#i think nolan and i just don't get along. i think i need to accept this and move on with my life but unfortunately it's really frustrating.

[youssefguedira]

the problem with me and nolan is that i ALMOST love a lot of his movies (that ive seen) except in almost every one there's 1 glaring aspect that i hate (it's usually misogyny) that makes it hard to like the rest of the movie

[xjulixred45x]

I know I have to work on the requests, but I have to get this out of my head because now I have a rediscovered love for Invincible, bear with it.

(SOMETHING LIKE A CONTINUATION OF THIS)

SOME SITUATIONS WITH YANDERE AU MARK GRAYSON/INVINCIBLE

okay, I can definitely see that you two were a couple or at least liked each other before everything went to hell.

and although you were fine with Mark at that time, when he was being convinced to join the Viltrum empire, he was somewhat seeking your approval. although using very vague assumptions, such as "would you accept an alien race if it meant world peace?" "or if that would help with the development of medicine?" You know, like what Nolan wanted to do at the beginning with Mark. and obviously since you didn't have the context you said yes without hesitation, further fueling Mark's crazy ideas.

I may not have made it very clear in the first part, but you and Nolan definitely don't get along. I mean, he's nice to you in a way, but he treats you like a little kid who needs discipline, so he tries to push Mark into that. Not only that, but you also indirectly blame him for the sudden change in Mark's personality, you know that if Nolan hadn't gotten him into that shit, he wouldn't have so much blood on his hands. The Mark you knew wasn't like that. HE WASNT.

The main reason this Mark doesn't feel angry because of your traditional escape attempts or why he's so soft is because of something our Invincible doesn't usually have, and that's his ARROGANCE. This Mark does not believe that you are capable of running away from him, you are not capable of defending yourself from him, you are not capable of harming him and above all you are not capable of HATE HIM, because he sees you as a soft creature, who should be treated as such because you are confused.

He is delusional, SpongeBob and Squidward level of Delusional. You could perfectly tell him that you hate him, that he's the worst thing that happened to you in your life... and he thinks it's reverse psychology.

"fuck you"

"Is that an invitation?😚"

"I hate you"

"I love you too babe🥰"

"If we were trapped on a desert island I wouldn't hesitate for a second to make a raft with your limbs"

"Silly you, I would take you out flying😘"

Do you see what I'm saying? For the same reason, if you end up hurting him, he would be proud that now you can definitely defend yourself from the Revolutionaries who "kidnap you every now and then" (it's you on the run). dang it, if you hurt him probably even NOLAN would compliment you for doing it despite being "so weak" and would completely approve of you.

(I can already imagine you with a wedding dress and a bouquet of knives...you want to throw it at Mark...in the face)

I think the most Mark does to scare you into escape scenarios is to threaten to throw you and not catch you next time, that's the best he goes. He can't stand the idea of leaving you paralyzed because it would be very boring and sad to see only a shell of you.

He wouldn't kill Eve, but he would never hurt you...physically. Did you see that in the end in their universe they manage to imprison him and get rid of Omniman? you totally didn't let go of Fem! Cecil(Cecilia?) all the way to her base and thanking her with all your heart and tears. Cecilia comforted you awkwardly, but she understood that you must have definitely had a hard time with Mark.

Meanwhile, with Mark already locked up, even if the world is a bit messed up, you can breathe easy for the first time in years, you can leave the base without fear of what happens to the people around you, you can eat without a problem, you can CHAT with people! it's magic! It's like you don't even remember anything before Mark! out of pure fear!

Meanwhile, Mark in prison always asks about you AT LEAST once a day, even if they give him proof that you are WELL and HEALTHY, he just doesn't believe it and DEMANDS to see you to prove it, which they obviously deny him and only makes him think that even more. The guy thinks you must be dying of hunger and cold or being eaten by collotes while you live your best life🤣

"MY POOR BABE! She must be so confused and scared without me! How do I know they're not torturing her for information!? She must be so worried because we're not getting home!" and it goes on and on... meanwhile Darling: "happy~ happy~happy~" "OHHHOOOhhOO, I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY!"

For now that's all. I hope the Viltrum empire doesn't come to shit on Darling's happiness☠️

[li0nh34rt]

Fake Dating AU

Chromophobia by @katzaren

When Liam accidentally outs Theo as gay at group therapy, Theo gets his revenge by claiming that Liam is his boyfriend. In order to make up for what he did, Liam goes along with the pretend relationship. Meanwhile, Theo struggles with his past and whether he even deserves a boyfriend, let alone a fake one, and Mason and Corey bet on whether or not Theo and Liam will become a real couple after their week of pretend dating.

[Mature / 10.6k / complete]

Theo's aunt Minnie comes to town by @tvtime

Liam and Theo have to pretend to be boyfriends when Theo’s Aunt Minnie comes to town. Fortunately, it isn’t too hard to fake. Post-series but no spoilers.

[Gen / 3.k / complete]

Just too good to be true by @raekentheoryarchive

Liam has the worst luck when it comes to girls. Things just keep crashing and burning. Mason tries to convince him that maybe it’s time to come out, to date a guy instead, but his best friend won’t hear it. So he and Corey decide to find him the ultimate date, someone who’s exactly his type—snarky, tendency to punch people, and tough enough to put up with their volatile friend. Bad boy Theo Raeken is the perfect fit, despite his murky past and caustic personality. And the fact that he won’t do it for free. What could go wrong? 

[TeenUp / 56.2k / complete]

It was only a bet by @volsungar-the-mighty

When Theo Raeken, captain of the college football team, loses a bet to one of his team mates, he is forced to start a fake relationship with Liam Dunbar, all around nerd and Theo’s neighbour, who constantly complains about the noise.

Theo isn’t expecting his feelings to become involved, yet they do, but before he can act on them, the worst happens – Liam finds out about the bet.

[Mature / 37.3k / complete]

Play by the rules by @xsophie2x

Theo and Liam's friends are tired of their constant bickering and arguing, and agree they need to do something about it. That's why they come up with a plan for them to get to know each other differently: pretend to be each other's boyfriends and date each other for a month. None of them really knows how it will work out, but are the end results really such a surprise?

[NR / 34.1k / wip]

I won't die for you (but maybe I will stand beside you) by @iwritefanfictionsometimes

Liam is an idiot who can't keep his mouth shut and now his mother is expecting a boyfriend for Christmas.

[Mature / 14.4k / complete]

Marshmallows and Mistletoe by @wolfenboyb

Liam brags about his new beau to friends and family, and as the holidays approach he's forced to bring them over. The problem is, he doesn't really have one. Enter Theo--alone at christmas and unable to say no to puppy dog eyes. Chaos ensues. Soft chaos.

[Gen / 6.1k / complete]

Faking It by @xtarmanderx

Theo and Liam have been best friends forever and they’ve gone unnoticed throughout school, much to Liam’s displeasure. One day at lunch, everything changes when a girl overhears them and is convinced they are dating. Liam, realizing this could be their shot at popularity by being the first same sex couple in schools, convinces Theo to fake date him. Between pretending and trying not to get caught, Theo will also have to avoid breaking his one rule: to not fall in love with his best friend.

[Mature / 19k / complete]

I lied when I was seventeen by @eclecticklutz @raekentheoryarchive

Liam had never been nervous in front of a crowd, but then again, he usually was doing something he was amazing at.

He was not amazing at words. Which explained why the following ones left his mouth:

"Well, uh... I... don't think... the person I have been seeing for the past month would appreciate me putting myself up for auction?"

 [TeenUp / 9.6k / complete]

The Butterfly Effect by @sweetpoisonedheart

Liam doesn’t think he needs a boyfriend or girlfriend but his friends seem to think otherwise.He gets tired of all the set-ups and ambushes, so he makes up a boyfriend. It gets them off his back for a couple of days but now they keep asking to meet him. In a panic, he asks his hot new neighbour - who just so happens to be pretty spot on for the guy Liam described - if he’ll fake date him and then break up in a couple weeks time. Things get complicated when Liam starts to develop actual feelings.

[Gen / 2.1k / wip]

Bad at Love by @sweetpoisonedheart

Liam and Theo had a great relationship..until they didn't and broke up. Liam has neglected to tell his family the news though and they keep letting him know how excited they are that he's bringing Theo home with him this weekend. He doesn't want to see the disappointment on their faces, so out of desperation he asks Theo to fake it, just for his mom's birthday..he doesn't expect Theo to agree so easily. Maybe along the way, they work through their issues and fall in love all over again.

[TeenUp / 2.1k / wip]

Prepare for trouble by @orphan_account

And make it double.

There's prom, and it's cheaper to buy tickets in pairs.

[TeenUp / 1.7k / complete]

Fake you out by @chuwuyas

"Theo, I need your help."

Theo groaned bored. "What?"

"I'm going to a dinner with my parents tonight... And I need you to be my fake boyfriend."

[Explicit / 4.4k / complete]

Bad Liar by @mmmwddd

When Liam's ex girlfriend comes back to town after a year he panics and tells her that he is dating someone.

[TeenUp / 12.3k / complete]

I loathe you I love you by @tonytonesphoneroo5000

It's only supposed to happen once. Problem is, it keeps happening, and they both hate it so much less than they should.

[Explicit / 30.1k / complete]

You think I'm hot? by @trashpanda_stories

Hayden is supposed to mary.

Liam is invited and needs a hot date, but he has a plan...

[NR / 2.8k / complete]

Not asking for a Miracle by @imthehotgirl

When Liam convinces Theo to pretend to be his boyfriend for the holidays he's not quite prepared for everything that follows.

[TeenUp / 8.2k / complete]

Wedding Bells by @lanceiferroar

Scott and Malia's wedding is coming up. Liam needs a date, especially when he hears that Hayden is bringing her new boyfriend. What will happen when Corey finds out that Theo is back in town and brings him to Liam's house?

[Mature / 7k / complet

Fake relationship = free food by @lilyoselrc

The five-times Liam and Theo pretended to be a couple, and the time that they didn’t have to.

[Gen / 3.k / complete]

How we got here by @godricsalzaar16

Liam and Theo aren't dating. Until they are. But they still aren't. Until they are.

It's all Liam's fault anyway. Theo's just doing this for the food.

[TeenUp / 9.3k / wip]

Black Diamond by @teenwolf-af

Liam and Theo go undercover as an engaged couple at a ski resort for a case. Theo likes Liam. Liam might kind of like Theo too. Not that either of them would ever admit it.

“Who’s at the door, babe?” Theo called from behind him. Liam could have sworn he felt his eye twitch.

“Our neighbors-“ he turned, but Theo was right there, sliding an arm around his waist. Not wearing a shirt. Why?

[TeenUp / 20.2k / complete]

Someone like you by @neko-alice-yami-esme

"I know this might sound crazy and you don't even know me at all but I would owe you so much if you could pretend you're my bofriend while my ex is here in this party!"

[TeenUp / 1.5k / complete]

Faking It by @blaxis

"Are you two dating?" Scott asked.

"Yes." They said in unison.

"But we're faking it,” Theo added, “To piss off Stiles, so don't tell him."

[TeenUp / 1.8k / complete]

Fake Date Me by @invisible_slytherin

“You should just find someone to fake date you,” Corey teased.

Or, the one where there's a new girl who flirts with Liam in Biology class.

[Gen / 2.5k / complete]

Are we pretending? by @raeannisapancake

Liam is in an awkward situation when Nolan asks him out. Luckily for him Theo is there to save him.

[Gen / 295 / complete]

Let's pretend by @invisible_slytherin

"I need you to be my fake boyfriend," Liam repeated.

Or, the one where Scott shouldn't have talked to Liam like he was fragile, Liam should have thought twice before engaging in a childish kind of revenge and Theo shouldn't have accepted to help.

[Gen / 7.5k / complete]

Prototype hearts by @ckaster

Scott severely understated the problem that the rogue omega would turn out to be. But that's not even Theo's biggest problem right now--no, not even close. That honor would go to one Liam Dunbar, who was both harder to understand than anticipated and the object of a crazy werewolf's desires.

[TeenUp / 9.6k / wip]

[northbndtrain]

Hey I'm a late Reven8e watcher and I love your Jack and real Amanda posts. Especially the season by season tracker of their development. I think the slow progression of their relationship and the trust they build over the course is something you don't see a lot on TV nowadays. You mind if I ask what do you think about the couple Amanda and Aidan? At the top of my head they don't seem like a bad couple but he always felt forced into the series to me. And it seemed their bond was never as deep

Hi! Thank you for the compliment, and I am so glad you enjoy the posts! I’m doing a re-watch right now and would like to eventually finally get the S3 and S4 “moments” lists done, too.

You’re absolutely right that the slow burn isn’t often done on TV anymore…hard to believe that up until the end of S4 Jack and Emily hadn’t done anything more than kiss a couple of times.

As frustrating as that sometimes was to watch in real time (and it was so, so frustrating, especially in Season 2, when they had very little interaction), in retrospect I can appreciate the fact that the writers took their time and made their case instead of rushing through the entire romance in the first season and then moving both on to new partners.

Plus, in the end, it worked out – I watched several shows around that time period that didn’t end with my favorite couple getting together, so to have Revenge really follow through with the promise they set up in the pilot four years earlier…that was a real gift.

Ah…Aiden…let me see…obviously, I’m not a fan, but that’s not just because I love Jack and Jack/Amanda. There were other problems with his character that I couldn’t get past.

(This is getting long, so under the cut it goes…)

1. AIDEN’S INTRODUCTION: You mention in your post that he felt forced into the series; that’s how it felt watching in real time, too. All during S1, there was never any mention of Aiden or even a reference made to Emily having had a serious love interest in the past, which makes sense because as far as we’re aware he was never part of creator Mike Kelley’s original vision for the show, but rather an addition that came after the show was renewed.

In a way, Aiden’s introduction was a symptom of the larger problem with S2 – that is, the writers/producers, high on the success of S1, decided over the hiatus to take their original concept, which was so beautiful in its simplicity (woman assumes a false identity to take down the people who betrayed her father), and twist it up into a bunch of unnecessary knots with the introduction of the Initiative, so that suddenly the villains weren’t just the Graysons and their employees, but also previously-unseen members of a larger global conspiracy involving all these other pointless baddies like Trask and Helen Crowley (how pointless? I had to look up both of their names because I couldn’t even remember them, even though they were all over Season 2).

The whole thing felt like sloppy miscalculation, and Aiden was right in the middle, as his tragic backstory involving his sister was tied into the whole Initiative conspiracy.

But what was also annoying was the way his relationship displaced Emily’s relationships with the other men in her life. The big story in S1 was the Jack/Emily/Daniel triangle, with Emily/Nolan’s friendship playing a prominent role as he was the only real partner she had in her revenge plots.

Enter Aiden, who took over Daniel’s place as Emily’s current lover, Jack’s place as her long-lost love interest from the past, and Nolan’s place as her partner-in-crime. It was just too much.

2. AIDEN’S LACK OF DEPTH/CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: However, even though S2 became, in large part, The Aiden Show, he somehow remained underdeveloped as a character with no real life outside of what was going on in Emily’s life.

And I guess one could make the argument that, well, “it’s Emily’s show; of course she would have more development.” Except EVERY other contract character on the show, including all of the other men in Emily’s life – Jack, Daniel, and Nolan – had more of a life outside of her than Aiden did:

Jack: relationships with multiple on-screen family members, two love interests besides Emily (Fauxmanda and Margaux), a job running the Stowaway, a job as a cop, friendships with Nolan and Charlotte

Daniel: relationships with multiple on-screen family members, three love interests besides Emily (Ashley, Sara, and Margaux), a job at Grayson, a job at Margaux’s magazine

Nolan: multiple on-screen love interests, a career as a successful tech wizard, a hacking hobby, friendships with Jack, Declan, and Louise

As a result of their various storylines and relationships, the Jack, Daniel, and Nolan we saw in their final episodes are not the same exact men we met in the pilot – they’ve grown, been damaged, healed, and discovered things about themselves.

But all Aiden ever had was a little backstory (solely to explain how he came to meet Emily at Takeda’s), and a fling with Niko (in S3) that was so brief and pointless that I can’t even remember if it was just a flirtation or if they actually slept together. And I think in one episode we met his mom, maybe?

But that’s it. Everything else about the character was Emily-related – he was involved with the Graysons and Grayson Global because Emily was, he hated Jack because he was jealous of Jack/Emily, he hated Daniel because Daniel mistreated Emily, the only reason he interacted with Nolan was because Nolan was Emily’s BFF…. So, for someone like me who didn’t care for Aiden/Emily, there was even less reason to like his character since he almost didn’t exist outside of her anyway.

3. AIDEN’S CHARACTER FLAWS (OR, “AIDEN SUCKS”): But, you know, even all that above wouldn’t be enough to get me to hate Aiden. Find him annoying, sure. Roll my eyes at him, yes. Fast-forward his scenes, of course. Forget major details about his storyline, all the time.

In the end, it was his behavior and his treatment of the characters I did love that bothered me most of all. He lied to Emily whenever he felt it was in her best interest, and when he lectured or berated her it grated – Jack and Nolan lectured her, too, but the show often had them on a moral high ground that Aiden, as a violent student of revenge himself, could never claim. He also often made bad decisions only to shift the blame onto someone else.

But I found really difficult to get past was his treatment of Jack and Emily in S3 after he found out that Emily had told Jack her real identity. Everything that followed – Aiden lying to Conrad that Jack was the one who tried to kill him (Conrad), which put the lives of both Jack and baby Carl in danger; Aiden breaking into Jack’s home and manipulatively painting himself as the savior who only took the job as Corad’s hitman to give Jack time to leave town and stay away from Emily forever; Aiden having the unmitigated gall to get mad at Emily afterward; and then Aiden threatening Jack again a few episodes later – just had me thinking, “Yeah, Aiden’s the worst. THE WORST.”

And all because he couldn’t stand that Emily told Jack the truth that was her truth to tell to anyone she wanted to tell.

I mean, in a way, as a Jack/Emily fan, I appreciated it on a story level as evidence that Aiden was desperately insecure and jealous when it came to Jack and Emily’s relationship.

But it also just cemented my belief that there was never going to be anything root-worthy or sympathetic about him no matter how much the show tried to hold him up as one of the “good guys.”

4. EMILY/AIDEN’S SHALLOW RELATIONSHIP: You pointed out in your post that Emily and Aiden’s bond never seemed as deep. I agree with you completely. For years, one of the big criticisms of Jack/Emily was from those who said that Jack was in love with a little girl who no longer existed (a myth I debunked here), and those same fans often said in the same breath that Aiden loved the whole/real woman.

Then Barry Sloane (Aiden) came along and did a “Pop on the Pop” interview in S3 where, when asked if he wanted Aiden and Emily to end up together, he said, 

I love working with Emily. I love the chemistry we have onscreen. I love those two characters together. I think Aiden understands her and he’s in love with one part of the woman she is. He doesn’t know Amanda Clarke. He fell in love with Emily Thorne. If she was to show up as that other part of herself, I don’t know if he’d love that other half of Emily.

(Unfortunately, I can’t link to the interview because the link I saved now directs to Amazon for some reason, so everyone reading this is going to have to take me at my word that I wouldn’t make up a quote about a show that was cancelled two years ago.)

I remember being kind of stunned by that quote when I read it, but only because it was so blunt – the sentiment didn’t surprise me because his words were backed up by what we’d seen on screen: there can be no depth to a relationship if one of the people involved only loves one part of the other person and has no interest in the rest, and Aiden clearly had no interest in Amanda Clarke (perhaps thinking, his mind warped by Takeda’s training, that Amanda didn’t exist anymore, or that she was never “real” the way Emily was “real”).

Ultimately, the most layered of Emily’s romances wasn’t her relationship with Aiden, because it wasn’t enough that they simply had a shared background in and driving need for revenge.

It was her relationship with Jack that was the most layered, and that was, interestingly enough, in large part because they spent so much of the series apart, so much of the series denying themselves the opportunity to be together. That time and that push and pull allowed them the space to see and accept ALL of each other. That slow-burn struggle made their eventual union feel earned, real, in a way that Emily/Aiden never did.

Thank you for the ask, and I am sorry it took so long to finish it!