive, and his grandfather plays hurling with him, and they speak to him in Irish, and he spends the summer learning and just relaxing and reconnecting with his roots. Maybe his grandmother has a box of Kayleigh’s old things and for the first time in his life he holds something belonging to his mam other than his letter. Her jersey with her original IRE National Court number on it from the Olympics just a few years before she died, and some photos he’d never seen before. I’d really love for him to just be able to know his mam better somehow. I feel like he deserves it!!!

(He comes back with the most obnoxious Irish American accent after that summer and he gets ROASTED for it. But he doesn’t care, because he feels so much closer to his mam having spent that much time at home)

I am CERTAIN that Kayleigh was inspired to create Exy by watching hurling. There’s no way she wasn’t. Exy is the bastard sport of lacrosse, hockey AND hurling.

[musicalmoritz]

do you think in this current timeline, kou and mitsuba were already romantically interested in each other (as in our old one)? before they started getting their memories back, that is

Hello! I’ve been somewhat behind on the asks lately but I finally found the time to get some done, let’s go🥳🥳🥳

To answer your question, yes, I do think this version of Kou and Mitsuba are already romantically interested in each other. I don’t think they’re together romantically yet, but we’ve already seen some hints of them having little crushes on each other. Such as Kou blushing at Mitsuba’s finger trick, or Mitsuba constantly choosing to be around Kou over all his other friends (which is partially due to Mitsuba’s dependency issues but there’s a reason he chooses to depend on Kou specifically). It’s a really cute concept tbh, the two of them being best friends for years and mutually pining for each other. It very much feels like this is what should have and would have happened in the original timeline, had Kou befriended Mitsuba when they first met

I like to think the two of them fall for each other pretty quickly in every universe. It happens every time they meet in canon so the concept isn’t that far fetched, especially since we do see them together in most of if not all the aus. They’re bound to meet and fall in love every time, tho their fate beyond that is less certain

[cskv11]

What lore predictions do you have for the b.o.b?

I really hope we find out wtf is going on between him and the Axolotl tbh

I really hope this ages well 😭

When it comes to his personal lore (as in origin story) I believe non of it will be true; he'll dramatize every detail he's physically able to, and he won't even try masking it. We'll be able to see his lies, but the truth will come out to be real clear when we'll read between lines (as in "liberated my dimension" means " Arson is my middle name and everyone that once knew me can confirm that I love burning people). The codes and ciphers Bill will leave hanging around the pages will contain heavier lore drops, but really decontextualized, and will be mostly gossip.

He will definitely give us some juicy lore about all these "higher" beings (?) that the Gravity Falls cast has encountered throughout the series, like Time Baby and Jheselbraum. Maybe he'll introduce us to someone new characters! But the thing about unreliable narrators is that you never know where the lies end and where the truth starts, so it'll mostly be a competition on who he trash-talks about more hahaha.

Of course, OBVIOUSLY, the Axolotl will be there. Not only because of his apparent connection with Bill, but the way Alex has portrayed them both in the promos he's posted on Instagram, makes me believe there's absolutely some deep things going on between those two. Personally, I feel like he sees the Axolotl as some kind of hypocrite and coward. He's envious the Axolotl is respected while Bill is plainly feared and "betrayed" constantly. There will be a bunch of pages dedicated to this guy - half of them just insulting him, the other half explaining how they met (while insulting him, of course). He'll make sure to let us know he's infinitely better than the Axolotl, in all aspects possible.

The Henchmaniacs! They will be there! Tho, I don't know if this book is supposed to be set before or after the events of Gravity Falls. Depending on what part of the timeline the book covers, there'll be more or fewer detriments directed at them. He'll explain the nobodies they were before joining him and how they came to him, dragging on the ground, searching for divine enlightment and loyal servitude. And he, as benevolent as he is, gave them the blessing of being his henchmen. If the book is located after the events of Gravity Falls, this will be flooded with irony (or maybe he's totally oblivious and doesn't actually care they made him a statue saying he's the worst).

Weird anatomical and physiological facts about himself! He knows what we crave, and he'll give it to us. We'll regret ever thinking of wanting to know how his eye-mouth-tongue operates! This will be extensively graphical, and there will be illustrations and schematics of it! I hope!

He'll explain to us what the hell he meant when he said he eats his own exoskeleton! (WE'LL KNOW WHAT'S THERE BEHIND HIS EYE???? IS HE SOME KIND OF MR KRABS BLOB OF FAT AND MEAT UNDERNEATH HIS very jazzy triangle OUTFIT?)

He'll take credit for an innumerable quantity of cults and important historical events he claims to have influenced, participated in, or fully provoked! Ford gave us the info he had about Bill's global influence, and Bill's going to expand on it and give us his side of the story! (Maybe he'll explain more stories like the one document Ford had that talked about "Billius Cipherus"?)

He'll tell us how he got his powers cause he ain't convincing anybody saying he just popped into the Universe like that. Sweet lore. He'll give us clues he had a sibling (<- I hope). He'll justify killing his family and explain the atrocities they commited against him. Maybe there really is some deep trauma buried in there? We gonna see tear marks when (if) he talks bout his family? Man, I WISH

Enchants, curses, summonings and all that stuff. They will be there.

And I'm gonna end this here cause I already have written too much and probably won't be able to correct any grammar mistakes I've made cause I'm ecstatic:

FORD...

You know he'll be there, you know half of the book will be about this poor babygirl, and he's gonna act tough, pretending he doesn't care bout nuthin but YOU KNOW THERE WILL BE DEEP IMPLICATIONS THAT THESE TWO WERE MORE THAN "STUDENT" AND "MENTOR". HE WILL TRY TO HIDE IT BUT WE KNOWWW WHAT THESE TWO LOOSERS WERE, WE KNOWWW THEIR DIRTY LITTLE SECRETT and I'm gonna be drooling about it –I won't sleep I won't eat, I won't drink, my brain will be picturing these two lil mfs wishing each other a good night ASHDHHSHS

Anyway, this is it for now, I apologize for any grammar mistakes that could cause potential brain damage! Thanks for the ask!

[theboombutton]

Spoilers Ahead

OK let's talk about the lore implications of The Magnus Protocol episode 4's statement.

Timeframe

The Mannheim School was founded in 1741-1742; and the Royal Court of the Palatinate left Mannheim in 1778. This gives us a roughly 35-year timeframe within which which our violinist could have made his initial carriage journey to Germany - barring timeline differences.

This absolutely destroys my theory that the Fears arrived here from the TMA universe, found a universe without Fear, and broke through in East Germany during the Cold War. This episode firmly establishes that there were Fears in the Protocolverse in the late 18th century, and that they were well-established at the time - established enough to have a guy giving out cursed artifacts in the woods of Baden.

Were they the Archiverse Fears, that just happened to arrive earlier than I thought? Were they Protocolverse Fears? Were they Fears from yet another universe, escaped from their own Fearpocalypse?

The Fears

So this is a really fascinating statement because it seems to marry our old friend TMA Slaughter Classic, with whatever the fuck Ink5oul was doing in TMAGP episode 2, with just a mention of the Archivist-associated power to elicit an unintended confession.

The Slaughter connection I'm sure I won't have to argue - it's straight out of TMA. In fact, it's so straight-out-of-TMA that to me it suggests that this is almost certainly the Archiverse's The Slaughter. If we were dealing with an artifact of a different universe's Fear of violence, I wouldn't expect it to be so connected to music. There's nothing about music that inherently connects it to horrific violence, and yet Bardwell jumps out of a carriage and dashes his skull on the rocks because of what seems an awful lot like the Piper's Song. Violin Audrey Two goes full Grifter's Bone when it's unable to get blood.

The interesting part though is that these incidents are the exception to the rule of the violin's favor. At first it seems happy to make small, flesh wound mutilations of its player, which doesn't sound like the Slaughter at all. Yes, he moves on to serial killing, but it's a very methodical, planned kind of violence - not at all what I'd expect from the Archiverse Slaughter. And the theme of an artist mutilating themselves in service of their art seems very similar to Daria in Protocol episode 2.

Of course, the art connection might just be a coincidence. There is a disproportionate amount of art about art and artists, just because it's high on the list of things artists tend to think about. It's the same reason there's not a whole lot of art about septic tank maintenance*.

I doubt it, though.

Here's my working theory: I think there are at least two universes' Fears at work here, and there wasn't enough room in the Fear-Space for two full sets of entities to represent and feed on essentially the same fears. So they got smooshed together.

The Archiverse Slaughter got smooshed with a close equivalent - a fear that included Archiverse-style violence, yes, but also included a significant element of self-harm, and was culturally wrapped up with artistic performance in the same way that the Archiverse Slaughter was wrapped up with the sound, but not always the performance, of music. The Smooshed Slaughter teeters between its aspects, showing one face or the other depending upon the situation.

OK but what was with the Archivist powers?

idk tbh. I can think of two theories, neither of which I find particularly compelling:

The guy in the woods wasn't actually an avatar. Instead, he was a Salesa type, a distributor of supernatural trinkets. He had some kind of artifact of the Eye on him that gave him archivist compulsion powers.

All of the Archiverse Entities were changed by their time under the rule of the Eye, so being strongly-enough touched by an Archiverse Fear gives you mild Eye Powers for free.

Augustus

Yes I know everyone thinks this is Jonah, and I admit there is a good chance it is Jonah. But I don't like it, and I hold out hope that it isn't.

Personally, I like the idea that the Fears were specifically attached to the voices that told the stories in TMA, in which case Jonah wouldn't have been dragged along; but, if it was based purely on the physical presence of the people in the top room of the Panopticon, then yes, Jonah could have been brought along. To our knowledge nobody ever went after Jonah's body down in the labyrinth, so his eyes would presumably have been left alive in Elias's head for like, the whole episode.

I still hold out hope that Augustus is an Archivist-equivalent from another universe that also went Fearpocalypse and also released its Fears to the multiverse. While I'm pretty certain we're dealing with two sets of Fears here, possibly combined into one set of Smooshed Fears, I'm not at all certain that the non-Archiverse Fears are originally from the Protocolverse.

Conclusion

It's 3 AM and I have to go to bed. I think I've properly scheduled this to post an hour after the episode drops; if I'm wrong about the episode timing and accidentally spoil someone, I'm very sorry.

---

* yes I know there's septic tank dive fetish photos, I said "not a whole lot" not "none whatsoever."

[melaclintbartoncorner]

What’s your favorite Clintasha trope? What are some of your headcanons for our beloved duo?

Hey my beloved darling! 😘

Thank you for your ask!

Tropes I absolutely adore with these two are: Coworkers to lovers, alternative universes ( for example Tattooartist meets Barista), I adore soulmates tropes, any Fics that fix the damn MCU timeline (I love you, @sneakronicity who wrote us "Until I see you again , Also Fuck you Joss Weasel). a good medieval alternative with queens and knights (just some good fantasy AUs), I am a sucker for family stories so Clintasha retiring and raising kids on the farm, some good romantic and without violence smut is always welcome. These are the Highlights that I can think of now.

Let's talk about head canons:

Clint and Nat are the perfect example of Ying and Yang, Clint is that openminded golden retriever that will take everyone who needs help in with open arms, Nat is that black cat that is dismissive at first an very reserved, but together they complete each other. Clint has a lot of patience with her and loves her unconditionally, what Nat doesn't really understands, but as soon she let's her walls down, but only for Clint, she is completely and without a fault devoured to him, I would even go that far to say she is very protective over him, because she knows he has some inner wounds that need to heal. So she does everything possible to make him heal, the same way he has done for her. They protect each other at all times, they would even turn against the Avengers to protect each other.

In my head they have 3 way of sex: The hot in the moment against the wall sex, that is full of hunger and lust especially when both haven't be together for a time; the light quickie in the morning to start their day in a relaxed fashion and the tender, slow, full of love and appreciation lovemaking that breaks them apart and proves their bond over and over again.

Clint loves Nat's red hair and is quite annoyed when she has to dye it blond for various missions. He adores her eyes & body and loves to touch and kiss every inch of her will treating her like a goddess.

On the other hand Nat loves when Clint has a bit longer hair so she has something to hold on ;), she is obsessed with his archery arms but especially these magical hands that makes her fall apart every time, He absolutely know what he is doing, he never misses after all ;).

After every mission, massages and bathing together are in order. Especially Nat loves to massage her hawk, that gives her a reason to really examine Clint's body in all its glory.

And of course they are a perfect team in the field, they basically don't even need to talk but communicate over their abilities and their body language. The Avengers are surprised every time when joint missions are happening and that ace team is shining bright.

In my head the only reason Clint uses hearing aids is to hear Nat's voice. The first moments without hearing her voice made him mental, he felt he was suffocating and felt his world just exploded. He need to hear her voice to survive, same as air to breath. Both know ASL, so they can communicate when Clint needs his calm time when overstimulated with the hearing aids and it's an advantage to gossip about people without them knowing. Over the years they invented a whole new signing language that's just for them, because the team catches up and in my head everyone is capable of signing, so they needed a new way to be private and intimate with each other.

For me they retire together on Clint's farm and will live there till the end of their looooong lifes and together in their arms in their bed. Titanic Style just less dramatic. 😂

The team visits every month they always have an amazing barbecue together and basically a whole week of festivities sponsored by Tony of course. Do they have kids? In some of my head yes (A girl and a boy), in the other not to honour the Red Room Story of Nat. Depends on my mood tbh.

If you need more just ask ahead. Now my head is empty but happy.

I love you and thank you for your friendship and companionship. 😘😘

🏹🕷️💜❤️

[cooliogirl101]

What do you think would happen if Christina reincarnates in the star wars universe as a force sensitive?

Depends on when in the timeline she ends up in (although tbh my familiarity with the Star Wars universe is pretty surface level).

[rom-e-o]

If Bess were to show up in your og timeline, the Scrooges would probably first meet her at Lottie's coming out ball, as they would most definitely be invited.

Okay, YES, I want to talk about Bess being introduced into my historic timeline. I’ve been mulling over ideas, because honestly, I just can’t bear the thought of these two ladies not being soul sisters in any universe.

A coming out ball would be the perfect occasion, especially Lottie’s. It’s a high-society event, and the guest list is prestigious. Scrooge is connected, after all. They receive the invitation, and there is a bit of discussion about why it landed in their laps. “I’ve heard she’s got … a personality, that one.” (I can see Magda rolling her eyes. “I know what that’s jargon for.”)

Now, let me ask … how do you see Bess being involved in the event? I feel like Connie bumps into her by chance, perhaps noticing her on the outskirts of things. Or perhaps Connie even nearly trips in the ballroom, and Bess is the only one kind enough to lean in and actually help (thereby breaking the stuffy ‘traditionalist’ decorum.) Then, Connie hears that American accent, and her face lights up. “Oh, a-are you from the States as well?”

Connie has slowly been learning the London social scene, character by character. She’s familiar with the prestige and infamy of the Dowager Countess of Calloway herself, and the Shaw are certainly discussed. Perhaps she’s crazy, but some even whispered that Marley himself had connections, or … relations. But those were just rumors … right? She had never had a reason to ask her husband if he … knew anything. Perhaps she should.

Lottie is SUPPOSED to be the main event (and poor Scrooge may get stolen by her) but Connie can’t help but be intrigued by this other Yankee in London.

“Oh! (Peers over Bess’ shoulder) It would appear the lady of the hour is flirting with my husband. Oh my. (Laughs). Thankfully, he can hold his own. … Do you enjoy parties? I like them, but when it’s your job to like parties for so long, they lose their luster. Don’t you think?”

And Connie is a chatterbox. If Bess was looking for a place to be alone, I’m afraid that isn’t happening. Unless she shooed her off, of course. Then she’s willingly give the woman space, bow, and follow directions. She’d give her the utmost respect without any ill word or argument. However, if she was in the headspace to welcome conversations at the time … woof. Get ready, Bess.

“I must say, I love your dress. That blue really makes your eyes pop, and your lips too! And your hair is so pretty. I could never get mine that perfectly curled, even if I brushed it and curled it endlessly with my wand. It can be a bit of a nest sometimes, haha. That’s why I wear it down. Ah, sorry. I’m … probably coming on a tad too strong. Am I talking too much? My apologies.”

If Bess’ siblings are in attendance, she’d most definitely love to meet them.

I’m picturing Eb and Bess perhaps sharing a dance too later in the night, which would be very interesting depending who knows what about what. Regardless of any of that, he say her and his wife talking, and wants to get to know her as a result. She must be quite the fine character.

Of course, there are lots of details to discuss, but I love this setting idea as a first meeting!

Then there is getting Wolf into the scene as well. I imagine it’s a similar Ezekiel-style situation, unless that conflicts with the timeline of events and reasons of Bess and Wolf to first meet through Marley? Tbh, I’m okay with ret-conning things in my universe to make it work too, because Bess and Wolf need to keep their pining story beats. They’re too freaking good.

[junhrs]

i already have 2 separate insert ideas!! one for oliver and victor, and then frenemies with claren

IM HONOURED AND SOBBING MY EYES OUT 🥹🥹 i love your inserts so so much… um um ok so vic and oliver’s world isn’t fully complete bc i put it on the back burner to work on claren and stuff so! have some rabbit city plot info for your mc creation: (everything is stc as i continue the plot but this is the current gist)

mc has just moved into the city (might make it a possibility to choose the reason why but depends on my timeline)

their neighbour turns up dead the same month mc moves in

mc is brought in as a suspect bc of the timing and everything (you’ll meet takashi here)

on the way back, mc bumps into claren

uh from then on it’s kind of spoiler + wip stuff! but rn there’s a total of 5 possible endings i’m planning for (going to kms with the writing jeez) where 2 of them are bad ends, 2 are good, and the last one is kind of weird? it’s the possible poly route ending which is more neutral

but more facts!

rabbit city is just a nickname for the actual place (was too lazy to come up with the proper city name first tbh) but residents barely ever call it by the actual name (only officials typically do)

you’ll get to pick what job you have (possible they impact the story but shhhhh spoilers) or if you’re still a university student doing their graduate degree

the bad ends are kind of fun to get imo

[perpetualxfire]

About the Muse

Legal Name: Katelyn May Church Nicknames: Carolina, Kate, Katie May Date of Birth: May 16th, 2522 Gender: Cis Female Place of Birth: You know I'm still not sure? Usually Raleigh, North Carolina (or the 'modern' equivalent of the region in this universe) Currently Living: Iris, a livable moon orbiting the planet Chorus

Spoken Languages

English

French (At a very moderate skill level, not fluent, but can hold a conversation and communicate key concepts)

ASL (or in-universe equivalent; a little rusty, but decently fluent in, like, a hearing person kinda way; my HOH people who sign know what I mean lol;; also, for the record, this is a self roast- I'm trying guys)

Education

Dual Degree; BS in Applied Physics and BFA in Dance (Yes, this was a colossal pain in the ass)

ROTC Training during college

Did NOT go to Officer Training School; Halo lore in this particular area seems to make it difficult to compare modern infrastructure for early military careers with in-universe infrastructure, so, lacking more thorough explanation in this subject, elected to follow research into an education/career path that is feasible now, today, IRL, instead of mentioned/implied/listed alterations in universe.

Physical Characteristics

Hair Color: Red; Somewhere between Deep Red and Auburn. Eye Color: Vivid Green Miscellaneous: 'Beauty Mark' along jaw line near right corner of lip. Height: Safest Bet: 5'10 Frustratingly Verse and Writing Partner Dependent. My Default: 6'3" Weight: See above- Depends on Height. Well muscled, but lean.

Relationships

All Relationships Listed as of Last Known Point in the Timeline

Epsilon ("Brother", Partner in Crime, Confidant)

Agent Washington (Similar to Epsilon; Brother-like relationship)

Reds and Blues (Friends..? Hard to put to words)

Doctor Emily Gray (Notably Respected - not an easy status to earn. Never spell her name the same way twice in a row because you gotta keep 'em guessing.)

General Vanessa Kimball (Well Respected; in my mind, there's a HARD unrequited crush with an ace woman, but, you know, that's just shipping)

Director Leonard Church (Deceased; Male Parental Unit; It's Complicated)

Allison "Finch" (Deceased; Last name head canon (changing your name SUCKS ASS); Female Parental Unit; Died in 2528; Only Listed due to relevancy to Tex)

Agent Texas (Deceased; 'It's Complicated' aka I never actually watched the 'Final Season' because I haven't had the emotional energy and I know it's relevant thanks to the synopses I've been working off of but not specifically how because I also want to have SOMETHING to watch when I finally get to it)

Agent New York (Deceased; 'The One That Got Away'; Ma'am you barely even KNEW him-)

Other Freelancer Agents (Deceased; Once believed to be good friends and comrades; would rather let those memories stay that way, but regularly has to reconcile these memories with present day reality)

Orientation: I write her Bi as fuck Relationship Status: Single; Emotionally Unavailable to Men, Incapable of Expressing Her Feelings to Women

tagged by: @thestupidmeanone tagging: tbh just do it, dude. I spent like three hours on this double checking my information and reminding myself how much I hate inconsistency lol but it's good to remind yourself of the baseline stuff about your muse from time to time

[mudlarkspur]

Hey if you could do a crossover with each of your AUs with another AU what would you pick

well I only got the one AU so let's see uhhhhhh

I've never done a crossover but they've always seemed like a lot of fun? So anyone who wants to invite me in their space I'm willing to play.

I have like some general ideas?

Junior and a Draxum that isn't their's has kind of a toss up between thinking that's cool and following him around OR like. Trying to rip out his jugular with her teeth. It depends heavily on how similar he is to their Appā since a lot of versions of him are kinda just extremely abusive.

They'd be less likely to be violent with raised by Draxum turtles but like that also depends on how abused they may or may not be? If they're a traumatized mess she'll be like ohhhhh. yiiikes. If they're doing well probably be curious and then "my dad can beat up your dad"ing them (they are wrong) within a few minutes.

Other feral AUs would be fun, tho I might scoot them around on their timeline for that.

lmao I did kind of a crossover comic for @thedawningofthehour Gale and Junior but if Junior ended up with his brothers instead of with him she'd be like hey!!! you guys are alive!!!! hell yeah!!!!!! and then follow them until she realized how depressed everyone is. then she's like ohhhh boy okay you have your own issues going on so i'm gonna go home.

tbh any crossover where they got to meet their brothers it would have a lot of omg you're alive in this universe??? and then following them.

Junior is just a little guy. feral cat behavior. extremely confused about why no one else is desi

[my-silly-rabbit]

1, 10, 11, + 16 for the self insert asks! for bonbon!!!

1. what are the basics of your self insert? name, date of birth, height, etc.? name: Bonbon Benson

age: around mid 25+ to mid 30's. it depends on the timeline. birthday: 1/12. same as mine! i give all my s/i my bday~

height: mmmmmmmm idk. 5'4 . my height ig lol

likes: FREDDY FAZBEAR'S PIZZARIA! and mainly Springbonnie ~!, pizza, dancing, pop music, video games, and robotics. dislikes: spicy food, uncomfy fabrics, silence but also sudden loud noises, kids that aren't Williams.

fun facts: she ALWAYS wears bunny ears that she made herself.

uummmmmmmmm idk lmao 10. how do the other characters feel about your self insert and f/o’s relationship? oooo i have a lot to this one

henry: depending on the universe, sees Bonbon as a casual friend. he's happy that William found love again and finds her a joy, though can get on his nerves. post..... everything, he sees her as an obstacle to drag around his mission to find William. they both have opposing views and Bonbon has stopped hiding her involvement but she says if he rats her out, she won't hold bad. henry values his plans to die more than just feeling the minor satisfaction of seeing her behind bars plus shes part of all this too. she deserves to be set aflame like the rest of this mess. even if when they find springtrap, they tackle and bite each other and break their hips. they are glued together till shit is settled. bonbon WANTS to die with william. That is her main mission if henry plans to kill him. she would LIKE to take him home but..... she's old and tired of being alone. if complying a bit means seeing him again, she'd...try. but it's not easy. (tbh them actually bonding in a fucked up way might actually be cute but the outcome is the same.) michael" oooh boy. he did NOT like her at first. too clean and cutesy. anyone who likes his dad SUCKS (besides uncle henry). but as she starts babystting, he realizes that she has a bit of a 'cool babysitter' edge. not telling his parents about minor shit and talking with him instead of shouting or ignoring. she knows that the aftons arent the best parents and is blunt with michael about it. Michael is confused why someone like her still cares about people who arent good parents and he never truly got an answer for that.

post....everything, Michael starts to see her as a second mother but bonbon admittedly doesn't try to keep in touch. michael looks too much like him...but she still tries to have him over from time to time he helps her to make sure her house isn't a total mess.

by the time Michael goes missing, she's already hunting William down with henry, and both beet with Michael again at the same time. he gets the biggest hug but Michael, who was most likely told by Henry her crimes, pushes her away and yells at her that she never truly cared and was just around for his father. that she never truly wanted him around and just used him for labor. Despite Bonbon crying after being yelled at.....he's not wrong. bonbon sucks guys can u tell lmao.

Elisabeth: oh boy. bonbon tried EVERYTHING to get this girl to like her. everything under the sun. gifts, praise, ignoring her, giving her space, being in her face, bribes, secrets, but NOTHING would keep this lil lady from stopping her "BONBON IS THE WORST BABYSITTER WE EVER HAD!!" tantrums. even when Michael and even try to tell her to quit it and she is not that bad and lets them off the hook for a LOT, she never quits. maybe its "IM DADDY'S PRINCESS" attitude or just having another girl(?) in the house but she just can't stand bonbon. bonbon loves her dearly! She is William's favorite! how can she not!! she tries SO HARD to get her to like her but NOTHING WORKS.

Even: he's glad to finally have a shoulder to cry on. though Bonbon admittedly has little empathy about his fear of the animatronic. she cant see it and tries to get him to like them to no avail. but she gives up after a while and doesn't torment him with them.

Clara / mrs. Afton: in universes where they are a polycule. Clara adores bonbon. bonbon was very nervous about even the idea of suggesting something together but god., they already were something. she gives her face kisses way too casually, and hugs her every time she sees bonbon. clara thinks bonbon is the best person to include in their family and bonbon adores her right back. she always worries that hes not 'good enough' for such a pretty woman but shes perfect in Clara's eyes. tbh they might be more in love then bonbon and Afton are but there love for each other is just as strong for him together.

11. what kind of outfit(s) does your self insert wear? mmmm take this art and some photoes from my pintrest

16. freebie! name a fact about your self insert you want everyone to know.

UUMM OH! The reason she sews buttons on her clothes is to fidget with them. they are her main fidget and she loves the smooth texture and shapes.

[shdwtouch]

I saw we were talking about pet names and kaey will call you pet names in English but also every other language he knows and will switch between them until he finds one that "fits". or just call you by a mix of them tbh depending on his mood.

calling him "good boy" can be an issue depending on what point in his timeline / universes; older and post-aleksey kaey can definitely be eased into it with enough trust, patience, and support from his partner. anything prior to that will not fly with him. touch his face or hair (ESPECIALLY his hair !!) while calling him that and you WILL get bitten.

call shade "good girl" and she will ??? at you ("am I... a dog ?") but most likely accept it unless she can tell you're being derogatory / mean. also she really sucks at pet names, she's deadass like bob from bobs burgers just like