#and thee cheating comment was about emotional cheating so I guess that checks out

[charlotte-of-wales]

https://www.tumblr.com/charlotte-of-wales/725032377452281856/also-i-feel-their-choice-for-the-book-was-so?source=share

i read the book and it's insta-love silliness with unnecessary miscommunication, not really with cheating involved (one of them is in a relationship when they meet and spend their day together but i'm not even sure they kiss at that point?). they then meet again 10 years later after the mmc failed to show up at their meeting spot a year later (or did he?) and they work their stuff out by idolizing their past versions and attractions to each other and communicating badly (or not at all honestly) for a while until it all works out.

the fmc's mum dies in a car crash a few months before the present timeline starts when the fmc shows up at the lake resort (fmc is in her late 20's at that point, so idk where the childhood trauma comes from?), but the cause of death is honestly mentioned so little, it's basically just a plot point to get the main characters to the lake resort again. the fmc's mum is also the one who deals with post-natal depression, but that's mentioned in like one off-hand diary entry read by the fmc.

and with mental health: the mmc has anxiety, but that's about it with regards to mental health rep.

(if you can't tell, i read the book and almost dnf'd it bc it was so boring and predictable and used way too many cliche's. Spoiler: the mmc did show up at the resort a year after meeting like they had promised each other, but he didn't feel kenough to show himself because of anxiety, and his sister got pregnant as a teen and he stepped up to help support them both, getting a corporate career for financial stability instead of pursuing his creative drawing passion thingy, achieving none of the things they had written down in a bucket list type thing on that one day they spend together. and that's basically the reason for the entire plot of the book)

that sounds........like something

[chauhee]

The Scavenger Hunt - Choose your own adventure story

The Boyz - Younghoon, Chanhee, and Changmin

Warnings - None

Summary - You had been getting mysterious messages from what seemed to be a close friend of yours. Each of the messages is a clue you have to solve to be able to figure out who the mysterious messenger is. One night, you all go out to dinner when you get another clue out of the blue. Who is this secret admirer of yours?

Notes: Gender-neutral reader

Genre: fluff

You were comfortably seated at the crowded restaurant table. The buzz of conversation fills the small, dim room. Empty dinner plates lay in front of you and your friends. Just as the conversation was getting heated, a ringtone chimes: it’s your phone.

“Is it him again?” Changmin questions you with a hint of laughter in his voice. His eyes were teasing, searching your face for the emotions that were hidden behind your tired laughter. 

“Yes, it is,” You dismiss him and his smug remarks. He always seemed to be looking for a way to fluster you.  

Before you check the message you pause to look up from your phone screen. You see Younghoon shift a bit in his seat, now sitting forward, more engrossed in the situation. His eyes are on Changmin, though, seemingly avoiding your questioning gaze.

“What’s the new clue?” Chanhee finally asks, setting his cup down.

Oh, right. 

You return back to the present and open the notification, reading the clue carefully. It puzzles you. There were no instructions, no difficult math equations, no lines of morse code to decipher. All that was sent was a strange sentence that sounded vaguely familiar to you. A smile forms on your face. Despite the difficulty, you couldn’t deny that this whole situation was really fun.

Without your knowledge, your companions begin to study your face carefully. Their curious eyes glancing around your facial features, possibly just trying to figure you out. They were waiting for you to comment on the message you just received. Then Changmin breaks the silence with a loud clap.

“Tell us, what do we need to figure out this time?” He seemed genuinely interested, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that he was teasing you. His demeanor was beginning to get a bit annoying.

“None of your business.” You look him in the eyes, “Not if you’re going to make fun of me.” Turning to your friend who tagged along with your three best friends, you ask her what she thinks, turning the phone screen in her direction. She squints her eyes at the bright screen of your phone. 

“Hey! I’m not making fun of you, I swear!” Changmin laughs loudly. “I thought you liked us helping you solve your little secret admirer’s riddles.” He flashes a wide smile, purposefully showing off his dimples.

You looked back at your phone with butterflies in your stomach. You’re not sure if they’re from the thrill of the game, or Changmin’s annoyingly irresistible smile. You still couldn’t believe that someone would like you this much; that they would create something so elaborate and fun in order to confess their feelings for you. Too bad you can’t seem to figure out who it is....

“Let us help,” Younghoon says, looking at you with his sweet eyes. You smile back at him, your mood doing a 180. Your soft spot for Younghoon always seems to get the best of you. You read out the clue to your four companions.

“Ugh! I think I know that reference, I just can’t remember where it’s from!” Your friend chimes in from next to you. “Maybe it’s from a movie...?” She pauses with a quizzical look on her face. The riddle frustrated her more that you. She grabbed her phone and began typing, possibly searching it up on Google.

“Oh, I think I know which one you’re talking about,” Changmin says, with a face of concentration prominent on his handsome features. 

Chanhee sat there quietly looking down at the dark polished wood of the table. You couldn’t shake the feeling that he was not that interested in helping you. You had asked him to join your friends in your little riddle solving team and he had agreed. But, it was begrudgingly. You didn’t want to be a nuisance to him, but it made you genuinely happy to have him there to help you. You returned your attention to your other friends. 

“Younghoon,” You call out abruptly. “What do you think?”

He glances at you, the other members at the table looking up, eager for an answer. He then put on an exaggerated thinking face, complete with his fist under his chin. 

“Huh, this guy is pretty smart... I can’t seem to get it,” he smiled at you.

“What? No it’s so easy, I think we drank too much, that’s why none of us have gotten it yet” Chanhee laughed, taking another drink from his cup. His random burst of enthusiasm brought your spirits up at least a little bit.

After a few minutes of failed brainstorming, everyone at the table decided to grab their phones and search for the quote. Despite the fact that it was technically cheating, the riddle stumped you all so much that it seemed acceptable. No one seemed to have any luck, though, as everyone released frustrated sighs at the ‘no results found’ page. 

“Maybe he is the one who wrote the riddle wrong!” Your friend says from next to you. The three boys awkwardly glanced at each other with nervous chuckles. You simply sat back, laughing at your friends’ enthusiasm to help you.

After a few more minutes of searching, it hit you. It was a quote from your favorite book. It wasn’t a direct quote, which is why your friends were unable to Google it. He made sure that only you would be able to answer this question, and without search engines. You quickly typed your answer into your phone and sent it to your mysterious messenger.

Almost instantly, you got another message. That was weird, usually he waits for the next day to send the next clue. You smiled at your phone as the boys around you questioned your actions with their eyes.

“I got it!” You beamed at your friends.

“Oh come on! I almost got it this time!” Changmin complained, dramatically tossing his phone onto the table.

“What was the answer?” Chanhee asks, placing his phone face down onto the table before him.

“Just a quote from a book” you said. “I had to send back the second part of it.” You purposefully hid some of the information of the answer. Your male friends nodded at your answer. 

“I knew it was a reference!” Your friend yells from next to you, she sits back on her chair, pouting from the loss.

“I guess they really don’t need us,” Changmin says, imitating a crying voice.

“Oh shut up,” you laugh. “That one doesn’t count. Only I would have known thee answer to that riddle.” 

“Really? But it was just a quote from a book,” Your friend says, leaning further back in her chair. 

You simply ignored her question and looked back at your phone screen. Your mind was racing, trying to solve this riddle just as fast as the previous one, since your benefactor was being so generous tonight. You couldn’t help thinking that this meant things were picking up in this little scavenger hunt. You felt closer than ever to finding out who it was. Your companions noticed something new held your attention.

“Did he send something back?” Younghoon asks, picking at a loose piece of food to appear more nonchalant. 

You looked up at him, narrowing your eyes slightly. He was obviously trying to seem innocent as he asked the question. But, it didn’t fool you. Did he know something?

“Another clue?” Changmin leans over the table, seemingly done with his fake tantrum. Chanhee raises an eyebrow at you, cocking his head slightly. Why do they all seem to act so suspicious?

“Yeah,” you concede to their questioning. “It’s really weird. He usually waits at least one day...”

“What is it?” Chanhee asks. His right hand was over his phone... almost as if he was trying to guard it.

“Just a bunch of numbers, but I don’t recognize them,” You look over the numbers again.

“Let me see” he says, putting his slender hand out for you to hand him your phone. His face was blank, utterly unreadable. This is going to be harder than I thought. You consider rejecting the offer, but you remember that he is unusually good at mental math, so you hand him your phone.

He quickly looked over the message. Despite the curious eyes of your friends, you still snuck a long look at your handsome friend as he tried to scour his brain for answers. You quickly snap out of it. He smiled over the contents of your phone and handed it back almost immediately. 

“No idea,” he says with a smile.

“You guys have been acting so weird since I involved you in this...” You commented softly, pretending to be engrossed in the contents of your phone.

“Do you think it’s one of us?” Changmin says as he leans back in his chair, his dark hair falling softly around his eyes.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you figured out what to answer him. Of course you had considered that. In fact, Changmin, Chanhee, and Younghoon were the three friends you had narrowed your suspicious down to. That’s the reason you asked them to help you. They couldn’t keep this lie up for too long. You knew that if you involved them, there was sure to be a slip up and you would finally be able to know who it was that had captured your attention for the past week.

Despite his usual demeanor, you knew Chanhee always had a soft spot for you. In his own way, he looked out for you and always paid attention when you talked to him. He had a special way of remembering small details about you that very few people take note of. 

Then there was Changmin. You chose him because he flirted with you relentlessly. There wasn’t a moment that he wasn’t teasing you. He was also a great friend and he was always up for something fun and adventurous. He was the kind of friend you could call up in the middle of the night and go on an adventure with.

And... well, to be honest, you just relished in the idea that it could be Younghoon. He was so sweet and he brought out a soft side of you that you didn’t even know was there. He simply made you happy. And you may or may not have a small crush on him. 

You laughed at Changmin’s question. “No, of course not. That’s why you guys are the ones helping me.”

A noticeable tension arose once you spoke those words. The boys awkwardly glanced at each other, but then quickly recovered as to not cause any suspicion. You made sure to attempt eye contact with all three of them, hoping to catch one of them in a lie, but they all avoided your gaze. Changmin took another sip of his drink, looking out the window with a slight smirk on his lips. The other two boys simply looked down at the table. They were lost in their thoughts.

These were your best friends. You have known them for years now. What changed?

Choose your path!

Changmin - A Rush of Doubt

Younghoon - You Remember?

Chanhee - You’re So Frustrating

[lobsters-on-their-heads]

OB Rewatch: The Redesign of Natural Objects

I so want this to be symbolic of Sarah Stubbs’ relationship with Alison Hendrix.

As always, there are SPOILERS for the ENTIRE series ahead!

I loved

The shots of Siobhan out stalking Duko. Somebody make this into a poster with some inspirational Irish saying at the bottom.

That Alison and Felix communicated to defeat Duko. She has people she can count on who know her secrets.

Adele's back! Yay! “I don't want anyone friskin' you. It's not as fun as it sounds.” Heh. And I just love this shot of her.

“Cosima, it's good to see you again!” “Um, yeah, I'm a bit conflicted about it.”

“Yo, Rachel.”  “Yo.”

Cosima recognizing and using her value to the Susan and Rachel team. She doesn't have a whole lot to lose at this point, but she has what they need.

Great contrast of Jesus Christ Superstar with Donnie in the cell. I don't know the musical, but people have pointed out that Alison's playing the role of Judas. (See, they told us that knowing Bible stories would help us understand other stories, and they were right!) Plus, this shot of Alison is the best shot of her for the entire series.

“Yes, I'm sure you're excited about your contribution, Ira.”

I liked

When MK says, “There’s something you should see,” she immediately follows it up with what that something is. It’s refreshing.

“I could build us all coffins. Shall I start with the smallest first?”

As soon as Scott said he wasn’t working with Rachel, Cosima went with his assessment. Because he’s her partner.

Spot on music for Donnie's opening scene in prison – Sonny Curtis' “I Fought the Law (and the Law Won)” After all, “I needed money 'cause I had none” does sum up why the Hendrixes got into drug pushing in the first place

The finch desktop wallpaper is a nice touch.

“She even cheats at Agricola.” Oh, Scott. I'm curious HOW one cheats at Agricola, though.

The person Art trusts to talk to about Duko is Raj, the sweet guy who got Beth and Sarah all that equipment.

Alison says Shit! And Scheisse!

Both Siobhan and Sarah trying to dress Felix like he's not the biggest fashion stickler of the entire Clone Club.

Alison's terrified hesitation as she talks to Felix on the phone. 

I didn’t like

Donnie is such a fucking idiot. He's learned nothing from working with drug dealers. Has he even watched TV?

I hate any time a character tells another character how “crazy” they’re being. If the characters and plot are strong enough (and in this case, they are), the audience can gauge the craziness for themselves. Telling us is just talking down to us. 

What the fuck, Rev. Mike?? “I'm sure the children will be just fine with proper therapy.” Alison, get thee to a different church, now! I kind of wish they'd made Rev. Mike a Neolutionist. It'd make more sense than him just being a shitty reverend.

Cosima's hair is under the ear protection/ head set, rather than tucked behind it. That bothers me.

Other notes

Both Rachel and Ira are wearing gray at the beginning – Rachel dark, Ira light.

By the end, though, Rachel’s back in white, and a shirt very similar to the one Susan’s wearing. Ira’s still in gray, though.

Thank GOD Charlotte was removed from Susan Duncan's “care” before Susan could fuck her up any further. The way Susan pits siblings against each other, obviously keeps Charlotte away from kids her own age, and invests nothing in social or emotional education.... And Charlotte's little smile when Susan says, “Ira, have you shown Rachel your toy soldiers” says everything about Charlotte's comprehension of the game at hand.

Rachel’s comment that she has “a long perspective on our ailment” gets fleshed out (sorry, bad pun?) in Season 5. 

Alison heard the term “fly in the ointment,” and thought of Sarah immediately.

Alison had that mini bottle of vodka completely open when Felix startled her and she dropped it. Nothing like vodka-infused mascara, eh?

“Beth told me about you. How's your illness?” MK makes it sound like Beth told her about Cosima’s illness, which makes no sense. It could be an intentionally strange construction, though, since MK’s coded as neuro atypical.

Rachel has an eye vision of the inside of the yurt with the Messenger, but no Delphine. Indicates Delphine (a) is in on the visions and helped orchestrate this one, (b) is out of the yurt and the Messenger just helps himself, or (c) just sits back and puts up with anything and everything that happens on the island, even if it's in her personal space. I’m betting on (b) or (c). Still, how cool could it have been if Delphine showed up in her eye vision, slowly moving her thumb into Rachel’s field of vision.

This shot, by itself, could make an interesting dental hygiene ad.

If Duko’s niece is the reason he's doing all of this, it's telling that he says she's “like, ten.” Most of us, I think, would be able to give our beloved nieces’ and nephews’ ages at the drop of a hat, no hesitation or “like” involved.

I have questions

Is the safe house a former bakery as well as grocery? Those look like bakery or pizza ovens to me.

What happened to the Threatening Neo after Neolution collapsed at the end of the series? I’m guessing he stayed in prison, but did anyone tell him they collapsed?

Art was totally opposed to Siobhan killing a cop, until he was fine with it. Was it Duko going AWOL, or his threat to Donnie, or his trying to get Sarah that swayed Art?

Who had Kira's ears pierced, and when?

And what was Rev. Mike doing with that stack of hymnals?

What denomination are the Hendrixes? Not Catholic because we would have known by now, and because they call him Rev. Mike, not Father Mike. I think these symbols indicate a particular denomination, but I don't recall which.

Why is Rev. Creepy helping with the rehearsal? Don't they have a musical director for that?

Why is poor Scott the one who has to clean the blood from the comics shop? And why is he using such a stiff brush? A damp cloth and some bleach oughta do it.

I have questions in general about the state of Cosima's reproductive system. She says they couldn't get her cells to create a usual culture (though she doesn't give a time frame for when that was attempted). Fortunately, her disease isn’t real, so I’ll never get my questions answered.

Where and how did Sarah have her eggs removed? How many did they take? Did she get that oophorectomy after all? Did she enjoy it?

I would have liked to have seen

I wanted to see some discussion of how they've already looked for Delphine. Sarah's claim that “we'll find her” should have been met with a response of “How? We’ve already checked everywhere” or some other expression of frustration.

Someone get Tatiana and Terra Hazelton a Broadway musical, STAT.