#your son failed a final how does that equals gay????

[chamiryokuroi]

Cousin: Stressed about Uni because he failed a final and has to retake the class, so he no longer has time for dating or partying (His own words)

Aunt and Uncle on the phone with me: Do you think he is gay?

Me:

[taki118]

Go Watch the Venture Brothers

So just heard the complete and utter Bullshit news that Adult Swim has cancelled one of (if not the best shows) they have the Venture Bros. This series is one of those shows that for WHATEVER reason never got to the level of fandom Rick and Morty has even though they’ve been at the genre parody game longer and in my opinion better. 

The series is about Rusty Venture former boy adventurer and failing super scientist who in an attempt to keep his head above water in debt goes around with his two boys Hank and Dean, and bodyguard Brock on misadventues while various legal archnemisis go after him, such as the Monarch. 

So if you never watched or never heard of this 7 season series let me give you a break down on why you should, 

1) Art Style & Animation

Venture bros is one of those rare Adult aimed animated series that that really truly tries to utilize their medium to the best of their abilities. Season 1 had like such a small budget and corners had to be cut so it can be a little hard to watch at times. 

But with each passing season they get a little better, a little more fluid, go just a little harder and it truly feels rewarding to watch. Like seeing an artist you follow online improve over the years. Like they COULD have stayed with the choppy and stiff animation from season 1 it fit right in with its fellow adult animated shows but it didn’t. They strove for quality to have something that matched the story they were telling.

2) The Writing 

Venture Bros has some of the tightest and consistently great writing of ANY serialized show I’ve seen, adult, animated or other wise. Wanna know why? Cause it’s all done by TWO people (save for like one ep each season where one other person is allowed to touch their baby). Yeah TWO people and they work their asses off every season to interject, humor, refrences, parody, plot and character development in equal measure. 

3) Character Development

Um yes in case you were wondering that’s right an adult animated show has CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT  that holds as the series goes on. Not to give spoilers but characters will go through changes in alignment, relationships will develop and change, some characters will go through negative arcs where they are straight up unbareable for a season before coming out the other side even better than they were before. There is no end of epsiode or even end of season reset. Characters, settings, and dynamics all change over the course of the show and it feels just so god damn good.

4) Story Development 

Just like the characters the story of the Venture Bros grows and changes each season. Things that are set up even as early as season one are paid off as the series goes on. Like not to be that bitch but you know how RIck and Morty teases an overarching plot ALL THE TIME but like will often just spit in the face of fans hoping for more than like one episode a season addressing it? Yeahhhhhhh that doesnt happen here, fans are consistently rewarded for putting the time in to rewatch and really think about what happened in the series. Characters that are seen in the background or are just referenced by other characters will be brought in to be recurring characters, things that start off as a small detail or gag will be given larger relevance and each time they do this you get that “OH I remember that from last season! So thats what it was!” The writers WANT you to rewatch, they WANT you to analyze and they WANT you to theorize, and they give you a show that gives back the time you put in.

5) Parody & Reference 

This series does a great thing with parody. They make real characters  who are just as enjoyable as the characters they parody, they make story lines that both poke fun at the absurdity of the media but shows the writers love for it. So often parody and references are just used to mock the thing but with Venture Bros you feel the love and care so when you know the thing being parodied you can laugh but feel good about laughing cause they are never laughing at a thing maybe you cared for in your youth but rather laughing with it.

And it’s never just one thing. When they parody a thing its often layered with other things to make it even more unique. Scooby-Doo is overlayed with famous criminals, Laura Croft is mixed Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, GI Joe is given the look of the Village People and so on. They never go for the easy joke or reference. Hell theres an episode that starts with them reciting the lyrics to David Bowies Space Oddity for really no reason other than they could. They weave these things in naturally with their setting and characters so nothing feels out of place. Like if you dont catch a reference or parody you dont feel like “I think this isa reference to something?” like a LOT of things do not just adult animated shows. You arent taken out of the moment cause it all feels so natural. 

6) The Characters 

God damn these characters, I could go on for hours about these characters. From main to one off these are some of the most likeable characters you can find. I mean it when I say I can’t think of a single character I wish they had cut cause they are all so well created. Even the ones I hate i have fun hating cause they were made to be that way. I’ll be good though I’ll only talk about my absolute top faves.

- The Monarchs

You ever sit and wish villain couples could have functional  healthy relationships? Well look no further than Malcom Fitzcarraldo aka The Monarch and Dr. Shelia Girlfriend (yes that is her last name). The Monarch is a high strung impulsive saturday morning cartoon villain whos tendency to over react is only matched by his unspecified hatred of Dr. Venture. And Dr. G is his nonsense partner in crime who will cut a bitch if they don’t play by their admittedly weird rules. Both characters are great on their own but are better together. Though that doesnt mean they always get along. Like a real couple they have their ups and downs they fight, break up, make-up and grow stronger in their relationship with each season. 

- Shore Leave

Ok ok so I want you to imagine James Bond, mixed with GI Joe simmering in a cocktail of the most flamboyant gay men you have ever seen and you have one of my favorite gay characters/characters in general. Shore Leave is a member of OSI (the shows SHEILD/GI Joe parody organization) he’s loud, brash, flippant, sassy and highly competent at his job loving every second of getting to beat bad guys down within an inch of their life. I love seeing him play off the stoic Brock and the two have this great brotherly dynamic that’s never called into question. He also gets to have a very cute romance with Al the Alchemist (who is also great). I could talk about this man all day.

- Dr. Rusty Venture

They did such a good job with this man. He’s a self serving, sexist, perverted, whinny, self important asshole and yet you feel pity and genuine sympathy for him and want him to succeed. You can see how Dr. V was given a raw deal by his father who seemed to care more about his adventures than his sons well being and how this molded him into the bitter man he is today, but on the flip side you can see where he chose to use that as a crutch for his worst behaviors and impulses. Seeing him slowly grow and change and be an actual good father to his boys while all the while still be a giant dick is actually really great. 

- Dr. Byron Orpheus 

Ahhhhh Dr. Orpheus part Dr. Strange Parody part busybody stay at home dad, he’s just such a delight. Dr. Orpheus is a divorcee, with an unfulfilling job of maintaining order to the cosmos (which isnt as hard as one might think), and uses his magical ablities in ways most of us would (ie menial tasks and home chores). Overly dramatic and affectionate Dr. O is a delight whenever he appears, but he’s at his best around his daughter and old friends The Order of the Triad. 

Again I can go on but all these characters ranging from main to recurring are crafted with the utmost care for you to want to see them succeed or fail, to see them again even if you know it’ll never happen, and want them to cross paths with other characters. 

The Venture Bros is one of those series that I will ALWAYS recommend even to the pickiest of humor tastes. But if you don’t believe its as good as I said or don’t think the concept is to your tastes I’ll recommend a few eps that I think best show off the base idea of the series without giving much away. In terms of plot and spoilers, though somethings wont make a lot of sense. 

- S1 ep10 "Tag Sale – You're It!" - Dr. V is having a yard sale so of course all manner of costumed weirdos show up.  - S2 ep5 "Twenty Years to Midnight" - basically a fetch quest around the world to save the planet with daddy issues - S3 ep2 "The Doctor Is Sin" - Again daddy issues but with one of the best recurring characters and a great showcase of the series deeper emotional plots - S4 ep6 "Self-Medication" - Really embraces the parody as Rusty goes to a former boy adventurer support group.  Anyway the show is 7 seasons with 80 episodes, please go watch it. I will never forgive @adultswim​ for cancelling what was to be their final season. And in closing GO TEAM VENTURE!

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Lucifer/Satan

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Please allow me to introduce this villain. He’s a man of wealth and taste...

Satan, or Lucifer, or whatever of the hundreds of names across multiple religions, folk tales, urban legends, movies, books, songs, video games, and more that you choose to call him, is without a doubt the biggest bad of them all. He is not just a villain; he is the villain, the bad guy your other bad guys answer to, the lord of Hell. If there’s a bad deed, he’s done it, if there’s a problem, he’s behind it. There’s nothing beneath him, and that’s not just because he’s at the very bottom of Hell. He is the root cause of all the misery in the entire world.

And if we’re talking about Satan, we gotta talk about Lucifer too. They weren’t always supposed to be one and the same, but over centuries of artistic depictions and reimaginings they’ve been conflated into one being, a being that is a lot more layered and interesting than just a simple adversary for the good to overcome when handled properly.

Motivation/Goals: Look, it’s Satan. His main goal is to be as evil as possible, do bad things, cause mischief and mayhem. Rarely does anything good come from Satan being around. If he is one and the same as Lucifer, expect there to be some sort of plot about him rebelling against God, as according to modern interpretations Lucifer fought against God in battle and was then cast out, falling from grace like lightning. When the Lucifer persona is front and center, raging against the heavens tends to be a big part of his schemes, but when the big red devil persona is out and about, expect temptations to sin, birthing the Antichrist, or tempting people to sell their souls.

Performance: Satan has been portrayed by far too many people over the years to even consider keeping count of, though some notable performances of the character or at least characters who are clearly meant to be Satan include the nuanced anti-villain take of the character Viggo Mortensen portrayed in The Prophecy; the sympathetic homosexual man portrayed by Trey Parker in South Park and its film; the hard-rocking badass Dave Grohl portrayed in Tencaious D’s movie; Robin Hughes as a sneaky, double-crossing bastard in “The Howling Man” episode of The Twilight Zone; the big red devil from Legend known as Darkness, played by Tim Curry; the shapeshifting angel named Satan from The Adventures of Mark Train who will make you crap your pants; and while not portrayed by anyone due to being entirely voiceless, Chernabog from Disney’s Fantasia is definitely noteworthy in regards to cinematic depictions of the devil.

Final Thoughts & Score: Satan is a villain whose sheer scope dwarfs almost every other villain in history. It’s not even remotely close, either; Satan pops up in stories all around the world, is the greater-scope villain of most varieties of three major religions, and his very name is shorthand for “really, really evil.” Every other villain I have ever discussed and reviewed wishes they could be a byword for being bad to the bone. Even Dracula, one of the single most important villains in fiction, looks puny in comparison to Satans villainous accomplishments.

Satan in old religious texts tended to be an utterly horrifying force of nature, until Medieval times began portray him as a dopey demon trying to tempt the faithful (and failing). Folklore and media have gone back and forth, portraying both in equal measure – you have the desperate, fiddle-playing devil from “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and the unseen, unfathomable Satan who may or may not exist in the Marvel comics universe who other demons live in fear of the return of. Satan is just a very interesting and malleable antagonist, one who is defined just enough that he can make a massive, formidable force while still being enough of a blank slate that you can project any sort of personality traits onto him to build an intriguing foe.

One of the most famous examples of this in action is the common depiction of Satan as the king of hell. This doesn’t really have much basis in religion; he’s as much a prisoner as anyone else, though considering how impressive a prisoner he is, he’d be like the big guy at the top of the pecking order in any jail for sure. But still, the idea of Satan as the ruler of hell was clearly conceived by someone and proved such an intriguing concept that so many decided to run with it.

I think that’s what truly makes Satan such an interesting villain, in that he’s almost a community-built antagonist. People over the ages have added so much lore, personality, and power to him that is only vaguely alluded to in old religions to the point where they have all become commonplace in depictions of the big guy, and there really isn’t any other villain to have quite this magnitude on culture as a whole. It shouldn’t be any shock that Satan is an 11/10; rating him any lower would be a heinous crime only he is capable of.

But see, the true sign of how amazing he is is the sheer number of ways one can interpret him. You have versions that are just vague embodiments of all that is bad and unholy, such as Chernabog from Fantasia, you have more nuanced portrayals like the one Viggo Mortensen played in The Prophecy, you have outright sympathetic ones like the one from South Park… Satan is just a villain who can be reshaped and reworked as a creator sees fit and molded into something that fits the narrative they want. I guess what I’m trying to say is that not only is Lucifer/Satan one of the greatest villains of all, he’s also one of the single greatest characters of all time.  

Now, there are far too many depictions of Satan for me to have seen them all, but I have seen quite a lot. Here’s how Old Scratch has fared over the millennia in media of various forms, though keep in mind this is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive lsit:

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” Devil: 

I think this is one of my favorite devils in any fiction ever, simply because of what a good sport he is. Like, there is really no denying that Johnny’s stupid little fiddle ditty about chickens or whatever sucks major ass, and yet Satan (who had moments before summoned up demonic hordes to rip out some Doom-esque metal for the contest) gave him the win and the golden fiddle. What a gracious guy! He’s a 9/10 for sure, though I still wish we knew how his rematch ended…

Chernabog: 

Chernabog technically doesn’t do anything evil, and he never says a word, and yet everything about him is framed as inherently sinister. It’s really no wonder Chernabog has become one of the most famous and beloved parts of Fantasia alongside Yen Sid and Sorcerer Mickey; he’s infinitely memorable, and really, how can he not be? He’s the devil in a Disney film, not played for laughs and instead made as nightmarishly terrifying as an ancient demon god should be. Everything about him oozes style, and every movement and gesture begets a personality that goes beyond words. Chernabog doesn’t need to speak to tell you that he is evil incarnate; you just know, on sight, that he is up to no good.

Quite frankly, the implications of Chernabog’s existence in the Disney canon are rather terrifying. Is he the one Maleficent called upon for power? Is he the one all the villains answer to? Do you think Frollo saw him after God smote him? And what exactly did he gain by attacking Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts? All I know for sure is that Chernabog is a 10/10.

Lucifer (The Prophecy): 

Viggo Mortensen has limited screentime, but in that time he manages to be incredibly creepy, misanthropic… and yet, also, on the side of good. Of course, he’s doing it entirely for self-serving reasons (he wants humanity around so he can make them suffer), but credit where credit is due. The man manages to steal a scene from under Christopher Walken, I think that’s worth a 10/10.

Satan (South Park): 

Portraying Satan as a sympathetic gay man was a pretty bold choice, and while he certainly does fall into some stereotypes, he’s not really painted as bad or morally wrong for being gay, and ends up more often than not being a good (if sometimes misguided) guy who just wants to live his life. Plus he gets a pretty sweet villain song, though technically it’s more of an “I want” song than anything. Ah well, a solid 8/10 for him is good.

Satan (Tenacious D):

It’s Dave Grohl as Satan competing in a rock-off against JB and KG. Literally everything about this is perfect, even if he’s only in the one scene. 10/10 for sure.

Robot Devil:

Futurama’s take on the devil is pretty hilarious and hammy, but then Futurama was always pretty on point. He’s a solid 8/10, because much like South Park’s devil he gets a fun little villain song with a guest apearance by the Beastie Boys, not to mention his numerous scams like when he stole Fry’s hands. He’s just a fun, hilarious asshole.

The Howling Man: 

The Twilight Zone has many iconic episodes, and this one is absolutely one of them. While the devil is the big twist, that scene of him transforming as he walks between the pillars is absolutely iconic, and was even used by real-life villain Kevin Spacey in the big reveal of The Usual Suspects. This one is a 9/10 for sure, especially given the ending that implies this will all happen again (as per usual with the show).

The Darkness:

While he’s more devil-adjacent than anything and is more likely to be the son of Satan rather than the actual man himself, it’s hard not to give a shout-out to the big, buff demon played by Tim Curry in some of the most fantastic prosthetics and makeup you will ever see. He gets a 9/10 for the design alone, the facty he’s Tim Curry is icing on the cake.

[100talberts]

(no POV. TW for homophobia. Super long, so TL;DR Pastor Bunch convinces Zinnia that Women Learning Bad.)

“...now, one of those secular, self-serving toilet paper salesmen out there may argue that, without official input from God, it would be improper to assume He doesn’t want men to wipe afterwards, but I believe my argument is stronger. Men, ask yourselves: why would you clean a part of you that doesn’t need to be clean if not so the Devil can use it as a gateway to sinful anal simulation like fingering and homosexual sex?! I rest my case. Before we go, I would like to announce the birth of my 37th grandchild, Sunday Bunch, who is the logical and physically adept 10th child of my son Joshua Bunch and his wife Mrs. Joshua Bunch. Haha, just kidding! Sunday is a girl, so as is God’s natural way she lacks an innate ability to think critically and is inherently weaker to the men around her! Praise the Lord for giving Joshua a gentle, submissive little blessing, and pray that she won’t be the last! Have a wonderful week, everybody. Ladies, you may now speak again!”

Women aren’t allowed to speak during active church sessions at Light of God church, so Zinnia is only too eager for Pastor Bunch to finally shut up. As soon as she can, she stands up and approaches him.

“Pastor Bunch!”

“Hello, Miss Talbert!” Like most people at church, Pastor Bunch had no fucking idea which of Jeb’s daughters he was talking to.

“Pastor Bunch, may I speak with you personally? I need guidance.”

“That’s some bold phrasing coming from a woman! When addressing your superiors, you should be gentler and less aggressive with your speech, so that His natural roles for you and the men around you are honored. You don’t ‘need’ guidance, you ‘would like‘ guidance, or ‘may I have some’ guidance, so that the men you speak to understand that you’re a Godly and submissive woman, making men more inclined to want to help you.”

“You’re right, Pastor. I apologize. I would like to humbly ask for your guidance.”

“See how much nicer speaking femininely is? When you’re soft and subdued, you make yourself like a lamb, and will bring out men’s natural desire to be leaders and, like a shepherd with his flock, men will guide and lead you to where you need to be. Follow me, Miss Talbert, because right now you need to be in my office. We’ll speak and pray more there.”

The office is much more lavish than Zinnia would have thought. She and Pastor Bunch sit on a comfortable couch and, as taught, Zinnia waits for Pastor Bunch to speak first.

“Did you know the Devil was the first to desire for so-called ‘equal rights’ when he tried to become equal with the Almighty himself? It’s a heinous idea that upsets the natural order of His universe, and that wasn’t enough for the Devil, no, he went on to say that mankind should be equal to the Lord! God is mightier than we will ever be, which is His perfect design - you wouldn’t want any of us on Earth to have the power of God, especially in these sinful times! Today, Satan is embraced and nurtured by the feminists demanding women be equal to men, usurping His natural order in a perverse and diabolical manner. Woman was created for man, and any attempts to change this will fail, as you cannot change nature. It would be like purple apples: an abomination unto God, because He designed it a certain way and man meddling with it is raw blasphemy! First we have purple apples, then blue, and then a rainbow of apples to hide homosexual chemicals in! The gay agenda is to infect as many children as possible, and rainbow apples are the perfect ammo, as an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and with no doctors there can be no cure for gayness! It’s the perfect crime, and that’s why we must never eat apples, for they’re genetically modified by the gays to give you perverted desires! Apples were chosen by the gays as their sin fruit because it was the original forbidden fruit, the original sin, and gays love poetry. What’s more poetic than taking the original sin fruit and using it to create sinful fruits?”

Zinnia nodded. “You’re so wise, Pastor Bunch. My question isn’t quite one of equality or homosexuality, it’s one of learning. The Bible says women are to learn quietly and with submission. Does this mean women can learn? Can she seek education as long as she remains silent and obedient?”

Pastor Bunch laughs so hard Zinnia worries he’ll die of hysteria. “My child, don’t be so ridiculous! 2 Timothy 3:6-7 says that lovers of pleasure and self, who are not lovers of God or righteousness, have among them 'those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.’ That is not a good thing. Sin and passion often go together, so anything that you feel passionate about is likely sinful in nature, as God put us here on Earth to suffer, and as emotions are the Devil’s silly putty. God wants us to be as logical as we can be, which is best achieved by an objective analysis. Do you know what that means? Of course you don’t. We’ll look at facts without feeling, which the over-emotional atheists on the left will tell you is abhorrent, but only because it proves that their so-called ‘feelings’ are actually lies from Satan! Modern scientists are lying pawns of the devil, but back when this was God’s country you could trust them, as they believed in and followed the Lord. Back then, it was proven that women have smaller brains than men. Why? It’s a reflection of her having a smaller mind. Women have these small minds - both physically and spiritually - because they only need to know Godly truth and feminine duty, and the Lord doesn’t want us to have space we won’t use! The Lord hates excess, of money and of food and of space, so He wouldn’t have given women larger minds when they won’t be using it. Titus 2:4-5 says that younger women should be taught to be sober, to love and be obedient to their husbands, to love their children, be discreet, chaste, work at home, and that the word of God be not blasphemed. There is nothing about learning maths or science, and that was deliberate, for it is not His will for Godly women to learn. If you want wisdom, marry a wise man and bear him wise sons that can learn where you cannot. I must be going now, Miss Talbert, as I am a busy man with much to do. God be with you.”

“Thank you, Pastor.” It wasn’t what Zinnia wanted to hear, but it completely convinced her to stay at home and be a Godly baby factory. Of course, at 14 it isn’t hard to change her mind.

“Of course. Goodbye, Miss Talbert.”

[bottomlwjrights]

MO DAO ZU SHI REREAD:Thoughts™️....and Stuff

Chapter 43

Oh im trying so hard to stay calm as im about to read this but im so excited i love these chapters

Im really trying but even wwx making the effort to analyze lwj’s face is driving me nuts

Id just like to point out these chapters are titled “Allure”

Oh no this is like what he did when they were writing in the library

“Both his features and the hand at his forehead were impeccably fair in color. He looked as if he was a piece of fine jade”

Wwx was describing how lwj smells and how the sandalwood scent was warmed up by the wine and then said “the scent could almost be described as intoxicating” im gonna scream

“Now that Wei WuXian was near enough, the scent intertwined with his breaths. He couldn’t help but bent down further so that he was even closer to Lan WangJi. Vaguely, he thought to himself, Strange… Why is it starting to feel a bit hot in here?” Ohohoho

“Wei WuXian finally noticed that his heart was beating a bit too fast.” Shut uuuuuup

Okay im gonna lose my mind, i love wen ning

Also he left a man shaped dent in the ground when he fell

“Won’t you be a good boy?” Wwx calling lwj a good boy is canon so suck it i guess

Wwx brushing his fingers along lwj’s eyelashes is tender

Wwx, @ wn knealing in front of him: what the fuck are you doing? Stand up

Wwx obviously believes wn to be an equal to him, kneeling when he kneels, kowtowing when he kowtows until wn finally decides to stand in front of him

Wow anyways loved that ningxian moment

God....i feel so bad for wn...

Jin Ling....please...

This scene hurts me

Goddamn is wn someone who takes the blame for everything

Do NoT kiCk My BoY

Just a note, wwx does come to wn’s defense here, pulling lwj back and telling him to calm down

Wwx really doesnt like it when wn kneels to him

“Lan WangJi scrunched his brows and covered his ears. He then turned around with his back toward Wen Ning. Facing Wei WuXian, he used his own body to block their eye contact.” Lwj acts like such a little kid when he’s drunk oh my gosh

“Just as he was about to leave, Wei WuXian stopped him, ‘Wen Ning, why don’t you… find somewhere to hide first?’ Wen Ning paused for a second. Wei WuXian added, ‘One can say that you’ve died twice already. Go get some good rest.’” I dont care what anyone else says this is sweet “go get some good rest” 🤧

Lwj really took off his forehead ribbon for wwx without skipping a beat wow....

Oh and how wrong wwx is about it not holding any significance, he just doesnt know it yet

Trying to stay calm, trying not to scream about lwj taking off his forehead ribbon for wwx and then tying his wrists together with it

Knfnckc lwj reaching to take off wwx clothes again slnfckfk

“You said that you’ll listen to me, didn’t you? Be a good boy and take it off.” Twice in one chapter? Im being fed 

“Lan WangJi stared into the distance as he tugged at the ends of the forehead ribbon, contently swinging them around.” 🥺🥺🥺🥺 thats so cute

Ooooh lwj decided to show people when wwx said it would look bad on lwj if someone else saw them because he doesnt care if it makes him look bad hes gonna publicly claim wwx as his

Only ljy would hurl himself across a table to cover up a bottle of wine lmao

Lan WangJi is So shameless, holds up wwx’s hands tied with his forehead ribbon in front of his son and the other Lan disciples who know exactly what that means

Chapter 44

Chicken wing chicken wing

God im never gonna get over lsz shoving the chicken wing back into ljy’s mouth

Oh pls....lwj shoving wwx on the bed...

Oh!!! I forgot that after wwx said ow, lwj checked his head... he really didnt wanna hurt him

I really vibe with lwj being so concerned and gentle

“Sitting on the bed, Lan WangJi hugged his knees and clutched the hand that Wei WuXian had just licked to his chest, not moving at all.” I 🥺🥺🥺🥺

My god lwj was scared that he was gonna wipe it off 😭😭😭

Okay this is so so so cute, i dont care what anyone else thinks

“Hiding behind the screen, he showed only half of his fair-skinned face, peeking silently at the direction of Wei WuXian.” This tears me up

“You caught me”

“he enunciated each word with heavy emphasis and sounded anxiously eager” jakfncjfof gOD

Aw :( you’re not gonna lick me??? :(

Anyways lwj likes to be licked my wwx 👀

“Again clutching the hand that had been licked, he faced the wall silently.” Goddamnit this is so fucking cute 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Listen they should play chase or hide-and-seek post canon, like itd be so cute and sweet, somebody should hop on that 

“As he spoke, he held up one of Lan WangJi’s hands, bent down, and kissed between two of his slender fingers.” Listen im trying to not freak out but this is incredibly tender

“Wei WuXian’s lips pressed onto his distinct knuckles. Softer than the touch of feather, his breaths wandered to the back of his hand, and he kissed again.” This entire scene is too much

Hand and wrists kisses are so tender good god im gonna scream

“Over the clothing, he kissed where his heart was” jajfnkc so sweet!

“Suddenly, however, as Wei WuXian stared at those soft, pale-red lips, he didn’t know what had taken over him, but he suddenly went and kissed them.After the kiss, he even licked them, as though a kiss wasn’t enough.” AHHHHHHHH

I know that lwj wanted to deescalate the affection, but did he have to do it by knocking himself out???

“Even though he was drunk, even though he wouldn’t remember anything when he sobers up, I still shouldn’t have done something so outrageous… It’s too disrespectful to him.” This is important

God i love when characters touch their own lips after a kiss it’s such a good trope 

“In the future, it was best to not make Lan Zhan drink anymore” this is also important

Okay this was one of my favorite chapters to read so far

Chapter 45

I physically cannot handle lwj gently picking wwx up off the ground and putting him into bed right now

“... Wei WuXian could see Lan WangJi’s still-indifferent face. He immediately felt more awake...” i cannot

This entire scene is too tender for me, lwj rubbing ointments on wwx’s wrists...

Thinking about how wwx and lwj shared both their firsts kiss and how they’ve never kissed anybody except eachother

It makes sense that people including wwx would assume that lwj is straight bc thats what people do even in modern times (bc homophobia and heteronormativity) but also how tf does anyone think lwj is anything except gay

“It’s possible that he’s never even had such thoughts before…” “But judging from Lan Zhan’s habit of self-restraint, he’s probably really careful about not crossing any lines.” false.

Lwj just letting the juniors socialize, because hes good

Wwx once again taking any chance he can to bestow knowledge and wisdom upon the juniors, this time jl

“After the mention of Lan WangJi, Jin Ling looked to Wei WuXian in a strange way. He wanted to say something, but held it back, ‘You and HanGuang-Jun… Nevermind.It’s your own business. Anyways, I don’t care about you guys at all. Have fun being cut-sleeve. The disease is incurable.’”JIN LING 

“I already know the meaning behind the GusuLan Sect’s forehead ribbon. Now that it’s already like this, then stay by HanGuang-Jun’s side properly. Even if you’re a cut-sleeve, you should be a modest one. Don’t go about messing with other men, especially people from our sect! Or else, don’t blame the results on me.” Kandkckdkdn i can NOT

The scene kills me wow

As my reading buddy asked, why does wwx not mention wn when talking about how jc and lwj know who he is? Like does he not think thats pretty significant? especially bc thats one of the things that tipped jc off

LWJ IS SO SASSY 😨

Also pls stop picking on him about his memory

Ahhh the damsel of annual blossoms...

God i love wwx.....

Did lwj write the book that lsz read this from......

“Although still expressionless, an unusual glint hid beneath his eyes. He looked as though he was laughing at him.”

GOD “Wei WuXian’s heart skipped a beat and then thumped faster and faster.”

Lsz is the one to tell wwx about the meaning of the forehead ribbon

The lan juniors blushing thinking about what wwx means to lwj

Once again, wwx describing lwjs appearance in depth, talking about how dashing he is

“Along with that overly-pretty face of Lan WangJi’s, now that they met again, Wei WuXian’s eyes had momentarily been blinded by his looks, failing to immediately recognize him.”

“Softer than even the touch of catkin blossoms carried by the wind, the object made Wei WuXian’s cheek itch....The ends of his forehead ribbon danced in the breeze, gently brushing against Wei WuXian’s face.” Wow....i love this imagery with all my heart

The way that somethings are worded in this novel is just so beautiful

Lxc and the others lan sect disciples reactions....

Yanno the lan disciple who whispered “a man” definitely wasnt making things better, considering lwj definitely had a crush on wwx at this point

“He seems a bit too excited. It seems like he really loves HanGuang-Jun a lot. Look at how happy he is…” WHICH LAN SAID THIS

Wwx is so mortified by this entire situation because he kept violating something sacred to lwj, doing something so intimate like touching his forehead ribbon without his consent and he didn’t even really know that he was doing it 

[robobrainmurdermysterytheatre]

OC Interview!

I got tagged by the lovely @andremarshallwhite in this, thank you! I think someone else might have tagged me a long time ago? I couldn’t find who it was, but big thank you if someone else did!

1. Choose an OC.

2. Answer them as that OC.

3. Tag 5 people to do the same. I’m tagging: @marvilus73 @thesuplexrangerexperience @red-king-4 @commonwealthhero @myworldisbiworld @humans-are-friends-not-food @nya-for-you I know that’s more than five but I can’t count and also hate rules. I think some y’all done this already, though!

I’m cutting this because it’s hella long, so the rest is under the cut 👇

1. What is your name? "General Jack Daniel O'Kelley of the Commonwealth Minutemen, how about you?"

2. Do you know why are you named that? "Yes."

3. Are you single or taken? "Taken, but... if you're asking because you're interested... my relationship is a little bit more... open than people usually mean when they say 'taken'."

4. Have any abilities or powers? "I'm very talented at creating. Equally if not more talented at destruction. Radiation heals me after I had this thing happen on an island with the Children of Atom.. long story, it was a phase. I also know a neat trick with my tongue..."

5. Stop being a Mary Sue. "I would love to but no."

6. What’s your eye color? "They were blue, but now they're... it would be easier to just show you."

7. How about your hair color? "Blonde, blondes have more fun!"

8. Have any family members? "The only blood family I have left alive is my son... but, it's complicated. And something I'd rather not discuss... blood doesn't make family, though - I know that fact with certainty. I consider the people I love and trust and work with every day, the people who we have each other's backs, my family."

9. Oh? How about pets? "Just Dogmeat... oh! And a robot butler. That's the same thing, right?"

10. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like? "Greed, injustice, hatred, you know, that kind of stuff you would think people would dislike... I've been told that's not very common anymore. Or maybe it never actually was. And Gunners. I will wipe every single one of those sons of bitches off the face of this god forsaken earth even if it kills me. Yum Yum Deviled Eggs are also fucking gross."

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do? “I like to do robots. I mean, I build and mod robots. Give old assaultrons flamethrowers and refurbish old sentrybots so they have gatling laser hands. Paint them fun colors. Put skulls on 'em. Make friends with them. That kind of thing."

12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before? "Only if necessary or if they earned it. Out here that seems to be a lot of people. And before The War... I served four years in Anchorage, I didn't get to decide what was necessary or... right... so then, too, as a soldier, yes."

13. Ever… killed anyone before? "Same answer as before."

14. What kind of animal are you? “Have you ever heard the term ‘crazy like a fox’?”

15. Name your worst habits? “Jet, mentats, psycho, med-x and whiskey”

16. Do you look up to anyone at all? "My mom and dad. They were good people. They had really good hearts. They adopted me when I was ten. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Then they stood by me through... everything. Unconditionally. I still have a hard time believing people like that really existed."

17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual? "Very bisexual"

18. Do you go to school? "I did when I was a kid"

19. Ever want to marry and have kids one day? "I had that life once... I would do it again in a heartbeat."

20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys? "Not that I'm aware of."

21. What are you most afraid of? "Failing to protect my family again."

22. What do you usually wear? "Whatever's seasonable, reasonable and fashionable. Though fashionable is probably subjective..."

23. What’s one food that tempts you? “Fancy Lads Snack Cakes – I’m supposed to be saving them all for my husband because he really likes them. A lot. I lack the words to convey what happens when you put a box of those things down in front of this man. But they’re so good and sometimes I break down and sneak some. He always knows when I do. Can you imagine having your shit together enough to know exactly how many snack cakes you have? If you can’t, ask him, because evidently he does. I love that man.”

24. Am I annoying to you? "Not particularly"

25. Well, it’s still not over! "Well, OK then!"

26. What class are you (low/middle/high)? "I don't know if there's necessarily a class system out here anymore... but before The War my wife and I were probably closer to the upper end of middle class. My parents were definitely middle-middle class. Before that... I don't know what class you would call a kid without parents scraping by in an orphanage."

27. How many friends do you have? "You want a number? I have no idea. I'm friendly with a lot of people."

28. What are your thoughts on pie? "I once got a perfectly preserved pie out of one of those snack gizmos you see around here and there. Every single one I tried was broken - my pal Mac kept telling me to just smash one open if I wanted that pie so bad, but I wanted to get one fair and square. And god dammit, I finally did. I still haven't eaten it, I put it on my mantle like a trophy."

29. Favorite drink? “Whiskey and Nuka-Cola 50/50 mix”

30. What’s your favorite place? "There's an old overpass up by Greygarden. Once you get on top of it you can see the whole Commonwealth. It's amazing."

31. Are you interested in anyone? "There is this one guy I'm kind of married to..."

32. That was a stupid question… *shrug*

33. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean? “I would rather just cover myself in butter and throw up a sign that says ‘Mirelurks Eat Free!’ if those are my options...”

34. What’s your type? “Alive... no, I'm kidding. I mean, that is a prerequisite, oh, unless you’re a robot... are robots technically alive? Anyway.. I don't know. I like a lot of different types of people. Genuine people. People who are smart in their own way, whatever way that is. Being a little bit badass doesn't hurt either."

35. Any fetishes? "We don't have time to answer that question, to be fair."

36. Camping or outdoors? "I like being outdoors... I don't like being cold or eaten by surprise Deathclaws, so camping is the less attractive option."

[maddie-grove]

Bi-Monthly Reading Round-Up: May/June

PLAYLIST

“How Do You Do” by Mouth and MacNeal (Once Ghosted, Twice Shy)

“Up the Wolves” by the Mountain Goats (Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey)

“The Daughters” by Little Big Town (Lady Rogue)

“9 to 5″ by Dolly Parton (Lady Notorious)

“Let the Little Girl Dance” by Billy Bland (What a Wallflower Wants)

“Poison Arrow” by ABC (Give Me Your Hand)

“Marie-Jeanne” by Joe Dassin (Never Mind)

“Mississippi” by the Dixie Chicks (An Unconditional Freedom)

“Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind (Bad News)

“Honky Cat” by Elton John (Simple Jess)

“A Weekend in the Country” from A Little Night Music (Some Hope)

“Picture Book” by the Kinks (Mother’s Milk)

“A Place in the Sun” by Stevie Wonder (At Last)

“She’s in Love with the Boy” by Trisha Yearwood (A Dance with Danger)

“Little Hollywood Girl” by the Everly Brothers (Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood)

BEST OF THE BI-MONTH

An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole (2019): Daniel Cumberland, a free black man from New England, had his faith in justice and certainty in the world shattered when he was abducted and sold into slavery. Now rescued, he does what he can as a spy for the pro-Union Loyal League, but he has a lot of rage and trauma that nobody knows what to do with, least of all himself. Then a new spy joins the organization: Janeta Sanchez, a mixed-race Cuban-Floridian lady pulled in too many directions by her white Confederate family and now in desperate straits. Once again, Alyssa Cole has produced a book that’s not only a compelling romance but a fascinating historical novel. Daniel and Janeta are both complex, involving characters with a great dynamic, plus Cole provides a great perspective on less-discussed aspects of the Civil War. 

WORST OF THE BI-MONTH

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole (2019): Likotsi Adele, personal assistant to the prince of Thesolo, came to New York City a year ago for work and had what was supposed to be a casual affair with Fabiola, a gorgeous fledgling fashion designer. Just when her feelings were getting involved, though, Fabiola cut things off with no explanation. Now back in NYC on vacation, Likotsi runs into Fabiola, who proposes that they go on a date for old time’s sake. Although it’s technically the worst of the month, this novella is by no means bad; on the contrary, it’s very cute and sweet, with a pretty sexy love scene near the end. It just suffers from common romance novella pitfalls, mainly a dearth of conflict and some pacing problems.

REST OF THE BI-MONTH

Never Mind (1992), Bad News (1992), Some Hope (1994), Mother’s Milk (2005), and At Last (2011) by Edward St. Aubyn: Across five novellas, Patrick Melrose, son of an aristocratic non-practicing doctor and a charity-minded heiress, struggles with the legacy of his father’s sadistic abuse and his mother’s elaborately cultivated helplessness to intervene. The series follows him from early childhood (Never Mind) to drug-addled early adulthood (Bad News, Some Hope) to slightly more functional middle age (Mother’s Milk, At Last). I’ve never read such enjoyable fiction about the boredom and exhaustion of dealing with trauma and addiction, but St. Aubyn manages it with sharp characterization, whistling-in-the-dark humor, and a great sense of setting. I didn’t like all the novellas equally--Bad News has too many scenes about doing large amounts of heroin for my personal taste, and Some Hope sometimes loses track of its many characters--but, taken together, they’re magnificent.

Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood by Karina Longworth (2018): Using the life and career of billionaire/producer/aviator/womanizer Howard Hughes, Longworth (the podcast host of You Must Remember This) looks at Hollywood from the silent era to the waning days of the studio system. I love You Must Remember This, and this book exhibits all the strengths of the podcasts: the compelling style, the evenhanded consideration of evidence from multiple sources, and the use of film analysis to examine what was happening in the culture at the time. Longworth’s portrait of Hughes is also refreshingly non-sensational; he comes across as a juvenile reactionary with a little vision, too much money, and some pitiable mental health problems, rather than a genius or a boogeyman. 

Simple Jess by Pamela Morsi (1996): Althea Winsloe, an Ozark widow in the early twentieth century, is determined to remain unmarried and look after her three-year-old son by herself, despite the disapproval of her close-knit community. Still needing help on her farm, she hires Jesse Best, regarded as “simple” because of a cognitive disability stemming from a childhood brain injury. As they work together, Althea realizes that Jesse has depths that few people bother to see. I was a little concerned when I began this romance; the hero has serious, life-altering issues with mental processing, which I thought might create a troubling power dynamic between him and the heroine. Instead, Morsi contributes something really valuable by showing how society ignores the autonomy and complexity of people with disabilities. She also does a great job of showing how a close-knit community can be both claustrophobic and supportive. Finally, I enjoyed the journey of a gay side character (the song’s for him!).

Lady Notorious by Theresa Romain (2019): When George, Lord Northbrook, discovers that his father is part of a tontine whose members have started dying at an alarmingly fast rate, he enlists the help of Cassandra Benton, an unofficial Bow Street Runner, to investigate the possible murders while pretending to be his scandalous cousin. Already friends, they grow attracted to each other during this charade, but they come from different worlds and each have a complicated family thing going on. This is a thoroughly likable romance with a fun plot; I especially enjoyed how George’s efforts to care for his emotionally distant parents mirrored Cassandra’s struggles to let go of her codependent relationship with her twin brother.

Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix (1996): Fifteen-year-old Tish Bonner doesn’t have much time for school; with an absent father, a troubled mother, and an eight-year-old brother she feels responsible for, she’s too busy trying to hold things together at home. When her father makes an unwelcome return, though, she finds an outlet in the journal assigned by a nice young English teacher who promises not to read entries marked DO NOT READ. I first read this YA novel in middle school, and it struck me as particularly unvarnished, both then and as an adult. Teens in horrible situations are common in the genre, but Tish’s matter-of-fact presentation the day-to-day of dealing with sexual harassment at work and total parental abandonment at home really brings out the utter bleakness. I love Tish, whose ultimate acceptance of her inability to handle everything alone is as brave as her desperate efforts to keep everything together.

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott (2018): Kit Owens, a talented chemist from humble beginnings, is shocked when former classmate Diane Fleming comes to work in her lab. Although Diane was the one who inspired her to reach beyond community college, she also burdened Kit with a horrible secret...and now they’re in competition to work on a prestigious new grant. I love Megan Abbott as a writer; she has a very sensory-based way of describing things that makes everything palpable. While I didn’t love this book as much as The Fever, it has a delightfully twisted plot and female characters who are “bad” in a realistic (or, at least, a humanely portrayed) way. I did probably like Diane more than I was supposed to; like Lady Audley before her, she should maybe go to jail but she’s still awesome.

A Dance with Danger by Jeannie Lin (2015): In Tang Dynasty China, Jin-mei, daughter of a magistrate, finds herself in a compromising position with Yang, her father’s old associate and sworn enemy of a local warlord. Their mutual attraction makes the ensuing wedding a more pleasant fate than either expected, but Yang disappears mysteriously before the marriage can be consummated. Heartbroken and very suspicious, Jin-mei refuses to give him up for dead. This is a fun adventure-romance with a wonderfully spooky atmosphere, although the ending is a little rushed.

Lady Rogue by Theresa Romain (2018): After her sub-par art-dealer husband apparently committed suicide, Lady Isabel Morrow grew close to and had a fling with Officer Callum Jenks, a Bow Street Runner. Now she’s discovered that her husband sold his customers forged works, and she needs to (awkwardly) enlist Callum’s help in replacing them with the real ones. This is a solid Regency romance, mostly thanks to the fun burglary plot. Isabel and Callum’s relationship, while perfectly pleasant, is rather static; they obviously like and respect each other, but just need a little time to reconcile themselves to the not-onerous-to-them social costs of a cross-class marriage. There’s also a real bummer of a development involving a minor character at the end. I’m not averse to bummers, but it felt out of place here.

What a Wallflower Wants by Maya Rodale (2014): Stranded at a strange inn after a failed elopement attempt, secretly traumatized spinster Penelope Payton finds a friend in the striking Lord Castleton...but is he who he says he is? Absolutely not, but he’s pretty cool regardless. This is a sweet, heartfelt Regency romance with endearing leads and great messages, but it’s pretty sloppily written, and that detracted from my enjoyment somewhat.

[c-stress]

My Ultimate Taekook Fic Recommendations!!

This will be my ongoing list of Taekook fics that I really loved  reading and want to share with you guys ♥

A few things beforehand:

All of the following fics will be completed.

I don’t take any credit or responsibilty for any of the following fics.

In this household we support Bottom!Kook.

Please enjoy~~

He Tells Me, “Stay If You Can” by vestals

It takes Jungkook three years to realise two things: 1. He certainly is not straight 2. He is very much in love with Kim Taehyung

#friends to lovers #canon/non au #coming of age #bottom kook #experimenting #8k #ao3

pulling shapes just for your eyes by aeterisks

The number one rule when you're a producer on a show like Miss Right, Taehyung thinks, should be do not fall for the bachelor.

It's such a shame Taehyung has never been good at following rules.

#reality show #producer tae #bachelor kook #secret relationship #switch tae and kook #hot #110k #ao3

The Blood Donor by IncubusRose

A series of kidnappings and killings has led the world to the astonishing discovery that vampires have been living alongside humans for centuries. And it seems they're just as bloodthirsty and twisted as ancient lore makes them out to be.

So when Jungkook finds himself the victim of a kidnapping that's perhaps not as nefarious as he initially thought, why is nothing the way that he thought it would be?

Now he's been roped into helping a sick, red-haired vampire against his will. But the more he explores and discovers in this new world, the faster and harder he falls into Wonderland.

#vampire tae #human kook #kidnapping #no stockholm syndrome though #bottom kook #fluff #violence #ot7 #hate to love #97k #ao3

you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be by aeterisks

He has seen Taehyung smirk, smile seductively, smile cheekily, grin lazily, but nothing like this. This, Jeongguk thinks, is what happiness must look in Taehyung.

(He tries to ignore the way his chest pumps when he sees it, and the urge to see it again once it’s gone.)

#club owner tae #dj kook #rich tae #fwb #fuckbuddies to lovers #misunderstandings #tae has issues #bottom tae #27k #ao3

Suit & Tie by Wontonz

Taehyung and Jeongguk really shouldn't have been partnered together.

#CEO jungkook #CEO taehyung #bottom kook #both are the best in their job #rivals to lovers #25k #ao3

Eclipse by Bangtanbananas

After the tragic death of his parents, Jeon Jeongguk hated werewolves.

The last thing he ever expected was to fall in love with one.

#werewolf tae #werewolf hunter jk #slow burn #bottom kook #fluff #mating #big fight in the end #ot7 #91k #ao3

As You Are by taekover

Jeon Jungkook, the youngest private investigator in Seoul at 23 years old, with over a hundred solved cases under his belt, does not do favours.

Well. That's what he says.

#fluff #funny #private investigator #5k #ao3

War of Hormones by C_Stress

When Jungkook left the house that day, he just wanted to dance for a bit, not getting it on with some (hot) stranger...

#basically pwp #tattooed tae #virgin jk #bottom kook #one night stand? #3k #ao3

Sugar...daddy? By whatspoppin-yoongi.tumblr

Jokingly but also totally not jokingly putting an ad out to find a sugar daddy seemed simple enough. He never expected people to respond though…

Being rich was all he knew, and so help him god, he wasn’t going to turn out like all the selfish people that surrounded him.

#social media #pictures #texting# sugar daddy jungkook #side yoomin #tumblr

Bubblegum Bitch by snowmoney

Jungkook is but a simple delivery boy; the last thing he needs is a high maintenance fake boyfriend.

#fake relationship #tae in heels #model tae #falling in love #misunderstandings #bottom tae #dislike to love #33k #ao3

Snowflakes by IRINEL

Taehyung falls in love for the first time, right when the first Snowflake kisses the ground. As, a Single father, Drown in responsibilities & pressure, he finds his strength in a pair of Doe eyes, exactly a week before Christmas Eve. In a pair of Doe eyes, belonging to a simple country boy - named Jungkook.

Visiting Jimin's grandmother didn't seem like a good idea from where Taehyung was standing. Especially after her daughter's_Taehyung's wife's sudden disappearance, leaving the young man with a Five years Old Son, a bunch of responsibilities, his parents' '"I told you" looks and of course a letter reading "I can't do this anymore". But if he knew what was waiting for him from the start he would never, ever waste a single second to head to the small Village.

#aged up tae #aged down jk #age difference #jimin is taes kid #he's the cutest #bottom kook #orphan kookie #christmas #fluff #angsty #happy ending #slow burn #27k #ao3

whatta man (good man) by aeterisks

Out of all the kinds of blogs Jeon Jeongguk could have run, never in a million years Taehyung would have expected him to have a porn blog.

(Or, Jeongguk runs a porn blog and Taehyung not so accidentally finds it.)

#college #social media #fluff and smut #crack fic #friend to lovers #bottom kook #7k #ao3

Working Conviction by rix

How their trust evolves to go from from Jungkook pointing a loaded gun in Taehyung's face to Taehyung binding Jungkook down and fucking him till he can't see straight.

#mercenary kook #mercenary tae # enemies to fuckbuddies to lovers #smut #guns and violence #bottom kook #9k #ao3

Read All About It by jvante

A star football player and an aspiring journalist fall in love, and make headlines everywhere.

#college au #life through the years #football star tae #writer jungkookie #established relationship #bit angst in between #happy end #bottom kook #realistic description of a relationship #40k #ao3

Cage Match by golden(SlimeQueen)

Taehyung knows he likes the rush of adrenaline that comes from fighting. He likes his knuckles split and stinging, heart pounding in his ribcage, the rush of blood in his ears. Jungkook is new to it all but all he knows is that he likes Taehyung.

#fight club au #hate to love #bottom kook #pining jk #choking #kinky smut #violence #20k #ao3

Just Two Dudes Being Bros by micmicbunjin

"So you two aren't dating?"

"Nah, man, we're just best bros. I mean like, if I was gay, and that's a very big if, then I would be on my knees right now sucking his dick. But I am very straight, so Jeon's dick is nowhere near my mouth."

Jeongguk nods convicingly. "I like pussy."

Namjoon puts his face in his hands and screams.

#gay panic #bros to lovers #denial #college #bottom kook #excessive use of the word bro #7k #ao3

New (Newer) Rules by jvante

Step #1: Don't get involved with the guy your girlfriend cheats with.

Failed step 1.

#bottom sub kook #sub/dom #kinda pwp #humiliation #lingerie #cock stepping #hate to fuckbuddies to lovers #hurt jungkook #108k #ao3

A crow will not pull out the eye of another crow by taetaeggukie

"If you killed me you'd let go of the only chance you've ever had to find your soulmate." That smirk was annoying Jeongguk to no end, he was close to pulling the trigger, but the man deserved something worse than a bullet to his head.

"By now you're only spitting out lies in hopes to be able to save yourself." Jeongguk was the one smirking now. "You know nothing."

"You'd let Kim Taehyung just slip through your fingers like that?"

- in a world where your soulmate's name is written on your wrist, Jeon Jeongguk blindly trusts a pirate captain V in order to find his soulmate and doesn't realize he might fall in love sooner than expected

#soulmates #pirates #bit angst #kidnapping #enemies to lovers #bottom kook #pirate tae #crew bangtan #13k #ao3

whisper me all your secrets by noekkin

Series of prostitute jk and rich man tae who just likes caring for the younger

#cute af #prostitute kook #bottom kook #caring tae #26k #ao3

Sugar and Spice by kkozumes

Jeongguk can't deny that he's attracted to Taehyung. No, he realised he was attracted to him as soon as his car pulled up by the side of the road. Jeongguk appreciated a handsome face and Kim Taehyung was beautiful to him. What he didn't expect however was for the beautiful man with the expensive car to take him back to an equally as expensive apartment away from home, give him new clothes, allow him to stay and then ask if Jeongguk wanted a sugar daddy.

#sugar daddy taehyung #daddy kink #fluff and smut #poor jk #sub kook #bottom kook #23k #ao3

Spy on Me by C_Stress

Jungkooks dad gets killed by a mercenary and he swears to get revenge. What he didn't plan though, was falling in love with said murderer.

Or

When you find out you not only moved in, but fell also in love with your mortal enemy.

#mercenary tae #hitmen au #fluff and smut #flatmates #bottom kook #cute kookie #violence #friends to enemies to lovers #17k #ao3

My Daughters Teacher by Staerrykookah

Jungkook is the single father of a 5 year old named Asami. Taehyung is her kindergarten teacher who thinks the little girl is cute but her dad is cuter.

#kindergarten teacher tae #father jungkook #top kook #falling in love #aged up #5 year old daughter #cute #wattpad

So, pancakes? By Captainotp

„He thought I was a top.“ Jungkook all but whined, hiding his head in Taehyung's chest. „Well what else is new?“

Jungkook struggles to, like, get it, because everyone thinks he's a top, and his roomate Taehyung is more than willing to help. That's it that's the story.

#friends to lovers #bottom kook #roommates # fluff and smut #soft kook #4k #ao3

you the one that I dream about all day by locks

Taehyung finally convinces Jeongguk to do the boyfriend tag/boyfriend does my make up tag.

#soft boyfriends #established relationship #youtuber tae #boyfriend does my make up #domestic fluff #shy kook #nicknames #5k #ao3

The Give and the Take by JKDoYouLoveMe

submission | səbˈmɪʃ(ə)n | noun [mass noun] 1. the action of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person. ~ domination | dɒmɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n | noun [mass noun] 1. the exercise of power or influence over someone or something, or the state of being so controlled. ~ Young and inexperienced college student Jeongguk thinks he is a dom. His older and considerably more experienced roommate Taehyung is quite determined to show him that he is, in fact, not a dom. Drama ensues.

#sub kook #dom tae #college #roommates #friends to lovers #more like friends to fuckbuddies to lovers #degradation #humiliation #jk is a brat #subspace #tried rape at one point from another character #57k #ao3

Sing me to sleep (I can't fall without you) by HesterAntoniaDracolas

They call him demon child and think him a monster. He must be, they say, to have survived down there.

Jungkook thinks it’s because the demon actually likes him.

And maybe if you asked him, just maybe, he would admit that he likes him too

#demon tae? #jk is afraid of tae first #falling in love #sweet #8k #ao3

tenacious d in the dick of destiny by jhopeg

In the midst of struggling with debts and empty plastic packets of instant ramyeon, Taehyung and Jeongguk joined forces to put the phrase "sex sells" to good use.

#social media #use of pictures #college au #bottom tae #pornblogger #41k #ao3

tats'n'thots by Deaths_Impala

“Jeon Jeongguk, hear me out.” Taehyung says with a grin. “I feel inspired, and I want to work with you, so how about this: let me tattoo you in any way I want, free of charge – with your input of course.”

#tattoo artist tae #tattooed jungkook #aged up #life through years #smut #bottom kook #cute af #12k #ao3

say you'll stay by ChocolateKookie

Jungkook and Taehyung meet at the beach and they spend the summer holidays falling for each other, but they both know that their romance has an expiry date.

At the end of August, Jungkook is supposed to have gone back home, halfway across the country, so Taehyung expects to go back to school and continue pretending to be straight, as if nothing's changed; playing up to his role as the jerk who's never had a serious relationship. He doesn't know what to do when Jungkook turns up at his school and expects them to pick up from where they left off.

or: the BTS Grease AU that no one asked for! in which Jungkook is Sandy and Taehyung is Danny and they just want to be able to be together but Taehyung is still in the closet which makes things complicated.

#grease au #sandy jk #danny tae #secret relationship #bit homophobia #tae's deep in the closet #cute cute cute #300k #ao3

my guy pretty like a girl (and he got fight stories to tell) by hunnydews

He's dressed in another black sleeveless tank top with deep cuts on the sides, showing off his canvas of a body and all the intricate tattoos he has to offer. His pants are black and fitted as well. He forwent the bandana tonight instead his shaggy brown hair is falling into his eyes. They look like opposites of each other, yet complimentary somehow. Jeongguk likes it.

--

Alternatively, Jeongguk wears lots of pastels and pink and loves to draw. Taehyung is practically inked from head toe and is in a band. Taehyung broadens Jeongguk's musical horizons and shows him what love is supposed to feel like.

#bamf jk #crossdressing kook #tattooed tae #tae's in a band #past abusive relationship #fluff and smut #healthy relationship #artist jk #falling in love #69k #ao3

Mileage May Vary by rix

Jeongguk is a stripper with a penchant for trouble. Taehyung is curious.

#stripper kook #age difference #bottom kook #smut #falling in love #80k #ao3

Camerman, Swing The Focus by augustdarling

“I thought you were into landscapes recently. Why does it have to be me? More importantly, why does it have to be me naked?”

“Because artists want to capture beautiful things, baby,” Taehyung murmured, leaning down to nibble on his ear. “And you’re the most beautiful thing I know.”

Or:

Taehyung combines his two hobbies: photography and Jungkook. The results are even better than expected.

#basically pwp #bottom kook #dom tae #canon #exhibitionism #humiliation #2k #ao3

You Are My Chosen One by C_Stress

Jungkook starts his first year at Hogwarts..what could possibly go wrong?

#hogwarts au #slytherin jk #gryffindor tae #bottom kook #fluff and smut #secrets #falling in love #45k #a03

Of cigarette smoke and alcohol by fluffy-lychee

Taehyung likes to dye his hair.

Jungkook struggles with the opinion of Taehyungs mother about their relationship.

#no real fluff #nor real smut #but always close enough #2k #aff

pick me up, buttercup by vppa

AU where your soulmate's first words to you will be tattooed on your wrist when you meet.

Which freakin sucks, because Jungkook's forearm will now forever read "Hey baby, if you were a booger, I'd pick you first."

What the fuck, universe.

#fluff #soulmates #crack au #9k #ao3

dark blue (this night's a perfect shade of) by memetaehyung (21cg)

jungkook has never seen the world and taehyung is determined to show him it

#blind jk #fluff #bit smut #bit angst #bottom kook #8k #ao3

Mischief Managed by Vanteblack

Basically a Hate to Love Uni AU but at Hogwarts because I'm a slut for Harry Potter lmao. Also you start at Hogwarts at age 15 instead of 11 so everyone in the story is over age.

#hogwarts au #secret relationship #hate to love #slytherin kook #hufflepuff tae #rated #fluff and smut #20k #ao3

Don't Let Your Love Go To Waste by krscnl

Taehyung and Jungkook meet on Omegle.

#college au #actor tae #writer kook #life through the years #at one point established taekook #41k #ao3

fellas is it gay to want ur hot roommate to dick u down? By hunnydews

Jeongguk tunes them out as they argue, it’s normal and happens often. Instead, he takes out his phone and decides to google "how do you know if your friend is gay for you?"

~~

Jeongguk comes to the realization that he's def not as straight as he thought and he starts to explore that realization with himself and with his hot dormmate/best bro, Taehyung.

The stupid college au no one asked for but i wanted so here we are almost 20k later :)

#college #coming out #excessive use of the word bro #friends to lovers #bottom kook #cuties #19k #ao3

got a kiss (with your name on it) by marienadine

“I just—I just thought, like. Maybe I wouldn’t be so horrible if someone more experienced than me taught me what to do.”

#inexperienced kookie #college #roommates #bros #friends to lovers #first kiss #practicing #bottom kook #11k #ao3

I forget to breathe (when i'm with you) by locks

"Do we have a deal, angel," Taehyung repeats, and Jeongguk can hear that he's losing his patience, hands resting on his hips.

Jeongguk lifts his head, snapping the lid closed. "Pleasure doing business with you, daddy," he nods, sending a grin up to Taehyung who just narrows his eyes at him.

"You're lucky I like you," Taehyung mutters, sounding mildly threatening as he steps over to him and tilts Jeongguk's chin up, leaning down to press a kiss against his lips.

Lucky doesn't even come close.

Or, Jeongguk's trying to figure out how he ended up with a sugar daddy when all he wanted was a couple packets of instant noodles.

#non sexual daddy kink #sugar daddy tae #tattooed kook #aged-up #tae in heels #soft nicknames #praise kink #fluff and smut #bottom tae #sub top jungkook #fashionista tae #realistic description of a relationship #111k #ao3

Suspenders, Daddy Issues & Miracles of Halloween by chimscharli

It's nearly Halloween when Jungkook can't stop stealing glances at Taehyung during practice, and wonders when exactly everything went so wrong. It's nearly Halloween when Jungkook is in a coma, and doesn't want to see Taehyung when he wakes. It's nearly Halloween when Taehyung walks in on Jungkook moaning his name.

It's nearly Halloween, and maybe it's time Jungkook stopped being so afraid. Maybe it's time a miracle happened.

#real daddy issues #and daddy kink #smut #sub jungkook #lots of kissing #happy ending #hate to love #violence #angst #both are football players #17k #ao3

(They Long to Be) Close to You by vantoa

Kim Taehyung is a sassy and talented KBS World Sports reporter. Jeon Jeongguk the most outstanding speed skater in South Korea. They meet, hate each other and then, one eventful day, they like each other, a lot.

#speed skater jungkook #reproter/journalist taehyung #enemies to lovers #bottom tae #misunderstandings #11k #ao3

国王的小丑 by saranghaengbok

When Taehyung had announced that he would steal Yoonji from him, Jungkook had not expected that he would be the one falling for Taehyung, in the end.

#heir jungkook #prince jk #prince tae #enemies to lovers #falling in love #bottom kook #12k #ao3

Rumor Has It by buttstrife

Contrary to popular belief and multiple eyewitnesses, Taehyung did not make out with Jungkook in the pool. And no, they absolutely did not fuck in the shower rooms. Seriously.

#college #baseball player kook #swimmer tae #sut #enemies to friends to lovers #exhibitionism #manhandling #8k #ao3

make this feel like home by aeterisks

Taehyung has spent his whole life looking for excitement, but instead, he ends up finding Jeongguk; somehow, that seems to be even better.

#motorcyclist jk #fluff and smut #bottom tae #44k #ao3

Love Scarred by gjungkook

“You are unbelievable,” scoffed Jeongguk while shaking his head. “I’ve never met anyone who pisses me off as much as you do.”

Taehyung had licked his lips before he smirked, with his hand still around Jeongguk’s wrist, he stepped forward closing the distance between them. “Let me tell you why, it’s simple really...”

“You feel threatened. You know I’m better than you.”

(Jeongguk wants to win against Taehyung at everything. Win their matches in quidditch, win their spontaneous sparring sessions, win his heart— But one day, Jeongguk takes it a little too far with a single curse.)

#enemies to lovers #hogwarts au #angsty #gryffindor jk #slytherin tae #secret fuckbuddies relationship #bottom kook #denial #26k #ao3

Comeback Kids by rix

Taehyung is infuriating and Jungkook's always been easy to rile up. Which isn't the best combination, but also isn't the worst, either.

(or: Taekook as hockey fuckboy rivals)

#icehockey players kook and tae #rivals #enemies to lovers #bottom kook #fluff and smut #34k  ao3

[rosesisupposes]

Destined, part 19

aka Loganberry?

Character Tags: Virgil/Anixety ; Patton/Creativity ; Patton/Morality ; Logan/Logic ; Remy/Sleep ; Dante/Deceit

Chapter Pairings: Platonic Moxiety, Logicality, Prinxiety

Chapter Warnings: Virgil Swears A Lot, Remy Is A Flirt, Allusion to kidnapping

Reader Tags: @residentanchor @royally-anxious @bewarethegrammarpolice   @fellowthomassandersfander @jemthebookworm @arandompasserby  @sparkly-rainbow-salt

Summary: After centuries of acting as an oracle to heroes, quest-seekers, and villains alike, Virgil just wants to live as a normal, modern human. For someone who can see infinite probabilities, you’d think he’d know better.

<<Chapter 18 | Masterlist | Chapter 20>>

read on ao3

It was a fine day, in Virgil’s opinion. The sun was out, the weather was crisp, and he’d woken up still happy with his newly-dyed hair. 

Upon his arrival to How You Brewin’, Remy had immediately latched onto his head and cooed praise over his amethyst locks. “YAASS BOI,  look at you discovering polychromatic hair! This is why you need to come to The Crypt, you would SLAY the dance floor and break all the hearts. You could follow in my glamorous footprints!”

“Glad you like it, Rem. Gonna have to pass on the danceclub heartbreak, though.”

“Fiiiine,” his boss sighed. “I’ll just have to tell them all to come here to have their hearts broken. There’s no way I’m sleeping on the business angle here, gurl. Broken heart equals party hard, it’s just math.”

Virgil flushed slightly. “I really think you’re giving me too much credit. People are not going to take one look at me and go head over heels.”

“It’s true, some might not. Not all of them can pull off heels as well as I can,” Remy nodded philosophically. “But for real, boi, look at you. You’ve got Roman, THE prettiest gay in this town, except for my lovely self of course...”

“Of course,” Virgil replied, straight-faced.

“And he was flirting with you the minute he walked through those doors! Face it. You’re hot, and it’s gonna make me money. Now go show Patton, he’ll flip if he doesn’t get to see his son’s new hair.”

Virgil went. He wasn’t sure if he was going to see Patton or running away from Remy, but either way, the bakery seemed like a safer place to be at this particular moment.

Patton was rolling out pastry when Virgil walked around the counter, but something seemed off. The pastry was stretched and too thin in some places, horribly bunched and thick in others, and the baker continued to roll without any seeming care to the inconsistencies.

“Good morning, dad.”

No response. Virgil was so surprised he almost walked into a bench. He carefully waved a hand in front of the baker’s face. “Pat? You okay, buddy?”

Patton finally noticed and snapped to attention. He smiled at Virgil, but it was overly wide and appeared strained. “Hey kiddo! I’m just fine and dandy! Just another day in the life as your happy-pappy Patton! Can I get you anything? Some snacks? A muffin? Let me know!”

“Patton. Something’s going on. What’s up?”

“The roof! Also the sky!”

Virgil groaned. “Patton, I know something is wrong. You’re not yourself today. You don’t need to pretend you’re okay if you’re not.”

The baker’s smile trembled. “Virgil, you sweet and sour shadowling, I appreciate your concern. I will be fine!”

“Pat-”

“That was a lie, nothing will ever be fine!” Patton suddenly burst out, diving at Virgil for a desperate hug.

“Hey, it’s okay, what’s wrong?”

“Love has failed me!” cried the baker’s muffled voice.

Virgil pulled Patton up from where the shorter man had lodged himself at his waist. “Pat, are you hurt? What happened?”

“Logan hasn’t texted me back!”

Virgil stared, trying to not roll his eyes. That was it? “Patton, I didn’t even know you had his number! How long has it been?”

Patton sniffed. “I got his number two days ago after you asked us for advice, and for a full day we were texting back and forth. He texts like he’s writing for a genetics journal, but he was responding so quickly until I asked if he wanted to go on a date tonight and he just stopped responding and now he’s avoiding the whole bakafé!”

“Okay, I’m aware I’m not the best at positive thinking, but don’t you think there are alternative explanations for this? Maybe he got called away on fieldwork, or had a family emergency. Or you asked him out, his brain went all ‘Windows Error.exe’ and he threw his phone into the sink.”

Patton looked at Virgil oddly. “Why would he do that to his phone? Is that something that happens normally?”

“Well, no, but I almost did that when Roman texted me the first time,” Virgil muttered, blushing.

“OhhHHHhh that is so cute!” Patton squealed, brightening. “You’re right, kiddo. I shouldn’t focus on only the worst possibilities. Thanks for taking care of your silly old dad.”

“Anytime, Padre. And you’re not silly, you’re just relentlessly positive. You know I appreciate that, except for when you’re covering up your own feelings. Did you need any help with the pastry before I go back to Remy?”

Patton finally noticed the mess on his bench. “Oh my powdered donuts! This is useless. Oh well, guess I’ll need to re-laminate and start again. I won’t keep you here for that, kiddo, it’s pretty tedious. You go take something from the hot case for yourself, though. You’re not avoiding Remy, are you?”

“I won’t be once he stops threatening to make money off my hair.”

Patton’s eyes suddenly flew up and widened. “VIRGE! YOUR HAIR! Congrats on the cool colorful crown!”

Virgil snickered. “Thanks, Pat. I thought you might appreciate it. And it’s all thanks to Talyn for their help with choosing a color and making it actually look good.”

“Hmm, the purple though… that gives me a peri-twinkling of an idea! The pastry dough will have to wait - I need to go bake something. Thank you again, Virgil. You’re my favorite son!”

After the lunch rush, Virgil wandered back to the bakery. Roman had the day off, so had yet to come in, and Virgil was bored.

Patton was putting the finishing touches on a new display of muffins. A chalk sign proclaimed these were a new variety of Jam-Packed Muffins, filled with a jelly that was a made from a hybrid fruit of blackberry and raspberry.

“‘Loganberry’ muffins? Wow, I am really feeling the cuteness welling up inside me. Or maybe that’s vomit,” Virgil drawled.

Patton just grinned. “That’s why I have the scientific name of the berries here as well. It’s not pandering if it’s science!”

“We both know it’s extra pandering if it’s science. Actually, has he come in yet? I haven’t seen him.”

Patton wouldn’t meet the other man’s eyes, instead fiddling with the sign and adding extra flourishes with his bright purple chalk. “I… haven’t seen him. Or gotten a text yet. Wouldn’t his phone be fixed by now, if that was the issue?”

“Pat, it’ll be okay - I’m still sure he’s not trying to turn you down. You didn’t see how nervous he was about talking to you. My whole first week here was a never-ending parade of watching him try to be subtle about checking you out. He’s just bad at words.”

Patton sighed, and smiled weakly. “You’re right. I’m trying to not worry.”

The café bell rang, and Virgil looked over at the door. His face lit up as he saw Roman rolling in, auburn hair mussed from the wind outside.

Patton giggled as Virgil practically sprinted back to the café counter.

“Hello, you,” Roman drawled. Virgil felt an involuntary shiver. It was just not fair how attractive this man was. Maybe Remy had a point - if someone as gorgeous as Roman was in any way attracted to him, maybe his looks weren’t as blah as he’d assumed.

“...hey,” he managed to squeak out. “So, uh. Does it still look okay in person? My hair, I mean?”

“It is positively iridescent, my delightful macchi-hot-to. Oh, also, can you you make macchiatos? I learned about this new drink that I’m just jazzed to try.”

“Yeah, macchiatos aren’t too bad. What did you want?”

“A jumbo, half-whole milk, one quarter 1%, one quarter non-fat, extra hot caramel macchiato with 1 and a half shots decaf, 2 and a half regular, with whip, 2 packets of splenda, 1 sugar in the raw, a touch of vanilla syrup and 3 short sprinkles of cinnamon.”

Virgil just stared. “What the fuck, Ro. Where did you hear about this drink, a Top Ten Drinks to Make Baristas Hate You list?”

Roman grinned, then laughed outright. “How did you know? Ahhh, you caught me, I just wanted to see if I could order it with a straight face. Nah, I’ll just have another caramel surprise. That one’s my good luck charm, after all.”

Virgil blushed faintly as he smiled and started the drink that had started his flirtation with this incredible man.

“So, did you miss me this morning?” Roman asked, leaning over to watch Virgil’s deft hands go from steam wand to gasket, not spilling a drop of liquid. “Was the café gray and bereft without my signature charm and wit?”

“I wish you had been here this morning, Remy is threatening to all but marry me off to the highest bidder at the Crypt. He said that heartbreak is good for business?”

“I will defend your honor, dear Virgil, fear not,” Roman said, posing dramatically. “I will fight back the adoring, crazed hordes and also Remy, that tricky minx. You need no longer fear, Roman Augustus is here!”

The afternoon sun beating through the windows gilded Roman’s silhouette in golden light. Virgil suddenly had a burning urge to wear a dramatic ballgown and watch this man slay ogres in his name. All other thoughts and worries melted away as he gazed at the swoop of soft hair, the shine in his hazel eyes, the elegant curve of his arm and back…

“Virgil, I need your help!”

Patton’s voice, laced with nerves edging on fear, interrupted his reverie and Roman’s pose. Without a word they both immediately rushed to the bakery.

“Pat, what’s wrong?”

“Logan texted back.”

Roman’s eyebrows waggled. “Need some help composing the perfect romantic missive, Padre?”

“No, it’s… I don’t know, this might be just paranoid and crazy, but I don’t think Logan sent this text,” Patton said.

“Paranoid and crazy? Patton, stealing my thing, no big deal…” Virgil snarked, taking the offered phone from the baker’s hands. He did a double take as he looked at the screen.

Sent Yesterday Afternoon

Patton Corwan (Crumb On In): Hel-Lo! P: You know I always enjoy seeing you in the bakafé, but I’d like to see you outside of work, if you’d be interested. P: How does a pasta dinner tomorrow night sound, at that cute Italian place on Magnolia street? My treat :)

Just now

Logan ⚛️💙: A date night sounds so good! ⚛️💙: But :( I procrastinated some work I really need to get done. I’ll be at the office late tonight. ⚛️💙: Let’s take a rain check though, okay cutie? Love you!

Virgil frowned as he passed the phone to Roman. Eyebrows immediately vanished into auburn hair as the other man regarded the odd exchange.

“I’m no expert on this Mr. Abacus Finch of yours, but this seems rather out of character,” Roman commented. “Did he hit his head particularly hard? Or is someone else using his phone?”

Virgil felt his stomach drop at the hypothetical Roman mentioned. He’d seen this exact scenario, and hadn’t made the connection until now. CrapcrapcrapfuckfuckfuckSHIT not now! It’s only been two days, I’m not ready for Roman to already be dragged into this, he thought desperately. Why couldn’t that snake of a sorcerer wait just a little longer?

Roman caught his eye. “Hey, Hot Topic, did you suddenly apply more foundation or is something wrong?”

Virgil shook his head. “I… I don’t think Logan hit his head. Or at least, he didn’t hit his head and then also send this text.”

“You think someone else did? Do you think it’s…” Roman’s voice trailed off as he made a vague gesture that was clearly supposed to connote ‘evil’. It wasn’t one of his more elegant attempts, but given the circumstances, it was understandable.

Virgil nodded in response to the unfinished question. Roman gulped and looked down. “This is it, huh. Okay. I guess I’d better be ready then.”

Patton looked between them, gesturing at himself. “Guess who has ten fingers and is very confused! What is ‘it’? Do you know who texted me? Is Logan okay?”

“Pat, remember when I asked you for advice? That was about this, I think. Roman might be the best positioned of any of us to find Lo and make sure he’s safe.”

Patton looked nervous, but nodded determinedly. “What can I do to help?”

Roman looked at the phone again. “It seems to me that Mr. Steal Yo’ Boy is at Logan’s office. Or will be, after work hours. The bakafé closes soon, right?”

Virgil nodded. “We have less than an hour left ‘til close.”

“I think we can risk waiting to go over until then,” Roman said, checking his watch. “Plus, that’s when the sun starts going down. If Logan isn’t the one texting, but his phone is being used, I’m going to made a guess that this creep will need shadows to hide in.”

“We’re going to wait? What if Logan is in more danger? What do we do between now and then?” Patton wasn’t used to being this nervous, and he did not deal with it well. He was already shifting from foot to foot, eyeing the bakery door like he was considering dashing out at any moment.

Virgil put a hand on the baker’s shoulder. “Logan won’t be in any more danger an hour from now than he is at the moment. Trust me on this. If we go search for him randomly, we might miss him entirely. Until it’s dark, we’ll keep working. Pat, why don’t you show Roman how to help with edible decorations? He’s artistic and has a the sweet tooth of a five-year-old in a candy shop, he’ll be a natural.”

Roman gasped indignantly, a hand artfully splayed on his chest. “I do not act like a five-year old,” he said with a sniff. “I am at least seven, give me some credit.”

As they’d both hoped, Patton smiled weakly and led Roman around the counter. Both Virgil and Roman cared a lot about their gentle friend. Even if Roman had only occasionally met Logan, the scientist clearly made Patton happy.

No one should interfere with Patton being happy.

author’s note: I’d always thought that Logan’s question in Crofter’s The Musical was a joke, but it turns out there actually are such things are real loganberries: Rubus × loganobaccus. I learned something new because of this story, Logan would be so proud! You know. Wherever he is.

Corwan, Patton’s last name, is an old English name that means ‘friend of the heart’

Augustus, Roman’s last name, means regal, great ruler, etc. He’s royalty, we love him

Yes, that is the author’s note you get on this while you wait for the next chapter :)

[koganphrancis]

Camless Episode 5

All The Writers Of This Show Are Shit

We had us a brand new writer this week and all we got was the same old same old: OOC, Retconing, and Repeats of Old Story Beats.

I’ll attempt a recap, but this episode really sucked the will out of me.

(gif credit: gallavichlovies)

I’m not going to do my usual character by character recap because frankly some really awful shit went down this week that I’m just going to refer to and not go into in depth.  Plus, so much of the episode was tedious repeats of shit the writer had JUST TRIED to say.  

We had both Debbie and Ian go knocking on the wrong doors for advice. We had two endless Lip scenes where all that was happening was he was running and riding a motorcycle.  Maybe next week he can paint a fence and we can all watch as the paint dries. Liam is sexually molested (off screen, but still) by another child who had been sexually molested. Carl and Frank both get slapped around in sexually-adjacent situations just as the show is once again trying to drive home what’s unacceptable for men to do to women-hey, Shameless, that goes for what’s unacceptable for women to do to men, women to do to other women, and men to do to other men as well.  They tried to make “going Fiona” a thing-twice.   There were at least four scenes where Frank tried to get an erection. There were endless retcons (more on those to come).  

My notes are all over the place and the show’s such a shit pile I can’t even begin to make a smooth narrative out of them, so here’s a list of my observations, saving the Ian shit for last.

Debbie had a running thread through a big part of the episode where she’s literally bored to the point of falling asleep listening to Alex-that is exactly how I feel about their relationship/the Debbie thinks she might be gay storyline.  Also, if anyone cares, Debs has completely dropped her equal rights/equal pay fight.  She doesn’t even seem to go to work anymore. Later, Debbie goes to visit the lesbians in Fiona’s building (rather than, I don’t know, talking to Vee about her experiences with Svetlana, since that seems maybe more in line with feelings Debbie is experiencing?) and the scene was clearly written in lieu of Shameless ever showing sex scenes anymore.  

The blond lesbian, Mel, exposes herself to Debbie in the doorway of her apartment (but sadly for the Netflix fans, her back is to the camera), without establishing if Debbie is not a minor, and then she kisses her in a sloppy slo-mo saliva string sharing close up.  Debbie is supposedly stunned stupid by this, but the whole “you like what you like and you don’t have to justify your sexual orientation to anyone” message falls flat.  Debbie has ALWAYS been starved for attention, and she misreads any attention she gets from anyone of any sex.  Since Matty she’s always equated someone trying to be interested in her as being interested in her sexually.  And that kiss wasn’t sexual at all-it too was a form of molestation-it wasn’t asked for or consented to.  This show is shit.  

Carl meets a young woman at a West Point mixer, the daughter of the scary military officer who is throwing the party.  Hello, we’ve done this already with Dom and her scary cop dad.  Yawn.  Carl films them not having sex after she passes out drunk so he can prove he didn’t molest/rape her, should it ever come in question.  At first the young woman is mad (and jumps on him and starts slapping him around, just like Katey Sagal will do in a scene with Frank), but then later she returns Carl’s phone and says she saw he didn’t film them having sex, but there is a recording on there of him having sex with someone else.  He says that’s Kassidi, his ex, but fails to let Kelly (the new chick) know she’s dead and he’s an accessory to her murder.  And how fucking creepy is it that Carl’s kept sex with his dead ex on his phone?  Is that something he’s still watching?  Does he get off to it?  This show is shit.

Kev and Vee get stuck with Frank in a few scenes, foreshadowing the boring seasons to come, should the show get renewed (why are they still sitting on announcing that, btw?).  There’s a subplot for Kev where he’s going to speak at a women’s rally in his new-found position of Vagina Safe consultant, but he wisely bows out when he hears the real hell women face on a regular basis.  Why this show is trying to be socially conscious this late in the game I’ll never know.  Especially since they’ll keep pulling their bullshit and defend it with “it’s Shameless!” like they’ve always done in the past.  This show is shit.

There’s the weekly Fiona/Bored disagreements-this time they’re about little things like music preferences and whether or not Fiona should care about her brother going to prison for up to two decades.  Bored winds up singing along to a song to Fiona at the end-it should’ve been Gus Pfender’s Fuck You, Fiona and they could’ve had a cute discussion about Gus being Fi’s ex-husband.  This show is shit.

Now Ian.  Sigh.  Nothing makes sense.  Everything’s either a lie or a retcon and we the audience still don’t know which.  At breakfast he’s telling the family his plea options, and when Liam questions temporary insanity, Ian rattles off, “Bipolar, off my meds.”  So is Ian saying that’s just the definition of the defense he could use, or is he saying “I was off my meds”????  WHY won’t the show give us any answers?  There were two significant scenes in Season 8 where he staunchly said he was taking his meds and that he (rightly) was entitled to feel emotions and be angry at times.  Are we supposed to think that right about then is when he stopped taking them and then Gay Jesus happened?  But if that was the case, why did he stop taking his meds, and now how long has he been off them-or did he start taking them again and now they’re working after being off them for all the GJ stuff PLUS when he was in jail for 9 months?  IF he was off his meds for any amount of time but especially a long amount of time (pretty sure an argument could be made he’d been off them since leaving Mickey/Monica dying/stalking boring Terror, blowing that old couple for money), why did his manic phase seem so different than when he was back from the army?  Can the show try to explain anything?  

Ian and Fiona and Geneva all go to the lawyer’s office-why?  There IS such a thing as client-attorney privilege and the lawyer, at least, would ask them to wait outside once the screaming began if not sooner.  But oh well.  Ian finally says, “Does anyone want to hear what my lawyer has to say?”  Me at home: YES!!!  Lawyer starts to talk, “I know this judge-he’s under...” Geneva starts yelling again and what gets lost in her bullshit is that later on, the judge is not a he?  

Outside Fi asks Ian, “Are all lesbians that dramatic?”  I asked last week, I’m asking again: Is Geneva a lesbian?  Is this just another retcon?  Her initial interactions with Ian seemed like she was crushing on him, that she wanted him, and there’s been nothing about her being a lesbian in canon.  I know it’s not important, but the lack of attention to detail on this show contributes mightily to its shittiness.

Suddenly Ian has a question, and he can think of only one place to get an answer (even though Liam was able to Google “what is cocktail attire?” and get an answer in seconds.  Ian should’ve asked him to look up his question as well).  

Ian goes to the Milkovich house and it’s so fucking OOC I don’t even want to think about it.  For whatever reason, Ian politely says, “Hi, Mr. Milkovich,” when Terry answers the door-why would he even bother?  Terry’s not big on manners, for one thing, and for another, the last time Ian saw Terry he was flipping him off as he was being carted back to prison.  Don’t think Terry’s going to be warmed over by a polite greeting.  Anyway, Ian asks him about being in the pen, and Terry says there’s ass and mouth rapings that Ian would probably enjoy, shitty food, and beat downs from the guards.  Ian asks if Terry was mouth raped (I think he specified that, I didn’t put it in my notes) and Terry indignantly says that Milkoviches don’t “bottom”.  Ian says, “Was Mickey adopted?” and I can’t tell if he was trying to piss Terry off or if he was genuinely curious, but as a joke it didn’t work-Ian knows (or the old Ian did, anyway) better than anyone that Mickey was absolutely nothing like Terry, in any way, not just in sexual preferences.  Another OOC comment to just make the viewer weep thinking about the old days.  Also, having Terry know, let alone USE, the term bottom was also OOC in the extreme.  He might as well have said, “All Milkoviches are cishet.”  It would’ve been just as believable.  

But back to the scene.  Ian says, “Rapings, food, guards-I can handle that shit.  I just need to know...” Terry interrupts him.  “Anyone can handle that shit.  (Again, me at home: Really?)  It’s the boredom that’ll kill ya...Start reading books, lifting weights...”  (Mickey already told him that about juvie AND prison-how dense is Ian that he never got it?)  “But you’re in the same place, with the same assholes, doing the same shit, every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every god damn year.  If I was you I’d pack my shit and run.”  

Ian’s face while he’s running down all the segments of time seems to look like Terry’s getting through to him.  And Terry telling him to take off is actually the best advice Ian winds up getting-in the long run Terry seems to care about keeping Ian out of prison more than his own family.  Terry easily could’ve slammed the door in Ian’s face and ignored him.  Does that mean I forgive Terry at all for everything he did to Mickey, Mandy, and Ian-not to mention his other sons and Svetlana?  FUCK NO.  But how telling is it that this show is now so bad that a villainous piece of shit like Terry is the one character we are listening to and agreeing with?  

One last thing about Terry-he just got out, but he knows Mickey’s in Mexico?  How?  I’m hoping this is a set up for Ian being able to find Mickey next week (or at the end of the season if we have to wait that fucking long), but this show doesn’t do continuity anymore, so I’m sure there’s no logical explanation for Terry knowing that fact.  

Fi goes to the Gallagher house looking for Ian and finds an empty box of hair dye, and a towel stained with hair dye, and that Ian’s drawers are empty.  I also noticed that his pillow was gone-did he pack that up too?  If so, I’m hoping it’s because he and Mickey shared it and he wanted to keep some part of Mick with him always, but we know this show ain’t about that anymore.  Anyway, Fi goes and tells Lip she thinks Ian skipped bail and they have to go find him.  Lip says no, Ian’s an adult.  This conversation also just took place with Debbie-or takes place right after, the show was so boring I couldn’t keep the repeated scenes straight if you put a gun to my head.  

WHY are the siblings so uncaring about Ian going to prison-or getting caught as a fugitive and spending even more time there?  WHY is everyone so stupid about whether prison is “bad” or not, especially for their apple cheeked, puppy-eyed brother who is dealing with mental illness?  Who may or may not be off his meds at any given time?  Ian couldn’t even handle VISITING Mickey in prison, why does he suddenly think he could do a stretch of multiple years if not decades?  All those years stealing cable and watching bootleg DVDs, did none of the Gallaghers ever watch Oz?  In a prior season it was established that Lip has read so much he was able to determine a Louis Vuitton purse was authentic by the stitching and the lettering-he’s never read about prisons and how they affect young men that are in them for a period of time?  “Hardened criminal” is a phrase he’s never come across?  Lip doesn’t realize how hard Ian’s future as a convicted felon will be when he gets out?  Trying to find a job (especially one with medical benefits), a place to live, all that stuff?  This show is shit.

There’s a meaningless shot of Ian at the train station (we don’t even get to know where he was planning to run to-as if we didn’t know-show us he’s at least headed south, you bastards!) and then there’s a scene where Lip comes home in the dark to find Ian at the kitchen table eating ice cream right out of the Edy’s carton.  (They don’t show us the flavor-it looked like it might be chocolate chip?  I didn’t see any chunks of cookie dough or anything.  Again, this is only important because everything else is so boring that actually knowing what kind of ice cream Ian likes would be interesting in comparison.)  

I guess the ice cream is sort of a metaphor?  Ian’s last sweet taste of freedom?  Or maybe I’m reading too much into it and they just came up with something for the brothers to share and it couldn’t be beer-because of Lip, not because of Ian’s meds because god knows they never cared about that, plus we STILL don’t know if he’s just magically back on them-if he is, how is he paying for them?  Anyway, after Lip’s earlier attitude about Ian being an “adult” and not caring all that much about him ever, he doesn’t deserve ice cream!  Here’s a snippet of their dialogue: 

Lip: So you didn’t run. Ian: Oh no-I ran.  I just...ran back.  (well, at least that’s in character since he ran away to the army and came back, and ran away with Monica and came back, and the fucking Mexican border, but I’m not happy about that fact)

They start listing the things Ian will miss if he’s gone for the next ten years.  Debbie may be married to a woman (I would think her being divorced is more likely, but whatever, I won’t be around to watch it either, I’m gone as soon as Ian’s back with Mickey), Carl will be a war criminal, Liam will be the father of a ten year old, Frank, dead.  Ian asks Lip, “You?”  “Still in AA, if I haven’t drunk myself to death.”  Ian says, “Do me a favor?  Don’t.”  IAN CARES MORE ABOUT LIP THAN LIP CARES ABOUT IAN.  Always has, always will.  “Lip deserves to get out of the ghetto.”  But Lip’s fine with Ian going off to prison because of the whole Gay Jesus thing that he never even began to try to understand or help Ian find a way out of.  This show is shit.

Next there’s a scene of Ian in a suit, dressed for court and talking to his Bible that’s on his bed (still no pillow-weird).  He’s asking Shim to talk to him one last time, maybe give him a hint what he should do.  His voice is soft and pleading and he’s almost in tears and all I can think is he needs Mickey to talk things out with.  Lip comes to the door and says something like they’re all downstairs, it’s time or whatever.  Ian gives the Bible one last look and seems to do a little wink-did he hear something from Shim?  Would it kill this show to let us in on some things?  This show is shit.

His plea hearing was so factually inaccurate it hurt.  His lawyer doesn’t say anything, and when asked what he pleads Ian launches into his entire defense.  And the judge lets him.  OMGJ.  

Again I’m pretty sure I’m witnessing a retcon when Ian says “A young man was being forced against his will into a van to be taken to a conversion camp.”  Um, as I recall (and I won’t rewatch the episodes to get all the exact details, they were too stupid), a young runaway came to the Church of Gay Jesus and claimed his parents were trying to make him get conversion therapy and they were giving him drugs so he couldn’t get erections because they didn’t like the fact that he was gay, but when Ian talked to the dad he said the kid ran away on his own because he suffered from mental illness, was off his meds, and was living on the street and prostituting himself.  As I recall the dad/parents didn’t say anything about conversion, they just wanted him home.  Maybe the dad sought help from the guys in the van because there was no other way to get the kid home-none of this has been established for the court, if nothing else!  This show is shit.

Ian gives a speech in a voice like wimpy Jeremiah trying to convince everyone Jerome was the bad one and it was just lame.  He claims his family loved him unconditionally-since when?  They only gave him crap about being with Mickey, or ignored him.  And then when he became “like Monica” there were definitely conditions on loving him-mainly that he be on his meds.  Right up to this episode they were all going around saying it’s time to let him go-they didn’t love him enough to want to keep him at the house and try to help him!  

Anyway, he then states in open court he was off his meds and in a manic state when he torched the van.  Then he looks back at Fiona and starts to give a tiny smile right before the credits.  Was he lying to get a lighter sentence and he’s smiling because he got away with it?  Or does he look to her like that because he knows she’ll be proud of him for finally telling the truth even if it disappoints/ruins the GJ movement (that is so implausible as a concept it makes my head ache)?  

By next week the show will be in another writer’s hands and I’ll never get the answer to that question either, I bet.  IF this means the-fucking finally-end to the GJ storyline, I’ll have to be happy enough with that. 

In conclusion let me say that once again the only “great” thing about the episode was ZERO mention of Terror!  

But the rest of the show was shit. 

[vampyr-boy-blog]

Am I Gay?

This article is aimed at the young but will be of help to anyone who may be questioning their sexuality and wondering if they might be gay.

Am I Gay? I guess this is a question a lot of young men will have asked themselves during their confusing adolescent years; it's certainly one that every gay man will at some time have had to tackle, and come to terms with on discovering the true answer. Of course, there are the  lucky ones - the majority - those people for whom their sexuality has never been in any doubt. They are the very people who, by their heterosexual appetite and acknowledged prowess with the opposite sex, may have initiated that desperate question in other minds. But to not be one of that majority, to not have the same appetite for the opposite sex, does not immediately make anyone gay.

Times are changing slowly, perhaps too slowly, for most children still grow up in an overwhelmingly heterosexual world - a world that will by its very existence from an early age have instilled expectations and preconceived ideas in every boy's mind - so should the time come that he reaches puberty, and his juvenile years, and he finds that those expectations are not being met as they are by his friends, he becomes concerned. He begins to suspect that he is different to the mates that he grew up with - and it troubles him. But trouble is too weak a word. At this stage of human development to suddenly not be ranked along with one's peers can be devastating. The questioning and gnawing fears in a boy's mind may remain closely guarded secrets - because they have to be. 

Faced with this feeling of being different, young men may react in many different ways. Only a few will cope with the situation easily. Some may become reclusive; some may turn to bullying others; some to drink and drugs; and some may undoubtedly turn towards criminal behaviour to gain their much needed kudos - however, most will try to maintain an act: an appearance of being perfectly "normal". This act, and the feeling of a need to prove themselves to their family and friends, will often only exasperate the problem. And when thoughts for the same sex enter their minds, thoughts that they may believe to be bad or wrong, a great feeling of guilt can engulf them. It can be a very desperate time in a young man's life. It is a time when some may even come to consider suicide - and that, purely the result of the failings, the teachings and the expectations of a mainly ignorant heterosexual world, should never be!

Puberty, and the working of the sexual equipment, arrives at different times for different people. There is nothing wrong or untoward about being a late developer - many races are won by those who had a poor start. And even once everything is found to be in working order, it is quite normal for the feelings and the desires that arrive around this time to be "strange", to say the least! The sudden explosion of hormones the body has to try to make some sense out of can for some bring forth quite peculiar urges, fascinations, and attractions. At this time it is not uncommon for those who will later be "normal" heterosexual men to have "a crush" on someone of the same sex. It may be a schoolmaster; it may be a friend - it could be anyone, there are no rules, and it may not just be the one person - it may be many. There is nothing wrong, and this is not the time to fear one's sexual orientation; more a time to consider its possibilities.

For most who have arrived at this stage, they will have had no preparation for the alternative sexual orientations that life can deal out. Such is the failing of society, for around one in ten males will turn out to be gay, and around one in five males will at some time in their lives have gay sex. Each one of these people will be some proud parent's son. They could be anyone's son. These are facts that may be hard to accept by some people, but to life itself they are the "normal".  

For most who have arrived at this stage, they will have had no preparation for the alternative sexual orientations that life can deal out. Such is the failing of society, for around one in ten males will turn out to be gay, and around one in five males will at some time in their lives have gay sex. Each one of these people will be some proud parent's son. They could be anyone's son. These are facts that may be hard to accept by some people, but to life itself they are the "normal".   

We now come to the crunch question: how do I know if I am gay? I suppose the simple answer is - you just know. But you do need to wait until all those hormones have settled down a bit before asking the question. Once that has happened the sexual desires and urges will be noticeably better fed and nourished by the thoughts and fantasies of either one or the other of the two sexes. Crudely put: whatever makes you "cum" the easiest and the best will give you the answer.  For just a few people this may be equal, or it may alternate continuously throughout their lives, and they are what we term as being: bisexual.

Gay, straight or bisexual, it matters not - you are you, and you are unique. Whatever sexuality you may be, no two people are ever exactly the same - not even identical twins. Be proud of who and what you are, and if you find that you are gay or bisexual then remember that that is quite normal in the great scheme of things, it is only some areas of society that still have a problem with this - and the problem is theirs, not yours. 

One of the biggest mysteries in the world today is why some people have a problem with another person's sexuality when you consider all the great names there have been throughout history that have been known not to be heterosexual. Great emperors, kings, war-lords, painters, writers, poets, musicians, composers, pop singers, fashion gurus, astrologers, philosophers, architects, engineers and many, many others all enjoying pride of place in history have been either gay or bisexual -  the list is almost endless, and it even includes a pope or two! Their sexual orientation never hampered these people - it need not hamper you.

Judy Garland is reputed to have said: "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."  There could be no better advice. Another quote I love came from the late, great, and still sadly missed Dusty Springfield: "My sexuality has never been a problem to me but I think it has been for other people."

There is nothing at all wrong with being gay, however it does come with some burdens that heterosexuals never have to face. There is the gay scene - known by all to be notoriously promiscuous - and although it is representative of less than a quarter of all gay people it is what a gay person will always be seen as being a part of by many uninformed heterosexual people. Then there is the whole "coming out" saga. Should you come out to family and friends, at work, to all and sundry, or not do it at all? Facing up to this issue can be traumatic for some people - and whatever you finally decide on as being best for you, even staying "in the closet", it will not be without some implications. These issues I will cover in separate articles - look out for them!

- Michael.

[applicarobo]

Applica’s Winter 2018 In Anime

Another anime season over (for me), and since I've reached a point in my life over the last two years or so where I started watching anime as it came out, I think I'm now qualified enough to start writing about these things. I hope, at least. Kind of wish I started doing these things earlier, but what can you do.

So, without further ado, here is my Winter 2018 in anime.

Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles

Recommended if you like: Anime where food is the focus and the characters aren't, Ramen.

I figure it may be best for me to start with the things I enjoyed the least, and move forwards from there. So, as you'll notice, Ra-Ra-Ra-Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-San is the first on the list. It's a simple anime about a girl named Koizumi-san(sic), who eats Ramen multiple times on the daily, and introduces many of her fellow classmates to various types and styles of ramen. In truth, it's actually an anime about ramen, not about Koizumi herself.

And, were that the only thing that mattered, this anime would've done a great job. It serves to be heavily educational about ramen, it's history, and most importantly, how many different varieties of it there actually are and how different those varieties are from each other. The depiction of the ramen is very high quality, and should be considered the draw of the show.

The problem is, that alone is boring. And it therefore relies on its characters to keep things interesting, unfortunately. Koizumi is plain, and prefers to keep away from others (in orderto continue enjoying ramen). As a result, she's rather one dimensional as a character. The anime's main character, if it has one aside from ramen, is actually Yuu, a plucky, short-haired, lesbian. Normally, I'd applaud such a character, but of course she relies heavily enough on yandere tropes to be a consistent stalker of Koizumi, but endlessly positive enough to not be dangerous to anyone. This means she's less of a character, and more of a device to have her end up following Koizumi into a ramen shop, having Koizumi sigh as she sits down next to her, informing her uneducated mind about how good this ramen is.

And that's it. That's mainly how every segment of the show works. Yuu follows Koizumi to a ramen shop, Koizumi sighs and wishes she'd go away as they both order ramen, and then they talk about the ramen for a few minutes. There's a few other characters, a few other ways that scenes play out, but none of them are interesting enough to talk about.

Some solace can at least be taken from the fact that the little ditty they play between segments of the show is very, very catchy. In addition to that, both the opening and ending themes of the show are wildly good jams. The ED especially incorporates both ramen puns and parodies of popular Japanese ramen commercials that I normally wouldn't get. It's so good that I don't even mind the fact that I enjoy a song who's title is LOVE MEN HOLIC.

Speaking of jam openings and endings, though, that was pretty much the case this whole season, for me. Nothing I watched really had anything I really wanted to skip, ever, at the very least. Although some openings certainly were better than others. And next is...

Kokkoku

Recommended if you like: Seeing where ideas can go as long as you're okay with them not panning out, every single episode of Paranoia Agent.

That OP. That sweet, sweet OP. A complete banger, and no doubt about it. The ED is great, too, if you ignore half of the visuals.

Yeah, I'm calling Kokkoku out. I'm not expecting you to be a bastion of pureness, Kokkoku, but whoever just storyboarded random fanservice images of the two lead female characters into your show 's ED just needs to be... demoted, or something. However that works. It's especially odd because the show itself doesn't really have any of that, specifically. (It does however contain a couple of instances of villainous gang members joking about sexual assault, which is never really a welcome thing to hear even if it is coming from villains.) The rest of that ED is fine, though, with the music being nice and the images of the characters that look like still images, only to have the characters move while the rest of the scenery stays frozen around them. Did I mention this is an anime about time being frozen? I should probably go over the scenario.

It opens on a family, of which the only members you need to pay attention to are Juri, her grandfather, her father, her brother and her young nephew. Juri and her grandfather complain about how useless the brother and father are while the brother and nephew get kidnapped on their way home. Grandpa gets a ransom call demanding money in a short period of time, and then he whips out his secret magic time stone, freezing time for everyone except himself, his son, and Juri, as they go off to rescue their family members, leaving the kidnappers none the wiser.

Except that the kidnappers planned for this and froze time at the exact same time, joining the family members in the frozen world known as Stasis, hoping to wipe them out and steal their magic time stone from them. In the middle of Stasis are some magical time monsters that only show up when someone wants to kill someone who is frozen in time. Except they really only become a minor footnote, and for the most part the conflict revolves around the family and the kidnappers. Oh, and some of the people on both sides also get magical powers they can only use when time is stopped.

The problem is that I hardly find this conflict interesting. For most of the twelve episodes, the Stasis thing really only exists to create an environment in which these parties can fight without incurring normal societal penalties, and with a method for them to show off some cool visual scenarios (many of which involve liquids). There's only a couple moments where the fact that time is stopped leads them to invoke creative solutions as a result of this, and most of the other things about time being stopped revolve around arbitrary rules or limitations of the Stasis environment.

Most of the characters are decently written and likable, at least. The five members of the Yukawa family, as well as a few other people who are wrapped up in Stasis, are fun and interesting enough to carry the plot of the show where it would've otherwise failed for me. That, along with the occasional visual spectacle. The conflict, and the central villain, are really just kind of awful. Awful in the "badly written" sort of way, and I do feel that the central villain's writing is bad enough to drag down the show's likability at least a full octave. It's that bad.

I will, however, give an enormous shout out to the show's final episode, which offered a new scenario of conflict (although one which had "been coming" for a few episodes before it.) For me, it was far and away the series' most memorable episode, and really left things on a good note. It's... hard to explain without spoiling it, but simple enough that I think someone could actually just drop in on the final episode of the series, understand enough of what is going on to enjoy it, and then finish the series (of one episode) satisfied. In fact, if you do show interest in a story about the world being frozen in time, I personally recommend that's what you do, because that one episode is actually very good.

Hakumei and Mikochi

Recommended if you like: Girls' Last Tour, Yuru Camp△, Mushishi???

And from an anime about a tense invisible conflict happening in a small span of time, we move to an anime about some generally regular things happening in a very small world. A tiny little life, as you'd say.

Hakumei and Mikochi is an anime about the aforementioned girls, who came to live together in small society for reasons we don't actually know. (I'm going to imagine that they're probably gay, but, that's not really the focus here. [although it does joke about them being a couple a couple of times and neither of them actually denies it haha im gay]). When I say "in small society," I mean that neither of these girls are particularly out of the ordinary in their world despite being shorter than the length of my hand. That's really the only major difference between our world and theirs, aside from a scaling back of technology and the fact that animals talk. Yeah, several of the side characters are animals.

Still, despite the fact that this is a comfy slice of life taking place in an otherwise normal world there are a number of fantastical things that can happen. While one episode may focus on the two of them taking a train to a fishing trip or spending a day on the town, another has them meeting with an equally small scientist who is in the business of animating the bones of dead creatures, or helping resolve a lawless gang dispute that involves the kidnapping of their friend. And despite these differences, each episode remains highly serene and comfortably lovable.

Whereas I feel Kokkoku rarely made the most of its setting (interjecting to contrast here that Hakumei and Mikochi might have the most forgettable OP of what I watched this season, unfortunately), Hakumei and Mikochi makes the most of it. The two live in a tree, (for a while, which, they don't even realise there are neighbourly animals living in the branches), eat entire meals that would normally be a morsel for us, make unique interactions with animals, or use small materials in completely new ways. Each episode is calm, comforting, and full of love, and I really wish I could be there.

Yuru Camp△

Recommended if you like: Non Non Biyori, K-On!, being warm, girls

But... There's still more comfort to be had. If Hakumei and Mikochi made a handful of people want to live in their tiny world, Yuru Camp△ (triangle will now be exempted from the rest of this article, you've done your work, sorry △ purists) made a whole ton of people really, really want to go camping right now. I suppose that's largely because it's a much more achievable goal, but it's also in no small part because Yuru Camp was exceedingly popular this season.

And I'm glad it is, too, because it certainly deserves it. I described it after only a couple episodes as "The best Manga Time Kirara anime since K-On!" (and yes, that includes Yuyushiki) and I'm glad that I was correct. I'm sort of feeling like I don't need to write a plot summary mainly because everyone should know what it is by now, but I'll take a crack at it anyway.

Rin, a quiet girl who loves camping alone, is doing so one day when she meets a girl sleeping outdoors near the bathroom. Nadeshiko, a boisterous, joyful and carefree girl, biked all the way out here, and since she fell asleep it's getting too dark to bike back home. Rin, not knowing what to do, lets her hang out at her campsite while she waits for her sister to arrive, and feeds her one of her noodle cups.

Nadeshiko is so taken by the experience that she joins a camping club at her school, and is also excited to find that Rin is also at the school, though not in the club. Over the course of the anime, Rin learns to make more friends and enjoy the things that her chance meeting with Nadeshiko has brought to her life. Such as Nadeshiko.

And that's it! But it's not really the plot, but the comfort that makes the show as good as it is. Aside from the beautiful scenery, the Jackson 5 "I Want You Back"-esque OP, and the extremely enticing depiction of camping, the relaxing atmosphere and constant comfort that the characters enjoy is really the draw. It's really hard to describe it with words, but the viewers can just share in Rin's calm, comforting bliss as she spends time both alone and with others. What could be more enjoyable than that?

A Place Further Than The Universe

Recommended if you like: Life.

And yet, while it's good when animes are just purely comforting, sometimes you need to remember how real things can be before we can enjoy those other moments. Enter Antarctica.

Antarctica is a girl named Shirase at Mari's school who is obsessed with going to Antarctica and therefore a bunch of people who go to Mari's school have nicknamed her that. When Mari decides that she wants to do something amazing with her life, she runs into Shirase, who has a million yen and half a plan to board a research boat on its way to the continent in order to meet her missing mother. The two attempt to execute their plan, and, thanks to a stroke of luck, join with another two girls as part of the research team who will board that same vessel.

The real story is in those ups and downs, the really real emotions of our main characters and some of those around them. It is somewhat worth noting that despite being a show about girls who plan to go to Antarctica for various reasons, and they move closer and closer to their goal each episode, it's more about the people on the journey than the journey itself.

Most of the episodes are about them as individuals, talking about the problems in their lives and finding ways to accept them. These problems are more often than not heartbreaking, and I'll just say this right now: I cried hard at least three times because of this show. Maybe more.

And yet, for every dip, there is a resurfacing, and as sad as the show can get, the uplifting moments rise above the rest and really, really, make you feel love, and make you feel alive. And that's why I think A Place Further than the Universe is undoubtedly the best anime I've watched this season.

That should cover everything I watched this season, I think.

Right?

Pop Team Epic

Recommended if you like: Hell, video game references, nonsense, antihumour, art

Does this really count? I don't know if this anime counts in this list. I probably liked it more than Kokkoku, at the very least, and that one wasn't that bad. Still, it's so... Insanely hard to define Pop Team Epic. It's a bit show, I guess? Like, it's jokes. But it isn't even traditional jokes. It's just nonsense that's funny because it is and that's all you can really say about it. Sure, there's pop culture references, they're abundant. Sure, there's slapstick moments and parodies. Lots. But that's not even the meat of the show.

The majority of the jokes are simply because of the pure nonsense that happens, most noticeably in the (completely unchecked by the central production office) “Bobunemimimmi” segments where the characters are parodies of themselves and the jokes are sometimes completely nothing and yet are still funny. One of the most quotable bits from the show among my friends has been "Eisai Haramasukoi" which is literally just nonsense words. It means nothing. But it's so fun to say.

The bits in this show can be so obscurely humourous that sometimes just an unexpected change in the production value or the medium itself can qualify as a joke, often impressively so. Sometimes the joke isn't even a segment, but rather, how that segment even came to be placed in the show in the first place. The show airs the same half-length segments twice a week, but with different voice actors each airing and each week. Sometimes, the second airing changes some of the jokes, and sometimes it doesn't. Somehow, it tricked me into watching the same episode twice each week, and yet it never got boring. Pop Team Epic is a work of art that's sometimes so horribly ugly that it's hard to define it as so, and yet, it is. It just is.

It's definitely still not better than going to Antarctica, though.

[freshberries]

um thinkfast and.... all of them..... but mostly 1 3 13 & 20 because all of them is a lot

Willow you know me so well

This ones a long one boys

Who is the most affectionate?

I like to believe that once they have settled down into their relationship, that Tommy has learned better ways of coping besides running, so, for me it’s Tommy, he loves David with all his heart he really does, and tbh big fucking kin.

Most common argument?

I’m stuck between arguing over Tommy eating healthier (Listen as much as Tommys gotten better with cooking, if given the opportunity, he will binge on fast food like crazy, and David’s in the background like “Tommy please the SODIUM”) and David overworking himself (”Babe its 3AM, you can do the taxes later come back to bed”) 

Either way it comes from a place of love and concern for the other because they are both HEAD OVER HEELS IN L O V E WITH EACH OTHER AND IM SOBBING.

Who reaches for the other’s hand first?

First time they’ve held hands period its David, but in general? I’d say its an equal amount once the relationship settles down

With David, sometimes he notices Tommy’s stressed and needs grounding or he himself needs an anchor. He probably used to have a stress ball but finds this works better and also makes him like, ten times happier

Tommy doesn’t do it when they first start dating, being afraid of showing affection and all, but like one day Tommy is just like “fuck it” and grabs onto his hand and David turns to him with the BIGGEST HEART EYES cause he LOVES HIM and Tommy starts doing it more often from there, and David never stops with the heart eyes cause hes literally gone for Tommy and would go to the moon and back for him, you know how it is.

What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

I’m not counting Mary and Frank Shepard cause fuck those losers

Christopher and Dorothy Alleyne love Tommy cause like Tommy is one of the few people that can get David to stop working himself to an early grave (other include America, Nori, and Kim), but yeah they love Tommy a lot.

Christopher seems a lot like a football playing dad from what I remember of him so I imagine one day while David and Tommy decided to visit the family Christopher just turns to Tommy and goes “Wanna go outside and play some catch, son” and Tommy is like surprised for a second, but like accepts because David and Dorothy are catching up and ✨ father son bonding time ✨.Tommy even tries not to use his powers (sometimes fails cause he has a lot of energy and that’s okay) and they end up having a lot of fun, they make it a thing to do whenever they visit

Tommy learns that David got his love for jazz from his mother when he catches her cleaning while humming a song playing on the radio, he starts to help her clean and ends up humming with her because it just so happens that David loves this song and he sometimes sings it while doing taxes like a loser. They end up just dancing in the living room and when David goes to check on them after he and his dad finish cooking and cleaning the kitchen, he ends up leaning against a wall watching them cause his life is SO PERFECT right now and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Kim and Tommy meet and its half chaos half calm. Kim shares the dirt she has on David and David just groans the entire time but Tommy’s just laughing cause oh my god, were you really a duck for your first Halloween? David stop putting your head in your hands you look cute please I love you.

Tommy loves kids though so even though she’s like, at very least a teenager, he loves spending time with her and she thinks Tommy’s totally a blast. That can sometimes he bad because sometimes things turn out to be flammable and that’s not good. But yeah, she loves Tommy and loves bullying David about how in love David is with Tommy but David doesn’t care because he loves his little sister and he loves Tommy and likes knowing she approves of their relationship (not that he ever though his family wouldn’t, they took the mutant thing well, I don’t think their son being bi changes much for them.)

Rebecca and Jeff Kaplan don’t care cause Tommy is literally soul twins with their son, being bi isn’t more surprising than that. Additionally, I don’t think they would care about Tommy being bi if they didn’t care about Billy being gay? Either way they are real chill about it. Rebecca offers David banana muffins whenever David and Tommy come to visit the them, idk why she just likes making muffins. Jeff Kaplan kinda isn’t real to me at times so idk what hes doing, probably reading a newpaper as Rebecca and David make polite conversation like they’re at a book club of some shit. Tommy’s probably playing with the younger kids cause, once again, he loves kids. Also he might have accidentally set something on fire again, he really doesn’t mean to do it it just happens sometimes.

Wanda is really happy Tommy and David are happy together, and she loves David, but she sometimes worry's that he doesn’t like her because of everything that happened with M-Day, so after a while they have to talk about it. The thing with that is that, David will never forget that day, forget how 40 of his friends died, how he should have died, how he lost his mutation, M-Day haunts him, and it will never completely stop haunting him. But things get better, at least a little bit. David gets his memories back, he learns how to deal with his trauma, mutant kind becomes a little less endangered, and sometimes if he wakes up in the middle of the night because of nightmares, being around Tommy helps.

M-Day will always haunt David, but things get a bit better for him. He understands why Wanda was so upset, it doesn’t change what she did, but he understands, and knows shes trying to make up for it. So David basically explains that to her and they are good and can have like, a conversation since they now both have their peace. Wanda would defiantly offer to restore David’s powers, but tbh I’m not sure whether he’d accept it or not, I’m already so off track anyways so I can talk about that at a later date.

Pietro is kinda like Kim but instead he bullies Tommy about how much he loves David, its typical family teasing though, he loves his nephew and his nephews boyfriend.

I ALMOST FORGOT MAGNETO. They are super fucking chill with it cause all mutants are gay, he’s the OG gay mutant and he’s happy his children and grandchildren are carrying on Magnetos Gay Legacy™️ and that’s that, period point blank.

Billy and David are fucking chill and I’ll demolish ANYONE who says otherwise, but Billy does give David the shovel talk. Besides the shovel talk, Billy is happy for his brother and his friend and really wishes the best for them.

Teddy and David are also fucking chill and I’ll fight anyone on this fact too. Teddy kinda gives David a high five because Teddy’s a chad and that’s the only way he knows how to express emotion. But its kinda like a “Cool! So we’re kinda like brothers now!” high five and David understands his friend is just trying to be supportive.

Kate just kinda fucking, yells, she a chaotic bi that’s just how it works. She’s basically really happy for them and since Kate and Tommy gossiped to each other about their crushes back when they thought it wasn’t reciprocated (as best friends do) and she’s like really happy things worked out for the both of them.

America smirks and looks her platonic soulmate (David) and is like “You finally asked him out? Good job” and like pats him on the back because they lived with each other in college and while he doesn’t drink often, lets just say when he does drink, David is a sappy drunk gay. Internally she’s like, very much crying because, oh my god? Davids so happy and she’s so happy her friend is happy. Shes an emotional gay she just likes to pretend shes not and that’s fucking valid.

Loki just kinda, has a realization about it. About why David literally spent two weeks tracking the young avengers down, about what David meant when he said he’s into good guys. Loki’s a chaos demon so they just kinda let out an “ohhhh” and turn to Tommy and say “I would’ve made the same choice buddy.” and like, disappear. They’re happy for their friends of course but their love of starting shit wins out.

Noh just kinda shrugs, he doesn’t care of course but he also doesn’t care enough to really react, he might say something like “good job” cause hes dumb but that’s about it

Eli would come back to visit the young avengers while David and Tommy are well into their relationship, so he’d kinda just be surprised by how calm Tommy looks and he and David would get along very well, considering they are both leaders by heart. Eli starts to visit more often after that first visit, its one of the main reasons David and Tommy always have a guest room set up now.

Cassie is kinda just like “Another brother, sweet” and rolls with it. Totally loves asking Tommy for updates on their relationship because Tommy could talk forever about how much he loves David, it makes her happy knowing her brother is happy.

There are so many of the New X-Men I can’t name like all of them but I’ll get through the ones I remember. If I don’t name one of your faves just assume they approve because all the x-men are gay anyways and everyone loved David so its not like someone would like, fight him or anything.

Josh is really chill with Tommy, and he tells Tommy about all the adventures they’ve had (Tommy lowkey freaks at the time David got his heart ripped out but hes fine now! its okay don’t worry I made him a new one!). Josh and David of course need to catch up though and Tommy sometimes just watches David as they talk because he can tell David is really happy talking to his best friend.

Nori and Tommy aren’t awkward, cause fuck that shit they’re adults now and David and Nori totally talked shit out. Instead Nori and Tommy just kinda laugh at David cause like, you totally have a thing for speedsters David, don’t even pretend.

Julian and Tommy are equally chaotic so they run around doing dumb shit while Davids talking to the new students.

Santos reaction is kinda funny cause hes like, wait, YOUR IN THE YOUNG AVENGERS NOW? AND YOUR DATING ONE OF THE YOUNG AVENGERS? And David totally wasn’t there for that conversation where Santo found out about the young avengers and now Santo really wants to meet Teddy for some reason and Tommy looks to David for an explanation but he’s just as confused.

Cess, Sooraya, and Laura are in the same boat of “I’m happy your happy” since I don’t remember them being too too close to David but I know at the very least that they were friends, and they would be happy that David got someone that could get him to relax, even just for a little bit.

Sorry this took so long Willow, I got off topic a little bit but I tried my best.

[hekate1308]

The Baggage We Carry, Chapter Six

Read it on AO3

“Sam has been pretty clingy when it comes to Dean lately“ John said one evening in the kitchen. Mary was doing the dishes, he was drying them.

“I’ve noticed it too”.

In fact, Sam had been spending time with his brother with a determination she remembered from when they had been children and he’d insisted “I don’ need friends, Mom, I have Dean!”

They were constantly in either of their rooms, going to the movies, or even playing football with a few of Dean’s friends.

Come to think of it, she wasn’t exactly sure who these friends were; but then, Dean had always been careful when it came to picking his friends. She’d certainly never heard anything about him hanging out with a bad crowd, and theirs was a small neighbourhood. If, for example, someone like that Crowley boy (she shuddered at the thought) had tried to approach them anywhere, she’d have learned about it immediately. Plus, if they let Sammy play with them despite being a few years older, they couldn’t be that bad a group.

“If he gets Dean to look at some of his home work by doing his own in his room, it might actually help” John joked and Mary snorted. There was a reason they’d stopped two or three years ago to ask after Dean’s grades. They weren’t that important to begin with, since his future was secure enough, and he was at least smart enough not to fail; and he certainly wouldn’t slip enough that his place on the wrestling team was in danger.

“He always does enough. You know our on”.

“Hell yeah I do. Did you see how he fixed the Impala a few weeks back? Knew just by the sound what was wrong. That’s my boy. But say, when did Sam start to follow his every step again anyway? I thought he’d started to hang out with the other nerds a while ago”.

“Don’t call them nerds just because they’re smart” she chastised him gently. “We can’t all be in a sports team and fix cars. And I think it began after that dinner at the Singers’. Maybe he realized again that it’s actually fun to be around Dean?”

She couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t tried the hardest to make everyone in the room smile. It was a small wonder the Singers had come to love her boys so much, she thought with no small amount of pride.

They were both growing up to be two wonderful young men, and handsome to boot, just like their father. She smiled imagining the many young girls who’d eventually find their way into the shop just so they could steal a glance at Dean; and maybe he’d think one just good enough for him, and she and John would look forward to becoming grandparents when Sam went away to become a lawyer. It would be good to keep some of the old blood in their beloved town.

Yes, Dean would make a great mechanic, and while Sam was going to become a man of the world, she would never be prouder of him than of his brother. She loved her sons equally.

“Dean, when are you going to talk to Mom and Dad?”

He groaned.

“Sammy, I am writing an essay for English”.

“No you’re not, you’re reading it again for the third time”.

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your own work instead of watching mine?”

“I am, not my fault you’re so freaking fast I couldn’t help but notice”.

Dean shrugged.

“What’s it about, anyway?”

“Jane Austen”.

Sam giggled.

“I will let you know that Miss Austen was actually a satirist who – “

“Yeah, yeah, I believe you, Dean. Still – when are you going to speak to Mom and Dad?”

“Tonight at dinner, alright?”

“Promise?”

“Promise. But Sam – you have to swear to me that you’ll let it drop if they react the way I think they will”.

“Okay, I promise” Sam said, with the full confidence of his twelve years that it wouldn’t be necessary to keep it. His parents had always been very happy to help him out when it came to homework, had listened to his problems, even trusted him enough to let him do the shopping on his own now and then; surely they wouldn’t have anything against Dean pursuing an education, or wanting something else than to take over the shop? Sure, it would be a pity if it closed down – at least Dad would think that – but if Dean was happy...

His thoughts trailed into another direction.

Sadly, he wasn’t at all quite sure that they would say the same about his friendship with Crowley... or Cas.

It was just... Crowley was known. HE was the weird guy, the one every small town has, the one part of the population with the slight chance of turning into a serial killer one of these days, the one without any friends or hobbies, just constantly slinking around.

Finding out about their friendship had been a complete accident, and it wouldn’t even have happened if their town hadn’t been small enough that one building was quite enough for all schools needed. Sam had been on the way to the restroom with a hall pass clutched in his hands, when he had heard Dean’s laughter.

Now, he’d known that Dean had nothing to do in this wing of the school, so he’d naturally assumed jhe was skipping classes with some girl and had sneakily crept forward in the search for blackmail material the next time he wanted to be taken somewhere and their parents didn’t have time.

What he had not expected had been Dean laughing about something Fergus Crowley of all people had said; and the way he looked at his brother –

It hadn’t been scary. At all. Hell, he had looked pretty normal while talking to Dean.

Sam had only had a brief glance of them before hurrying on, too confused to understand, but looking back, he thought Dean had looked different from the brother he knew, and it was this stranger that had scared him back then, this relaxed, happy stranger, and he’d tried his outmost to forget about the weird scene he’d witnessed, safe for that one time he’d mentioned Crowley at the dinner table and had later apologized to Dean.

And concerning Cas...

Everyone at the table at the Singers’ had known what was going on there. Everyone.

Sam, of course, knew there were people who were drawn to more than one gender; and that Dean was one of them he’d been suspecting for a while now. You could only watch Star Wars so often next to him without realizing he was staring at Princess Leia and Han Solo the same way.

But Dad...

Dad had now and then commented on “those”, “those” being the few gay couples who called their town home as well. And he hadn’t sounded particularly friendly while he did it.

But surely, if it made Dean happy, it had to make Dad happy too? Sam, in contrast to his brother, couldn’t believe that he’d cling so selfishly to certain beliefs as to make him miserable. Certainly he only thought it was a good idea he take over the garage because he liked to work on cars?

If Sam could see it would be a good idea to let Dean go out and learn, certainly their parents must agree?

And so, he actually found himself looking forward to dinner.

He might only have been twelve, but he’d come to know his brother anew in the last few weeks. Dean could be just as delightfully nerdy as Sam’s friend Kevin, he was super smart, especially when it came to science, and he actually had a great sense of humour.

Cas and Crowley weren’t that bad either, although why the later accompanied them to football when he clearly never had any inclination to play Sam couldn’t say. Maybe he just wanted to point out how very eccentric he could be. Sam had chosen not to ask; Dean had alluded to a pretty bad situation at home.

Completely different from their own, which was why Sam had such large hopes for tonight.

Maybe, he would think when he was a few years older and wiser, they had been too high from the start.

It would have explained neatly why they crashed so hard.

Dean, after Sam had nudged him during dessert (not pie, for once), began, “A guy was distributing flyers from MIT today at school...”

Sam had no idea if that was true or not, but it was definitely a good start.

At least he thought so until Dad chuckled.

“What did you do, make a paper plane out of it?”

Something like resignation crossed Dean’s face for a second (and Sam realized that he had seen that expression before, but had never been able to get what it meant since it always passed so quickly) but went on, “No, I actually read it and it was pretty interesting...” he trailed off, uncertain.

“Was there any studies you liked specifically?” Sam moved forward, determined to keep their talk going.

Dad sniggered and Sam threw their mother a desperate look, only to see that she was smiling benignly at her husband.

“John, Dean has every right to find a subject interesting” she finally said, but without any heat behind it.  

“I didn’t say that, but come on, son – I didn’t know they had courses on chasing girls and fixing cars”.

“Not fixing cars exactly, but other stuff, like biomedical engineering...” Dean mumbled.

“Don’t you think you should start with gravity and work your way up to it?”

“Yes, sir” Dean said quietly as Sam watched in agony, unable to comprehend their parents’ vision of Dean and how unwilling they were to have it challenged.

“Dean’s really smart though” he said, “Just yesterday he helped me in physics...”

“I’m sure he can do your homework okay, but I’d prefer it if he did his own” Mom said lightly and he wanted to scream.

The worst part of it was that he knew he would have laughed along with them just a few weeks ago.

That night, when everyone was asleep, Sam was still tossing and turning, occasionally staring at the ceiling.

Eventually, he snuck into Dean’s room, just as he had when they were younger.

His brother didn’t say or ask anything, just lifted his blanket for him to get under.

“They don’t understand” he said quietly, “I just wanted to make them understand.”

“They won’t”.

“Why?”

“Because they’re sure they know what is best for us” Dean said bitterly, “I mean, did they ever ask you if you wanted to go to college?”

“I...” Sam trailed off.

Now, thinking about it, he realized he’d grown up with the knowledge he would go and hadn’t questioned it. And yes, he wanted to study, but that was just a coincidence.

What if he had felt like Dean? Hell, what if he would have been the one to want to take over the shop? Would they have listened to him? Would they have believed him? Would they have tried to?

“See, Sammy” Dean said tiredly, “Some of us are meant to leave, and some aren’t”.

“But you could.”

“Sure, i’ll just rob you of your college fund”.

Sam quietly said, “There are scholarships”.

“And what makes you think you can earn one?”

“You”.

After a pause, he repeated, “You. I have seen you read Spanish and French in the last few weeks, when you never even took French classes. I’ve heard you discuss next-level technology with Bobby. I’ve listened to you give Crowley a run for his money – and this is Crowley we’re talking about. And you even talked about Cas’ plans with him, and I know he’d love to include you in them”.

“Thanks, Sam” Dean breathed.

“Can I sleep here tonight? Like I used to?”

“’Course, Sammy.”

“Love you, big brother.”

“Love you too, Sasquatch”.

They fell asleep easily.

[freelancesumandas]

The rights of Lesbian, Gay and Transgender parents in Texas family law cases

Divorce Attorneys in Houston: In an era where lesbian, gay and transgender persons are working towards gaining more widespread acceptance of their lifestyles it would only make sense for the legal system to follow suit and honor their rights as parents of children.

Fair and equal treatment under the law is what all citizens of the United States seek and these folks are no different. With gay marriages now having been legalized for some time we as family law attorneys are starting to see cases involving same-sex and transgender parents entering into the family law courts with greater frequency.

Unique circumstances and legal issues face LGBT families and parents

Parents of children that are LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender) face some unique challenges within the legal system when it comes to courts honoring their right to custody and visitation of their children as well as in relation to establishing a legal relationship with their children first and foremost.

If you were ever in an opposite-sex marriage and filed for divorce based on your discovering that you were in fact LGBT. In the ensuing custody case, your spouse may have argued that because you are LGBT that is a factor that should be used against you when determining conservatorship.

This is a dangerous argument to make because your spouse is effectively calling into question your character and parenting abilities because you have discovered that you are LGBT. As a result, you must counteract this sort of opinion evidence with evidence of your own.

On the other hand, you may be involved in a same-sex relationship that has seen itself end up in a separation. Now you and your child’s other parent are engaged in a legal battle over custody of your child. If only you or your child’s other parent are an actual “legal” parent of your child then you may find yourself in a unique position regarding your rights to your child. Heterosexual relationships do not have this sort of wrinkle in most cases.

If you find yourself in this sort of position then you need to know that there are steps that you can take in order to protect your legal relationship with your child. When only your spouse has adopted a child, some courts in Texas actually allow you to engage in a “second” adoption. This places you in the role of a second legally recognized parent of your child. Usually, you see this when your spouse is the parent who actually gave birth to the child and is, therefore, a legal parent at birth.

When a legal parent who is LGBT seeks Custody/Visitation rights to a child

In Texas, you cannot be denied parental rights or conservatorship rights to your child simply because you are LGBT. All custody cases in Texas boil down to a determination over what is in the best interests of your child.

It is presumed that absent sufficient evidence to the contrary it is in the best interests of every child in Texas to have a relationship with both of their parents. This means that a judge cannot deny you these legal rights to your child simply because he or she does not approve of your lifestyle or sexual preferences.

When negotiating with your child’s other parent it is important that you know it is not necessary for you to agree to overreaching restrictions on your behavior in order to be able to have a relationship with your child.

For instance, I would not advise you to agree to not live with a member of your sex or to bar a significant other of yours for being present during visitation periods. It does not matter whether or not you think that you will ever actually be in a relationship. These sort of restrictions are overbearing and improper. Your sexual orientation does not have an effect on your ability to be a good parent.

A walk through Texas case-law to illustrate these points

Family Attorney Houston: I’d like to take some time to walk you through three Texas appellate court decisions that are relevant to this discussion of parental and conservatorship rights.

A case from 1985, In the Interest of McElheney, a mother and father appealed the termination of their parental rights. The argument from the mother was that the lower court had allowed testimony about her sexual orientation to negatively impact her ability to retain parental rights over her son. The appellate court agreed, noting that sexual orientation alone is insufficient grounds to terminate parental rights.

In 2003 a legal decision out of Ft. Worth, Z.B.P. v. J.N.P. was centered around a divorce decree granting the mother and father joint custody of their child along with a geographic restriction on where the child could reside. The agreement was that the child shall not reside with the mother and a same-sex partner outside of a certain county. When the mother did move outside the county with a same-sex partner, she did so only after getting the permission of the father to do so on a temporary basis.

When the movement began to look more permanent than temporary, the father filed a motion to become the primary conservator of the child. The trial court ruled (and the appellate court upheld) that the father had grounds to do so because the child’s long commute was not in the best interests of the child. Getting back to a point we made earlier in this blog post, you should not agree to not live with a member of the same sex as a court would not order this unless it was shown that doing so would be harmful to the child.

Finally, in Jenkins v. Jenkins, a gay father was granted visitation rights in a child custody case. The mother won sole conservator rights while the father was granted only limited visitation rights. The trial court eventually expanded the visitation rights of the father despite no evidence that doing so was in the best interests of the child.

Reading through the facts of this last case, there are several that are unique. First of all, the child, in this case, was very young and an expanded summer visitation period may not make sense or a child of that age. Furthermore, the father had exposed the child to a number of harmful situations around the home that had put their safety in jeopardy. The court even called in an expert witness who offered testimony about how the father had failed to protect the child from harm’s way on repeated occasions.

LGBT non-parents who want custody/visitation rights

If you are the non-legally recognized parent of a child who is seeking visitation and/or custody rights to a child you must show a court that you have had actual care, control and possession of this child for at least six months.

That six month period must not have ended any more than 90 days before the filing date. Note that most courts do not require you to actually have lived with your child during this time period but that you must have had an actual role in parenting the child.

The standard that you as a non-legal parent must prove to win custody rights is the same as any parent in your position. That being the naming of your child’s legal parent as his or her only parent will significantly impair the child’s physical health or emotional development. The key is that you must file your custody case, known as a Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship, as soon as you are able to in order to meet the time requirements stated above.

Protecting Parental Relationships- Tomorrow’s blog post topic

Divorce Lawyers Houston: As a parent, you understand how important and precious your relationship with your child is. As a result, you should know as much as you can about Texas family law to ensure that your rights are protected. We will learn more about this subject in tomorrow’s blog post.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about today’s subject matter or any other topic in family law please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC. We offer free of charge consultations with one of our licensed family law attorneys six days a week. We can answer your questions and discuss with you the services that we can offer to you as a client of ours ... Continue Reading

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Naruto Shippuden S18

“I put the entire burden on you Naruto” The Entire Burden is a nickname for Sasuke and I love it

Team 7 protecting each other while still making time to flirt is my aesthetic

In terms of actually using all three members in a cohesive unit Team 10 has by far the best teamwork in their year

Episodes since Tenzo has been missing: 117!!!! FREE HIM

Sakura doesn’t trust Sasuke and that’s good because she has no reason to do so

“I’m over it” said Kakashi for the first time in his life ever

Poor Minato he is being traumatized even in the afterlife 

“That was anticlimactic” amazing that even in times of war Sasuke still finds time to be a bitch

What is this out of continuity Frankenstein episode

I THOUGHT FOR A SECOND OROCHIMARU BUILT A FAKE SASUKE

Sasuke walks away from the village just like he walks away from his emotional issues

I can already tell this two episode arc is going to be very stupid but I love it because I miss Tenzo and Neji 

This doesn’t make any sense because Asuma died while Naruto was training to learn the Rasenshuriken so Ino, Choji and Shikamaru should living their most tragic lives atm

I liked it better when Orochimaru was making a fake Sasuke 

Naruto’s two dramatic dads coming to the rescue 

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. This is where Kakashi and I used to come to make out,” said the Gay Subtext 

I can’t believe they’re taking Akamaru but not Kiba kgjhkjdfhgdkfjhgkh KAKASHI HAS EIGHT DOGS OF HIS OWN

So Kiba is coming though this party seems a little large for this kind of mission lmao

I’m not sure what’s funnier that Kakashi is still reading Makeout Paradise or that he has finally stuffed his team members inside a box for their own protection

Me @ those horrified Hokage faces: ....Same

“Wait, who’s holding the front? No one’s theeeeere” KAKASHI PLS

If the Gaara handshake and Kakashi piggyback are the best two minutes of anime I’ve ever seen then this was definitely the worst two minutes the rainbow vomit and Neji’s fall from the sky I will never recover

Naruto’s heart eyes @ Gaara: SAME X2

I guess even Gaara is vulnerable to his Fifteen Year Old Boy Pride

“He was with me earlier but he ditched me” Orochimaru sounds like Sasuke’s bitter girlfriend

REVERSE SNAKE DIGESTION AND OROCHIMARU’S GIGGLE I HAVE NO WORDS

ITACHI PLEASE why would you be so highkey about protecting your brother literally his forehead said “Itachi” I’m livid and yet I’m also living 

Gaara the Hidden Leaf is burning to the ground what kinda priorities 

Filler Sakura is much more into Naruto than Canon Tragic Trashbag-Loving Sakura

I never thought I’d be eager to get back to tragedy and yet here we are

“That Sasuke... he’s bright” Sasuke gets the dad approval and Itachi gave Naruto the older brother approval so I’m not saying you’re supposed to get married but that’s exactly what I’m saying  

Well that’s gross Obito

“Time for my Raijin Flash Super Circle Dance Howl Stage 3″ WHO LETS MINATO NAME THINGS

QUIT TRYING TO SEVER THE PAST SASUKE ALL TEAM 7 WANTS TO DO IS LOVE YOU

“He’s just like a snake” Well this is a perfect time for Sasuke Uchiha, Snake Expert

Yikes @ Minato watching Obito being swallowed by his flesh prison

For about ten seconds I was rooting for Obito to live for Minato and Kakashi’s sake but surprise surprise he continues to be the wooooOooOrst

Every time Sasuke wraps Naruto protectively in his Susano my heart swells three sizes 

“Here, you can have this back” bless you Tobirama

Temari is so supportive she is Team Shikamaru all the way

“Smiling? Both of them?” Sakura is shocked to hear Sasuke remembers how to smile

Tobirama is increasingly embarrassed by the Namikaze clan nerds

Minato is taking the blame onto himself for all that became of his comrades just as Kakashi does, like sensei like student

KURAMA GIVING MINATO INSPIRATIONAL SPEECHES FROM WITHIN IS MY AESTHETIC

Tomorrow is Naruto’s birthday and also his parents’ deathday what a yikes life

Minato has saved everyone in the world even after his own death my Namikaze boys I love them so much

“What kind of child-rearing led to this?” Kakashi and Iruka’s lmao

This outro is literally Naruto and Sasuke running to each other on a beach at sunset bless this homoerotic animation studio

“I know you’re not an idiot” do u know that Tobirama 

The real question is who is worse at dealing with emotional intimacy Sasuke or Kurama

Are you honestly still bitter about Naruto’s success Sasuke come on dude learn to adjust

381 Episodes into the series and the Sage of Six Paths gets a name 

At this point there are going to be like 100 Shinobi left in the whole world

Shikamaru doesn’t deserve this 

Can I just say I’m glad Kakashi is in the intro? Because it gives me hope that he will not be Tenzo’d in this arc

“He seems to be in a foul mood” when is Sasuke not in a foul mood

IS EVERYONE ON THE BATTLEFIELD GOING TO EXPERIENCE NARUTO’S LOVE FOR SASUKE I’M SCREAMING

This is a pretty shitty way for Hiruzen to find out his son died

Everyone is pissed off and inspired by all the pain that Naruto has been through

Current list of Sasuke’s titles: Bitch, snake expert and Smart Boi

Fhfkgjhsjghsdkjgh Hashirama is the most beautiful person dead or alive:

Tobirama: We’ll assign the Tailed Beasts based on power balance but you’re required to pay

Hashirama: [whispers loudly] They’re not free?

Tobirama: Shut it!

“A Shinobi’s Dream” is 10/10, inspirational and beautiful episode I love it

“There’s no one more qualified than me to be Naruto’s advisor” I mean that was very poetic Shikamaru but Kakashi is at least equally adept if not more so

KAKASHI JUST SUTURED HIS OWN STAB WOUND THIS MAN IS TRULY MY DREAM

Hiruzen bossing Orochimaru around makes me happy in a weird way

My girl Sakura protecting the whole Shinobi world with her sensei 

KAKASHI COME SAVE YOUR CHILDREN THIS IS YOUR BAT SIGNAL

Sasuke keeps encouraging Naruto to keep fighting and coming back to his side it’s adorable

Kakashi’s babies are back together and he’s getting the live feed god bless

Obito’s dream of just being a ninja in the Leaf was very depressing

This must be Kakashi and Minato’s dream I’ve never seen so much teamwork at once

Kakashi and Obito with Team 7 vkcjbhkjvhbjk oh my goodness my feelings

Tiny heartthrob Kakashi is adorable and I love him

So the reason Kakashi got placed on Team Minato is because he couldn’t play well with others oh my rude little boy

Obito’s struggles being late to everything are #relatable

This is so funny though because when Kakashi’s babies went to the Chunin exam he literally brought Sasuke in like hours late

“A guy’s gotta have a scar or two get some cred” but how many scars must Kakashi’s heart endure Obito

Lmao @ Tsunade calling “hold” for Team Minato to deal with their Emotional Issues

In all fairness to Kakashi, Minato, he did his fair share of lecturing before you arrived

What is it with these boys and sitting atop each other for minutes at a time while reliving their memories together

“I’ve thought that this world is hell too” Minato gets to hear about the burden Kakashi has been carrying for twenty years

“So that’s where Madara is” you’d think the giant wooden dragon would also be a give-away

I’m very concerned about Gaara but I’m proud of him for making peace with Shukaku

I don't know if Hinata's voice actor changed or if she forgot how to do young Hinata or if I forgot how she sounds but something seems odd

My boy Neji!!! I miss him so much

Why are the Hyuga like this I need reformation #JusticeForNeji

Hanabi discovers that her sister is a peeping tom at the age of 5

The fact that sunset on the beach ending is accompanied by the lyrics “I shouldn't love you, no, no, no” as Naruto and Sasuke meet this is truly the Gay Agenda

So many Naruto episodes are just retelling Part 1 events through different perspectives lmao 

Hanabi WHY ARE YOU HAVING A FLASHBACK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TEN SECONDS AGO

I have so many feelings about Neji and Hinata like he is her Excessively Pretentious Older Brother why is his life so sad!!!! Revive him and let him uncle her babies 

“I want to choose my own path without being influenced by anyone else” all of your memories are about how Hinata was being influenced by Naruto Hanabi but I understand your sentiment 

I know this is supposed to be a recounting of a very serious moment but I can't stop laughing about Kakashi's five hour straddle of Obito like sensei like student

“You just lie there, okay?” Kakashi is so gentle with the friend he was just trying to murder  

“What's that?” Hashirama should really be more fazed about being a face titty on his bff

Black Zetsu is such a dick Kakashi and Minato don't deserve this 

Madara: Family reunion?

Sasuke: How about I kill you instead

Madara: Why does everyone I invite keep saying this 

Real talk how does Madara even know what Sasuke's eyes look like if he HAS NO EYES CURRENTLY

This episode is called "The Hidden Heart" and I hope it's a joke about Madara's heart being hidden under his Hashirama face titty

In a way the Tailed Beasts are all like bickering siblings

Nothing livens up a party like auto-cannibalism

Kakashi, three seconds after declaring possible victory: I failed

Gaara and Shukaku's friendship means the world to me we've come so far my tiny murder child

FLY SAND BOY FLY LIKE THE WIND

Hashirama, after witnessing Madara kill literally thousands of people: Madara is fundamentally kind

Tobirama is already pinned down Madara now you're just being mean

“To be honest, I've been wanting to do this to you for a very long time now” Kinkshame Madara Uchiha

Tenzo's jutsu is strong enough to hold off the five Kage and I'm very emo about it

“He's using wood style... who is he?” I WONDER WHO IT COULD BE OF THE THE TWO WOOD STYLE USERS TO EVER EXIST IN THE UNIVERSE ONE OF WHOM IS DEAD

“I asked you what does it feel like to poo” Swirly still asking the tough questions over 17 years later

God bless Sakura shouting words of encouragement as she heals Naruto

Naruto and Sasuke vowed to die together and they are so hardcore committed both of their hearts stopped at the same time