#this honestly isn’t even the most ridiculous of what I’ve seen

[marrekeye]

Help I’m looking for reference pics and I can’t with some of these 😭

(Don’t ask, it’s for the pmv. Yes I’m still making that thing shhhh)

Like WHAT is going on. Who comes up with this shit cause I’d like to meet them.

[jeonscatalyst]

Hey May do you think Jk acts different around Jimin when Tae is around? I've seen taekookers saying that you can always tell who the real couple is whenever Vminkook are together because Jk is always glued to Tae instead of Jimin and I also saw them talk about the fact that taekook mostly sat side by side on AYS.

Hey anon,

Yes I think Jk is different around Jimin when Tae is around. Jk and Jimin would obviously be different around each other when there is another person around. It could be Jin or Yoongi around them and they would still be different, them being different around each other has nothing to do with tae being there or not but just the fact that a third person will always change the dynamic of two. If we ever got a show with just tae and Jk their dynamic would be very different compared to when Jimin is around, that is completely normal.

The thing with taekookers is that they seem to have this belief that someone automatically becomes a jerk to their friends or is less nice to their friends when their lover is around and that is the narrative they have been trying to push. I saw this ridiculous thread on twitter a few days ago from a taekooker trying to show the difference in dynamics between taekook and Jikook when they are together and that post had over 4k likes even though it was filled with the most ridiculous things ever. Taekookers in my opinion are some of the most shallow, childish and inexperienced people ever because they lack the ability to look beyond the surface. As long as Jk or tae stare at each other, they see romance even if the next second they see Tae going away on his honeymoon, that wouldn’t matter because the honeymoon was set up by the company to cover up taekook’s real relationship. As long as Jk and Tae hold unto each other singing and dancing to a song at a concert they see romance even if moments later Jk is seen tongue kissing someone else, that person is a beard to cover taekook’s real and forbidden love. Taekookers would rather accuse every living thing on earth of trying to hide taekook than stopping to think that maybe they read things wrong.

I’ve seen them talk about seeing a difference between taekook and Jikook when vminkook are together, as a matter of fact that is something almost all the taekook blogs on tumblr believe in and talk about. They give examples like the HS concert in 2021, they talk about the Vminkook Vlive from 2021 and they have added AYS to the mix. Everytime I read the things they say and how they justify these points I am shocked at how shortsighted some people can be. I honestly don’t know if they really cannot see beyond the surface or if they just don’t want to look because they are afraid of what they might find or if they see but don’t want to accept it.

Let’s start with the HS concert. To them that was proof that taekook is real and Jikook isn’t because of the moment we saw of tae and Jk singing, holding hands and dancing to “falling”. There was that moment and another moment of taekook sharing drink or something and according to taekookers that was Jk and tae being glued the entire night nevermind the fact that we have footage of Jimin and Jungkook whispering to each other, sharing drinks, dancing together with Jimin’s hand over Jungkook, plus the fact that those two actually disappeared together for a while at the concert. Now, these examples of Jikook aren’t meant to prove that jikook is real either but just to show that Taekook weren’t glued all night as taekookers would like to believe but just because of those few moments they had of taekook’s interactions, they swore that the two were glued together all night and Jk didn’t even spare Jimin a glance. Now why do I say they are shortsighted? The Harry Styles concert happened on the 19th of November 2021 and then a little over a week later, we got the Vminkook Vlive (march 28th) and from this Vlive, we found out from Jimin that since they got to LA, he had been working out with Jungkook every single day, we also found out from Jimin that Jungkook was basically in his room almost all the time. Jimin said Jk visited his room about 3 times a day and that he saw Jungkook in his room way more than he saw the managers. Tae confirmed this story by telling us that he went to Jimin’s room one day and thought it was Jungkook’s because Jk was the one who answered Jimin’s door and greeted him. Mind you Jimin said Jungkook was in his room everyday and even came at night too when he was about to go to sleep, stayed there for 2-4 hours at a time and left. We also know that Jungkook was probably there every night because on the one night he didn’t go, Jimin asked why he didn’t come and he wouldn’t be asking this if Jk wasn’t a regular visitor to his room. Also, Tae thinking that Jimin’s room was Jk’s means that he didn’t even know Jk’s room. So which normal person thinks that taekook dancing together at a concert and you know, being friends proves they are dating when we know for a fact that at the same period, Tae didn’t know Jungkook’s hotel room, Jungkook was spending almost all his time in Jimin’s room and choosing to go to him repeatedly when he was lonely or bored? You see why I say taekookers are incredibly shortsighted? You don’t even have to think Jikooo are a couple but Jk clearly liked spending more private time with him that he did with Tae judging from the things they said. So how exactly could taekook be dating yet Jungkook prioritized being with Jimin over Tae? They focus on physical affection which in this case isn’t a sign of romance but of friendship, love and care and the they ignore facts because they facts shatter their fantasies. They watched the Vminkook Live and focused on 5 seconds of awkward eye contact and that to them was proof of the greatest romance but ignored everything that was said in that Live that completely debunked Taekook. Nevermind the fact that a few days after that Live, Tae attended Hobi’s live and mentioned that he had a meal with Jungkook and they had an adult conversation and Jk said he was happy. Anybody with a brain would understand that this is two people clearly catching up because it doesn’t seem like that is something they did often so after the concert Jk and Tae ate together, did some catching up and we saw Jk after he left Tae’s room still fully dressed with his combat boots on which means that he was just in tae’s room temporarily but when we saw tae a few moments later, he was already out of his concert clothes and had on more comfortable clothes you know, like he had already changed and settled in his bedroom unlike Jk who was clearly just passing by.

So let’s be serious anon, how exactly did the HS concert or the Vminkook Live show that taekook are the real couple when we know for a fact that Jk and Jimin were basically spending almost all of their time together while Tae didn’t know Jk’s hotel room? Before Tae started his Live wasn’t Jk busy eating chicken with Jimin while tae was eating alone? Tae had already showered by himself too while Jk and Jimin were talking about “we haven’t showered yet” lol. Taekookers never look beyond the surface and they don’t even realize that what they think is romance is just two people being friends and basically just dynamic.

They also think that AYS showed how real taekook is and when you ask them why, they tell you how Jk and Tae sat side by side or how Jk wanted Tae to get into the pool too or some other rubbish which proves that these people don’t have friends in real life. After watching Vminkook in AYS, I felt so validated about a post I made months ago describing Vminkook’s dynamic. Typical of taekookers to fail to look beyond the surface. Jk was seated next to Tae most of the time yet he spent the entire time interacting and talking with Jimin. How many times did taekook actually really talk to each other while seated side by side? Didn’t we all watch Jk and Jimin constantly interacting and talking while Tae’s head was buried in his phone the entire time? Let’s also talk about how taekookers claimed that “when Tae leaves the pool Jk leaves” forgetting that Jk chose to stay back with Jimin after they left the pool while Tae showered and went to bed. Jk did this on BOTH nights they were in Jeju btw. If he wanted to be stuck to Tae’s side like tkkrs claim, he would have gotten out of the pool, showered when tae was showering and gone to bed or atleast gone upstairs to be next to him while he was sleeping but that isn’t what he did. He got out of the pool, teased Jimin by locking the doors, knowing that he would have to stay back to open it for him while Tae went ahead to shower and go bed, he stayed back, played a little with Jimin, showered and they went to bed together on both nights so what exactly are taekookers talking about?

Anon, most taekookers, especially the ones here on tumblr swear they are body language experts and they can tell taekook is real because of how taekook’s bodies react to each other (lol) but ask them why Jk doesn’t seek tae out in moments of high emotions or why Jk didn’t immediately go to Tae’s room instead of Jimin’s and they pull out all the conspiracy theories under the sun. They say Jk always wanted to be by Tae’s side in AYS but ask them why Jk wasn’t rushing to his side at nights but choose to stay up playing with Jimin, showering at the same time as him and only going to bed together with him and see how fast they start contradicting themselves.

Anon, any unbiased person who watches AYS with Vminkook can very easily tell the difference between those three and no one would ever think there is anything going on between taekook. Taekookers harrassed and bullied so many unbiased reactors on youtube for seeing and mentioning how close they think Jikook are. You don’t need to be a shipper to see how clearly Jikook are different and how deeply they connect but I guess if you are someone who believes in how close people walk, or people’s sitting positions or people dancing together at concerts, then you might probably see what taekookers see. And this isn’t me saying that these things aren’t important, they are but the issue is you cannot depend only on your reading of people’s body language to prove a ship because first, body language cues could be subjective and could depend on so many things plus you cannot focus on your perception of things while ignoring all the hard facts. Jk and Tae stared at each other for 5 seconds, they are a couple/ there is attraction =Perception. Jk spends alot of time in Jimin’s room, so much that Tae once thought Jimin’s room was Jk’s, according to Jimin, Tae and Jungkook = Fact. While your perception could be wrong, facts can’t and if the fact isn’t wrong then your perception is wrong so that 5 second eye contact which you read as romance/ attraction, isn’t. If you thought taekook were a thing because you noticed that they look at each other in a certain way or they sit in a certain way, then you get to find out that in Jungkook’s free time, he mostly goes to spend time in another person’s room and also likes spending nights with this other person and basically spends almost all day with this person while Tae doesn’t even know his hotel room then doesn’t it make sense to just conclude that you must have read things wrong? But our neighbours would rather call Jimin and Tae liars before they sit to think that maybe, just maybe they read the cues all wrongs.

So anon, I do agree that when we see Vminkook together it is easy to see the difference between them and you can see it by watching them aswell as listening to the things they say. No reasonable person watches them, listens to the thing they say and comes out thinking “yea, taekook is the one” lol. That’s just ridiculous. When you actually watch them and listen to them, you actually get to understand just how complex human feelings and relationships are because so many people spend time arguing about who Jk is closer to when the truth is, he is close to Tae and Jimin in very different ways so you cannot even really compare but one thing that is clear and has always been clear is that of the two, his emotional bond with Jimin is deeper…unless someone wants to explain to me why in his moments of loneliness the one he thought of going to was Jimin even though he didnt do anything particularly interesting while he was in there with him… i’ll wait.

[xmalereader]

Miguel O’Hara x Bunny! Male Reader

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|| Masterlist ||

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Authors note: I’ve had this idea in my head for a very long time now and couldn’t stop thinking about it! This is technically an OC of mine but tried my best not to make there characteristics too detailed or anything that gives away too much OC. This is also an inspiration from MLB, I don’t care if it’s a kid show I have a love and hate relationship towards it and had some things changed for the character, either way hope you enjoy!

Summary: Miguel was the protector of multi universes, what happens when he meets someone who isn’t a spider and is able to do the same, protecting the timeline and making sure that it doesn’t get destroyed, changing the future and clashing within Miguel’s line of work.

Warnings: Angst, reader is a hybrid, time traveling, semi crossover, not mucha of Miguel honestly, language, slight lore, betrayal, hurt no comfort, mentions of genocide, slight depression, enemies to friends but not lovers, slight magic use, miguel is a bit OOC, bunny ears and tail, slight fluff, coping mechanism, readers hero name is Bunnix.

Word count: 5.4k

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In his universe hybrids and humans co existed. In his universe he was a rabbit hybrid born in a large family with many siblings, in his universe he was seen as a monster due to the things he was able to do as a hybrid. His sense of smell was stronger, his hearing better than others and faster that a normal human being. He had the features of a rabbit, long ears and a tail big enough that reached his lower back, who he tends to have issues with whenever it came towards buying clothes for himself since most stores didn’t have much clothes for hybrids that he worked for hours making a hole big enough for his tail and to make sure that it didn’t pinch each time he slipped them on.

He was a normal hybrid trying to survive in a world where he is hated and possibly taken advantage of whenever rabbits fall into heat. He worked at a normal job and had a normal family until at the age of twenty he received a gift, heirloom to be exact from his great grand father who he watched him grow an eventually passed away when he was only a teenage. Y/n would visit his grandfather as a kid, listening to him ramble on about his past life and the things he saw and did.

Due to Y/n being a kid he would believe his stories while his own parents, even his siblings wouldn’t believe their grandfather as he spoke about time traveling and seeing their futures. Everyone disregarded his stories as plain fairytales or crazy due to how old he was getting and growing delusional that no one listened to him, but Y/n.

After his grandfathers death he left his will to the rest of his family, providing his parents and siblings small things. He never received anything that day and thought that his own grandfather hated him and that the idea of leaving something behind to the only child who listened to him was ridiculous. Only to be proven wrong when his grandfathers lawyer approached him that day and told him that his grandfather did leave him something, but was not ready to receive until he got older.

After years he finally got that gift.

When the package arrived he was quick to claim the box into his hands and dart towards his bedroom, closing and locking the door. He knew his family should be around to see what he received from his late grandfather, but something inside him was telling him to do it in private. When getting the package opened he’s met with a letter folded on top of a small box that he picks up to read, noticing his grandfathers handwriting.

My dear child,

I hope this gift got to you at the proper age that I assigned.

And hope for you to take very good care of it.

All those years you were the only one who listened to my stories of my time as a time travel and wish to gift you my most prized possession.

A watch.

This item will show you everything you need to see. It was once my duty to take care of the future and to make sure that no interruptions were made and to decide the right path that our world must face. I know this duty will be hard for you, but I trust that you will know how to use it. I only advice that you do not let this power blind you and don’t let others tell you what is right and wrong of your duty.

If you accept this gift then you will be in charge of our future.

Y/n had opened the small box that held a silver pocket watch, picking it up in his hands as he examined the outside before popping it open. Instead of seeing a regular watch on the inside a bright blue light quickly surrounds him, seeping into his body as his grandfathers life flashes before his eyes, witnessing the pain and suffering he went through, the glee of saving a future, the hesitation of having to choose the wrong path in order to save another. He saw his grandfather at a much younger state and the power that he held in the palm of his hand.

Everything went by fast that when he opens his eyes he’s still in his bedroom, panting heavily knowing that his life changed forever that night.

He figured that he watch helped for this moment only to realize that the pocket watch worked as a safe for his power that was deep inside of him, feeling it coursing through his veins. He kept the gift from his grandfather a secret from his family, knowing that they wouldn’t believe him. If they didn’t believe his grandfather than why believe him?

The hybrid would spend every night trying to practice his ability, which grew difficult since his grandfather never really left instructions on how it worked. He didn’t figure out how to open a portal until three weeks later when he was playing around with a ball and bouncing it against the wall of his apartment, bored out of his mind that when the ball bounced off the wall and towards his open palm, all of a sudden white portal opens, startling the poor rabbit with wide eyes as the ball disappears into the portal.

When first seeing the portal he grows cautious, primal instincts triggering him as his ears fall flat against his head while he nervous reached inside the portal, his hand disappearing and when pulling away he is surprised to see his hand still intact. It took him a few minutes to finally gain the courage and step through the portal where he finds himself in a white abyss full of different portals that showed him the timeline of his universe, witnessing future events before his eyes and being able to see the various outcomes of a future event. He’s able to jump from one timeline to another, visiting different areas and seeing their world before he was even born. The amount of power he had was dangerous and now realized what his grandfather meant by how hard the job would be. Having to keep everything organized, making sure that everything is intact.

Y/n first started off small, seeing his friends future and fixing their life events, picking paths that worked best for them. He sometimes felt guilty for picking a path that didn’t work out for them, but didn't;t have a choice but to decide a bad path in order to get a better one with time. He had the control of the future in the palm of his hand.

It wasn’t until three years that he made his biggest mistake.

His world was going through a war with hybrids and humans and the human government had seen the hybrids as a threat, claiming that they didn’t feel safe living, eating, or working with someone who was different to them. Someone who could do things that no human could and were coming up with ways to exterminate everyone who they saw as a threat. Y/n was only twenty three when he witness the genocide of his people, watching as his family and siblings were separated from him, being taken away. He climbed inside his burrow that night, checking the different outcomes of his worlds future hoping to find a positive end to this situation only to find nothing.

His people were meant to die and he couldn’t save them.

That day, Y/n stayed in his burrow, watching his world kill his own people until none were left but him.

Leaving him on his own without his family or friends, without the comfort of someone like him. Y/n had mourned for days, feeling so alone as he watched his universe future thrive without hybrids, watching as humans celebrated the extinction. The image alone hurt and wanted nothing to do with his own world that with time in the burrows he figures out a way to travel through different universe, alternate ones where his family is alive and safe, ones where he and his family never existed.

Even though he was suppose to keeping things small and protect the future of his own universe he decided to expand his work and protect the future of all universe, traveling from one place to another, hopping from dimension to dimension. The hybrid spent six years learning new things and setting his own rules of balancing out the future.

Each time he visited a dimension he made sure to keep his identity hidden, wearing a black and blue neon stealth suit with a hoodie over that allowed his ears to pop out from the holes he created along with a domino mask over his eyes along with a hole in his suit for his tail as he worked faster in the suit whenever he needed to escape a universe before being noticed.

The hybrid would also spend his time in universes, either trying to coexist or to stay in for awhile since he couldn’t stay in his burrow forever. He mainly stayed hidden on top of large buildings or found ways inside empty apartments in order to get away from the harsh weather conditions. He didn’t think much of his disturbance when hopping from universe to universe until one night he met a flash of red and blue.

He was visiting a earth-4837, noticing an error in the timeline that he’d been trying to fix only for his ears to perk up at the sound of fast movements, catching him off guard as he’s suddenly pinned against the ground, gasping for air at how hard and sudden the push was and regain his breathing only to come face to face with a larger build that stood before him.

“Finally caught you.”

Y/n can only stare with wide eyes under his mask, ears falling back against his head in both worry and fear as he stares at the mask stranger before him. It takes a few seconds for his brain to respond back to him as he tilts his head to he side with furrow brows. “What, what do you mean caught?” He asks, clearly confused.

He can feel the other man’s grip tighten around his stealth suit, pulling him closer as his eyes narrow down at the hybrid. “I have been chasing you through universe and you are always escaping me. You keep disturbing the universes.” He clarified. “Now I have to take you back to your proper universe.”

At the mention of being returned back to his own universe caused a switch to go off in him, reacting quickly as he grips the others mans wrist, using his own strength to kick his feet up and kick him in the chest, sending him falling back with a grunt. The hybrid watched as the masked man coughs under his mask and groan, placing a hand against his chest as he slowly sits up. “Shit, that was a really strong kick.”

Y/n finds satisfaction in the mans words only to gasp when he comes charging at him, making him move quickly and ducking away from his grip, reacting quickly as his instincts as a rabbit take over.

“I am not going back there.” He hissed out, ears pinned back and tail puffing up in anger while the other turns around to face him, taking notice of the movement of his ears and tail. “Those things are real? I thought they were some weirds thing that went along with the suit you wear.”

“I could say the same about those.” Y/n nods towards the strangers hands, noticing the talons from his finger tips. “Thought they were fake, but I guess they aren’t if you have a good grip on that building.”

His words cause the stranger to look over at his hand, talons deep into the wall that he had struck after coming after the hybrid and letting out a small laugh as he detached himself from the wall. “Now you listen—“ When turning back he finds the rabbit gone, earning a disappointed groan.

“Lyla.” He speaks up as the artificial intelligences appears on his shoulder. “Yep?”

“Find me the rabbit.”

From then on, Y/n’s grew careful of his work now that someone as after him. Spending more time in his burrow and less time in other universe and whenever he was in one he would make sure to stay in alert while buying himself to eat and keeping his features hidden from the public, trying to blend in with everyone else.

He figured that he wouldn’t see that same masked stranger again until a week later. He didn’t know how he got involved, but one minute he’s working on keeping a stable future and the next he’s being tossed around by a man dressed in a rhino suit.

“You okay? Whoa—never seen you before.”

That’s how he met the cities hero known as Spiderman.

His suit was similar to the guy who was hunting him down for some unknown reason, but this one was far nicer than the other. The hybrid got a good feeling about the kid and was quick to jump in and help him out as the two take down the rhino, Spider-Man using his webs to keep him from running off while Y/n worked on getting rid of the suit in breaking it apart.

“We make a good team.”

Y/n can only give a small smile. “Guess we did.”

The kid can only tilt his head in questioning and asks. “What do I call you?”

Y/n hesitates, not wanting to give away his own name and doesn’t know how to respond. The hero takes notice of his hesitation and is quick to step in. “I guess you don’t have a hero name?”

“I’m not a hero.” He is quick to cut in, his work wasn’t seen as a heroic thing.

“No worries,” The hero holds his hands up as he suddenly blurts out. “Bunnix.”

“What?”

“Bunnix, can I call you that?”

Y/n thinks about the name and can’t help but feel comfortable with it, finding it fitting. “Sure.”

That day he was given a new name by the cities hero who he later befriends. Y/n doesn’t tell this universe Spider-Man why he was there and what he did, only following him whenever he needed help and fighting off the villains in the city while Bunnix did his work on the side. There’s moments where he’s given the opportunity to save a future while working alongside with Spider-Man, fixing them without notice and when checking his work he left in shock by how much he is able to do.

Things were working well while staying in that universe and once again he let his guard down this time he’s met with the same stranger after helping Spider-Man fight off electro. His body was already sore from all the fighting and tired and all he wanted to do was get back to his place where he could lie down and relax only to be picked off the ground which shocks him.

Eyes wide as he frantically squirmed and looked up to see the familiar red and blue. “You!” He points at him with a deep glare, yelping when he nearly slips from his grasp, the rabbit holds back a cry as he climbs the mans body, keeping his legs and arms wrapped around him. “Hey! I can’t see!”

“Put me down!”

“How can I do that when you are blocking my vision?!”

The two banter with each other while the spider swings through the city, unable to see where he is going as he pries the hybrids hands away from his eyes only to see a building up ahead. The two scream and prepare for impact, but Bunnix is quick to act, opening a portal as they fall through it and opening another at a building where they fall on top of.

The same stranger groans as he lands on his back with the hybrid on his chest.

“How—?”

Bunnix scrambled off his chest, stepping away from him. “You could have killed us!”

“Kill you? You were the one blocking my sight!”

“You picked me up out of nowhere! Rabbit don’t do heights!” He shouted back at the man who slowly stood and rolled his shoulders, easing the pain from the hard fall. “Okay, I’m sorry, but also not because I am still here to take you back.”

“I already told you I am not going back to my universe.” Bunnix groans out, shaking his head while rubbing his temples. “I can’t have you roaming around universe, your disturbing them and I am fixing up your mess.”

Bunnix ears perk up at this. “Wait…what do you mean by fixing them?”

“Look, I don’t know what it is that you are doing but each time that you end up at a universe you cause a disturbance that can destroy timelines, let alone canons so I have to fix them—“ Before he can go on, the rabbit cuts him off. “You can fix them too?”

The others raises a brow. “What do you mean, too?”

Bunnix doesn’t know what to think, the fact that someone else is able to do the same as him leaves him in surprise. The hybrid allows himself to take small steps towards the man as he explains himself. “I can travel through universes without issue, my job is to fix the future and to make sure that no disturbance is caused whether good or bad its my job to protect it. I can’t go back to my universe because…” He hesitates before finding the courage. “My universe co existed with hybrids and humans and a genocide occurred with my people, I tried to fix it to find a better outcome of our future but found nothing and had no choice but to watch as the people I love die. I escaped and continued on with my duty and if I go back they will kill me.” His voice is full of sorrow and pain, not being able to read the others reaction towards his past.

He hears the other sigh softly, hand on his hip as he thinks. “That explains everything, all this time I thought you were an anomaly but your not your—your something else.” He finally says, understanding that the disturbances are the outcomes that Bunnix choose in order to improve the universe, at first Miguel thought that he was only making a bigger mess and whenever he checked on a canon expecting some mess he had to fix, instead he saw the canon already fixed for him.

Which only raised questions to the older man, giving him another reason to come after the hybrid.

As the two stand apart from each other it’s Miguel who speaks up.

“I’m not taking out back.” He finally says. “But I would be interested in seeing your work, perhaps you can help me.”

Bunnix raises a brow. “Help how?”

“You fix futures and I fix canons, together we can protect the universe from being destroyed.” His words intrigue the hybrid as he stares at the man before him, eyeing him up an down before sighing to himself and agreeing to his offer to protect the universe. “Good.” The rabbit flinched in surprise when the man’s masked is removed, dissolving away to reveal his own face. “I’m Miguel.”

Bunnix swallows nervously, but gains the courage to speak up as he reached up to remove his own mask. “Y/n.”

==

Y/n ends up working with Miguel in his universe for two years, being the only hybrid in base while everyone else was a spider felt off to him. Everyone knew him as Miguels second hand since he was their from the very beginning. Everyone thought that Jessica was Miguel’s best spider only to find out that its Bunnix. A simple hybrid that didn’t belong in any universe, but powerful enough to change anyone’s future and seeing that they couldn't.

His time working with Miguel made him realize how much the other spiders feared their leader due to his short temperament and the fact that he too had a beast inside of him. He once caught Miguel taking a serum that helped control the beast within him. At first the hybrid didn’t think anything of it until he decided to test a few things out, noticing how Miguel was sensitive to the bight lights and often kept his own lab under dim lighting, the noticeable fangs whenever he talked and now he used them in order to paralyze the anomalies that struggled the most. He already knew about the talons on the base of his finger tips, curious about them that he once approached Miguel and without asking he takes the mans hand into his hand and checks out the talons.

Miguel stares with a raised brow as the rabbit only hums to himself before dropping his hand back down and jumping off the platform while he continued on with his discoveries. Technically Miguel was a hybrid himself, but refused to say anything about it, Miguels own animalistic features bring some light comfort to the rabbit, feeling like he wasn’t alone anymore.

From their time together the two have grown comfortable around each others presence that Bunnix didn’t fear Miguels temper and whenever he grew upset about something going wrong during a mission he would usually come to Bunnix and rant to him, letting his anger out while the rabbit sat back and listened, watching the bigger man pace around the lab as he grumbled on about one of the spiders not listening to him.

Other times Miguel had grown to admire the rabbits tail, noticing how it flicked and twitched with each movement he made that without even asking his large hand reached down to touch the tail, fingers finding the soft fur while the hybrid tensed up. He’s caught by surprise and should yell at miguel to not touch him without asking, but the feeling of having someone touch his tail after so many years only brings back old memories of his family. He expected Miguel to be rough with his tail only to realize that the man was gentle, stroking the fur while he also concentrated on his own work.

It became a habit for Miguel to randomly touch Bunnix’s tail whenever he felt stress, feeling better after playing with the soft fur.

Their routine together grew and their trust for each other deepened.

Y/n only stepped into the whole canon issue whenever a screw up occurred, stepping into his burrow and meeting with Miguel two days before the moment happens, providing him instructions on how to handle the issue and what to do to fix it. Miguel had grown used to such moments happening, where the rabbit is hopping from past and future to present again.

The two worked well together and treated each other with respect.

As the spider society began to grow, Y/n started to see how alike everyone was and how their canons aligned with each other. He never questions Miguel as to why the canon events must remain intact or what would happen if one were to be broke. He kept those questions to himself while he watched Miguel command different spiders into different universe and getting the job done while also keeping the canons together.

It wasn’t until Miles came into the picture, he noticed a slight change in Miguel as their time together grew. The taller man used to be so blunt with him until he started hesitating that the hybrid started to notice. It felt like Ike he was hiding something from him and didn’t want him to know, as irritating as it was, Y/n would sometimes feel the itch to check his burrow, in hopes of finding his answer his questions, but promised himself that he wouldn’t due such thing. He could never look at his own future or know what to expect.

Bunnix had been working in the lab when Miles and Gwen show up alongside with Hobie, glancing at the teenagers while he works on a few of Miguel’s new gadgets.

“Oh! This is Bunnix, Miguels most trusted hero.” Said Gwen while giving Bunnix a soft smile while the hybrid nods in return before his gaze shifts towards Miles, noticing how the kids eyes widen a bit in surprise as he noticed his state. “I can tell from your staring you’ve never seen a hybrid before?” Said Bunnix with a raised brow.

Miles stutters out a nervous laugh. “I’ve seen weirder things.” The kids admits, avoiding his eyes while Bunnix chuckled and got back to his own work and allows them to approach Miguel. Y/n looks over his shoulder and watched as the platform lowers, rolling his eyes at how dramatic the man can be when trying to show intimidation.

The hybrid sets his work aside and turns around it make his way over to Miguel as the platform lowers only to gasp when a trash bin is thrown towards the teens way, causing the hybrid to react quickly as he grabs Miles by the arm and pulls him to the side, away from the hit.

Miles stares up at the hybrid who glared over to Miguel. “Miguel what the hell?!” Bunnix shouts, letting go of Miles once he checks him over and then turns his attention back to Miguel who ignored him and continued with his own rant. Y/n has never seen Miguel react in such way before, yes he had a temper, but it was never this bad.

The rabbit walks over to Miguel and jumps onto the platform. “What is going on with you?” He whispers low enough for Miguel to hear only to get a side eye from the bigger man a sense of irritation in his eyes before turning back to the teens. His actions only worry Bunnix even more, knowing that something wasn’t right as he takes a small step back.

His instincts were kicking in, telling him to run to hide, but from what?

While Miguel is distracted talking to Gwen and Miles, he takes the opportunity to step out of the lab, getting away from the others as he opens a portal and steps through, stepping inside his burrow and closing the portal behind him.

He’s surrounded by various timelines and universe, swallowing nervously as he approached one of them and placed his palm over it. Watching the scene before him as Miguel explains to Miles about the canons, fast forwarding Miles finding out about his father needing out die in order to keep the canon from breaking, from Miles escaping and Miguel chasing down the kid.

“No, no, what is happening.” He whispers as he steps away from the timeline and approached another with Miguel and Miles, watching as he chased the kid through the city. He can see the anger in Miguel’s body language, talons digging into the buildings and it sets an alarm off in the rabbit. He fast forwards to see the outcome, only for an additional timeline to show up, raising his ears in surprise as he moves over to check the two outcomes.

His looks into both outcomes, noticing how a third timeline appears. He’s never seen something like this before and it interests him as he checks everything figuring out the good and bad the right and wrong of his own choices that he is to make. When he connects all outcome together to create a new future he takes a step back, knowing that his next step could possibly ruin the trust he had with Miguel, but knew that it was the right thing to do.

It was his duty to protect the future.

The hybrid lets out a deep breath, extending out the palm of his hand as he opens a portal, jumping through and quickly holding onto the rail of the train that everyone clung onto. He can see as Miguel held Miles down, pinning him down as he shouted to the kid about how much of a mistake he was and how he wasn’t suppose to be a hero.

He can see the hurt in Miles eyes when hearing Miguels words only for it to grow worse when he finds out that his own friends knew the truth the entire time and never told him.

Bunnix holds on tight to the railing his movement getting Miguels attention, noticing the opened portal above them and hardening his stare. “I can’t let you go back.” Said Miguel, looking back to Miles as his grip on his shoulders tightened. “Bunnix, take him back to the lab.” His voice is full of demand, expecting the hybrid to listen and to take the kid back only to see no movement.

Miguel looks up to Y/n with a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Bunnix.” He hissed out towards the hybrid who can only frown.

Holding onto the rial he used his back leg to push himself up, eyes full of guilt. “I’m sorry.” He says, using the strength of his legs to push himself forward. “I have to protect the timeline.”

Miguels eyes widen when he finally realizes what he means, reacting too late as the hybrid uses his legs to kick Miguel off of Miles, sending him flying back. Y/n is quick to grab Miles, not letting the kid speak before giving Miguel one last look and jumping through his portal and disappearing from sight.

Both Y/n and Miles roll through the burrow together. “What—“ Miles starts as he stands from where he lies, only for his eye to widen. “What is this place?”

Bunnix grunts, getting up and rushing over to the kid, covering his eyes. “don’t look.” His voice is low and dangerous. He couldn’t allow anyone to see what he sees, not even Míguel had the privilege to look into his burrow.

“Hold on!” Miles starts again, reaching out to try and pry Y/n’s hands off his eyes, but Y/n tightens his hold. “You can’t see this, if you do it will alter the future and I can’t have that. happening, not now.” He is guiding Miles around his burrow, checking the different timelines while the kid began to ask.

“Why did you save me?”

The hybrids ears raise at his question before they fall back, forgetting to explain to him. “I know what Miguel is only trying to do his job into keeping the canons from breaking, but…I also have a job of my own which is to keep the future safe. I saw the outcome of Miguel’s doing and I had to fix it.” His voice is soft while leading the kid around, keeping his hands over his eyes still until he finds what he is looking for.

“Wait, so you can see the future?” Miles looks over his shoulder while Bunnix sighs, knowing his next questions as he opens the portal to where he is to take Miles, stepping through and into the rain. The sound gets the kids attention and his eyes are uncovered, looking around in confusion and then turning back to Bunnix who stood before him.

“I know you want to know if you make it to your dad on time.” Said Bunnix. “I know what happens, Miles and it’s something I cannot reveal. I decided that this path works best, whether its good or bad its the right one.” Miles is staring at Bunnix with a look of determination and desperation wanting to know if his own father make sit out of the situation alive and if he’s able to save him before its too late.

As Miles opens his mouth to speak again he is cut off by Bunnix holding his hand up, stopping him.

Y/n gives the kid a sad smile already knowing that Miguel possibly hates him for what he’s done. “Your path goes on, mine ends here.” At this point their is nothing he can do for him, knowing that Miguel will be searching for him and the only way to stay hidden without getting caught would be in his burrow until everything is complete.

[emma23]

The awkward art of flirting:

Steven grant x reader

————————————————————————

Steven Grant’s heart pounded in his chest, louder than the Egyptian drums that had played in his dreams last night. He stood outside the dimly lit warehouse, a nondescript building hidden in the maze of London’s abandoned industrial district. This was the hideout of one of the city’s most notorious criminals—you.

His mission? Gain entry, gather intel, and get out without getting caught. Easy, right? Wrong.

Steven wasn’t the sort of man who infiltrated anything—let alone a villain’s lair. Yet here he was, trying to channel every spy movie he’d ever seen, which, frankly, wasn’t many.

"Okay, Steven, you can do this. Just... be charming, be confident," he muttered to himself, wiping his clammy hands on his trousers. He pushed open the door, stepping into the dimly lit room.

The interior was surprisingly cozy, not at all what he expected from a villain’s lair. It had more of a… lived-in feel, with mismatched furniture, stacks of books, and a coffee table littered with half-empty mugs. You were sitting on a couch, reading a book, and looked up as he entered. Your eyes immediately narrowed, recognizing him as soon as he walked in.

“Well, if it isn’t Steven Grant from the British Museum,” you drawled, not even bothering to hide your smirk. “What brings you to my humble abode?”

Steven froze. This wasn’t going according to plan—not that he really had one to begin with. “Oh, um, hello there,” he stammered, trying to recover. “I was just… uh… passing by and thought I’d… pop in?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Pop in? To a villain’s secret hideout?”

“Er, yes?” Steven winced, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. “I mean, no! Not a villain! A person! A very interesting person. I just thought we could have a… chat?”

You tilted your head, amused by his awkwardness. “A chat. With me. Right.”

Steven cleared his throat, trying to summon what little courage he had left. “Yes, I thought maybe, you know, we could, um, get to know each other? Over tea, perhaps? I make a mean cuppa.”

You blinked at him, unable to tell if he was genuinely trying to flirt or if this was some kind of elaborate joke. “What are you doing?” you asked, genuinely curious now.

Steven shuffled his feet, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “So… this isn’t working then, is it?”

You sighed, setting your book aside. “No, Steven, it’s not. But I’ll give you points for effort. It’s not every day a museum gift shop employee tries to flirt his way into my hideout.”

He scratched the back of his neck, laughing nervously. “Yeah, well… I’m not really good at this whole espionage thing, am I?”

You stood up, crossing the room to stand in front of him. “No, you’re not. But it’s oddly endearing. What exactly are you hoping to achieve here?”

Steven gulped, realizing he was in over his head. “Honestly? I was supposed to gather intel, but… I think I’ve mucked it all up, haven’t I?”

You studied him for a moment, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. “Well, Steven, you’re lucky I find your bumbling nature somewhat charming. Otherwise, you’d be in a lot more trouble right now.”

“Really?” he asked, blinking in surprise. “You think I’m charming?”

“Don’t push your luck,” you retorted, though there was no malice in your voice. “Come on, let’s sit down and have that chat. You’ve clearly gone to a lot of trouble to get here, so the least I can do is hear you out.”

You led Steven to the kitchen area, where he fidgeted nervously as you prepared tea. The silence stretched on, punctuated only by the clink of cups and the whistling kettle. When you finally placed a steaming mug in front of him, he thanked you quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the hum of the refrigerator.

“So,” you began, taking a seat across from him. “Tell me, what made you think you could flirt your way into my hideout? Was that your idea, or did someone else put you up to it?”

Steven’s face turned redder than the bricks outside. “It was… er, sort of my idea. I thought maybe if I came across as… friendly, you wouldn’t be so… suspicious.”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Steven, you walked into a villain’s lair with a nervous smile and a cup of tea as your only weapon. That’s more naïve than suspicious.”

Steven looked down at his tea, feeling like a fool. “I just… I wanted to help, you know? I’m not like Marc. I’m not brave or strong, but I thought maybe I could do something useful. I just didn’t want to be useless…”

Your expression softened. Despite your hardened exterior, you couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. “You’re not useless, Steven. You’ve got a good heart. That’s more than I can say for most people.”

He glanced up, surprise and gratitude in his eyes. “You… you really think so?”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” you replied, leaning back in your chair. “But yeah, I do. It’s refreshing, really. Most people in my line of work are either power-hungry or just plain cruel. But you… you’re different.”

Steven didn’t know how to respond to that, so he simply sipped his tea, letting the warmth of the drink calm his nerves. The silence between you two wasn’t awkward anymore; it was comfortable, almost companionable.

“So,” you said after a while, breaking the silence. “What are you going to do now? Go back to your normal life, pretending this never happened?”

Steven hesitated, his mind racing. Part of him wanted to run back to the safety of his ordinary existence, but another part—the part that had brought him here in the first place—felt a strange pull towards you. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t want to keep living like this, not knowing who I really am or what I’m capable of.”

You studied him, a small smile playing on your lips. “Well, Steven, you’re already doing more than you think. You walked into the lion’s den, and you’re still here. That’s something.”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, but I’m not sure how long I’ll last. I’m not exactly cut out for this.”

“You might surprise yourself,” you said, standing up and extending a hand to him. “Come on, let’s see what you’re really made of. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up liking it here.”

Steven stared at your hand, torn between fear and curiosity. Finally, he took it, letting you pull him to his feet. “You won’t, um, kill me, will you?”

You smirked, shaking your head. “Not today, Steven. Not today.”

As the evening wore on, the two of you settled into an easy rhythm, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Steven found himself opening up to you in a way he hadn’t with anyone else, telling you about his struggles with Marc, his love of ancient history, and his dreams of a life less ordinary.

You listened intently, intrigued by his honesty and vulnerability. There was something about Steven that made you want to lower your own defenses, to show him a side of yourself that you kept hidden from the world.

Eventually, the conversation turned to your own life, and you found yourself sharing more than you intended. You told him about your past, your reasons for choosing the path you did, and the loneliness that came with it. Steven’s empathetic nature made it easy to talk, and before you knew it, the barriers you’d built around yourself started to crumble.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Steven asked quietly, genuinely curious. “You don’t even know me.”

You sighed, staring into your tea. “Maybe it’s because you’re different. You don’t judge me, you don’t try to manipulate me. You just… listen.”

Steven smiled, his heart swelling with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. “Well, I’m glad I could be that for you. Even if I am a bit of a… bumbling idiot.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “You’re not an idiot, Steven. You’re just… you. And that’s not a bad thing.”

For a moment, the two of you just sat there, the silence thick with unspoken emotions. Then, before either of you could think twice, you leaned across the table and pressed your lips to his.

Steven’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he found himself kissing you back, his hands trembling as they moved to your waist, pulling you closer.

The kiss deepened, and soon, the table between you was forgotten as you both stood up, still locked in each other’s embrace. Steven’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but the strongest one was how much he wanted this—wanted you.

The two of you barely made it to the bedroom before clothes started to come off, piece by piece, falling to the floor like discarded memories. Your hands roamed over Steven's chest, feeling the softness of his skin and the faint ridges of his muscles. He was surprisingly fit for a man who worked in a gift shop, and the thought made you smile against his lips.

Steven’s hands were hesitant at first, nervous and unsure, but as you guided them over your body, he grew bolder. His fingers traced the curve of your waist, then moved upwards, gently brushing over your ribs before settling on your shoulders. His touch was both tentative and eager, as if he couldn’t quite believe this was happening but didn’t want to stop.

“You’re sure about this?” he whispered, his breath warm against your ear.

You pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. They were wide and dark with desire, yet there was a tenderness there that made your heart skip a beat. You smiled, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “I’m sure, Steven. More sure than I’ve been about anything in a long time.”

He smiled back, a relieved laugh escaping his lips. “Good, because I really don’t know what I’m doing here, but I… I want to. With you.”

You chuckled softly, leaning in to kiss him again. “Just follow my lead,” you murmured against his mouth. “I’ll show you.”

With that, you guided him to the bed, gently pushing him down onto the mattress. He watched you with rapt attention as you climbed on top of him, your legs straddling his hips. His hands settled on your thighs, gripping them lightly as you leaned down to kiss him again, this time slower, savoring the feel of his lips against yours.

As the kiss deepened, you felt Steven’s body respond, his hands moving up your back, pulling you closer. You could feel his heartbeat against your chest, fast and strong, matching the rhythm of your own. The connection between you was electric, each touch sending sparks of pleasure through your veins.

You took your time exploring his body, your hands running over his chest, down his arms, over his stomach. He shivered under your touch, his breath hitching when your fingers brushed over sensitive spots. You could feel his arousal growing, pressing against you, and it fueled your own desire.

Steven’s hands were everywhere now, touching, exploring, learning. His fingers tangled in your hair, then moved down your back, tracing the curve of your spine. He was gentle, almost reverent, as if he was afraid to hurt you. It was sweet, and it made you want him even more.

You moved your hips, grinding against him, and he groaned, his hands tightening on your waist. “Oh, bloody hell,” he muttered, his voice thick with need. “That feels… amazing.”

You smiled, leaning down to kiss him again. “Just wait,” you whispered. “It gets better.”

You guided him inside you, taking him slowly, inch by inch, until he was fully buried within you. The sensation was overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and connection that left you both gasping. Steven’s hands gripped your hips, holding you close as you began to move, setting a slow, steady rhythm.

His eyes were locked on yours, filled with a mixture of awe and desire. He was completely focused on you, on the feel of you, the sight of you, the sound of your breathing. It was as if nothing else existed in that moment but the two of you.

The room was filled with the sounds of your lovemaking—soft gasps, quiet moans, the creak of the mattress beneath you. The rhythm of your bodies was in perfect sync, a dance of pleasure that built higher and higher with each movement. Steven’s hands were everywhere, touching, caressing, holding you close as if he never wanted to let go.

You lost yourself in him, in the feel of his hands on your skin, his breath against your neck, his body moving with yours. The world outside ceased to exist; there was only this, only him, only the connection between you.

When the climax finally came, it was like a wave crashing over you, pulling you under, drowning you in sensation. You cried out his name, your nails digging into his shoulders as your body shuddered with release. Steven followed moments later, his own climax tearing through him with a force that left him breathless.

You collapsed against him, your bodies slick with sweat, your hearts beating in unison. Steven wrapped his arms around you, holding you close, his face buried in your hair. You lay there together, the world outside forgotten, the only sound the steady beat of your breathing.

You woke to the gentle light of dawn filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Steven was still asleep, his arm draped over your waist, his face peaceful and relaxed. You watched him for a moment, feeling a strange sense of contentment. It had been a long time since you’d let anyone get this close, but with Steven, it felt… right.

Carefully, you slipped out of bed, grabbing a robe from the floor and wrapping it around yourself. You moved to the window, looking out at the quiet streets below. The world was waking up, and soon, you’d have to face reality. But for now, you allowed yourself a moment to just be.

Behind you, Steven stirred, stretching and yawning. He blinked sleepily, then smiled when he saw you standing by the window. “Morning,” he said, his voice rough with sleep.

You turned to face him, a smile playing at your lips. “Morning,” you replied. “Sleep well?”

“Better than I have in a long time,” he admitted, sitting up and running a hand through his messy hair. “Last night was… incredible.”

You walked back to the bed, sitting on the edge and leaning in to kiss him. “Yeah, it was,” you agreed. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Steven Grant.”

He laughed softly, pulling you into his arms. “Honestly, neither did I. But with you… everything just felt right.”

You rested your head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “So, what now?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper.

Steven was silent for a moment, then he gently tilted your chin up, making you look at him. “Now, we figure this out together,” he said firmly. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know one thing—I want to face it with you.”

You smiled, a feeling of warmth spreading through your chest. “Together,” you agreed.

And for the first time in a long time, you felt hopeful. Whatever challenges lay ahead, you knew you could face them, as long as you had Steven by your side.

[becauseimanicequeen]

Don't Ask Me for QL Recommendations Because My Taste is BAD

Bad as in TRASHY.

For your own good, don't ask me for recommendations.

I'm writing this because I've gotten some asks lately for QL recommendations and I wanted to spare you the pain.

If you still don't trust me (because to be fair, why would you? I'm just a random weirdo on the internet), let me tell you how bad my taste is so you'll know why I'm doing you a great favor by sparing you the pain.

(I also watch, and rewatch, series/films for ridiculous reasons, yet another reason not to listen to me. I’ll come back to this in a minute.)

Let's start with a brief rewind to a couple of decades ago (because it matters in this context).

The first queer content of any kind I can remember watching was Xena: The Warrior Princess in the late 90s and early 00s (I was a child/pre-teen at the time). It was such a pivotal point for me, which is why I remember it vividly. Not only was Lucy Lawless (the actress playing Xena) the most beautiful human being I had ever seen at that point, Xena was also queer and I loved her.

The series, though? It’s bad.

It’s over-the-top, contains ridiculous humor, face-palm-worthy fight scenes, etc., etc. (But, it was also the 90s, so it was quality television at the time, no matter what anyone else says.) It was so bad that it was ridiculously entertaining. I would watch it today (if I could find it anywhere…). That’s how bad my taste is (or how attached I am to bad shit).

That’s when the groundwork for my bad taste was laid. I blame THANK Xena: The Warrior Princess for it.

Then there was a huge skip until July last year when I found the Asian QL world, because I had no idea it even existed (I’m from Europe, btw).

(My personal story is that I fell into the queer/gay film world before the QL world, and the queer films I could find were made and released very sporadically. But ever since I found the treasure trove of Asian QL series in July 2023, I’ve watched 291 series/films as of right now.)

The reason I fell into the Asian QL world was thanks to a Short on YouTube with the main characters from Roommates of Poongduck 304 kissing. (Want to know what convinced me to watch it? One of them was wearing blue and the other pink, two of my favorite colors. Yep, that’s the reason. Told you it would be ridiculous.)

Since then, I’ve been exploring this rabbit hole and loving every second of all the bad shit that’s out there (there’s some great shit too, and some great things that aren’t shit at all, but they’re not really my taste because my taste is trashy, remember?).

I quickly noticed what my taste was pulling me towards and, in some cases, the trashier it was, the more I liked it.

(I’m talking about fiction here. I’m mature enough to be able to separate fiction from reality. Just because I enjoy watching a series/film that depicts a problematic topic, and sometimes do it in a problematic way, doesn’t mean I condone it in real life. I’m just putting this here as a disclaimer because people on the internet are easily offended nowadays. And I honestly don’t have time to respond to people who are venting their anger after purposefully misinterpreting what I’ve said, unless there’s a very valid reason, which there usually isn’t.)

So, what are some of my favorites that I absolutely do not recommend you watch?

Unless you want to watch trash, then, have at it. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

(Btw, if you like any of these, I apologize for calling your taste bad and trashy. But, if you like any of these, I think you already know your taste is bad. Also, if you like any of these, hey, bestie!)

Let’s start with the less extreme ones so I don’t scare you away from the start. After that, they’re in no particular order.

(With the issues/TW section for each series/film I include possible trigger warnings, taboo topics, what viewers/commenters have brought up as problematic, my possible issues with the writing, etc. I won’t list everything (because some of them would have looong lists) but I’m including some of the major ones.)

Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, age gap, “adoptive” brothers becoming lovers, etc.

Both couples in this series have their own set of issues. Ai Di and Chen Yi are the “adoptive” brothers who become lovers while Ze Rui and Zong Yi have an age gap (I can’t remember how big of an age gap but I think it was close to 10-ish years).

(Before I move on there’s one thing you should know about me… I was born into a family with a varying degree of age gaps within marriages, from 2 to 23 years. Even though we’ve talked about the bigger age gaps occasionally, it’s never been an issue. I don’t mind age gaps as long as they’re legal. Does that mean I would hook up with someone in their late teens or early twenties? No. I would rather hook up with someone who has a fully developed brain, which science suggests doesn’t happen until somewhere in the mid-to-late-twenties. But it does mean that age gaps (as long as they’re legal) aren’t something I’ll be bothered by or judgemental of.)

Kiseki: Dear to Me is one of my favorite series because:

It’s from Taiwan, and the Taiwanese QLs are generally great at dealing with more difficult and taboo topics.

Ai Di is the feistiest, most colorful, and pettiest bitch and I love him with my entire ice-cold heart.

Chen Yi looks amazing in black.

The neon lights (because I’m a slut for that).

Also, the kissing (from both couples) is great.

You know, I did say that these would be series/films I absolutely do not recommend you watch. But I’ll actually recommend this one. Watch it. It’s great.

Unknown (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Age gap, “adoptive” brothers becoming lovers, etc.

This is another one I’ll actually recommend you watch because it’s great.

The main couple (Qian and Yuan) are the “adoptive” brothers becoming lovers while the age gap is most prominent between San Pang (Qian’s business partner) and Lili (Qian’s younger sister). There’s also the fact that San Pang is part of their chosen family and has seen Lili grow up and stuff. So, if that bothers you, then don’t watch it.

The biggest reasons I would personally recommend it to those I know aren’t particularly bothered by taboo topics are because:

The yearning is palpable (and I love shit like that).

Qian would move heaven and earth for his family.

The great story.

The even more amazing acting.

Some moments made me bawl (and since I'm an ice queen, I get obsessed with shit that shatters my ice and makes me cry).

I know I said my taste is trashy… but I would actually give myself a gold star for loving this one.

Now, back to the real trash…

Love in the Air (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, SA, rape, MAME, etc.

Everyone and their aunt (or however the saying goes in English) seem to have an issue with MAME (the original creator of LITA and several other trashy BLs) and for good reason. (I would say that she improved a lot with Wedding Plan, which is the least problematic thing I’ve watched from her and it’s the latest series of hers, as of right now.) If she’s grown, remains to be seen. But it doesn’t change the fact that LITA has some issues.

Honestly, I just watch this for the visuals, as in the motorcycles and the neon lights. That’s it. That’s the reason.

I mean, if you look at the whole first sex scene between Sky and Prapai, you get what I mean with the neon lights. It’s divine. (I recently rewatched LITA for this very reason. A waste of time, you say? Not when you’re a slut for neon lights.)

Don’t watch this though! Just enjoy this gif instead…

I just saved you 13-ish hours of your life. You’re welcome.

TharnType and TharnType 2: 7 Years of Love (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, homophobia, domestic violence, MAME, etc.

Don’t watch this. This is bad. As in, really bad. And all the issues are in the main couple’s relationship.

But, since my taste is really bad, I rewatched this recently for horny reasons (it’s Mew, after all, and he’s got me in a chokehold for some reason). It’s still as bad as I remembered it, but I would still rewatch it for Mew’s sake (and because Techno is ridiculous throughout both seasons, which means I love him).

To be fair there are other, a lot spicier, series that I watch more often for horny reasons (yes, some of them are in this post because they’re trashy too), but none of them include Mew. And since I have to get my dose of Mew from time to time, I return to TharnType (especially the second season).

Big Dragon (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, blackmail, etc.

This isn’t that problematic in my opinion, but there is definitely a drug-induced sexcapade that’s taped and used for blackmail for a while. And that's how the series starts.

I recently did a rewatch of this and it was still bad (in a good way) and I loved every second of it.

What I love about this series are:

The visuals. The set designs are beautiful (especially Yai’s home and the bar, before he demolishes it). As a visual artist, this is speaking to my soul.

The chemistry between Yai and Mangkorn.

Pong and Park. Two idiots I love with my whole ice-cold heart.

And the title track because it’s addictive as hell to listen to.

Also, the sex (which my horny ass needs). Let's not forget the sex. Those scenes were also visually stunning, which made me love them even more.

Honestly, I'll kneel and bow down to this shit because it's that great.

Don’t trust my judgment, though, because my taste is trashy.

Only Friends (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Manipulation, stalking, promiscuity, etc.

This series is messy in terms of intrigue (especially from Boston and then Boeing’s part). The ending had some issues. The sex isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, either. I, on the other hand, would drink a whole pot of this.

Overall, I loved this trash. Mainly because of:

How visually stunning it is.

Sand. He’s a hardworking, good person. He’s also a proud bi!

How they depicted and handled Ray’s addiction and recovery. (I know some watchers were upset that the focus of the series landed on Sand and Ray towards the end while neglecting the other characters, which is a valid point. However, setting that aside, the way they portrayed Ray’s addiction and then his road to recovery in the last couple of episodes was realistic, and I loved it.)

The promiscuity, because I loved it and the mess it created.

Boston being a slutty asshole. The more of a slutty asshole he was, the more I loved him. (I know, it’s a me-problem.)

Boeing coming in and kissing (almost) everyone.

It’s trashy, it’s messy, and I love it!

But, I don’t recommend it to anyone.

My Beautiful Man 1, 2, and 3 Eternal (Japan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, obsession, bullying, lack of (or no real) communication, etc.

I love this series (2 seasons + 1 film), but I honestly don’t see it as particularly problematic. But I know others will disagree with me, so here it is on my list of trashy QLs.

I don’t mind Hira’s obsession because I know Kiyoi is just as whipped for Hira (even though he doesn’t know how to communicate it to Hira at first, especially in a way that Hira understands). Would I be okay with someone’s obsession and stalking in real life? Of course not. But, as I mentioned before, I’m mature enough to separate fiction from reality.

Also, I love miscommunicating characters, especially when the misunderstandings they create bring out all the emotions (angst, hurt, anger, sadness, embarrassment, etc.) and even the flight response. I especially love miscommunicating characters when they learn to communicate throughout the series/film. And this series is especially delicious on the miscommunicating part.

But, it’s also problematic, apparently. So, don’t watch it.

The End of the World With You (Japan)

Issues/TW: Blackmail, biphobia, cheating, etc.

I’ll be honest and say that I’ve only watched this series three times. And that’s because the biphobia is fucking annoying. In this series, the bi character is depicted as a cheater (which is common in QLs, btw). It’s an exasperating stereotype. Cheating has nothing to do with your sexuality and everything to do with who you are as a person.

(I mean, you can be a proud bi like Payu in LITA or Sand in OF. They have eyes only for one person as soon as they’re pursuing or dating someone. Give me more bi characters like this, please.)

We could discuss how cheating can be used as characterization in certain stories. But not in this one. Here, they’re basically using Ritsu’s bisexuality as the reason he’s cheating (since he’s sleeping with Masumi while having a thing going on with a girl, and then sleeping with a girl when he has a thing with Masumi), which is why it’s bothering me in this series.

If I’m going to tell you why I like this series, however, it’s for 2 reasons:

It’s about getting a second chance, a topic I love.

The sex (laser-focused horny Ritsu is my favorite Ritsu).

Check Out (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Biphobia, cheating, lazy writing, etc.

(It should be mentioned that I’ve read some comments about some issues involving the company behind this series. I haven’t dug deeper into this so I don’t really know if there’s any substance to the comments I’ve read (like official statements from the company or the other people involved, etc.). But I’m putting this out there in case this might be a potential issue for you (even though I’ve already told you that I don’t recommend you watch any of these because they’re all trashy).)

When I first checked this out at the beginning of this year, this series seemed to have created a storm of bad comments and reviews on MDL since it first came out. So, obviously, I needed to watch it because my taste is trashy.

And, you know what? I loved it!

Besides having the bi character depicted as a cheater (again, the use of this biphobic stereotype is so fucking annoying) and the sporadic clunky and stale scenes, I loved this series because:

It’s about second chances. As I mentioned before, I love that topic.

Best (the actor playing Daonuea) is the best in this series. There’s just something about him that grabs my attention every time. He has me in a similarly tight chokehold as Mew.

There’s sex (and my horny ass needs it).

But, it’s also trash, so don’t watch it.

Pit Babe (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Domestic violence, non-consensual, SA, age gap, etc.

This became popular. Really popular. I saw people comment about it everywhere. And usually, when stuff becomes popular, it’s more than likely reduced to trash quality by the general public. So, obviously, I had to watch it.

Did I end up loving it? Yes.

Honestly, the biggest issue this series had for me was the whole omegaverse thing (this was a new thing for me because I don’t come from an erotic fiction background, my head was rather stuck in fantasy fiction). And, from my limited understanding of this, they didn’t seem to fully commit to the omegaverse thing in Pit Babe, which was unfortunate.

The racing was also so-so for me, which hurt my soul because I usually love racing (cars, mcs, boats, etc.).

What I did like, however, was:

The chemistry between Pete and Kenta (and I’m so sad I only got crumbs of this).

Pavel (the actor playing Babe). I would watch and listen to him recite product placement scripts for toothpaste all day long.

The sex, especially the scene with Babe and Charlie in ep. 9 (even though it was mixed with clips from the racing) and Jeff and Alan’s scene in ep. 13 (because it was sensual, if we ignore the music).

The neon lights (have I mentioned that I’m a slut for neon lights?). I mean, just look at this:

I can watch that pinkish light all day long, even though Babe and Charlie are trying to distract me. (Especially Pavel!)

Dead Friend Forever (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Grooming, bullying, suicide & suicide attempts, etc.

Besides the issues listed above, this also suffered from lazy writing at the end. BUT, I fucking loved DFF anyway.

I never expected to love this series because it’s just a bunch of teenagers stuck at a house in the woods. How interesting could that be? Turns out, very.

DFF wasn’t perfect (perfection doesn’t exist anyway), but what I loved about it was:

The morally ambiguous characters.

The revenge plot.

The poetic justice.

The questioning of what was real vs hallucination.

The visually stunning shots.

The mask!

And Tan’s mask!

The beheading scene.

I could go on, but you get the point. I just love this piece of trash.

But, please, don’t watch it. You will suffer from brain rot. Trust me.

I, however, am currently rewatching this because I choose the brain rot. And my taste is trashy, remember? Or, perhaps I just love watching chaos unfold…

HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, age gap, tragic ending, etc.

Everyone and their aunt and even their dog have an issue with the ending of this one. And it’s understandable.

I don’t necessarily like or dislike the ending. Obviously, the bury your gays trope is tragic in itself, and, tragically, it’s still being used. That’s why I couldn’t find myself liking the ending, even though I don’t mind tragic endings. (Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite classics, which people tend to forget is a tragedy and not a romance, btw, but I digress…)

At the same time, though, this series made me cry for a whole episode before tragedy struck because I could feel it. And you have no idea how obsessed I get about shit that makes me cry (since I’m an ice queen).

(Another side note: one of my favorite BLs is Once Again, which made me bawl throughout the whole series. It’s not on this list because it’s neither trashy nor bad, but it’s still one of my favorites because it broke me in the best ways. But, anyway…)

The best part of this series from beginning to end was the other couple, at least for me. This couple is the one with the age gap (which, again, doesn’t bother me) and I fucking love them! One, because Wilson Liu (the actor playing Bo Xiang) is such a gem. Second, because their first time was such a spur-of-the-moment thing fueled by a desire that went from 0-100kph in less time than a Ferrari would. And I loved it (just as much as the squeezing of boobs from behind, which, for some reason, appeals to me).

Also, the twins are so pretty it’s annoying.

Do I recommend it, though? No, because I don’t have time to respond to the clap back I’ll get when you come to the end.

HIStory 4: Close to You (Taiwan)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, SA, obsession, age gap, stepbrothers becoming lovers, etc.

This one has some problems (especially the relationship between Yong Jie and Xing Si), but I love both the series and its problems (yes, I’m trash). You could say that I’m as obsessed with this series as Yong Jie is with Xing Si. Would I get this series drunk and fuck the living daylights out of it? No. But I would watch it once every 3 months or so. Oh, wait… I already do that. Because I’m trash.

What do I love so much about this series (other than what I mentioned above):

It’s from Taiwan.

Li Cheng is ridiculous, which is exactly why I love him.

Every time I rewatch it, it gets funnier.

The chemistry between Li Cheng and Teng Teng is amazing.

As well as the chemistry between Yong Jie and Xing Si.

The kissing is just as amazing.

The main fujoshi girl, Mei Fang, is so cute I can’t handle her.

And the bathroom scene! In that lighting! It’s iconic!

I don’t care what anyone else says. This is fucking gold to me. But, then again, my taste is trash. So, don’t listen to me.

KinnPorsche (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Dubious consent, SA, torture, Stockholm syndrome-ish, etc.

This is some next-level trash, and I fucking love it.

Two of the major relationships in this series (Kinn & Porsche and Vegas & Pete) are problematic at some point. Especially Vegas and Pete who have this whole captor/captive, torture, BDSM-ish type relationship. Of course, I love Vegas and Pete because my taste is super trashy (yes, it’s a me-problem, but I don’t force my taste on other people, so, for the love of all that is holy, don’t watch this!).

Other reasons I love this series and rewatch it from time to time:

It’s visually stunning! The cinematography is amazing. As I mentioned before, I’m a visual artist, so this is a very valid reason for me to watch it again and again. And again.

The neon lights.

The whole mafia thing.

The sex (because my horny ass needs it).

Playboyy (Thailand)

Issues/TW: SA, homophobia, suicide, etc.

I was debating whether or not to add this to my list solely based on the ending. However, up until that point, I really liked it.

The fact that every episode starts with a whole ass list of trigger warnings tells me this is my shit. And it was.

At times, it was so bad that it was good (until the ending, which was just so bad it was bad). The things I liked were:

The mystery.

Win (who played Nuth). His acting was great.

The chemistry between Nuth and Phop.

The tattooed daddy that’s Aob and his chemistry with Puen (there’s also an age gap here, btw, but as I’ve mentioned before, it’s fine by me as long as it’s legal).

The weird ass sex scenes (and the underwear).

And the not so weird ass sex scenes (like the ones between Aob and Puen and the ones between Nuth and Phop).

But, this series is trashy. Keep as far away from it as possible. If you still decide to dip in, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Red Wine in the Dark Night (Thailand)

Issues/TW: Obsession, blood, human blood bags, etc.

This is a queer film that’s BL-ish with some dark themes. Mainly, it’s about how far Wine would go to help the person he’s fallen for (or become attached to).

What I loved about this film was:

Fluke (who plays Wine). He’s such a great actor and I love him in everything he does.

Wine who is so desperate to love someone and be loved that he ends up doing some weird shit.

The darker and sadder vibe, which I love.

Irresistible Love 1 and Irresistible Love 2 (China)

(This is also called Uncontrolled Love.) 

Issues/TW: Obsession, homophobia, codependency, adoptive brothers becoming lovers, etc.

This is another queer film (in two parts) that is more BL-ish than the films I’m getting into below.

This depicts a weird relationship dynamic between Xie Yan and Shu Nian where Shu Nian was basically adopted into the family to become Xie Yan’s friend/babysitter/lackey. This is some weird ass shit, and I love weird ass shit so I really enjoyed this rare, uncensored, gem from China.

But, it’s also trashy. So, don’t watch it.

The next couple of films I’ll mention are (obviously) trashy, but also complex and deep (which is why I love them).

One Summer Night (South Korea)

Issues/TW: Obsession, dependency, oppression, etc.

This is a low-budget film from 2016 (so, production-wise, it’s definitely nothing like the usual stuff from South Korea you can watch on Netflix), but I love it.

It’s gritty, it’s raw, it’s explicit (an emphasis on explicit because you’ll see dicks), it deals with being a North Korean defector but ending up in an impoverished situation in South Korea, and it ends with a dubious ending you can interpret in different ways.

This is definitely not for the general QL viewers who watch QLs for the cutesy stuff.

And it's trashy. So, don’t watch it.

Dangerous Drugs of Sex (Japan)

Issues/TW: All the trigger warnings! Seriously. I feel like it’s better to say that so you’ll look up the TWs for yourself (if you choose to watch this, which I'm asking you not to) rather than me mentioning a few and forgetting others.

With this film, what others see are all the trigger warnings (and, yes, I see them too, they’re fucking obvious). However, I can see beyond that and watch it for what it is at the core: Two characters dealing with incredible grief.

Grief is a topic that often affects me and I can relate to it because I’ve had to deal with a lot of grief in my relatively short life. Watching a film like this where grief pushes the characters to their very limits will (often) get a special place in my heart, especially if done well. And it’s done very well in this film.

Do I condone the characters’ behaviors? No (especially not Yoden Ryoji’s). But I do understand that grief can send you over the edge (and in some cases throw you off the edge) because I’ve experienced it. I do understand that grief can cause you to make horrible decisions because I’ve done it (though, not this extreme). I do understand that grief can be self-destructive because I’ve been there. This film shows it all. That’s why I love it so much.

Do I recommend you watch this, tough? No. Don’t do it. This is not for everyone. It’s definitely not for those who watch QLs for the cutesy stuff.

But it is for me because I love trash. Especially good trash. And this is the best trash I’ve ever seen when it comes to gay films.

Anything by Scud Cheng

Lastly, I want to mention any film by Scud Cheng because…

And I’m an artist so art means everything to me.

Cheng is a screenwriter and director from Hong Kong. His films, the ones I’ve seen, are gritty, nude, and real. They are more on the art side than the others I’ve listed above, which is why they have a special place in my heart.

They’re also deep and explore themes like introspection (are we doing things because we believe they’re the right thing to do, or because external forces have “brainwashed” us to believe they’re the normal thing to do?), the porn industry and how it exploits young and queer men, death, politics, and love, to name a few.

These are not for the average QL watcher. They’re not for the faint of heart. They’re not for those who want an entertaining watch.

These films require multiple viewings. I’ve watched some once, some twice, and some more times, and I still find new themes and meanings woven into the stories. So, they’re complex and deep.

But, don’t watch them because I know you’ll come at me later. So, to spare us both the time and energy it would take to argue about this shit, just don’t watch any of it.

Now, if you still want to ask me for recommendations after all that, don't tell me I didn't warn you!

[sleepysnk]

there’s some things i really wanted to talk about especially regarding my account and tumblr as a whole, so i decided to finally make this post as a way to sort of vent out my feelings on some things.

i’m not gonna lie, tumblr has become a very different place from what it was. i started creating content 3 years ago and it’s gone through so many changes (much expected). however, i don’t think tumblr has really changed for the better, especially when it comes to content creators. this used to be a really safe space for me to come on and create works for fandoms that i enjoyed, but recently, that safe space hasn’t felt, well, safe anymore. there is constant discourse everywhere on this platform and i’ve found that many people here are just extremely bitter? it’s almost like it’s become a mean girl center and it makes it difficult to interact with others.

obviously, this doesn’t go for everyone. i’m not trying to come at people specifically or cause issues, but i have seen my fair share of problems with people on here and some of it is just completely ridiculous.

next, i’d like to discuss the elephant in the room and that’s the lack of interaction/support to writers. it is just mind blowing to me that we as creators have to BEG our followers to reblog or even send us asks. obviously, some people are new to tumblr and don’t understand it’s algorithm, but there are people on here who just simply chose not to reblog for some reason?? it’s not only discouraging, but it puts less confidence in writers and then we aren’t motivated to create content. i’ve said this before, but there is no reason why a 2k note fic should have only 100 or so reblogs. likes mean nothing on this platform. it’s not Twitter. i genuinely have gotten so tired of repeating myself that i don’t even say it anymore because i know it won’t be acknowledged.

i understand people have lives, i do too, but it isn’t hard to send an ask to a writer about literally anything. i think the last time i had an anon ask was weeks ago and i genuinely get disappointed when i ask for interactions just to receive nothing? no one is obligated to speak with me or send me asks by any means, but a little “hey! how are you?” goes a long way. i probably sound ridiculous, but it’s just how i feel about the matter.

another thing that bothers me is when a writer doesn’t write smut or suggestive content, they hardly get any interaction. i’ve seen it myself before and i’m not sure why people just ignore greatly written fics?? i understand that smut is the main appeal. trust me, i 100% get it, but fluff writers hardly get any attention and some of the best fics i’ve read weren’t even smut related. i’m not saying every person here has to read fluff or angst fics by any means, but it makes me sad that people write these fics to hardly get any interaction because it isn’t smut content. the least y’all can do is reblog it.

to discuss my account, i honestly don’t really feel the most happy here. i don’t have as much motivation as i used to and i have contemplated removing my account, but i have some great fics i’d rather not have be deleted. i might start a new account for a fresh start, but i’m still not 100% on it.

and if you read this till the end, thank you! i probably sound like a whiny baby but i just wanted to express some of my feelings because it’s been weighing on me a lot recently.

[mvmnbnv]

I like your takes. I love Caitvi, but it annoys me to no end how much they project and treat Vi’s relationship with her sister as irrelevant. They honestly kinda ruined the fanbase for me. I’m tired of the constant mischaracterziation of Vi’s character. Like she’s always so off in fanfics and they try to make it seem like she doesn’t care about Jinx at all. it’s weird to see other fans of her character try to erase that part of her in fanfics because they think Jinx is coming in the way like she’s literally her family??? You want Vi to just magically forget her after not seeing her in years? That’s not realistic at all.

The sister’s relationship is the most inaccurately portrayed because of Caitvi fans and it bothers me. Like I remember reading a fic where Vi shoots Jinx dead and she didn’t even care or grieve her because she has Caitlyn. She’s basically like, “ Welp, idc that I killed my sister. She doesn’t matter because I’ve got Caitlyn now byee” ??? Like wtff. That stuff just annoys me lol

Also, I’m gonna be honest but as a fan of Vi, most people in her fanbase only talk about her relationship with Caitlyn. You don’t have to care about the sisters relationship, but I dislike other fans of Vi that disregard that part of her and watch show from the perspective of a Caitvi shipper. Like it’s nice to see those who do acknowledge because there’s very little people who do care. It just bothers me how most of her fans only see one part of her story.

Another thing is the constant gender stereotypes. Like just because Caitlyn is sheltered doesn’t mean that’s reflective on her romantic life. I see portrayals of Vi where they make her equivalent to a misogynistic fuckboi. I’ve seen fics where they make violent and have her punch Caitlyn her in the face. Also, the classism and the very gross takes on Piltover and enforcers that come from them make me uncomfortable. You give grace to the oppressors because you take criticism of Piltover as an attack on their relationship which is just so ridiculous. Like you can still love them as a couple and not be weird about Piltover.

Way too many don’t give the same energy towards Zaun. They look down on them exactly how Piltover does and act like Vi isn’t literally from there. I agree with your other post too because they always downplay Cassandra too. I get surprised if I see someone among Caitvi stans acknowledge what she’s done. It’s a weird contrast to how they view characters from Zaun. Also, I remember coming across a fic where the author wrote Caitlyn degrading her because shes’s from Zaun as a “kink” like come on…

Yeah,peoples inability to see vi as her own character outside of caitlyn can get pretty irritating. And the classism and mischaracterization of vi?? Woof...and the complete disregard of jinx and vis relationship as if they aren't the heart of thr story is wild too lol. Like it's always been about them. Let's be real

[cow-rants]

Fair warning: this post is in regards to the recent Assassin’s Creed: Shadows trailer. I will talk about my thoughts and feelings regarding race. Thank you.

I’ve been a massive fan of Assassin’s creed (AC) since I first saw my uncle playing it at 7 or 8 years old. I’m a massive history buff and the idea of being able to experience the past through the eyes of an ancestor is such a brilliant idea. Not mention the concept of a secret war being fought through out the centuries is always fun. But as of late, I haven’t been really excited for a new entry. Odyssey was the last game I really played and it was alright, but I’m personally not a huge fan of the new RPG mechanics (although I do understand why they were implemented).

Valhalla looked interesting, but didn’t really feel like an AC game to me. So I put it on my “to play later” list. Mirage looked far better and I definitely do want to play it, but I honestly just haven’t felt a super big pull to pick it up. But when I saw that AC was finally going to Japan, I was ecstatic. I adore Japanese history in general and the Sengoku period is full of interesting conflicts and characters that would fit perfectly with the assassin’s and the templars.

Although they went with some pretty standard people to showcase, such as Oda Nobunaga, I still think they have a chance to do something really interesting story wise (of course, reserve all real judgement for the gameplay reveal. But I’m mainly just talking about the story). Especially with the portrayal of Yasuke. From what I could tell, it seems like his story will be one of disillusionment, possibly betrayal, and redemption. Certainly a story we’ve seen before, but it’s still interesting to see Yasuke in something as big as AC.

Before I get into the more unfortunate discourse regarding Yasuke, I absolutely have to talk about Naoe. See, what caught my eye about her was how she and my OWN AC OC have very similar stories. Well, I don’t know for sure. But they certainly share a similar experience, which is watching their families be butchered by Oda Nobunaga’s armies. It’s not much, but by the gods does it make me pretty happy. My OC’s name is Minori Kishimoto and she’s one of my favorites, so seeing a canon character with some similar traits is kind of exciting for me (okay, very exciting).

Anyhow, back to Yasuke. As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew I was going to see people saying something stupid. So I checked both the comments on the video and twitter. And I was certainly not mistaken. So so so many bad takes and ridiculous arguments that, honestly, only go to show either mild racism or straight up hatred toward African people. Not to mention the fact that they completely ignore Naoe as a protagonist. I guess she must be the greatest assassin of all time.

From what I understand, a lot of people are upset that for a Japan centered AC game, there is a black protagonist. Which, again, ignores Naoe entirely. The biggest argument I have heared against Yasuke being one of the protagonists is that he wasn’t actually a samurai. To which I say: False. Incorrect. Mistaken. Wrong. Factually incorrect.

The primary issue here is the fact that many people refer to him as a retainer. A title that he never officially held, as far as I’m aware, but even so that still makes him Samurai! Looking just at the facts of his life, he was respected by arguably the most powerful Daimyo of that time, earned his trust, received a pension, received a sword, and received property. So then the question becomes: what exactly makes a person a samurai at this time? Because I can tell you one thing, it isn’t noble blood.

A peasant man was once hired by Nobunaga to do a multitude of tasks, one of which was to hold his sandals. This man would soon prove himself to be capable of all of his tasks as well as in the art of war. He would become a powerful man and rise through the ranks until he held the rank of Taiko at the end of his life . That man was Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

If Hideyoshi’s story proves one thing, it’s that at this time anyone could rise to become a daimyo. So then, why wouldn’t Yasuke also be considered a samurai? We’re not even trying to claim he was a daimyo, just that he was a samurai. Retainer, bodyguard, slave, whatever. The fact is that the man was 10000% a samurai and was a respected one at that. To claim otherwise is to prove yourself ignorant in the history you claim to be proficient in, and incompetent at backing up your argument.

Not to mention that from a writing point of view, it’s a brilliant move. Yasuke was not super well recorded and thus is relatively unknown to others. Which makes him perfect for being a:

1. Fish out of water character

2. Real person, that can be treated written like a fictional one

All of this to say, I think that this newest Assassin’s Creed has a chance to become one of my personal favorites. As well as putting the series back on the map for many. But, with no gameplay and an already worrying pre-order package, I’m worried to say the least. Only time will tell, but I look forward to it.

[bohemian-nights]

How do Targies unironically praise T@rgaryen blood purity like legit white supremacists and then deny there's any racism there?? Please make it make sense

Honestly liking the Targaryens isn’t the problem(and at this point, I'm pretty sure we all like a Targaryen or two).

Yeah, they undoubtedly have some bad views as a whole, but as long as you acknowledge that their views are an allegory for real issues that’s fine.

We aren’t necessarily defined by the fiction we consume.

However, these fans outright taking on white supremacist talking points about blood supremacy and blood purity with 100% sincerity and then being confused as to why people are calling them racist is a mind trip.

If all you are getting from the books is how special and magical the Targaryen’s are and how they must keep the bloodline pure, how outsiders dirty the blood, and then use that to degrade and mock characters(and harass their fans) who aren’t silver-haired with purple eyes then yeah, you’re a fucking racist.

GRRM is admittedly not the best at handling race(or even certain female characters). He’s an old white man and it shows, but even he didn’t create this universe for you guys to spout out this crap. You are supposed to question things like feudalism and Targaryen exceptionalism not uphold it.

Nettles is a prime example of this, but they want to say she’s Daemon’s kid, or unquestionably Valyrian, and how she’s irrelevant since she’s Black(not to mention deny the racism she faces in the text as well as outside of it) rather than admit that maybe your blood, your gender(she’s a woman too but they always seem to forget that), your social economic status, your race does not define you. You and your actions do.

That all being said, I do think the Targaryen ideology is what attracts people to the house in the first place, but they won’t admit this because that means they have to confront their own biases.

If Targaryen ideology is harmful and you agree with it wholeheartedly what does that make you? How do you view people who are different than you? Who do you view as beneath you? How do you treat people who you view as lesser than you?

Yes this is all fictional, but the language being used is very much based on how they feel about certain groups in real life.

Look I’ve seen people straight up say things like there are too many Black people on HOTD and that the only in-canon Black character should be cut because they’ve met their quota and then cry that they are being (rightfully) called racists.

I’ve seen people say that since Daemon rejected a white woman(Alys) who they view as better than her(Nettles) he would for sure never touch Nettles’ with a ten-foot pole much less love her in a romantic capacity and then cry that they are now being called a racist.

I’ve seen people purposely reduce characters solely down to their race and then cry that they are now being called a racist.

I’ve seen people harass and stalk actual Black fans and then cry and say that they are being bullied when we call them out for it.

I’ve seen people outright use racial slurs then the fanbase brushes that aside to say that the racism is limited to just a few individuals when many of these same people are using the previous arguments and treat real-life fans like crap.

Racism isn't limited to saying I hate n-words and wanting to commit acts of violence upon us.

It’s easier to say you aren’t a racist than to deal with the very real possibility that you are a part of the problem. That you treat people(including fictional characters) who don’t look like you like absolute shit because of something as stupid as the color of their skin. That you view them as so beneath you that we don’t deserve basic respect.

It should be noted that Targaryren fans aren't the only racists in this fandom especially when it comes to Black characters/fans, but they are the most outright hostile to the point where it is utterly ridiculous when they say they aren't racist.

But what do I know? I’m just a crazy hating ass bitch who’s out of her depth and who should shut her trap…

[baileypie-writes]

~My Predictions and Wants for Pretty Cure 2025~

~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~

Spoilers for the title and logo ahead!

~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~

(Transparent logo by @cure-rosie)

Looking at the logo, we can see that most of it is hot pink. So I think that the leader is, yet again, going to be pink. In the top left, there’s a heart with the colors pink, blue and yellow. So I believe that the starting trio are going to be those colors.

My theory on the blue and yellow is proven further when we look at the color of the hearts in the music note, and in the last character on the top right.

In the very last character on the bottom, there are two hearts that are black and white. So maybe later on, we’ll get Cures of those colors. I’m really hoping for a black Cure. Cure Black needs a friend!

I can’t help but notice that the heart ribbon thing in the middle kind of looks like a bird? So maybe the fairy will be bird like? It kind of makes sense with the music thing. I’m really hoping that it’s unique looking, though. I wanna go back to the weirder looking fairies from the earlier seasons like Futari wa and Splash Star. I’m tired of just unnaturally colored animals.

I’m really hoping for characters that break the color stereotypes. I really want a pink cure who isn’t way too energetic or ditzy. Maybe we can get that for the blue cure instead.

I also want cool villains! The villains in Wonderful were so disappointing. We didn’t even get them until halfway through the series. And while their designs are cool, there’s not much to them. We’ve seen their personalities before.

Since this season is idol based, it’s safe to say that there’s probably gonna be a lot of songs. So I’m really hoping for some good singers. I’ve found that for when characters in Pretty Cure sing, they can either be really good, or really bad. Obviously, it’s hard to sing good when you’re already doing a high pitched anime voice. But if it’s an idol season, I want the voices to be at least bearable. Because I know how bad they can sound…

This want is definitely wishful thinking, but I want more representation! I’m not expecting a boy Cure, because of the idol theme. But I want another dark skinned Cure. Or maybe even a plus sized Cure! Cure Soleil is the only dark skinned Cure, and considering how many other Cures there are, it’s kinda getting ridiculous. And every single Cure is slim too. So I’m really hoping for some more representation!

Also, one last thing. Please bring back the expensive CGI! I mean, it’s literally an idol season. What could be a better opportunity?

That’s all I have to say for You and Idol Pretty Cure in terms of predictions and wants. To clean it up, here’s two lists.

Predictions:

~ Pink leader

~ Pink, blue and yellow starter trio

~ Black and white Cures

~ Bird fairy

Wants:

~ Unique fairy

~ Breaking color stereotypes

~ Cool villains

~ Good singers

~ More representation

~ Expensive CGI

I honestly have no clue what to expect other than the colors. So I’m really hoping that at least one of my wants come true!

~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~🎀~~~

~~baileypie-writes

[czolgosz]

"rpf ocs" is a fascinating phrase i would love to hear more abt that if you would like to share

ok there's really only one rpf oc (i just didn't want to make up a new original story tag format) and that is gwyneth (no last name) who you've probably seen me mention?. and she's just following the classic leon czolgosz rpf thing of having prominent fictional characters. but to recap: she parasocially falls in love with leon czolgosz and breaks him out of prison (through the power of surrealism not needing to make apparent sense), and well to be quite honest he doesn't like her or her dragging him around very much. <-explaining the relevance of the reblogged image i used #rpf ocs on. and again something important to note is that it's based on a dream i had which is why i'm always calling it "rpf from my subconscious"

umm just to pad out my response here's a description of her demeanor that i wrote for my associate SAM of mckinleygirl98 hello SAM. (btw i'll return to collaborative writing someday i promise 😭. i think of it often..) well hopefully this isn't missing any context that i otherwise told them (i'm not going to bother rereading):

gwyneth’s main thing is that she feels trapped by society, partially because she actually is due to being a woman and very clearly having some things going on psychologically, and partially in silly unsympathetic ways—she’s very “i wish I were poor so I didn’t have to act respectable 🥺!” with no thought of what being poor is actually like. at her core she’s remarkably self-centered and solipsistic and is decidedly unconcerned with politics despite being aware of how eg. feminism could help her because she just doesn’t feel like she can be bothered. she’s also obsessed with the concept of romance and specifically wants to have a “forbidden” romance to cut her off from higher society; this is related to her sort of fetishising style of classism as well as her immense loneliness and idea that a man can “rescue” her from her life, because again she has a sort of self-inflicted learned helplessness going on. <-hopefully this is all coherent.

and then mckinley gets shot. she sees his assassin in the newspaper. she finds him conceptually alluring; he’s really taken a shot at society! look at his initiative!! and she decides it’s time for her to break out of her metaphorical prison and take action as well by breaking this guy out of his literal prison. she plans. her weird, prying questions and suspicious reconnaissance all go smoothly because she’s white and has no foreign accent and dresses nicely. she succeeds at getting him out—despite the necessity of some murder, it goes oddly smoothly, the first indication that maybe this… isn’t actually happening. leon is rattled. gwyneth doesn’t care. she has some high expectations for him! and is very thrilled by this whole situation! but she hasn’t developed that much. she tries to defer to leon for decisions despite him being even more clueless than she is (did i make it clear before that gwyneth has some internalised misogyny problems?), but, importantly, she sees him as more of a concept than a person, as she does most everyone—she’s just decided that he’s an important concept, so in the narration he gets a name and something of a personality. and anyway as i’ve previously mentioned, gwyneth becomes more controlling and paranoid as the story progresses. and it all ends in ambiguity over whether her death was suicide or murder, whether leon died too, and where she even is at the time. <-hopefully this is all coherent too??

MAIN TAKEAWAY: gwyneth is ridiculously self-centered and doesn’t see anyone, including herself honestly, as a complex being with thoughts & feelings & goals, and this definitely comes across

[so-long-soldier-writes]

Anchors

liam dunbar x theo raeken

summary: the end of the war brought a slew of changes to the lives of those left in beacon hills. unfortunately for liam, that includes taking his medication again, since telling his mom about the supernatural didn't go exactly as planned. now, he battles a retake of his senior year, the side effects of his medication, and a desire to keep the good things he has in his life, all while trying to keep himself afloat.

tags: angst & feels, hurt / comfort, post-war, implied / referenced s3lf h4rm, mild blood, dread doctors mentioned, protective!theo, theo lives with the dunbar-geyer family & he also works in the hospital bc i can see it, forehead kisses (so many), mentions of past abuse, relapsing, beowulf references, found family, touchy-feely

word count: 7.4k

a/n: So a big chunk of this is about Theo's past with the doctors, and growing up with them, and I'm pretty sure I got most of my facts right, but if something's totally off-canon, my bad. Season 5 is honestly quite confusing to me, and I'm trying to rewatch it to understand better. Anyway, I also did a lot of research on antipsychotics, because that's what Liam said he used to take. I struggled a bit, because a lot of the medications used to help IED also reduce sh urges, but we know Liam struggled with that throughout the show. Ugh, I love him so much. Comfort character <3 I want to give him a hug. Third thing, I haven't read Beowulf in like, six years, so all of my references are from SparkNotes, Quizlet, and a vague, vague, memory of it from the last time I touched a copy of it.

Also, greatest apologies for being absent / not posting for just about an entire month. I'm trying to reclaim my life; I've lost myself a bit this year. I did put in a three weeks' notice for my job, so I hope I can be active again soon.

One last thing, I'm still writing for Kai, I just have had this idea lodged in my brain for a while. I have a lot of stuff to write for a lot of different characters, i just have to get the gears turning again. ily all <3

“I hope loving me isn’t the hardest thing you’ve had to do.”

It’s spoken out in a whisper, but is heard loudly. It rings like a bell in the ears, and makes Theo sigh stressedly before he brushes his hands on his pants. “Clearly you don’t remember the things I’ve been through,” he starts. 

“I’m serious. It hasn’t- I haven’t been easy lately. You shouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“I’m here by choice.” Theo rinses the rag under warm water, then crouches back down to Liam’s level. He takes each finger gently, easing the blood out from underneath his fingernails. “I never had a say in anything that happened in my past, but I have a choice here, with you, and I choose to be with you.”

“Aren’t I making your life harder? You should be out in the world, exploring things you’ve never seen or done. Not stuck in Beacon Hills, babysitting me half the time.”

“I’m not babysitting you, I’m dating you. And I’ve chosen to stay here regardless; I’ve learned I like it here. I like my job, and your parents, and you, and even though I could go out, do something else - and still date you - I don’t want to.”

Part of Liam’s brain knows he’s being ridiculous. Theo’s told him a thousand times how much happier he is now. He does like his job, and he does love Liam and his parents, but he can’t help the insecure feeling that he’s holding him back. “But-”

“And you’re not hard to love. You never are.” He pauses, but when Liam opens his mouth for what he’s certain is a rebuttal, he continues. “Now, the doctors,” he chuckles, “they were hard to love. When they tried to act parental, it was awful. But then I felt guilty for not seeing them that way, because as much as they were killing me, they were also keeping me alive.” Theo tries to bring his attention to the scientists that Liam’s so keenly interested in. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the distraction works, but Theo can tell from the frown on his face that this time is part of the one percent. 

“I’m no better than them; I’m hurting you now.”

The smell of fear still lingers in the air, mixed with fresh blood and the undistinguishable scent of pain. Theo had all but kicked down the door ten minutes ago, leaving it unable to be locked until it’s fixed, but he much prefers it that way. 

“You’re nothing like them. Are you forgetting you saved me from death? From hell? You brought me back, and we fought for each other, almost died for each other, and survived a war thanks to the unspoken trust that that act gave us? I love you, Liam. My stubborn heart can effortlessly say that, because I know you aren’t going to hurt me. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. I’ve never cared for anyone since Tara.”

Liam’s heart softens. The stone walls he tries to put up crumble down into dust. Theo shares so comfortably because Liam’s given him the time, and space, and love to do so. He hasn’t forced or rushed him; he makes him feel safe, and listens, and speaks, reassuringly, when Theo needs it. He loves him wholeheartedly, and makes sure he knows it. 

A deep sigh makes Liam slump forward, posture horrible, but neither comment on it. He watches as Theo cleans the last of the drying blood from his nails and arms. The slowly healing wounds pick up their pace with his care, and eventually, not even scars are left. 

“Sometimes I wish the scars would stay,” he mutters. “I think it would help me do it less.”

Theo understands. But at the same time, he knows it’s better that they heal. “I think your mom would catch on if they did,” he reminds gently. 

Liam’s eye twitches. The painful reminder seems to do the trick. “Can I see yours?”

Without question, Theo lifts his shirt, revealing the small mark under his heart that never fully healed. Liam runs his fingers along it immediately, feeling the bump of raised skin permanently changed from an invasive surgery he had as a child. The doctors, he said, promised it would heal. It never did. 

Theo watches Liam suck in a breath as he trails his fingers down his body, causing him to drop his shirt and chuckle. “You just wanted me to take my shirt off.”

A blush rises to the younger boy’s face. Truly, he did want to see the scar, but it’s easy to get distracted by his boyfriend’s beautiful features. “No-”

He laughs. “Sure-”

“No, I’m serious!” He puts his pointer finger on the scar again, this time over his shirt. The smile from his blush is gone from his face, the somber mood returning to the room. “Thank you, Theo.”

“You aren’t hard to love.”

“I just feel like a burden sometimes.”

“And I love being the one to remind you that you’re not.” Theo kisses his fingertips individually. Liam’s so full of love he might explode. He sighs, eyes fluttering.

“I’m tired.”

“I know you are.”

“Can we lay down?”

“Of course.”

Theo tucks Liam into his bed and changes into something more comfortable before joining him. As soon as they returned from work, Dr. Geyer fell into bed, exhausted from the day. Jenna won’t be back for another couple hours. They have time for a nap. 

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

That evening, when Theo hears the crackling sound of food cooking on the stove, he untangles himself from Liam’s sleepy grasp and tiptoes downstairs. Jenna smiles at him as he joins her in the kitchen.

“Hi, sweetheart, how was work today?”

Theo can’t help but smile. Those are two words he’d never thought to be combined in a nickname talking about him, but Liam’s mom calls him that almost every day. 

“It was good. David had a surgery, so he’s napping, but nothing too heavy.”

“Awh, good. And where’s Liam?”

“Also napping.” He frowns, but doesn’t quite have the words yet, so he asks, “how was your day?”

“Busy, but alright.” She stirs something in the skillet, then tilts her head at him. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m…” he struggles, again, for the right words. It isn’t his place to comment, but he’s willing to cross the line if he thinks it’s necessary. Right now, remembering the scratches on Liam’s arms, he knows it’s definitely necessary. “I don’t know how to say this…”

Jenna nods for him to speak, his worried look quickly betraying him. “Talk to me. What’s up?”

“Liam…” he starts slowly, “I don’t think the meds are helping him. I think he needs to come off them. He’s been extremely tired lately, and…” he doesn’t finish the sentence. He isn’t sure how to tell her the rest; the concern Theo has for his safety. 

“Sweetheart, the meds are good for him. They help with his condition, and especially knowing… what I know now… he needs to be in control of himself so something doesn’t happen.”

A month ago, Liam had finally told his parents about the supernatural. The news came with some shock, but they took it well otherwise. The lupine gene didn’t make them love their son any less, nor did they express any fear, but it did cause them to worry about his I.E.D. worsening. Heightened strength and emotion could lead to more outbursts. So, worried for him and the people around him - if he were to get angry - they refilled the prescription they’ve ignored for two years. Ever since Liam’s been taking it again, he’s been subdued. His parents only see him more tired, though, and assume it’s working. They don’t see the side effects that Theo sees, though, the stuff he desperately tries to hide. 

“I understand, but isn’t there another medication he can try? Or something natural?”

“Like a therapist?”

“I don’t know, but something else.” He wets his lower lip with this tongue, catching the skeptical look on her face. “I just… he’s so tired all the time, almost too tired, I just, I don’t know, it’s changing him. He isn’t as happy anymore.”

“He’s only been taking them for a month, he’ll get used to it. Just takes some time.”

“No, there has to be another way,” he argues, insisting she listens. Hoping she senses the urgency in his tone. “He barely has enough energy to play. He told me that’s why he stopped taking them in the first place.”

Jenna shakes her head. “He’s going to have to get used to it. It’s the safest thing for him. I don’t want-”

“But it’s not!” He interrupts. “It isn’t safe! He hasn’t been himself. He’s- he’s-” Theo stops at the disappointed look on her face. Jenna isn’t one to re-interrupt back, but instead wait patiently with an eyebrow raised, which, he’s finding, is way worse than being scolded. “I’m sorry.”

“My husband is closely monitoring his state and dosage. If we determine something needs to be changed, we will make that change. Honey, I know you care about him, and I know he doesn’t have the same energy he used to, but this is necessary, okay? I don’t know much about this werewolf stuff, so this is me doing my best to keep my son safe. Please respect that.”

Theo bites his tongue. He doesn’t want to push Jenna any further. He doesn’t want to hurt Liam - either of them - by telling her the truth of how the medication’s really affecting him, so he stays quiet. Upstairs, he can hear Liam shuffling. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for understanding.”

That is not the word he would use, but Theo doesn’t argue further. When Jenna turns back to the stove, he heads back upstairs to check on his little wolf.

He isn’t okay, and he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to tell her that. 

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

The next morning brings the usual hustle and bustle as the found family gets ready for a long day of work. Liam’s waiting for a ride from Mason, since on days Theo works at the hospital with his dad, the two drive there together. His dad, at the moment, is in the kitchen greeting his mom, as Liam lazily hugs his boyfriend. As they separate, he drops something into Theo’s scrub pocket, making him narrow his eyes. 

“What’s that?” 

“Gift.”

He digs out a little folded paper heart and smiles. “Where’d you get this?”

“I made it in math class. Couldn’t focus.”

The cute gesture makes Theo kiss him on the forehead, but then he shakes his head. “You do realize you’re retaking senior year to learn this year, right?”

“You do realize I’m retaking senior year because I couldn’t learn last year because half the town was erased by Ghost Riders, and then a war broke out that was led by one of the teachers, right?” Theo gives him a look, causing Liam’s shoulders to slump. “Sorry. I know. I’m trying to focus, but I’m too tired.”

“I know, Little Wolf. It’s okay.” He plops the heart back into his pocket. “Thank you for the heart.”

Liam smiles, but before he can say anything, his mom calls for him across the room. His daily reminder, every morning, at seven sharp. 

“Hey, Li, remember to take your meds, okay?”

Both look over to see her insistent face, and Liam sighs before grabbing the prescription bottle off the table. Theo takes in a sharp breath that doesn’t go unnoticed by Jenna. She turns back to her husband, whispering. 

“Theo started a little argument about that yesterday.” She nods to her son, who’s popping a capsule into his mouth.

“That’s unusual for him.” Her husband squints.

“Mhm. Let’s keep a closer eye on Liam. He was saying it’s doing more than just making him tired. Asked for an alternative, but I assured him it’s the best option.”

“Okay. Maybe I’ll make an appointment with the psychiatrist again. That might help.”

“Yeah, that’ll be nice.”

“Alright.” He kisses her, then returns to his normal voice. “I’ll see you later, okay? I love you.”

“I love you, too. Have a good day at work.” Outside, Mason honks loudly, and Jenna turns to the boys. “Liam, time for school. I love you.”

“Okay.”

“Theo, I love you, too. David’s about ready to go.”

“Okay, I’m coming.”

He turns to the younger boy. “You gonna be okay?” Liam nods. “You have an issue, you call me. Alright?”

“Okay.”

“If I can’t pick up, what are you gonna do?”

“Make more little paper hearts.”

Theo half smiles. “Okay. Or text Mason, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”

“Okay.”

“Okay. Good. We’ll be back around six today, hopefully.”

“Okay,” he repeats. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, wolf.” They share a quick kiss, interrupted by Mason honking again, and then Jenna hurrying them both out the door. “You be good. Pay attention in class. The goal is to graduate this year.”

“Shut up, Theo.” He smirks. “I’m kidding. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

Most of the day goes by alright. Except… alright is the only thing Liam’s felt since his mom hurriedly forced him back on antipsychotics after learning about his supernatural status. She was understanding of the news, really, and didn’t mind the fact that he’s a werewolf, but he thinks the only reason she possesses a little bit of concern is because of his I.E.D. If he were a normal kid-turned-werewolf, it’d be no bother, but his condition has always made her worry. 

Jenna loves her son to death and will do anything to protect him. She allowed herself to be an outlet for her angry ex-husband, but the moment she realized he’d also been hurting Liam, she sent him out the door. Finalizing the divorce with the narcissistic man was almost as difficult as being married to him, but it was all worth it once he was finally out of their lives. Despite his lack of presence though, the pain still lingered. The abuse he’d delivered left a mark on them; it left Jenna fearful, and Liam volatile. Letting David into their life was a big step for both of them, but it’s made them better.

The medication, however, has never helped. Liam tends to get the worst of the side effects and little of the actual relief that the chemicals are supposed to give. He stopped taking it for a reason before, and now… well, he’s lucky Theo’s already seen him at his worst, so he doesn’t have to hide his pain from him like he does with his mom. 

He’s struggled with it before, but it manifested itself differently. Liam always remembers the time his stepdad told him, “people deal with anger in two ways: they hurt others, or they hurt themselves.” He used to always hurt someone else first, the way his biological dad taught him, until he turned. Then, every effort became protecting others. And if that meant hurting himself to do so, that’s what he did.

Now, Liam still struggles with it. The Urge. The urge to do something, anything with your pain. Having no idea where to put it, so you put it on yourself. You dig your nails into your arms, extend your claws and bury them in your skin, scratch until all the pain is no longer emotional, but physical, and visible, and out in the open. Bleeding, because it’s easier than crying. He’ll heal faster from open wounds and scars than he will a face red and puffy. 

Liam hasn’t told Mason about the hurt. He knew about it the first time around, but he can’t bear to see his disappointed face if he tells him about the three-year-clean relapse. 

Theo, though, has seen every inch of Liam’s soul, even the icky bits. He’s seen him full of love and full of hate. He’s seen the bits Liam’s tried - and failed - to hide; the shame that you can hide from a best friend but not a lover. Besides, nothing can hide the smell of blood to another werewolf, especially not one you’re living with. Liam wishes he thought twice about that before doing it the time he got caught.

The Urge returns in English class for no particular reason. That’s the thing about it: you could be having the worst day or your life or the best, it doesn’t care. The voice is always in the back of your mind, telling you you could feel a hundred times better if you’d relapse again. Liam bites his cheek, trying to fight it off, and then tastes blood and realizes that’s just as bad. He raises his hand. 

“Yes?”

“Can- May I use the restroom?”

“Sure. Only since you used the correct word.”

“Thanks.”

He calls Theo the moment he locks himself inside a stall. The bastard misses the first call entirely, but Liam calls again anyway. 

Theo feels his phone ringing in his back pocket, but he’s in the middle of taking a patient’s blood and can’t exactly stop right now. Within a minute, the call disconnects, but the caller tries again. Theo hands Dr. Geyer the vial and excuses himself. 

“Can I take a call?”

“Yeah, be quick.”

Beyond the curtain, he panics at Liam’s name on the screen. 

“Li? Are you okay?”

“I’m in the bathroom.”

“Okay? Can you expand on that a little?”

“I’m trying really hard not to do something stupid. I’m really bored. We’re doing absolutely nothing in English class, and my brain is screaming at me.”

“Okay, okay. Hey, take a deep breath. Get your mind on something else. Think about… What were you doing in your English class, hm? Tell me about it.”

“What were you doing in the hospital? I’d rather hear about that.”

“Well,” Theo hesitates, not sure if he wants to talk about it while Liam’s fending off urges about the same thing. 

“C’mon, I’m curious. Your hospital stuff is way more important than Beowulf and the stupid creature he’s trying to kill.”

“Ah, you want to know a fun fact? The Dread Doctors made me read that book.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Part of them trying to be ‘parental,’ like I mentioned before? Yeah, it was a ‘kill two birds with one stone’ kind of thing for them. Read about this giant beast - kinda like the one we’re planning - and get some education in at the same time.”

“Wait, did they make you read a lot?”

“A lot of stuff I read by choice, just to keep busy and feel a little less alone, I guess, but they did make me do some school-like things. She did, I should say.” 

Theo’s talked about her before, The Geneticist, out of the three. A woman was under that mask, and it could be said that she cared more about him than the other two. She saw him as a boy, under all the experimentation. A child, who needed to be raised and taught, despite the environment in which they existed. 

Of course, though, she was as dedicated to the cause as the men were. She bonded to Theo - though it was mostly one-sided - and taught him what was necessary for him to grow up into an intellectual man, just like how he was as the boy they’d stolen. 

She was also the one that selected his fake parents, whenever Theo would need to blend into a new town. She’d study them for weeks before the doctors imposed on their lives. Then, if they failed in any possible way, she would be the one to handle their fates. 

“Wait, so how did that work? In between torture sessions, was she like, ‘hey, and this is the wrench I’ll be using on his teeth. You might use it someday to change a tire’?” Liam asks, then curses himself for being insensitive. 

Theo snorts, unbothered by Liam’s impulsivity. He can’t help his curiosity, nor the speed in which he blurts out questions. “I mean… to an extent? She’d explain the tools they’d use and the science behind their experiments. But like, not every minute was spent torturing kids, so she had some time to actually sit me down and make me learn.”

“So you’ve technically graduated, but through the school of Three Mean Doctors in Gas Masks.”

“I guess so. But remember they’re from 1700s France, so… there’s a disadvantage there.”

“Oh. Oh my god, I forgot about that part.”

“They stayed somewhat in the loop of modern times. Enough so that they could blend in and continue their work. Plus, outside forces coming in exposed them to more present events. Garrett, in the 1940s. Malia’s mom, mid 2000s-ish.”

“Right. So-”

A knock on the door startles both of the boys. Before Theo can call out, Dr. Geyer’s voice comes out clearly on the other side. “Theo? You almost done?”

“Shit, is that my dad?”

“Yeah.” He lifts the phone away for a second. “Yes, sorry. I’ll be out in a moment.” Turning his attention back to Liam, he sighs. “Okay, Little Wolf. How are you doing?”

“Fine. Honestly, I forgot why I called.”

A wave of relief washes over the older boy. “That’s alright. I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay. God, school is so boring. I can’t wait for practice.”

“Score a goal for me. I lo-”

“Wait, Theo?”

“Hm?”

“I remembered why I called.”

“Are you okay?”

Liam takes a shaky breath. “I think so. Your voice- hearing it- talking to you helps.”

“I’m always here for you.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“You gonna be okay if I go back to work?”

“Yeah. I love you.”

“I love you too, Li.”

“Have fun listening to people cough.”

“Have fun reading about Grendel.”

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

Liam begrudgingly drags his feet to his appointment. His dad didn’t even bother to tell him he made one until an hour to time, interrupting his midday Saturday catnap to do so, and quizzing him on useless biology facts the whole way. 

“C’mon, I know you have a test on Monday. Let’s go.”

“Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

“Liam. That is not what I asked.”

“I don’t know anything about blood pH or whatever you said.”

He sighs. “Why are you being so stubborn lately? You don’t put up a fight when Theo quizzes you on homework.”

“That’s because Theo rewards me with-” he stops suddenly, shutting his mouth.

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” his dad says anyway. 

“I was gonna say with candy.”

“No you weren’t.” His tone is joking, but Liam’s not in the mood for it, lighthearted or otherwise. He hates the medication and his parents know that, and now, they’re scheduling him appointments again? The only thing worse than dealing with his anger is talking about it. 

“Hey,” his dad nudges him gently. “It’ll be okay. Just a check up. Nothing major.”

His mom asked Theo to stay behind and help prepare for dinner, separating them at the time Liam needs him most. Whether she did that on purpose or not, he isn’t sure, but it sure feels like it was. 

They pull into the parking lot and Liam already feels his blood pressure rising. He needs Theo to anchor him - that’s all he needs, not this stupid medication. It only makes him worse. They don’t understand. He’d be totally fine if he could just talk to-

“Liam, c’mon.”

He takes a deep breath and exits the car. He swipes the nail bed of his pointer finger under his teeth, cleaning out a bit of dried blood he’d missed earlier. 

“Liam.”

“I am.”

He digs his best smile out from the vault - the one for his therapist, that he hasn’t used in years - and participates just enough to fool her that everything’s fine. 

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

“Did you tell her about the… y’know?”

“Of course not. I don’t want to go to Eichen.” Theo sighs. “What? Do you think I should’ve?”

“No, but I think you should mention it to someone… your mom?”

“Oh, hell no. She’ll worry. And clearly, she’s already worried enough with the werewolf stuff. I can’t freak her out more.”

“Li, I’m worried. I don’t like the way this medication’s making you feel. I think you need to get off it-”

“No shit-”

“-and telling her will get you off it.”

“With my luck, they’ll up my dose even more.”

“Liam, please.”

“I can’t hurt her!”

“You’re hurting yourself!” Liam was going to say more, but Theo’s words cause his own to die in his throat. “This medication is literally causing you to hurt yourself because it’s making you so depressed, you’re having trouble coping with it. I know bad coping mechanisms, Liam, I’ve been there. I can’t sit by and watch this happen to you, knowing a huge contributor is that medication, and I know if your mom knew that, she’d do anything to help you get clean again. Just trust her! She cares for you, Li. Like I do, she loves you. Your dad loves you, and Mason, and Corey. None of us like seeing you in pain, and everyone can tell you are, even though I’m the only one that knows the extent of it.”

Liam stuns. His words have so much weight. Theo’s right, as much as it breaks his heart to hear. He isn’t only hurting himself, but those around him, too. Theo, the boy he always swore to protect. Mason, by keeping him in the dark this whole time. 

“I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty,” Theo continues, responding to his silence. “I don’t want to make you feel that way at all. I just want you to know you have people who love you and will listen. Because, I love you, but I can only do so much. I can comfort you, I can clean your hands, and ease you into sleep, but I can’t get you off those meds, okay? You need to tell your parents.”

“Okay.” He finally agrees, hands trembling. Theo grabs them, and like before, kisses his fingertips gently, lovingly. “Can you help me?”

“Of course I can help you.”

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

The next evening when both his parents are home, the boys come down together from a ‘study session’ and take to the two chairs they usually occupy in the kitchen. Their knees touch slightly, anchoring each other in the time of uncertainty, and wait for Jenna’s attention to be available. She turns off the stove, then faces them. 

“Hey boys. Studying going well?”

“Y-yeah.” Instead of studying, they’ve been going over this plan for the last two hours, but yeah, he guesses it went well, considering they’ve found the confidence to address the issue. 

“Good, good.” Her eyes bounce between them. “Everything okay?”

“Um-”

“You didn’t break up, did you?”

“What?! No!”

“Oh. Thank god. I got worried for a minute.”

“Nothing like that. Mom, can I talk to you and dad both for a minute? It’s kind of important.”

“Of course, honey. David? Come here for a second, please.”

Liam knocks his knee into Theo’s, who smiles at Jenna for a moment before looking back down at the table. His sudden silence, despite encouraging Liam to talk about this in the first place, is not appreciated. 

“Yeah, on my way,” David says, getting up from the couch in the living room.

“You’re an ass,” Liam mutters to Theo.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“That’s exactly why!”

“What’s up, boys? Everything okay?”

“Um, yeah-” Theo bumps his knee into Liam, who stutters, “-actually, um, no. Not really.”

“Okay, what’s wrong, sweet? School alright?”

“School’s fine. Everything’s fine. Ish. I-”

“Liam,” Theo urges.

“I’m trying!”

David and Jenna grow concerned by the minute. Both have their eyebrows furrowed and their full attention on the couple. Theo’s tempted to jump in and start for him, but fears Jenna’s reaction if he does. 

“I, um, I guess, it’s-”

“Liam,” his mom sighs. “Are you okay? Did you remember your-”

“Yes, I took my meds today,” he interrupts, receiving the same stare Theo got about a week prior. “And that’s kind of the problem.”

Jenna sighs. She looks to Theo, then back at her son, head shaking in disapproval. “Liam, you agreed you’d take them again, for your safety, since we don’t know much about this supernatural stuff.”

“That’s the thing, though. The meds don’t help. They make it worse. I mean, not worse, really. They make me tired, so I don’t really have the energy to be mad, but lately, I don’t have a reason to be mad, so I’m tired for no reason.”

“Okay, I get that. I totally do. But it’s more of a preventative measure than anything else. What if something happens at practice? Or at a game?”

“Well that’s why I have Theo. Well, not the whole reason, obviously, but a large part of it.” He makes the mistake of glancing over at the boy, who’s now chuckling and gently shaking his head. It makes him smile. “Werewolves have these things called anchors that help them control their turns. I mentioned it awhile back, before the meds.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Anchors can be anything from an object, or a mantra, or even another person, and Theo’s that for me. Whenever I’m angry, or at risk of turning, all I need to do is call him, or hear him, or frankly, just think about him, and I can control it. Or, if I’m struggling, he can always bonk me over the head, which has happened, but only in an extreme situation, where-”

“Liam.”

“Sorry.” He thanks Theo for the mini anchor right there - bringing him out of his rambling and back to the present. He looks to his parents again. “I don’t need the meds when I have Theo. He helps me with my anger more than any chemical drug ever could.”

Jenna shakes her head. “I’m glad you two have that trust in each other, but you have to take them, Liam. Your I.E.D. put you at enough risk without the extra strength of being a werewolf. I don’t want to take the chance.” She turns to Theo. “Did you put this in his head? That he doesn’t need it?”

“I-” 

Theo starts to defend himself, but Liam cuts him off. “Mom. He only helped me admit what I couldn’t bring myself to admit. The meds didn’t help two years ago, which is why I stopped taking them. They’re doing more harm than good, and I don’t want to take them anymore.”

“What’s that mean? They help you, Liam. That’s what they’re for.”

“But they don’t.” He sighs. “Mom, you can’t freak.”

“What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“I-” Theo nudges his knee gently, urging him on. “I don’t like the way they make me feel. I’m tired, too tired to play lacrosse, too tired to focus in school.”

“You’ve only been on them for a month. You’ll adapt.”

“You’re not listening,” he snaps, looking to his dad for direction. His understanding expression helps a little. He’s pro-medication, obviously, but also knows not every drug works for every situation. Jenna knows this, too - Liam knows, deep down - and she just wants the best for him, but it’s hard for her to understand this route isn’t the best. He knows the next thing he has to say will be even harder to hear, but he knows he has to say it. He has to come clean. It’s the only way to help him find what’s truly best for him. 

“This medication’s messing with my head,” he continues. “I don’t have proof, but it’s bad for me.”

“What does that mean? ‘You don’t have proof’?”

“I… it’s been making me depressed, and I haven’t really been dealing with it in the right way.”

“What are you talking about, Liam?” His dad asks, concern etched on his face. He knows, Liam knows he knows, he’s just anxiously waiting for his worst fear to be confirmed. 

“I, um,” he glances at Theo. “Dad?”

“Mhm?”

“Remember when you told me that people either hurt others or they hurt themselves?”

“I do.”

“Well, before, when I couldn’t control my anger, I took it out on others. But ever since turning, I don’t anymore. Unfortunately, that kinda only leaves me with the other option.” He pauses, avoiding eye contact with his mom who’s slowly realizing what he means. “And a lot of the time, Theo helps me control the urges, and I can fight it, but sometimes, I’m too embarrassed to admit it even to him, but he’s the reason I’m telling you. He’s given me the confidence to tell you. I just… I don’t want to keep hurting the people I love, and he’s made me realize that by hurting myself, I’m doing exactly that, and to be honest, I hate doing it to myself, too.” He looks at Theo, again. “Was that okay?”

The older boy rubs his back comfortingly. “Yeah, little wolf. You did a good job.”

He nods, turning his head once more. “Mom?”

Her eyes are watery as the truth sinks in. The words are like a hundred bricks sitting in her chest. “Show me your arms.”

Liam outstretches his arms, skin clear of any scars or blemishes. “We heal really quickly. Honestly, that’s part of the problem. If I had a scar to show for it, it’d probably be easier to stop, but…”

Jenna takes both of his wrists and examines closely. His skin is as soft as always, not a scar in sight. “Where did you do it?”

“Along here,” he points to the underside of his arms, elbow to wrist.

“With what?”

“My claws, mostly.” Jenna stifles a sob. “Are you mad at me? I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

She shakes her head. “No, baby, I’m not mad.” Jenna quickly makes her way around the counter to embrace him in a hug. “God, I’m not mad. Oh! Baby. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize sooner.” She kisses his head, once, twice, three times. 

“You can’t blame yourself,” Liam says, “I hid it on purpose. I didn’t even mean for Theo to find out, he just… did.”

“Oh!” Jenna’s crying. He can feel her tears on his cheek. Her hands cradle his wrists as if they could shatter. Out of the corner of his eye, Liam can see his dad offering a sympathetic look. He waits for his wife to let go of their son, then gives him a hug of his own. Jenna then wraps her arms around Theo, kissing the side of his head. He freezes from the unexpected contact. 

“Mom,” Liam calls for her attention, sensing his change in heart rate. 

“I’m sorry. Thank you for being there for him. For paying attention to things we didn’t notice.” She lets them both go and circles back around the counter, though reaches across the granite to hold Liam’s hands in her own. She rubs his palms, softly massages his skin, and he can’t help but melt into her touch. 

“Liam’s my anchor as much as I’m his. I mean, my… species, I guess, differs in that we don’t turn on full moons, but he helps whenever I’m angry or upset. Helps ground me back into a normal resting heart rate.” 

Liam notices he doesn’t say something self-destructive like, Tara’s resting heart rate, and smiles. He’s healing, and learning to accept himself, and Liam’s helping him do that. 

“So the anchor stuff you were talking about is really effective? If you’re feeling angry, Theo can calm you down?”

“Yeah.”

“What about before? You said you were turned at the start of freshman year, but you two didn’t start to get close until midway last year.”

“Before then, I had a mantra that Scott taught me. And then for a while, nothing worked, and I was struggling a little, but then, against my will, it became Theo.”

“Against your will,” Theo mutters, shaking his head but smiling.

“Yeah, you were a rat back then. I was so mad when I realized your dumbass calmed me down. And the fact that you already knew made it so much worse.”

“You’re easy to read, Dunbar.”

No, you’re just… overly observant.”

“Yeah, but you’re also easy to read. Especially when you’re angry.”

“Can you tell you’re making me angry right now?”

“Yeah,” he says, matter-of-factly. 

“Yeah? Well what are you gonna do about it?” Theo stares at him. His parents watch in silence, not sure how to intervene or if they even should. “You just gonna stare at me?” Liam eggs on. “Really? You’re just gonna watch. Do nothing? I’m gonna go- I’m gonna go break that lamp over there, you see it?”

“Sure you are.”

“I am.” Liam starts to get up, but then sits back down. “Stop watching me.”

“Can’t. Sorry.”

“I’m gonna break your face.”

“Go for it.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“You’re a little drama queen sometimes.”

Liam rolls his eyes, then shifts to sit with his leg tucked underneath himself. Theo chuckles, but says nothing. 

“Today Coach asked me if I had a twin and if we’d traded places, ‘because I was unusually slow and looked like I’d just crawled out of a rabbit hole’.”

“I’m gonna break Coach’s face.”

“Scott would kill you.”

“Scott doesn’t have good odds against me.”

Liam laughs, but then his eyes go wide at the memory and he covers his mouth in embarrassment. “Okay, topic change.”

“If you were a twin, the doctors might’ve taken you,” Theo continues, completely immersed in his banter with Liam and forgetful of the adults’ presence. 

“They did take me.”

“They returned you for being annoying.”

“You rescued me, dumbass.”

“Oh, right. Wonder if I have a receipt.”

“I hate you.”

“Okay, boys,” Jenna interrupts. She can’t help but smile at how such a serious conversation has turned into a playful argument between the two. Maybe Liam will be okay without his meds. He has been for three years, without her knowledge. Maybe she overreacted a little too much. “Liam? I’m gonna need you to promise me something.”

“Mhm?”

“If we take you off the meds, you promise to get clean again? Come to one of us if you’re having trouble. Let me know if you do relapse again. Let me know when you’re feeling upset, if Theo’s not around, so I can help you get a hold of him.”

“Okay. I promise.”

“Okay, and let Mason know, when you’re ready, just so he knows.”

“I know, I just didn’t want to disappoint him. Plus, the less people that know, the better.”

“I understand.” Jenna squeezes his hands again. “Oh, baby. I should’ve listened to you about the anchor thing. I just didn’t understand at the time. I especially shouldn’t have upped your dose, but was afraid the typical dose wouldn’t be enough, but it just made everything worse!”

“It’s okay, Mom.”

“It isn’t okay! And you tried to tell me, and I wasn’t listening.” She nods at Theo.

“Well the important thing is that we all know, now, right? Liam can get off those meds and play without Coach throwing insults at him that might be incidentally risking his life.”

“Exactly right.” She smiles at the older boy. “Thank you.” Jenna then chuckles at the second part. “Thank you for protecting him.”

“We protect each other.” It’s cheesy, but it means the world to all of them, Theo included. 

“And this time, you were protecting us, too,” David nods to him. The talk may have ended on a light note, but if it was never addressed, it could’ve had a very dark ending. David’s seen dangerous scars. He doesn’t know the depth of his son’s, but with claws, he knows the damage could’ve been worse than anything he’s seen. As for Jenna, he can’t even imagine how she feels. She’s probably wishing she argued to hug Theo for longer. 

Theo smiles, but he clearly doesn’t know how to answer that. He isn’t used to being praised, despite hearing it quite often from Liam’s parents. This situation, though, is new. This is emotional. This affects more than just him and the person he’s trying to protect. 

“You’re a good kid,” David continues. 

Theo just nods. Liam leans over quickly and presses a kiss to his forehead. His parents smile at his inner conflict to accept the praise, while trying to give him more without it being overwhelming. He doesn’t counter it, though, which is progress from last time, so they leave it at that. 

⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆⋅⋆

That night, with everyone off from work, the found family takes to the living room for a movie. The married couple make themselves comfortable on one couch, and the boys curl up on another. Liam’s heavy school binder, flipped to his English notes, sits between his legs - his dad and Theo both are forcing him to study during the intro credits, making him groan with annoyance.

“Alright, riddle me this-”

“No-”

“What weapon did Beowulf use to kill Grendel?”

“Nothing. He just used his hands, or whatever.”

“Right, good. And how many geats did Grendel kill?”

“Just the one.”

“There you go. And this woman, Asc - crap - Ace-”

“Aceshere.”

“Thank you. What’s her role in the story?”

“She’s kidnapped and killed by Gretel’s mom.”

“Grendel.”

“Oops.”

“It’s okay.”

Every time Liam gets the question right, Theo praises him and kisses the back of his head. 

After two more, his arms snake up to rest around Liam’s neck to pull him closer. He points to another question on the study sheet. “That guy, what’s his name?”

“Hrothgar.”

“Yeah. How did-”

“I thought you’ve read this book. Why can’t you pronounce anything?”

“I read it when I was, like, eleven, Liam. Give me a break.”

“Oh.”

“From whom did that guy descend? And how did he know Beowulf?”

“Sheepshear. And he knew him because he was friend’s with his dad, or something.”

“Close enough, yeah. Shearson, I think.”

“Wait, but wouldn’t the doctors not like this book because the dragon’s defeated?”

“See, I asked that, but she said no, because the Beast had been defeated similarly, and so it was kind of a lesson for them to not repeat old mistakes.”

“Oh. I guess I see that.”

Jenna and David listen carefully to their chatter. They know the basics of Theo’s past, but he hasn’t told them as much as Liam obviously knows; they have no idea to whom she could possibly be referring, but whomever she is, Theo’s grown comfortable talking about her, and Liam listens intently, so that’s good enough for them. 

They’re proud of them both, for surviving the things they have, and for coming out of them stronger. They’re proud of them for learning to rely on each other, through war and after it. 

Liam knows it, that they’re proud, but they can tell Theo still has trouble processing it. 

He’s a work in progress, but Jenna has to admit, so is Liam, and they’re dedicated to both.

They’re especially proud of them, now, handling not only supernatural threats, but those that threaten them much more personally. Theo has obvious trauma, and Liam’s battled his IED for years, but they help each other through it. 

When the last commercial plays on the old DVD, the cheery music that opens the movie begins to play. Jenna sighs a little, enjoying watching the boys interact more than she likes to admit. She likes seeing them happy and healthily co-dependent. 

Theo acknowledges the change in music faster than Liam does. He prods him on the shoulder and kisses his head at the same time. 

“Alright, movie’s starting, you can stop now.”

“Thank god.” Liam closes his binder and drops it on the ground with a thud that makes his mom jump.

“Liam!”

“Sorry,” he says, without much apology in his tone. “What are we watching, again?”

“The Conjuring,” Theo jokes.

“What?!” Liam whips his head around in distress, eyes wide.

“I’m kidding! It’s The Parent Trap.”

“God, I hate you!” He turns back and slumps his chest against Theo’s hard, making the boy short with breath. 

“Jeez, Li.”

“Sorry.” There’s a little more sympathy this time, considering Liam can hear the lack of air in his lungs from his small voice. “I love you, actually.”

“I know.” Theo finds his hands from underneath the blanket and pulls them up to kiss his fingers. “I love you, too. Actually.”

“Shut up.”

[clangenrising]

Month 5 - Greenleaf

Scorch huffed, scrabbling back up to her feet in what felt like the most undignified matter. Goldenstar stepped back, chuckling, and that chuckle made Scorch’s ears burn with embarrassment. 

“This is ridiculous!” she hissed irritably, “I know how to fight well enough, why do I need to do ‘battle training’?” 

Goldenstar, who had been trying to teach her for at least an hour to little avail, said, “Because I’m not even the best fighter in the Clan. If something happens, you at least have to be able to beat me.” 

Scorch straightened her posture, lifting her tail imperiously, in an attempt to claw back some of her dignity. “Then I just won’t fight. I’m a good enough hunter, I’ll feed your Clan,” there she noted with a twinge in her stomach that Goldenstar’s ear flicked, “and just… stay out of the fighting.” 

“I guess you could,” Goldenstar shrugged, sitting down in the little sandy patch where they had been training. Scorch took that as an invitation to sit as well and did so gratefully. She was exhausted. “There have been cats in Clan history who haven’t been able to fight for one reason or another, it’s not unheard of or unacceptable by any means.” 

I should hope not, thought Scorch, but she said nothing.

Goldenstar continued, “I just worry. Clan life is dangerous, there are foxes and things that come through. Sometimes the Clans go to war and it can get… bloody.” Scorch twitched her tail thoughtfully. 

“Have you ever thought about not doing that?” she asked with a slight scoff. 

Goldenstar laughed awkwardly and smoothed her chest fur down. “Mediators do try to keep it from getting that bad but at a certain point it’s not really up to me, if another Clan wants to fight we either stand our ground or leave our homes.”

“At least you’re alive,” Scorch countered. “Life as a wanderer isn’t that bad.” 

Goldenstar sighed and shrugged again. “For one cat, maybe but for a whole group? To leave the place they’ve always called home, the place their ancestors used to hunt? The stories say if we leave, StarClan has to follow us or we lose our connection to them.” Scorch pursed her lips even as Goldenstar added, “That’s another thing, the River of the Stars is in the mountains here. If we left we would lose our way to speak with them!” 

Scorch took a deep breath and tried to decide how to handle the situation. She took a bit too long, and Goldenstar’s face fell. 

“But you don’t think they exist either, so… I guess that’s not a big loss in your mind…”

Scorch swallowed. “I can understand why it’s important to you,” was all she said. 

Goldenstar shook her head a bit. “I honestly want to take you to see them. If you’d seen the place and talked to them, you would at least know I’m not crazy.” That made Scorch lean forward, brow furrowing with concern. 

“Goldenstar, I don’t think you’re crazy,” she said and genuinely meant it. “I think you’ve been lied to. There’s a difference.” 

The young leader made a frustrated noise in her throat, shifting her weight, and said, “I guess that’s better, but I’m serious, they’re real! I’ve seen them with my own two eyes, they gave me extra lives to protect my Clan with!” 

“Okay, okay,” Scorch said gently, fur starting to prickle uneasily, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I forget myself.” 

Goldenstar frowned. “Hey…” she said, leaning forward to try and make eye contact with Scorch, “You don’t have to do that. You’re allowed to speak your mind. I want you to speak your mind. I’m sorry I’m so difficult.” 

“Let us forgive and forget,” Scorch said, waving a paw dismissively. “And let’s go get some food. I’m so tired of battle training.” 

“Okay,” Goldenstar nodded with a little smile. “Maybe Yarrowshade would have better luck teaching you.” 

“Yarrowshade?” Scorch laughed as they both stood. “He’s too busy fawning over your right-paw to teach me anything.” Goldenstar laughed too. 

“Yeah,” she shook her head, “he needs to stop messing around and just ask her to be his mate already.” 

“Would she say yes?” Scorch asked. Her ears perked curiously. 

“Who knows,” guffawed Goldenstar, “But at least he would stop dancing around the question.” Scorch chuckled and the two of them headed back to camp in good spirits.

[jurijyuu]

Scratch an Itch Chapter 34: Out of Control

Link to full chapter on AO3

Rosie’s POV

Twice. If anyone had asked how many times she’d ever seen her dear friend frazzled, she would have said twice with both instances involving his crashing love life which he narrated through tea time. 

He paced round and round her living room, a silent man in thought after he’d detailed the shit show since he’d last seen her. His face was carefully blank except for a thin smile, the grip on his cane loose but precise as he twirled it absently in thought. All in all, he looked quite normal, put together and tastefully dressed. But she wasn’t his closest friend for nothing. The slight twitch in the corners of his mouth, the light sheen of sweat at the back of his neck, the slight flicks of his ears. None of these escaped her notice.

Frazzled was putting it lightly. The man was Stressed.

“Well, you’ve really fucked that up, haven’t you darling?” If the situation didn’t involve her friend, she honestly would have found it hilarious. How could someone fuck up so badly? The dry tone of her voice caused his head to swivel from where he stood, a seething glare in his eyes warning her to watch her words. As if that would actually stop her. “Oh don’t give me that look. You’re the one who dug yourself into this mess and from what I can see, you keep digging yourself deeper into it.” 

“I am very aware. Why do you think I’m here? I need advice. Things have gotten out of hand and I’m not sure how to fix it. I’ve secured her to my side for as good as all eternity. All that’s left is for her to accept everything and give in. Given how indestructible this link is, she should have adapted and tried to make her situation better. She should have come and offered to settle things and perhaps fix them. That’s what she is. Forgiving and kind even if it’s only due to her own sense of pragmatism…yet she seems to get farther and farther away from me.” A hiss accompanied by broken static colored his tirade. 

Behind him, his shadow writhed and snarled along the wall, scratching and clawing in the air in manic frustration. An angry little thing far more indicative of her friend’s true state of mind compared to his outward facade. It was honestly sad to see the thing so agitated. She’d only known it to be adorably mischievous and brilliantly sinister.

Sad, but also infuriatingly stupid.

“You want my advice? Didn’t I already tell you to give her space? But what did you do? Instead, you tied her up, bound her soul in the most ridiculous way you could have and you’ve been antagonizing her the whole time out of spite. After doing all that damage, now you want my advice?” She loved Alastor, truly. His smiling face and taste for chaos matched perfectly with hers. The years they’d known each other flitted by so quickly and she was ever so grateful for his charming company. But even all that fondness couldn’t stop the derision that she tried to keep from her voice.

If there was one thing she did not approve of, it was forcing oneself on another (unless it was murder). And she thought Alastor shared the same opinion. She expected that he would have gone about wooing his beloved in a smarter way, kinder and more respectful given how much he valued their relationship. The man had been so keen to point out all of her suitors’ flaws to her so why couldn’t he seem to fix his own? 

Alastor also seemed to think he would have done better too. But they'd both underestimated how all-consuming (hah) his desire for Ynna’s affection was.

“You don’t understand, Rosie. Ynna isn’t one to anger or hate easily. If I had let her go, what chance would I have had to get her back?”

“If that’s the case, why are you doing your best to stay on her bad side?” From what she’d gathered, the girl put a lot of thought into her feelings, trying very hard to keep a logical mind so she wouldn’t regret her decisions. Given that, Alastor was correct in feeling apprehensive about her hatred. She could well and truly be lost to him. But wouldn’t that same principle apply to her love for the man?

Did he even know how much Ynna loved him? She supposed not. He hadn’t been there when the little goat had all but resolved herself to make him happy even at the cost of her eternal damnation. He hadn’t seen her internal struggle between her morals and her adoration for him. When this all happened, he had probably never heard her express her feelings for him, only seeing her devotion to their friendship and the subsequent crumbling of it when his past feedings were found out. He’d only seen her anger and why wouldn’t she be angry? She’d resolved to sacrifice so much just to be near him, not even asking that he feel the same, to simply enjoy his bittersweet company for as long as he’d have her around. But all she was left with were ashes in her mouth.

If he knew how much Ynna was willing to sacrifice for him, would he be able to give her space to breathe something other than his suffocating obsession? 

“She loves you, you know.” She stated it as fact, in a tone that denoted all her seriousness in the matter.

“Hah. If she loved me then it shouldn’t have been so easy for her to break our relationship. She wouldn’t have pushed me away when I was still offering her my apologies like a pathetic little dog.” But the pompous man all but spat out his own opinion, letting the truth slip by him without so much as a passing consideration.

She sighed. His mind was too clouded by the idea of her hate, anxious to return to how things were but unwilling to have faith that the bond he so cherished was strong enough to get there without him manhandling it into submission. Was there even a chance at this point? With the way things were going, she wasn’t sure. But she could at least help him minimize the damage.

Picking up her teacup, she took a sip to wet her parched throat. Still looking quite unimpressed with him, she decided on a new approach. If she couldn’t get to him through what little empathy he had, then she would get him through the only other thing he valued. Harnessing her many years of etiquette, she stood poised and noble, letting the silence between them hang cold. Icy.

“You know, Alastor, I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get to see you like this.” With a slight change in her tone, almost dismissive and sarcastic, she caught his attention. His sharp eyes looked at her impassively yet she knew he hung onto her every word. Getting to her feet, she lightly brushed her skirt into place, letting the fabric lightly sway as she walked over in dainty steps to where he stood at the edge of the area rug.

“Your shirt is a bit wrinkled, dear. Let me fix that for you.” With deft fingers, she patted the one wrinkle in his appearance back into place. “Oh, your bowtie’s a little crooked too.” A little wiggling fixed the bow, not that it was actually askew in the first place but she was making a show of things. She patted some lint off his shoulders and smoothed a stray hair. Little things. Imperceptible imperfections. But static crackled at her fingertips and a hint of ozone replaced his usual scent as each correction to his appearance was made.

She leaned into his ear. “You’re becoming awfully sloppy, dear.” The shoulders beneath her fingertips tensed and she backed away from his space before he could react more than that. 

“You’re impatient and out of control. The Alastor I know wouldn’t have made such silly mistakes. He would have known not to corner his prey and instead would have let them tap dance them into his trap. Patiently and with finesse. But here you are, in a mess of your own making and unable to think clearly when the answer is so simple.” Walking back to her tea table, she leaned against the heavy wood. Arms crossed and looking at the stunned man in all seriousness, she made sure he was still listening before she continued. “Like you said, getting her affection at this point is a lost cause so I think you should just leave the girl alone. You’re not gonna get much from her except more disappointment and grief. More important than that, I think you should get your shit together.”

Picking up her tea cup, she took another sip. “You’ve let yourself dwell on this one thing for too long. Your feelings are getting yanked around like a little toy. Not only is it pathetic but it’s unbecoming of an Overlord, of you, my darling.”

“I—“

“When was the last time you struck a deal?” She cut him off with a sharp tone. Whatever quibble he would give was probably some useless delusion of the true state he was in. Some stupid lie he’s been telling himself to justify how he was crossing his own moral bounds in his cruel binding of the girl.

The man stood there and stared at her, his expression closing into a thin smile as he had no retort. Just as she thought. He was too busy pining to keep up with Hell’s powers as he should. Good. She could press him on that.

“You want my advice? Get yourself back in control of your emotions. You’re capable enough Alastor. When you stop letting your feelings get in the way of things, you’ll be able to solve your problems with Ynna just fine.”

Alastor remained silent, contemplating her criticism. She hoped he would bite. Entertainment and power were his only vices and fun things would always come in second to being the one pulling the strings. Maybe in this way, she could get him to back off from Ynna by distracting him with something else.

For a long while, she waited for him to think things through. In the end, his sharp sparkle returned, a truly calm, albeit blank, expression on his face. She almost sighed out loud in relief.

“This is why I always come to you, old friend. A fount of wisdom as always. ‘I’ve lost control.’ Hah! What a thing to say.” He readjusted the things she fixed himself, wanting to present his usually immaculate image even as the room still lightly smelled of ozone and the light crackling of static still sounded in her ear. “But perhaps you’re right. I’ve let myself get too invested and let my other priorities go to the wayside for petty affection.”

Petty?! She almost hit him then. Arggh. This stupid man. What he felt for Ynna was anything but insignificant yet he was so quick to downplay its value when his ego was poked. She was beginning to see the other problem here. Not only was he too anxious for affection, he was also too prideful to compromise for it.

Patience. Patience. She reminded herself. This was okay. This was better. At least, she gave him something else to consider that might be enough to stop him from pushing himself onto Ynna. She didn’t want to know what else he would be capable of doing to the girl if he spiraled even deeper into that cesspit of despair and desperation he’d placed himself into.

“Always glad to help.”

[prettysymbiosis]

I’ve been trying to get these thoughts out for days but basically I feel like the unifying theory of s16 (as I see it) is a conscious exploration of the dichotomy between sunny as a classically bold and brash pee pee poo poo comedy and sunny as a thoughtful, nuanced and subtle show about flawed people and also about itself, at times (by that I mean the meta isn’t always about macdennis or the other characters but about sunny itself - win an award, clip show, big mo, etc). the trailer actually captures this dichotomy well through the dialogue clips and animations, as well as the pinned comment which said “get ready for a whole lot of subtlety.” it’s still so baffling to me that sunny can simultaneously read as one of the most loud, obnoxious, unsubtle shows ever on television, OR it can be so subtle and allegorical in the writing of later seasons that most viewers would think people like us are crazy for reading so much into it even though we’re really not. this kind of self-reflective flavor is another product of the rewatch/podcast project which has been almost universally agreed to have had a very positive effect on the writing.

anyway having said that, I want to just share my notes on the first two episodes without trying to edit them too much. I’m bolding the points that I personally haven’t seen anyone else mention yet and putting a 😎 next to ones that evoke a Classic Sunny VibeTM because that’s important to the experiment of this season.

the gang inflates

macden fun/domestic/DUMB again 😎

something something never committing to the couch when it was absurd not to and it ended up costing them so much macdennis blah blah

dennis hanging up on dee was so funny to me oops 😎

and the WHOLE dee (as a character and specifically the female character) thing about being minimized to an absurd degree. I like to think the bog was a turning point for dee and the show is gonna do better by her now hopefully by recognizing her plight in a more serious way, like the way the guys have been doing?

are mac and dennis…… you know…… like for real??? as many have said, it could totally be revealed kind of retroactively to undercut the shock and be like “honestly we’re surprised you didn’t notice sooner” I feel like that is something rcg would do. suggestive clues:

“I don’t wanna talk to you about–” “a TON”

or is dennis like well that’s news to me jealous vibes??

“I figured you were man” ??

“I’m getting a little concerned about our nut”

“you truly have no reason to be sleeping with frank”

they specifically put a lil reaction shot of dennis after mac says “that’s a lotta blowin” a la the lil grin in gets romantic and, well, I just think that’s a choice that was made

“it’s not homophobic” is that so?????

when mac is like “you think we got rid of our furniture too soon/that the business plan won’t work” it’s kinda like no it’s not the committing to what they have, it’s that mac still has big denial problems and dennis can’t work with that… maybe? but so does dennis tbh

in a show-meta sense it’s like, we should be less worried about whether the gay gay-ass love story will alienate people and more worried about how these characters are too ridiculous to even let the love story play out effectively. they need mental health days if we are ever to have nice things

it’s possible mac denying his reaction to the allergy has to do with his body dysmorphia?

also it occurred to me that maybe part of why rob is clean-shaven this season is so they could do those prosthetics more easily?

those handprints though…. I hate everything

oh also just the bed scene. its existence

the zoomed in neck touch of course

“I’m not going to do it!” “..okay” dennis keepin his cool :)

mac’s shirt! COOLER HEADS PREVAIL

just the sheer silliness of inflatable furniture - is there some metaphor here lol?

in a general sense could inflates be taken to mean flanderizes? also maybe it’s just implied but I noticed I hadn’t actually seen anyone mention inflation as a sexual kink and like, that was part of the intention right? if so, 😎

charlie “uhhhhhhhh… yep.” poor charlie :( he doesn’t want to live in a maze (like a rat)

“well then you’re just like being a predator” :( so here for charlie calling out bullshit with frank and mrs. mac and even his own mom so far in these first two eps

charlie just giving up and yelling in frustration which is kinda what bonnie does in ep2 (and ep3 based on trailer)

the gross horny male objectifying thing 😎

rob put his whole pussy into this episode

charlie saying “I don’t get why he doesn’t take me seriously” and dee saying “that’s gotta be maddening” 🙃

cats in the alley my loves 😎

gluing dee a pillow on the wall <3

“consider it an offering” “of war??” this says so much. must everything be a conflict?

charlie’s hair looks so crazy and good in the sleepover scene and also he’s so smart

charlie asks frank to “return everything to the status quo” by the end of the episode, sitcom style. full reset, no progression. except charlie is asking that frank not endlessly take advantage of the fact that mac and den can’t figure their shit out, not totally push dee out just because it’s easy, not make light of the trauma charlie has from what happened to him. all that stuff IS the status quo! so what is he really asking for? this is one of the bits of writing that I think is also about the show as a show, and how they’ve approached these dynamics forever. 

it’s funny that people are saying this season is such a return to form because it is, but it’s also so much more self-aware of what that form is/was and how deeper elements can coexist within it. they’re really walking with a foot in both worlds here and they’re doing it well. love this for them and for us, the people who know what it’s always sunny in philadelphia is REALLY about

“we’ll take you to the hospital, and they’ll have nuts. and you can– you can die there.” hahahah

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 3

Propaganda under the cut

Shiv Roy

She's honestly kind of a canonical victim of yaoi almost. She and her husband Tom have a loveless marriage but never end up getting divorced. Tom has a weird psychosexual obsession with Shiv's cousin Greg and at one point literally compares them all to the time Emperor Nero pushed his wife down the stairs and then castrated and married a slave boy named Sporus (Tom is unwell). Anyway the show just ended and long story short Tom is now CEO of Shiv's family's evil company and she is reduced to being his pregnant wife (which is the result of her voting not to authorize either of her brothers as CEO in order to save them from themselves) and Tom made another weird comment about literally owning Greg. And now people who ship Tom and Greg are like "omg it's canon we won" but I don't. Think that they did. Sorry I'm rambling it was just a really good finale idek if this counts but

I will be honest I'm not really tuned into the tomgreg fandom, but tons of people wanted tom to leave shiv and get with greg and tons of people thought shiv was the devil incarnate and refused to see any nuance in her character and I don't think those two things are a coincidence. 

She gets a lot of hate from fans, largely just for being a woman who reacts in a non pretty way to abuse and for doing the exact same shitty stuff her brothers do. But also a large part of the hate she gets comes from the people who ship her husband with her cousin. To the point where people claim she's abusing her husband who views her as an accessory, a baby factory, and a ticket to money. Don't get me wrong, their relationship is incredibly toxic and unhealthy, but it is so on both of their parts. But Shiv's the only one who gets criticized for it

Peggy Carter

She’s a victim of Stucky mainly bc of the way marvel used her to give Steve an ooc ‘happy ending, but I know I’ve seen some posts calling her toxic or something it was 2019 so In CAT:FA, she’s introduced as a confident British agent. She has some chemistry w Steve Rogers (although more fans (on tumblr at least) preferred Steve and Bucky). She wasn’t just *woman who is strong*, but also had some emotional depth, with an actual range of emotion outside of angry and sad. She had a spin-off show, and she just continued to fight Russians and misogynists, even having chemistry in an almost wlw relationship and an eventual marriage to a famous shield agent. She went through character development and just was an awesome character. Then you know what endgame does? It has Steve Rogers travel back in time and take all of that development away. Most fans were mad at Marvel, and a lot were mad at Steve, but some fans threw Peggy completely under the bus, saying that they traded the (fanon?) queer ship/(canon) friendship for a bland love interest, which, um, she was so much more then that? I remember people really disliking Peggy, which isn’t fair to her character when she is/was so much more then that.

Peggy is vilified by people who ship Steve with his war comrade Bucky Barnes. I’ve even seen people claiming baselessly that she was secretly HYDRA the whole time. 

She gets in the way of stucky which OBVIOUSLY gives people, most of them women themselves, the right to be ridiculously misogynistic. Dismissing her character arc, traits, presence in the movies and her part in Steve Roger's life, saying she is insignificant on the ground of very subjective readings is one thing, but outright calling her 'just some old coochie', among other colourful, wonderful things, is another. They also keep reaching to villainize her (saying she's a literal nazi which she's not) and cancel her so their ship is somehow made more valid for it, erasing the competition as it were.