#eating corn for breakfast as we speak.

[bowenoke]

"the problem with Costco and being a single adult is you have to eat the same thing every day for 2 weeks" sign me the FUCK up cornbread muffins are TEN DOLLARS and corn chowder and corn. I'm mostly corn. I've been eating nothing but corn. And you can be too. thank you costco

[darnell-la]

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗧 (ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ)

pairing: project x!logan howlett x government employee!reader

warnings: toxicity, confusion, no confection, hard to get, trapping, neck kisses, making out, choking, breaking in, blood, animalistic activities, emotions, etc.

note: Logan would burn the world if the person he loved died.

We’ll try to give you guys more action in part four. Hope you guys are keeping up!

———

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Logan called the school for the gifted, telling him he needed time to process what he went through.

Of course, Logan was lying. After that night with y/n, she was trustworthy. She had run away, disobeyed him, and yelled at him, but at the end of the day, she curled up next to the man who had just put her in her place.

Logan had to work hard with the young lady. Making her breakfast every day as well as lunch in dinner was light work. She had to eat, so she still tried escaping for the first week.

After a while, Logan brought her things back from the small town where they now lived. Y/n told herself she eased into the man only because he grew to move towards her instead of giving her punishments anytime she pissed him off, but in actuality, she loved the punishments more.

Logan was confused about why she lashed out at him one night. It had been weeks, and out of nowhere when he finally had the guts to make a small living move, she slapped him.

He let it slide for a second, but she kept swinging and yelling at him, telling him to let her go and that his sex wouldn’t keep her.

After she mentioned how he fucked her, he smirked, knowing that she grew onto the man. “Just say you want me to fuck you again, Bub,”

Y/n had finally convinced Logan to call the school for gifted, asking to meet and talk about what goes on under the grounds of the government.

Logan and y/n still go at it at times. Logan has always had a temper, so when y/n matched his, he couldn’t take it.

She hadn’t tried running away for a while, but her mouth never had an off day. Even though it was known y/n had something for Logan after being forced to stay with him, she still acted out.

“Get yourself dressed before the company gets her, alright?” Logan said, about to turn around and leave, but y/n kept arguing. “I’m leaving with them, and that’s that,” Y/n said, making the man chuckle loudly.

“You won’t goin’ nowhere, woman,” he said as he quickly stalled towards her until she backed up and hit the corned between him and the wooden wall in the kitchen.

“You’re gonna keep your pretty mouth closed, act right, and speak about what they’re doing to those people you so-called care about now, and that's the only thing you talk about,”

“You can’t stop me from leaving, Logan,” she said, making the man wrap his huge hand around her neck, tightening it until she gasped for air.

“You’re just talking out of your ass, right now, y/n, and you know it,” Logan said through his teeth. “I’m not — I-If you were nicer, maybe I’d invite you to come with me, but you’re not. We c-can’t work,”

Y/n knew that even though Logan was a hothead and had mental issues, she’d stay around to help him. After what she allowed to happen to him, she wanted to help him. She needed to help him.

“Oh, we can’t work together, Bub?” Logan asked as he pressed his body against hers, using his free hand to grip her waist. “Huh, Bub, we can’t work together?” He repeated with a heavy breath.

“Tell that to your cunt,” Logan spat in the girl's ear, speaking a shiver down her spine. He knew every inch of her body. She couldn’t hide herself.

Y/n kept quiet as the man tugged on her clothes, stripping her until she was only in her bra and panties. “My fuckin’ cunt. You ain’t goin’ nowhere, Bub,” Logan said in the crook of y/n’s neck before sucking.

Y/n moaned low, hand quickly coming up to run through the man’s hair. She knew she’d stay with the man, and he did too. The love language they had was confusing, but they could live with it.

“Taste too good to be bitchy every second of the day,” Logan pulled back, lips now inches from her own. “Maybe work on your grumpiness, and I’ll be better,” the young lady smirked.

“But you love me this way, and you know it. always want me to fuck you hard and rough — Put you in your place — Put you to sleep,” the man smirked back, knowing she’s passed out plenty of times from how rough he handled her.

“Maybe,” she said before both of them leaned in, smashing on each other’s lips. Their kisses were always rough, wanting to get any frustration and confusion out.

Logan went to pick y/n up until he heard a noise outside. Y/n didn’t hear anything, so she kept kissing the man, trying to crawl on him but he pulled back.

“Hold on, baby,” Logan said, knowing he had heard something. “They wouldn’t be here yet, right, baby?” Logan asked, talking about the professor from the school.

“No, I don’t think so,” y/n said as Logan placed his hand out behind him, telling g her to stay back. “Go get the shotgun, baby,” Logan said, making y/n’s heart drop.

“I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” someone said in the house, making y/n jump, and Logan turn around as he brought out his claws. He recognized that voice.

“Electronic locks wouldn’t stop me, James. I thought you better than that,” the man said. Logan went to attack the man for being here and the closest to y/n, but after red dots showed up on her stomach, he stopped.

“Remember who can regenerate here,” the man said. Logan felt his heart sink, afraid they might shoot her over him. “Good boy,”

“Now, how about you come back with us. Finish what I started,” the man said. “He’s not going back,” y/n quickly interrupted. “Y/n, no,” Logan said, knowing what the man was capable of.

“Listen to your lover while you can,” the man whispered. “What do you mean?” Logan asked. The man stayed quiet and y/n grew confused.

“What do you mean by that?” Logan asked again, keeping his claws out as he tightened his fists. “We can’t take her back. We don’t need her anymore and — She knows too much,”

“W-What?” Y/n said, feeling her eyes water. “You lay a hand on her, and I’ll kill you,” Logan growled. “You never learn, Logan,” the man said before he snapped his fingers.

A gun went off, making Logan jump, thinking they shot at him, which would be stupid. That’s when he scanned y/n’s body.

“You son of a bitch!” Logan went to attack but was shot with a shocker, causing his body to lock up and twitch on the ground.

Logan tried getting up, but they repeatedly shocked him, forcing the man to stay on the ground.

Y/n’s body fell to the ground, hard, almost knocking her out at the way her head hit the floor.

“No! No, y/n! Y/n!” Logan yelled with cracks in his voice. He was in pain, but he needed to get to y/n. “No, you- Stop! Stop!” Logan began to cry as he watched y/n leak on the ground.

She blinked slowly, mouth slacked, and trying to breathe. “Stop!” He cried as the man walked towards him. “A weapon doesn’t need distractions,”

Logan’s growl grew animalistic, almost like he was ready to bite someone’s face off. The man snapped his hands again for his people to grab the man and drag him out of the house.

“No! No! Y/n! Y/n!” He couldn’t stop yelling as he looked back at the woman losing consciousness. Before the man opened his mouth again, he was dropped and the men holding him were thrown across the house.

Logan looked around to see what was happening. Bodies flew everywhere and men screamed. This was a job from another mutant.

“Hank, get the girl, and Jean help him out. Storm, start the chopper back up,” that was Charles's voice. Logan held a bit of relief, but he was still terrified for y/n.

“S-She’s human! S-She can’t take that gullet in her for too long,” Logan said as Charles rolled over to the man with a woman. The woman lifted her hand and took out the shockers that were stuck on his back.

“Hey, hey! Don’t hurt her,” Logan said as he walked over to Hank who was just about to pick y/n up. Logan retracted his claws before picking y/n up slowly, making sure he didn’t hurt her.

“Stay away, baby. We’ve got help,” Logan said, seeing y/n trying her best, but it was hard. Logan quickly exited the house and went into the chopper, seeing y/n down on a table that came out of the wall.

“She’s lost a lot of blood — Jean, knock her out,” Charles said. “Hey, no! No knocking out here!” Logan had turned around, taking his claws back out at what was suggested.

“It’s to slow her heart down so she’s not pumping too much blood. It’s the best we can do right now, Logan,” Charles said.

Logan took a deep breath, taking a look at everyone in the chopper before slowly retracting his claws again.

“Hurt her, and I’ll kill you all,” Logan threatened. “We won’t hurt her,” Hank assured as Jean walked over to y/n and placed a hand on her head until she slowly slipped to sleep.

Logan stood next to her the whole flight, making sure nothing unusual was happening to her. He had taken his tank top off to cover her half-naked body, trying to comfort her even though she was knocked out.

The man was scared, stressed that he could’ve brought this upon y/n, but the more he thought about it, the more he understood that once they were done with her, they would’ve killed her anyhow.

Logan punched the wall at the thought of that. To the thought of someone killing his girl. Y/n was a sweet soul and deserved none of this. If she doesn’t make it, he won’t know what to do with himself.

Escaping and taking her with him was a plan he had thought about for a month straight. It didn’t take long for her to grow on him. He fell hard before he had even spoken a word to her. He loved her. He loves her.

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ғᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ...

[gabessquishytum]

Hob likes food okay, he thinks cooking is a act of love, so when he's tapped by HFGTV for his own food show, he knows he's going to do it his own way. His show is sort of Guy Fieri-ish -- Hob will happily eat your burger made of 5 cheeses; that corn dip that was a hit at your town's most recent potluck,,, if it's made with love and care... Hob will happily chow down. He gets to travel and speak (and cook) with normal people who love it as much as he does.

Dream is a Michelin Starred chef; with famous, but popular, restaurants with aggressive wait lists. Food is art and craft; and while he still loves cooking (not that he has time to eat any of it) he finds himself bored of his function.

Dream and Hob bump into each other at an industry event:

M (dripping with distainful disbelief): You're that chef that happily eats oreos dipped in marshmallow fluff, covered in chocolate and deep fried?!

H: 😍 I love your food! You watch my show?!?!!! Wanna go a a date with me, snobby Mc'beautiful man?!

Dream hates himself, a little, that he finds the heathen charming.

This is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'm MELTING.

So maybe Dream is only in Hob’s part of town for the weekend, just for this event. So Hob persuades him - he'll take Dream for a tour around his favourite food spots. They'll have fun, eat, and maybe Dream will find his love for food again. Maybe they'll also do a little smoochin'. Dream rolls his eyes so hard they nearly fall out BUT he agrees.

It's late morning when they start out so Hob drags Dream for brunch at his favourite little hole in the wall cafe. They do a fusion breakfast menu with traditional British stuff plus breakfast foods from all different regions of India, and you can pick and choose whatever you want to eat. Hob knows all the staff and ends up dragging Dream into the kitchen to chat/try little mouthfuls of food. By the time they sit down to eat Dream has a tiny smile on his face (although he seriously objects to how much ketchup Hob is putting on his plate).

After brunch they walk around a bit and go get boba at Hob’s favourite place because he's scandalised that Dream has never tried it?! Hob also can't help but talk about how much he loves Dream’s food and how he'd eat at his restaurant every single day if he could. Dream can't believe that someone would care so much about his food, but he's very charmed. He even says he'll cook for Hob some time.

Next stop is to get freshly baked gingerbread from a tiny food truck. Hob spends the whole time trying to wheedle the secret recipe out of the owner while Dream is like "don't tell him, he obviously can't keep a secret to save his life." They're basically already an old married couple and they get the gingerbread for free.

At this point Dream needs to lie down because he hasn't eaten so much food in forever, so Hob offers to take him back to his flat and they can drink tea and just talk about food. Dream ends up falling asleep on Hob’s shoulder and when he wakes up, Hob has ordered pizza. Its cheesy and greasy and a little bit terrible, but there's something about it that reminds Dream why he became a chef in the first place.

They end up making out on the sofa for a few hours until Hob pulls away with this face like he just had the best idea. "We need to do a show together. Where we do what we did today and I seduce you with good, honest food."

And although Dream wrinkles up his nose like he hates the thought... he's the one calling up the studio in the morning and demanding to be allowed to pitch the show 😉

[hoperays-song]

Named Businesses/Brands in the Sing Franchise: Sing 1

In a recent rewatch of the movies, I tried to find all the named businesses and brands that are in the movies for world building sake (minus bands and entertainment acts cause thats a different list). So here is, in semi chronological order, all the ones that appear in the first movie!

-------

The Moon Theatre - The primary location of the first movie and starting location of the second.

State of Calatonia Theatre School - An institute of higher education that appeared on a certificate on Buster's office wall.

State of Calatonia University - An institute of higher education that appeared on a diploma on Buster's office wall.

The Modern Drama Institute - An institute of higher education that appeared on a diploma on Buster's office wall.

Bacapti Transport - A store we see Buster bike past.

Grand Store - A store we see Buster bike past, as well as the gang drive past in the city.

Harry's Bar - Harry's restaurant where Ash and Lance performed.

Franklin School of Music - An institute of higher education that Mike claims to have previously studied at.

Les Calmars - A very formal restaurant that we see numerous times through out the first movie, supposedly French cuisine by Buster speaking French to a waiter as well as the name of the restaurant being in French.

SN Eyewear - A brand advertising on the metro line station Ash and Lance were at.

Repair Services Garage/Garage - It is not clear whether or not the garage run by Johnny's family even uses either name, however, that is the wording printed on the building were a name would be.

Gas Station - It is not clear whether or not the gas station has a different name, however, there isn't one on the building's sign so I'm running with this.

Big Kitchen - The brand name of the stove hood in Meena's kitchen.

Rumble Bag - The brand name on the speed bag we see both Marcus and Johnny using in the first movie.

Laundromat - A business to the left of Ash's first apartment, appears to only use the first floor.

Paradise Hotel - A business to the right of Ash's first apartment.

Moon Car Wash - The car wash that Buster's father owned.

Gummlies - A 24 hour store that Ash's first apartment is over. This name does not match the name on the store's shade covering but the first word of that is illegible, and only "Grocery Store" can be read.

Pop Soda - The brand of soda we see in Ash's first apartment, in the flavour orange. We also see it in the pool house in the same flavour.

SCRUN-EEZ - The type of cereal we see Rosita's kids eating and again at the store.

City Store - The store to the left of Moon Theatre. It appears to sell jewelry.

Wholesale Supply - One of the neighboring warehouses to the garage. There is another one on a different street as well as well as where the gang got arrested.

Linais & Badoil - The brand of piano that Johnny and Mrs. Crawly play in the Moon Theatre.

Dodgson - The brand of speakers in Ash's first apartment.

Roc's - The grocery store that Rosita went to during the movie.

Sliced Potatoes - A brand of chips seen in the grocery store that appears to have around six flavours.

Fruity Light - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Flaky Wheat - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Bran Cereals - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Muesli - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Colorful Crisp! - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Corn Flakes - A cereal we see at the grocery store with a fox mascot.

Choco Chuncs - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Honey Sirop - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Mixed Cereals - A cereal we see at the grocery store.

Fiber Breakfast - A cereal we see at the grocery store in Rosita's cart.

Cookies Mint - A type of a brand of cookies we see at the grocery store.

Cookies Choco - A type of a brand of cookies we see at the grocery store.

Cookies Strawberry - A type of a brand of cookies we see in Rosita's cart.

Spring Water Sourceful - A brand of spring water at the grocery store in Rosita's cart.

Animal Gazette - The newspaper we see Johnny reading.

Dusty's - An establishment across from the Moon Theatre.

SFJ Bank - The bank Judith works for and owned the theatre for awhile.

Eyewitness News - A news channel we see in both movies.

Calatonia University - An institute of higher education that appeared on the shirt of Eddie's that Buster wears in the pool house.

Parrot Herald - A news paper Buster reads in the pool house and is likely affiliated with the other news channel in the movie due to their paper being used in the ending broadcast.

Blip's Bowling Lounge and Bar - An establishment we see behind the new Moon Car Wash.

The Diga Doo - A restaurant we see behind the new Moon Car Wash.

Tabatha's Market - A market we see behind the new Moon Car Wash that advertises fresh foods.

[total-drama-takes-takes-2]

tta episode 6

“Last time, on Total Takes Action: The campers lived out a DIY challenge in a found footage-themed horror flick- there were scares, screams, and spooks- but most of it was Caesar talking to himself. In the end, Caesar selflessly let Joner take the win to make it up to Michela, and he gracefully took the Lame-o-Sine home. Who will be walking the carpet of shame today? And who will be winning another one of these gorgeous Gilded Chris awards? Find out now, on Total! Takes! Action!”

It’s a beautiful morning in Toronto (if there is such a thing) and the remaining campers are scattered across the film lot as they mentally prepare themselves for the next challenge- namely by sleeping in. 

Joner and Sha-Mod are both up bright and early, though, getting stale bagels at the craft services tent. Only Scary is sitting in the corner, taking notes and mumbling to herself erratically. 

The boys approach the breakfast line as Fren leaves, and both hold out their platters with big grins (Sha-Mod’s implied). Chef rolls his eyes and drops some slimy eggs and toasted bagels, and they hurry off to sit on either side of Fren, who’s eating in relative silence. 

He chews to himself for a few moments before his eyes dart off to the side and the camera zooms out on Sha-Mod and Joner staring at him and smiling. 

He swallows. “Can I help you?”

They both take a deep breath.

“How do you get your hair like that?”

“Is that its natural color?”

“And how do you do the challenges with all that jewelry?”

“Are you hot in that outfit? Temperature-wise, of course,”

“Is it true that you can swim across the English Channel without getting your hair wet?”

Fren blinks. 

---

FREN: “I’m not surprised. I have a habit of attracting attention, both good and bad. If I didn’t love it, it’d be kind of weird,”

---

“Alright, settle down,” Fren says. “Let’s just focus on not letting our eggs go cold yet.”

The two nod and Scary rolls her eyes from afar. 

---

SCARY: “The people on this set are so juvenile,”

---

The intercom crackles to life. “Good morning, players! Report to the crime scene from last episode in five for your next challenge!” 

Scary sighs, flipping their notebook closed. 

---

Chris stands before the crime scene from the found footage episode, hands on his hips. He’s dressed in a cop outfit, smiling brightly as the teams arrive. 

“I’m sure you all remember this colorful scene,”

Scary rolls her eyes and speaks sarcastically. “Ooh, did you reapply the corn starch? I’m so scared!”

“I wouldn’t complain so soon,” Chris says, crossing his arms. “This challenge is right up your ally. After the events of last episode, the “police” have captured the murderer who left this body and put him in custody. Your job today is to put together evidence to either prove his guilt- or his innocence. That’s right, today’s theme is a legal drama!”

The campers grumble. 

“Anons- Scary, Scruffy, Sha-Mod, and Joner- you’ll be the defendants, proving your client is innocent. Fujos- Michael, O, Fren, and Peter- you’ll be the prosecutors, proving your opponent is guilty. As in all good legal cases, your first move is to collect the evidence, starting here at the crime scene,” Chris grins. “After that, you’ll report to the medical bay set for a forensic analysis.”

Peter raises an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“An autopsy,”

The entire cast winces, aside from Scary, who jumps up and down and claps her hands. "Ooh, yay!"

“Don’t worry, the body is fake,”

Scary sulks. "Aww,"

“In three hours, you’ll report to our brand-new court room set, where you’ll present your case. The Chef Jury will decide the winners,” Chris begins walking away. “Good luck!”

The Anons turn to each other. “Let’s split,” Scary says. “I doubt there’s anything to be found here, but it’d be stupid not to check just in case. Joner and Sha-Mod, you stay here and comb the area. Scruffy and I will begin the autopsy.”

“Hey, not fair!” Sha-Mod says. “Why don’t we get to cut up a dead body?”

Joner nods in agreement. “Totally unfair,”

“You can join us when you’re done,” Scary snaps, grabbing Scruffy’s wrist and dragging them away. 

---

The Fujoshis stay in place, drifting around the crime scene. Fren ties his hair up and kneels to start snapping pictures of the scene. 

“I don’t get this,” Michela complains, looking for strands of hair on the asphalt. “We’re lawyers, not detectives, right?”

“We’re also not doctors, but we’re still doing an autopsy,” Peter mutters. “I have half a mind to complain.”

“You can. Everyone’s thinking the same thing, anyway,”

---

PETER: “I have some… problems with putting my feelings first. It’s a bad habit, I know… I just can’t shake it!”

---

“I think this is enough,” Michela zips up a plastic bag. “Come on, let’s go find that dead body.”

While the rest of the team jogs off, Peter lags behind for a second. He thoroughly scans the area one last time and gasps when he sees something in the bushes off-screen.

He picks it up, putting it in his pocket and rushing to catch up with the team.

Joner and Sha-Mod remain at the scene, both kicking around rocks and pointing out birds in the sky. 

“Man, this stinks,” Joner sighs, throwing a rock at the gate. 

“What do we even do here?” Sha-Mod adds on. “I mean, seriously. This show is so useless.”

“I’m only still here cause I wanna make amends with Michela. Otherwise… eh,” Joner shrugs. “It’s a lot less fun when you remember everyone hates you. What would I do if you got eliminated, right? I’d have no bros left on the show!”

Sha-Mod nods. “Ridiculous stuff. We should’ve just gone on a road trip,”

---

Scruffy hands Scary a scalpel as they fix their medical mask over their face. He pulls his orange hair back and stretches. “What’s the 1-0?”

Scruffy pokes the corpse. “Looks like rubber,”

“I can work with that,”

---

Michela, Fren, and Peter look over the corpse, all staring uncomfortably at its blue skin and slack expression. 

Fren turns to his teammates. “So… any volunteers?”

O suddenly steps forward, snapping on a pair of medical gloves and fastening his mask. He approaches the body and studies a hole in the stomach. 

“Okay, I’m going to need a scalpel,”

Everyone else blinks and stares. He turns. “The sharp shiny thing,”

Peter rushes to grab the device and hand it to him. He hones in on the hole and begins cutting, much to everyone’s discomfort. 

With expert precision, he makes an “x” shaped incision and turns back again. “Tweezers,”

“Oh, I know those,” Fren says, picking up the metal tongs and handing them over to O. 

He uses them to enter the incision and remove a bullet. 

“Baggie,”

Michela opens a plastic bag and O drops the bullet inside. He takes off his gloves and grabs the notepad on the cart. “I think it’s safe to say that the cause of death was a bullet to the gut. If we take a deeper look- magnifying glass, please,” Peter hands him the device and he studies the plastic-covered bullet, and then the hole. “It looks like there was some fragmentation as well. From this position, I’d say the large and small intestines took the brunt of the damage, probably around 40-50%, and the liver at 40%. The victim likely died of blood loss.”

He turns around again and everyone stares in silent shock. 

---

O: “What? A psychologist is still a doctor- it’s useful to know these things!”

---

“Okay, so it was definitely a bullet wound,” Scary says, covered in fake blood and bits. She turns, holding the bullet in her ungloved hand. Scruffy winces. 

“What? I’m a physics prodigy and an environmental analyst, not a doctor. It’s not even a real body,”

Scruffy still stares at her. She groans. “Whatever! Let’s just put all this evidence together,”

---

The teams shuffle into the courtroom, taking their seats at their respective tables. One member on each team is dressed in a sharp suit- Scruffy on the defendants, Michela on the prosecutors. Chris adjusts his massive white wig and sits in the judges seat while Chef kicks back alone in the jury. 

“Hope you guys got to put together a good profile on your murderer,” Chris grins. “Cause this challenge is very, very special.”

Everyone looks at each other, confused and a bit worried. They turn back to Chris as he chuckles. 

“What are you talking about?” Scary demands. 

“Let’s just say our legal team isn’t the best,” Chris pulls out his gavel. “There are a lot of loopholes in these contracts, dudes. The prize for today’s winners is avoiding an elimination ceremony and adding a brand-new-old player to their team, thanks to some convincing from your very own Joner.” 

Scary turns and glares at Joner, while Sha-Mod and Scruffy give him a perplexed look. He leans forward over the table and waves at Michela, who raises an eyebrow. 

The doors at the back of the courtroom fly open and two interns walk in with their hands around the arms of a hand-cuffed individual, a bag over their head. They sit them down at the stands next to Chris. 

“You don’t mean-” Scary’s eyes widen. 

Chris grins. “That’s right- the murderer you’re defending in this trial is none other than-”

The interns pull the sack off the mystery player’s head and the crowd gasps. 

“Max!”

---

O: “I did not see that coming,”

---

SCARY: “Out of EVERYONE they could’ve brought back!”

---

Most of the crowd protests loudly, shouting at Chris. Only one person seems happy, standing from her seat before being forcefully pushed back down by the same interns. 

“Stay in your seat, Michela,” Chris says. “You can have a heartwarming reunion after the trial. Just remember that the team that wins today’s challenge gets to keep him, and avoid elimination.”

“Risking the chance of getting that thing for not getting eliminated,” Scary sighs. “Truly a win-lose situation.”

“Hey!” Max shouts. “Watch it!”

“Make me!”

“Hey, Scary?” Scruffy puts a hand on Scary’s shoulder and sits her back down. “We’re the defense, remember? Let’s just focus on winning.”

Chris slams his gavel. “Defense, give your case,”

Scary puts her head in her hands as Scruffy stands. 

“Your Honor, our client has done nothing wrong,”

“Debatable,” Scary mutters. Joner shushes her as Scruffy goes on. 

“The simplest way to put this is that there’s just no evidence connecting our client to the crime! I advocate that this case be thrown out or put on hold until more evidence can be collected,”

“Interesting,” Chris says. “Prosecution, your rebuttal?”

Michela sighs and stands up, organizing a stack of papers and turning to Scruffy. “Given the… circumstances, I regretfully have to inform everyone that the subject is, indeed, the murderer of the John Doe. Based on our forensic evidence, the gunshot indicates a right-handed gunman-”

“Objection, your honor, but 90% of people are right-handed!” Scruffy says. “It means nothing!”

“Prosecution, your response?”

“I wasn’t finished,” Michela snaps. “The bullet used suggests that the weapon is not a recent model. If you’ll take a look at Max’s character bio on the Total Takes website, you’ll notice that his father is listed as a gun collector.”

“Not so fast!” Scruffy interjects. “While my opponent is correct, your honor, she is intentionally leaving out information to her benefit. The gun used was a Beholla Pistol, which, if you’d done any research, was only manufactured for World War 1 between 1915 and 1918. Only 45,000 were made, making it incredibly rare and expensive, even for a gun collector.”

Michela raises a finger. “If I may, my client clearly hasn’t done their research, since this model of the Beholla is not from the original run, but from the 1921-1932 improved run, which were sold to police agencies in Austria!”

“Still a rare find, and an unusual choice for a quick murder!” Scruffy says passionately. “Speaking of which, there is no clear motive from my client, nor a connection with the victim. My client has no history of violence, therefore, it’d be illogical to accuse him based on nothing!”

Michela sits back, rubbing her temples. Peter sucks in his breath and stands, running out of the courtroom. 

“Hey!” O yells. 

Chris chuckles. “Not looking too good for the prosecution, huh?”

“If I may continue?” Scruffy asks. 

“I’ll allow it,”

---

SCRUFFY: “Finally, back in my element! If only every challenge was about collecting and cataloging information,” they sigh dreamily.

---

“...Therefore, there’s no reason to assume that my client would ever commit such a crime,” Scruffy sits down, crossing their arms with a triumphant smile on their face. 

Chris nods. “Well, if the prosecution has no further points, then I’ll have no choice but to-”

“Wait!” Peter yells, throwing the doors open. Everyone turns back as he runs back in with a concealed bag and a slip of paper. He pants as he reaches the prosecutor’s table, shoving the items into Michela’s hands. “Read this.”

Michela stands with the slip of paper and gasps. She opens the concealed bag and dumps out a pistol on the table. 

The courtroom gasps as she reads the slip of paper. “This gun was found hidden at the crime scene- and the fingerprints on the surface are a perfect match for Max’s!” she turns the paper around and shows the Jury. Chef raises an eyebrow. 

“The gun is definitely Max’s, and the bullets match the gun- Max is the murderer!” 

The Anons look between each other nervously, although Scary sighs in relief. 

Chef nods to himself. Chris turns. “What’s the verdict, Jury?”

He thinks for a moment, then writes on a large board. He turns it around- “Guilty”.

“The Fujoshis have won the challenge, meaning they’re adding Max to their team and sending the Anons to the elimination ceremony tonight!”

The Fujoshis cheer and Michela says a small “thank you” to Joner before running across the courtroom, stopping at the stand and looking up at Max. 

“How did you even-”

He shrugs. “You’d be surprised at how terrible the law syndicate at Total Drama is,” he holds up his wrists. “Can we figure out a way to get these cuffs off now? Chris threw the key in a lake.”

Michela helps him down and they start walking outside together. “Come on. Let’s go smash the chain with a rock,”

---

MICHELA: “I’m not really sure if things will ever be the same between Joner and I, but he’s risking elimination just to make me happy, so he obviously feels pretty bad,”

---

The campers mill around outside the craft services tent, waiting for dinner. Joner takes a seat outside on the grass as Sha-Mod jogs to the communal bathrooms. 

Michela peeks her head outside and sits down next to him once she’s sure he’s alone. 

“Hey,” Joner says. 

“Hi,” Michela smiles. “I wanted to thank you for doing that for me.”

“It was no problem, really. Chris is super easy to sway when you say the word “ratings” enough,”

She puts a hand on his shoulder. “Seriously. Thank you,”

“Let’s just call it even. After everything that happened, it’s the least I could do,” Joner smiles, then pauses for a moment. “I’m really sorry about everything. We don’t have to be friends, but I hope you know that I still care about you. You’re still my best bro.”

Michela smiles back. “I appreciate that. Thanks for being so supportive,”

“Anons, award ceremony in five!” Chris’ voice blares over the speakers. 

Sha-Mod walks out of the restroom and Michela stands, brushing the grass and dirt off her skirt. “Good luck,”

“This time, I’ll be cheering you on when you win!” Joner says, weakly pumping his fist. Michela waves before walking back inside the tent. 

---

“Anons, what a valiant effort you made, and just before the merge,” Chris sighs, shaking his head. “Just two more episodes and you would’ve been free!”

Scary grumbles to herself. 

“Scruffy, you’re safe. Scary, you too,” Chris dishes out the Gilded Chris awards. Scary immediately bites the head off of hers, wrapper and all. 

“Sha-Mod and Joner, you’re both responsible for not searching the crime scene and finding the murder weapon first… but ultimately, Sha-Mod didn’t push the other team to win with the boyfriend incentive,” Chris says solemnly. “Joner, you might’ve made amends with your friend, but you just made enemies with everyone else. See you, bud.”

Joner sighs and stands. Sha-Mod salutes him as he walks. 

---

JONER: “Well, I didn’t win, but I came out of this feeling a little less terrible about myself, and I know not all TT contestants can say the same,”

---

“What does the future have in store for the Fujoshis? Who will make the merge? Find out next time, on Total! Takes! Island!”

[wonderlandleighleigh]

Steve Rogers talks with you about toast

When I was eleven years old, my Ma came home with a pop-up toaster. 

It was 1929, and things were not going well for the American people. It was November, and the weather was getting cold. Food was getting a little hard to come by. Thankfully, Ma had a little job security, being a hospital nurse and all, but it wasn’t a sure thing. She knew she could be cut loose at any moment. 

But that night, plugging in our little metal toaster for the first time, she said “things may look bleak, Stevie. But at least we’ll have good toast.” 

When I got out of the ice, one of the biggest things that caused me anxiety was the idea that I wouldn’t like any of the new food available in the twenty-first century; that things would have changed so much that there would be nothing recognizable about what ended up on my dinner plate.

On my first day, Nick Fury took me out to breakfast. We didn’t talk much about what he wanted from me. We didn’t talk about what had happened to me. 

We talked about the menu. 

And on that menu? 

Rye toast.

I smiled so hard when I saw it that my face hurt.

Here’s something you might not know: Sarah Rogers and Winifred Barnes were very close friends. Neighbors, yes, and their sons were inseparable, but as two single mothers trying to make ends meet, they did all they could to support each other and keep each other safe. Mrs. Barnes didn’t speak much English, and she couldn’t read or write it, so when things came up that required explanation, my Ma was always there for her. 

And in return, Mrs. Barnes would make extra food for us. Ma worked, and she wasn’t really much of a cook, to be honest, god rest her soul.

But Winifred Barnes was amazing. And she was very good at lucking into food. A crate of potatoes once fell off of a truck right at her feet, and that tiny Jewish woman dragged it eight blocks home, and nobody stopped her. Neighbors and friends would hand her cuts of meat they didn’t know how to cook, and we’d all feast like kings. She kept ten bags of flour in her home at all times, even during the worst years of the depression. 

“Du hast mel, du hast broyt.” 

Yiddish for: “you have flour, you have bread.” 

Which brings me back to toast. 

In those days, butter, jam…hard to come by. We’d put gravy on the toast. Creamed corn. Ma read about tomato gravy: tomatoes, salt, flour. They used to put that on biscuits in the south.  

Every so often, Mrs. Barnes would luck her way into a box of fruit, and she’d make jam out of what she got. It was a treat back then! Sweet and sticky and satisfying. 

Now, today, it feels like there are endless things to put on toast. The most popular being egg, cheese and meat. 

Picture this: It’s three in the morning, you’ve just gotten your face punched in by a guy who should be dead, but keeps coming back, really for the specific purpose of punching you in the face. You turn a corner, and there is a lone shop with a light on. A corner bodega. You step in, and the clerk behind the counter’s first instinct is to reach for the emergency button under the counter, but then he recognizes your bruised face, and the shield you’re sliding into the holder on your back.

And he smiles. 

You limp up to the counter and you give a polite hello, even though one of your eyes is swelling shut a little, and request a sausage, egg and cheddar on an onion bagel.

Believe me, you’re not kissin’ anybody tonight, enjoy the onion.

And he hurries to make it for your, and you grab two waters out of the cold case: one for drinking and one for your face, and you pay (he offers it for free, but you insist, so he discounts it heavily), and soon, you’re eating your hot, gooey toasted bagel sandwich, leaning on the counter, chatting with the clerk about life, and how you wish New York had the climate to grow lemon trees, because lemons are so useful.

You may ask, “But Steve, that’s a bagel sandwich, that’s not really toast.” You toast the bagel, don’t you? Toast in my book.

You go home. You get a little sleep. You take a hot shower, and thank god that eye is healing up pretty well now, and then…

You pop some rye bread in your toaster, and once it’s popped, you scrape just a little butter on it, and then slather sweet, rich strawberry jam right on top. 

It’s quiet. There’s coffee. The toast has a good crunch, and the rye is thick enough to stand up to all that spread. 

And it’s a little piece of heaven right in your kitchen.

I keep hearing about avocado toast. People get really nuts about it, and I have to admit, I don’t get the hype, nor do I get the naysayers. This idea that an entire generation is too busy eating a fruit on a piece of toasted bread to get a job seems like something somebody who dislikes unions and paying fair wages would say. 

That’s an essay for another time.

For my money, if I’m going to be fancy about my toast, it’s going to involve fish and cream cheese. There were quite a few appetizing stores (shops that sell smoked and pickled fish instead of deli meat) in Brooklyn when I was a teen, and when we had a little money to burn, Bucky and I would hit one and I would get pickled herring: sour and fishy and filling as it was. 

And I know that’s not trendy now. It’s not what most people eat. But you might be surprised at how good it is if you give it a shot.

These days, when the mood strikes, I sneak into Russ and Daughters on Houston Street. I order my pickled herring and cream cheese on a toasted onion bagel (whoever I’m kissing is just going to have to suffer), a piece of cinnamon babka and a coffee. 

When Bucky is in town, he goes all out: lox and sable with dill horseradish cream cheese on a toasted everything bagel. He, too, does not care what the person he’s kissing thinks of his breath.

The bagels are always toasted perfectly. Browned and crisp, melting the cream cheese a little so the consistency is gooey and a good contrast to the cold, salty fish. 

I’ve decided, now that I have a little more free time, that I’m going to start making my own bread at home. See if I can get good at it. I do okay in the kitchen (Buck is way better than I am, having learned under his mother’s feet), and I’m hoping to get better. 

At the very least, I’ll have some toast

[mooifyourecows]

What food do y’all have in good ol’ ‘Mercia?

all of it

honestly though it depends on where you are. America is a big immigrant country, with people from all over the world bringing their authentic food with them. if you're in a big city with a big variety of people (Chicago, NYC, LA, etc), you can pretty much find ANY kind of cuisine possible. If youre touring around Chicago and suddenly think "MAN i could really go for some moi moi rn..." you're in luck! you can easily find a nigerian restaurant to meet your needs no problemo!

now if you're in a small, podunk one stoplight town, variety is a lot harder to find. You WILL almost always have Mexican food as an option though. Good mexican food too. made by actual mexicans. i've been to a lot of mexican restaurants here in America on account of it is my favorite and I've never encountered one owned or operated by non mexicans. other than like... fast food like taco bell and such. white people mexican restaurants don't last long because they have to compete with authentic deliciousness and that's just not possible (obviously this is just my personal experience and i have not been to EVERY town in america so i'm sure there are some exceptions)

Different parts of the country have different popular foods. In coastal states you'll find a lot of seafood, naturally. Maine is rollin in lobster (joke about lobster rolls), and you'll find several different types of BBQ, from Texas to Kansas City to Memphis to a backyard near you 🫵. Southern Soul Food is one of my faves, what with the jambalaya and the gumbo and the corn bread and mac and cheese and so on and so forth, deliciously 🤤 (i swear if i ever make it to New Orleans one of these days, i'm not going home without gaining at least 50lbs)

We have a big pizza culture here and you can find different pizza types all over the country. There's some debate about which pizza is the BEST pizza, mainly with Chicago deep dish and NYC style in a neverending battle of butting heads. (personally i'm just happy to get any pizza so i can't say who is better)

Then there's the stuff like Philly Cheese steak, the Reuben, pies (so many pies, but namely apple and pumpkin are the big ones), New England Clam Chowder, buckeyes, cheese curds, tex-mex, etc.

Diners are kinda the backbone of American eating, if you ask me, because you're destined to find diners everywhere. they're comforting, they're familiar, they have big menus, and they're within budget. Diners usually serve breakfast all day too, so you can swing in late in the evening (or even in the middle of the night) and order a big plate of chicken and waffles and a warm slice of apple pie à la mode any damn time you want!

I hear non americans are always baffled by biscuits and gravy, because it definitely doesn't LOOK appetizing but it's SO good. country gravy with a spicy sausage on fresh, flaky biscuits? Yall i'm gettin hungry just thinking about it. that was the meal i ate, hungover, after my 21st birthday, and i didn't regret a single bite mmMMm

i also hear that non americans don't eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but those are a big part of American culture, especially when you're a kid. aint nothin hit harder at lunchtime than takin a big ol bite of a gooey pb&j and chasin it with ice cold milk

Thanksgiving dinners are also iconically American food culture. gettin 20 of your family members together in one house, cookin a big ass turkey and serving it with a plethora of homestyle sides like stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, yams, mac and cheese, buttERNUT SQUASH, ACORN SQUASH, PUMPKIN PIE OH MAN OH MY i think i need to eat something before i gnaw through my arm

there's great native food too! frybread and succotash and what not. corn is a big thing for the indigenous people here and they popularized a lot of uses for it. I unfortunately haven't had a lot of it so i can't really speak on what's great and all, but if you just look up Native American food, you will see corn's influence lol

and OF COURSE we got the hamburgers and hot dogs. i know that fast food joints like mcdonalds have spread everywhere these days like a blight on the earth, but they're like... gas station burgers in comparison to the good stuff you can get. same with hotdogs. like i know that you can buy hotdogs from the store in a lot of places (for some reason in jars of liquid in the UK, i learned recently, which is..... fun) but they're not the same as getting a delicious hotdog with the works at a baseball game, you know? it's not the SAME. there's so much variety with what you can do with burgers and hotdogs! and Americans love to grill. it's pretty normal for households to have a grill they bust out every summer for backyard BBQs and cookouts.

anyway, i can't really tell you more about specific foods only in america because i genuinely don't know which foods here haven't either been brought over from somewhere else or have breached containment and gone off to other countries. i sometimes see restaurants in other countries have a "USA style" food and it seems to almost always be the most comically disgusting thing i've ever seen. (like pizza with fries and hot dogs as toppings lmaoooo)(ngl tho, i'd try it)

if anybody has some iconic American food to mention, feel free to do so! 👀

[simpofficial]

I See You

SteddillyxOc

Chapter 4

Chapter 3 Chapter 5

I woke up to the smell of salt.

It's coming from Steve, who sleeps on my chest. I raise my hand and place it in his hair.

I begin to hum as I run my fingers through his hair. Once the smell of salt reduces and hangs in the air I use my other hand to wipe away his tears.

———

"Sevyn?" I roll the other way and hear him laugh. "Sevyn come on. I know you're hungry."

"Blueberry eggos?" The only delicacy Jim Hopper provided.

"We don't have any."

"Sleep."

"I'll ask my dad to pick some up on his way home from work. But you gotta eat something for now. Come with me and you can pick whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?" I turn towards his presence and he laughs.

"Yes whatever you want. Now come on." He grabs my hand and helps me out of the bed. "I don't know much about the bad men but I do know you probably won't want to be in the house all day." He leads me downstairs as he speaks. "So I laid out some clothes to hide you."

"You're nice." I tell him as he sits me down.

"Thank you. Now we have other breakfast foods but we don't have blueberry eggos." He opens something and I heard a crinkle. "We have these breakfast blueberry pancake sausage corn dogs."

"I have."

"Say I will have that."

"I will have that."

"Good." He closes the thing that produces cold air and opens something else. It was barely opened for a second before it closes and produces a hum.

"You cry."

"I'm not crying."

"Night. You cry."

"Last night you were crying." I wasn't.

"No you cry."

"Sevyn say, last night you were crying." Oh.

"Last night you were crying. Why?"

"I don't know that's just English."

"No. Why you were crying?"

"I think I had a dream about Nancy."

"Nancy bad. No dream her." I hear him laugh a little but I wasn't joking.

"I'll try not to."

———

Before he left he helped me put on a hoodie and hat. He even gave me a pair of glasses before he told me to be safe.

When he left I didn't stay in the house much longer. It was nice and quiet but it's empty. Like my room back at the lab.

When I went outside I felt everything and it felt nice. I inhale and smell gas. It's a weird smell and I only know it because of the lab.

I walked on the road before I heard a loud vehicle. It was too loud to pinpoint where it came from. I covered my ears when a loud noise was heard from behind me.

"Get out of the road weirdo!" I turn around and place my hand on the vehicle. It's warm. "Hey don't touch my car!" Car. Car must be another word for vehicle. I place my other hand on the hood before I heard the door of the car open.

"Billy! Don't do anything!"

"Mind your business, the freak is touching my car!" Freak? Me? "Hey what's your problem?!" I'm grabbed by the hoodie. "Who do you think you are touching my car?" I inhale and he smells sweet.

"Smell good." I lean closer and inhale again. He pushes me back some but doesn't let go of the hoodie.

"Billy!" I turn my head back towards the car and sniff. She's young. Smell so different yet a hint of the same over lay so not related but live together.

"Don't look at her. Who are you?"

"I, Seven."

"Like the fucking number?"

"Fucking?"

"What are you stupid?" He let's go before I feel the hat and glasses removed.

"Not stupid."

"Why the fuck are you in the middle of the road and touching peoples cars."

"Loud."

"Billy just let her go and come on!"

"You Billy?"

"No shit. What the fuck is wrong with your eyes?" I reach up and feel them.

"Not know."

"Why do you talk like you're retarded?" Retarded?

"Steve said speech im-imp..." I growl to myself when I couldn't pronounce the word.

"Speech impairment?" I nod. "So in other words you're an idiot."

"Not idiot."

"Billy we're gonna be late!"

"Shut the hell up Max!" I reach up and cover my ears. "What can't take a little yelling?"

"Loud."

"That's the point. Get the fuck out of the road." Another vehicle approaches and I smell Steve causing me to smile.

"Sevyn?" His door opens. "Sevyn!"

"Steve." I turn towards his car and hear his door close.

"Damn Harrington. You're friends with this retard?"

"Don't call her that."

"Steve what's retard?" I felt his hands on my face and he tilts my head from side to side.

"Nothing you have to worry about. What have a told you about the road?"

"I get hit?"

"Yes you could that's why you stay on the sidewalk."

"Side..walk?"

"When you're not by the woods, when the grass ends there's a sidewalk. You stick to that or the grass. You understand?"

"Yes."

"Move your car Harrington."

"Bye Billy."

"Whatever freak." I sense him go back to his car.

"Steve what is freak?"

"Something that you're not, okay?" I nod. "What were you doing in the road Sevyn?"

"Feeling." Billy's car produces a loud noise again causing me to cover my ears.

"Okay, let's go. Let's get in the car." He leads me to his car and closes the door behind me before I feel him walk away and to Billy's car. I listen to them as I relax in the seat.

"What do you want Harrington?"

"You don't call her a freak."

"And why not? She's the one standing in the middle of the road like one." What's a freak though? "Hey here's an idea Harrington move your fucking car." His car makes a loud noise again making me cover my ears. When it stops I let go. "Go back to your freak."

"I'm warning you, Hargrove."

"Billy let's just go."

"Shut up. I want to know what'll happen if I do it again."

"Try it." They both are angry. Angry isn't good. I reach over and press the thing that makes noise. I don't do it for long because it hurts.

"Go on bitch boy. Your freaks calling." I get out of the car when I hear a grunt from Billy. "That's how you want to do this Harrington?"

"Steve get in."

"No he wants to call you a fre-"

"I said in!" I feel him walk to the car.

"That's right Harrington listen to your freak." When Steve stops I turn my head to him.

"In car."

[twistedtummies2]

IT ME- YA BOI- AGAIN!:D

Anyway.

For your TWST ocs, what do you feel would be their favorite snacks? EXCLUDING HUMANS. Like do they have a quick or filling comfort snack or meal after a long day or maybe when they’re down?

Well, in the case of three of my six canon pred OCs, humans actually ARE their favorite snack or meal, although I don't necessarily know if they count as "comfort food" for any of them. XD For Billy, I think his favorite type of treat would be chocolate. In terms of a full meal...he has a family recipe for a chocolate-glazed pot roast that he finds absolutely delicious (as well as massively fattening). That's not really a snack, because obviously it's something that takes time to make, but it is a meal he loves making from time to time. Chocolate, in general, however, is definitely something he enjoys. He also likes marshmallows, which...given how squishy he is, that seems only fitting. Ha ha. For Nakoda, he likes sweet breads, pastries, and pudding. As I said in an Ask a while back, his "comfort breakfast" is a dish called Puri, which is an Indian staple that consists of light, airy sweet bread served WITH pudding. When he can't get that, he just likes that kind of stuff in general. It's light, sweet, and simple. Elias LOVES bacon. He will buy packs of pre-made bacon strips, and just...have those, the way a person might eat sticks of jerky or something. He's a dog boy, after all, and we all know how dogs get over "Beggin' Strips." ;) Reno is a junk food addict. He loves cheeseburgers, fries, potato chips, onion rings, all that stuff. He likes sweet things too, especially mellowcreme candies (such as candy corn or mellowcreme pumpkins), but he's happiest with food that is thick, juicy, savory, and more than a bit greasy. Also drinks a LOT of soda. James I don't think DOES comfort food. Not in the TYPICAL way, anyhow. There's nothing he considers truly "comforting" that he can just...sort of buy at the store really quick or whip up in a few minutes. About the closest thing that probably comes close is good old bread-and-butter with jelly. He does, however, very much like seafood, and also poultry-based dishes, of various sorts. (Much like Ace, though, he isn't a fan of oysters.) Speaking of seafood, this is also a favorite for Smitty and Maelstrom. Smitty's "comfort food" is fishsticks: while he does like more "sophisticated" forms of fish-based cuisine, fishsticks are something of a childhood favorite, hence why I classify them, for him, as "comfort food." Maelstrom prefers sushi, sashimi, and ESPECIALLY kalimari, although it's hard to say if that last one qualifies as typical "comfort snack" type stuff. Theodore has a sweet tooth. He particularly loves hard candies, such as lollipops and gobstoppers, as well as red licorice, and a few forms of sweet bread, such as gingerbread. It's something a lot of people don't expect when they first meet him, but he REALLY enjoys sweet and sugary stuff. It's a combo of a fast metabolism and him keeping himself decently in shape that prevents him from gaining about a billion tons of weight. XD Finally, Grit has a love for lime creme pie and hot cocoa. This is actually a reference to "Return to Oz," where the Nome King - his inspiration - dines on "Limestone Pie and Hot Melted Silver" in front of Dorothy and her friends. Since Grit is only HALF Nome, I figure he'd prefer the more human-friendly version of the same. XD In-canon, the reason he loves these so much is because of his Mom. No one makes them the way she does, but he loves them even when they are "inferior copies." Ha Ha.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Human Cannery Co.

Fandom: YJ98, Superfam, Flashfam, DC Comics

Summary: Conner is faced with a dilemma when Bart's clone shows up at his apartment asking for help.

Chapters: 2/?

Characters: Conner Kent, Thaddeus Thawne, Bart Allen, Tim Drake, Cassie Sandsmark, Clark Kent

Relationships: KonThad

Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Thad Thawne Redemption Fic, Clone 4 Clone, Developing Friendships, Angst, First Kiss, Roommates, Canon Divergent AU

Chapter Two: Breakfast Bar

As I said, I couldn't stand Thad when things started out. He followed me like a shadow around my apartment, quietly observing me. I hated it. "Superboy—?"

"Wrong," I snapped, "When I'm not in costume, you call me Conner. Conner. Get that?"

Looking back at that moment, I realize I was a jerk to him. He nodded and shrank into a corner of the room. I went about my day, and he stayed in the same spot until his stomach growled and reminded me of my humanity. I thought about how people treated me at the start of my existence. I was a thing to everyone around me. Tossed from place to place, demeaned, exploited, monetized. And I had the nerve to treat Thad like an unwanted pet. I didn't want to be that way toward him, but it was hard to get past what he'd done to Bart over the years. Part of me wanted to punish him for his past, but that wasn't fair.

I went to my room and found a pair of overalls and an old, knitted sweatshirt. "Thad! You can't go out with me like that. Come here," I called out. I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting the urge to be unkind. I thought of Ma. She could've shunned me for my existence, but she loved me. Unconditionally. She might've been the first person to truly love me for me. Maybe I owed that kindness to someone else. Someone like me. Thad entered the room, and I held up the clothes. "Put this on." Thad slipped his costume off and neatly folded it before putting on the clothes I gave him. I took his costume and put it on top of my closet.

"Where are we going?" Thad questioned.

"We're getting breakfast," I replied, "And groceries. What do you like to eat?"

"I don't know. I eat whatever's already made. When I was pretending to be Bart, I ate chives sometimes… Pasta… Hot dogs," Thad replied. I wrinkled my forehead.

"How about mashed potatoes, Salisbury steak, and corn for dinner? I know how to make that, and I've got a taste for it," I paused, "And what do you want for breakfast? I'm taking you to a breakfast bar."

"Can we have pancakes?" Thad asked. "With strawberries?" I nodded.

I gave him a toothbrush and toothpaste, and he followed me to the bathroom. I couldn't say anything about it because he wasn't in the way. He brushed his teeth and left, sitting in the living room while I dressed. When I returned to the living room, Thad stood in the corner, waiting for me to tell him what to do next. "Come on, Thad. Let's go get something to eat," I invited. Thad followed me to the elevator, and he opened his mouth to speak. "What is it?"

"Do you drive?" Thad asked. I shook my head.

"I don't like to... Besides, I live close to everything that matters. The breakfast bar is down the road," I replied. He followed me down the street, and I took the dirt path behind the building to the restaurant. Thad skipped in between steps to keep up with me. I slowed down and listened closely to the sound of his breathing. It wasn't labored like he was tired or in a rush. No. He was holding his breath. Thad only allowed himself one breath every several seconds.

"Don't do that," I whispered. Thad blinked hard. "Your breathing isn't gonna irritate me. It's irregular breathing that distracts me." Thad nodded.

We reached the restaurant after a brisk fifteen-minute walk. We checked in, and the hostess escorted us to our table. "What do you wanna eat?" I asked.

"Can I have the strawberry shortcake pancakes?" Thad questioned.

"Sounds good. I'll get the same thing," I replied, "Do you want a side of bacon or eggs?"

"Eggs, please," Thad answered. We waited nearly twenty minutes before the waitress took our order and brought our drinks.

"How long do you plan on staying with me?" I questioned.

"I want to learn how to be good... I don't know how long that'll take," Thad replied, "But four months... That's how long it'll be before you can retrieve Bart's aunt and father."

I nodded. "If you're lying—."

"I'm not," Thad whispered. The waitress interrupted our conversation when she brought our meal.

"Thank you," I whispered. I kicked Thad. "What do we say?"

"Thank you," Thad copied me before leaning forward to rub his shin.

The waitress walked away, and Thad grimaced at me. There it was. The inclination toward evil that I was looking for. It was almost impossible for me to stop judging him. "That hurt," Thad muttered.

"Wanna do something about it?" I replied. Thad shook his head.

"No... I just—. I don't get why you had to kick me," Thad mumbled. I frowned. I kept thinking about Ma in the back of my head. She would want me to be polite and considerate toward him.

"Lead by example," Ma whispered sweetly in my mind, "And he'll follow..."

"You're right... I'm sorry," I replied reluctantly, "I shouldn't have kicked you. There's no excuse for that behavior. I'll do better." Apologizing to him felt like pulling teeth. Thad returned to his meal, his cheeks rosy as tears fell from his eyes. Did I hurt his feelings? Was he feeling guilty?

I don't know if I'll ever know for sure. I looked down at my plate, shamefully picking over my breakfast, kicking myself for being hostile. Thad sniffed, and I passed him a napkin without looking at him. I couldn't face him. He had Bart's face, and I don't think I'd ever seen Bart cry. Not once. I didn't want to look into Thad's face and see Bart's, but this was the one time I couldn't ignore it. Thad wasn't as bad as Bart when it came to public outings. He was quiet, reserved, and didn't suck down food like a starving six-year-old. So, it wasn't his personality that I had an issue with. I don't think he was unlikable in that aspect. No. I think I hated him for what he'd done. I couldn't wrap my head around Thad wanting to destroy Bart without knowing him. He was made to destroy Bart. To rival him.

I wasn't made for that purpose. At least, I don't think I was. I never wanted to take Superman out or hurt Clark. I wanted to be him. Be loved like him. Be loved by him. I wanted there to be enough space for me. I couldn't imagine waking up every day thinking my purpose was to hurt the person whose face I share, whose blood is like mine. I couldn't relate to Thad. Thad was a bad clone and nothing more to me. He was pre-programmed to be what he was, and I thought he was incapable of anything else. He was less than human to me, and it made my stomach hurt to think that I had to be the one to help him. I hate to say it, but I was prejudiced against him. I dehumanized and devalued his experience because I didn't understand it. But it wouldn't allow me to go back on my word. I promised I would teach him to be good. And I meant that.

He finished eating before me and neatly set his dishes aside. "I don't know how to apologize to him... I don't think I'll ever be able to look at him," Thad revealed, "I don't know if I could ever break free of the feelings of hatred—. They're not my feelings, but—. Well—. Maybe they are my feelings. I know he's your friend and that you care about him—. I thought that you could fix me. Help me see the good in him."

I couldn't look up from my plate. I couldn't look into Thad's eyes. They were Bart's eyes too. "Didn't you know you were doing something wrong? Didn't you ever think you were the bad guy?" I questioned.

"I knew what I was taught. The Allens hurt the Thawnes. I was never an Allen... I was made to feel what the Thawnes felt. Good and evil were inconsequential," Thad answered, "But, I—. When I tried to destroy Bart and Max last time, I felt-. I couldn't. I failed... Because I felt something I'd never felt before."

"Jealousy?" I asked.

"No, I knew that feeling well... It was something else. I felt attachment and fear... What would I be without them? What would I do once they were gone? I'd be obsolete... And I wanted—. I didn't want to destroy anymore. I wanted Max," Thad confessed, "And I couldn't have him... Or Helen... Or his friends. They're Bart's. They'd never be mine... It's not fair."

It wasn't fair. I didn't understand it, but I felt for him. He didn't have anyone. I guess I understood that part better than anybody. I knew what it felt like to have nowhere to turn. Except I had Ma and Pa. They loved me and took me in. And maybe it was my turn to give that love to someone else.

[antlerqueer]

All theories aside for the moment tho, do you have a favorite scene?

To me this show is a fucking comedy so my favorite scene is when Lottie gets possessed and van yells "well shit Jackie can you try not to" because it has the exact same energy as the jackie weather meme 😆

Honestly the show's humor is so good. Someone was like "oh it's all scary all the time" and I'm like... Okay but the coach just told Jackie her only qualification for Captain was that she's popular.

There's lots of little moments I love. There's funny and sad bits, like when Taissa tells Lottie she doesn't have time for her crazy shit when she was the one eating dirt. It's funny bc she was, in fact, eating dirt, it's sad bc Lottie isn't crazy - she literally saw Taissa eating dirt - but she's not sure what's real because she's raw dogging antipsychotic withdrawal on her own.

I think Mari is hilarious. Every time she speaks I say "shut up, Mari" but like... I mean it affectionately.

Some great comedy moments I'll never forget, not stating the book club obvious:

"you're on fire, Jackie, oh wait - that was supposed to be me"

"you want to save the corn nuts?"

Mari asking if Shauna got pregnant while in the wilderness

"have you ever heard of a phrase called mutual destruction?"

"I would never want us competing over a boy"

"so I guess no one's hungry for breakfast?"

"what would you do about it? Eat me?"

"you can't buy love, but you could kidnap it" (plus the whole scene where they reunite in 2x05 is basically slapstick comedy to me)

Ummm but as far as favorite scenes? It's so tough bc it depends on what it'd be my favorite for, y'know?

I love the scenes where we see a character unraveling unbeknownst to the people with them, like a lot of Shauna and Jackie moments in the pilot. Shauna is just so tense whenever Jackie speaks and I could really feel her wanting to care about Jackie's opinion while also wanting Jackie to shut the fuck up, actually, because shes not going to Rutgers, she doesn't like the boob dress, and how could Jackie think she'd be interested in Randy Walsh?

I also love when Not Taissa comes out because I think Tawny and Jasmin are so great at separating that character from Taissa, and it's a really great flex of their craft to watch.

Plus any time Shauna is threatening someone, even when she tells Randy "don't you dare think about me" I'm like 🤤😻 because I love seeing Shauna feel in control.

Whenever Misty does anything I think it's great - I think her scenes where we just see her in her element are truly incredible. The phantom of the opera soundtrack while she kidnaps Jessica? The casual way she talks about killing Jessica's father? The way she perks up at the realization that Nat didn't leave her willingly? They're all such good insights.

I could go on and on, truly, about the things that this show does to scratch the right itch. I cannot wait to get more moments with all of the adults because just the taste of it in 1x10 was so interesting. I want to see more relationships between the women who haven't interacted much, too! Like one on one.

[dira333]

hi dira (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

can i request multiple sweets? if not just answer whatever you're comfortable with ^^

strawberry shortcake, tiramisu, crème caramel, peach parfait, taiyaki

have a great morning when you wake up 🩷

strawberry shortcake - I already answered as vaguely as possible (I don't celebrate my birthday or do anything with star signs) but I'll give you a hint because you're my friend... it's very close to Valentine's Day, like, one day apart.

-

tiramisu: my favorite warm drink is tea (currently bitter tea) but I'll give you a recipe from my childhood: when I'm sick it takes me back to my father's native country.... you make strong black tea, put so much lemon juice in that it turns a caramel kind of brown and then drop loads of sugar in (honey if you want to be healthy). It should taste very sweet and sour at the same time. When we got to visit my father's home country, I loved to drink that and it always takes me back there.

my favorite cold drink is water or juice... if I'd have to pick a soda, I'd pick Malt Beer... it's just loads of Malt and it tastes sweet and almost like coca cola (at least for me, who's not allowed to drink coca cola)

-

creme caramel: my favorite breakfast is my brazilian egg sandwhich that I already described but since I love breakfast, there's so much more to eat... Scrambled eggs, fried eggs with bacon, soft boiled egg (yeah, I miss eating egg) - oh, and "Riebel" - this will immediately give away where I live to any german speaking follower, but we have a very traditional breakfast food here, that's basically Wheat or Corn Semolina cooked in Milk or a mix of Cream and Water and then, after it thickened, you put it in a pan and burn it down until it's a little gritty. We eat it with Milk and Sugar, or applesauce or Coffee. I love that and learning how to make it is very important where I grew up - if you don't know how to make it properly, you're not supposed to get married.

-

peach parfait:

A song album that I associate with a time period in my life?

Okay, don't judge me for this, but I'll pick Midnight Memories from One Direction.

When I was about fourteen or fifteen, I had to move in with foster parents. They were so much less strict and abusive than the people I had to live with before (they're not perfect, but we still manage) and the sudden freedom allowed me to get into fandoms and stuff. I discovered One Direction in that time and even though I only bought the album years later, their music is still connected with growing up in a safer place, being able to create fanfiction, stuff like that

-

taiyaki:

Okay, I'll pick a different Anime for you... and I'll pick...

Komori from The Ice Guy and his Cool Female Colleague. She's so bubbly like me, and a bit messy too. Also her ears are the cutest thing in the world. And I too don't get it when people *cough* Saejima *cough* flirt with me

-

Hope you're already having a wonderful day bby, Honeypoo! Thank you for asking!

I'd make all those sweets for you too but me cooking/making food is always a gamble. You either get something tasty, or food poisoning (funnily enough, I just did that last thing to myself yesterday... ugh)

[vortship]

👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings? 🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast? ☀️ SUN - are they a morning person? what is the first thing they do in the morning? 📣 MEGAPHONE - how loud are they? what do they speak like? got a voice claim? 👑 CROWN - what does your oc want to be remembered as? why? 🔫 PISTOL - do they trust people easily? how easily will they turn their back to someone? have they been backstabbed before? will they betray someone if given an ultimatum? ☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right? 💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

[ you dont have to answer them all but i like giving options ... ahdkshasdha ]

𝐎𝐂 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐉𝐈 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐒!

WHEW gonna do a readmore so as to not completely cover the dash but yes I'm gonna answer all of them.

👪 It should come as no surprise that Hal's family situation was never ideal or even passable. She was raised by her mother, a gloomy, ill woman who rarely left the house. They lived in abject poverty in the Vortian equivalent to government housing. Hal's mom, Voxia, had an apathy towards parenting, the idea seeming to annoy and inconvenience her more than anything. She did very little in the realm of taking care of Hal, even locking her out of the house on occasion when she felt she was being too much. They had a relationship more akin to roommates than mother and daughter. Hal didn't know this was unusual until she was older. Although she doesn't hate her mom, and did mourn when she died, mourning her sense of normalcy more than anything.

When her mom died she was sent to live with her father. Their relationship was... better, but it was strictly on a case by case basis depending on how well she could serve their crime ring. She had a bigger house and food though, at the very least. While she has many half brothers, her middle brother, Finn, she became the closest too, with him becoming a mentor figure towards her. Not that he was teaching her to be a model citizen or anything.

🥞 Happy question! Yay! Hal likes bacon and eggs (but mostly the bacon).

☀️ I wouldn't consider her a morning person, but I wouldn't consider her not one either. Her circadian rhythm is completely messed up both from moving from one planet to another, as well as her sleeping schedule already being completely messed up. Hal kinda just wakes up when she wakes up, be it morning, noon, or night.

📣She's an Invader Zim character so it shouldn't be surprising she has no indoor voice. Her voice claim, Mae Whitman (Amity), hits the right notes of nasal but also natural that I was looking for. Peppy but with grit? We love 2 see it.

👑 Hal's just a lil alien so she probably hasn't thought that far ahead yet, maybe as the best hacker in the galaxy with the best SoundCloud.

🔫 I wouldn't say she trusts people easily, but I wouldn't say it's impossible to earn depending on the situation either. She was taught to only trust her brothers and those in their ring, but that's also difficult for her to do when she genuinely believes someone can be trusted. I'd say it's on a case by case basis. She also tries to always have a plan for when she's betrayed, staying one step ahead. Depending on her relationship to someone I'd say it's not very hard for her to sell your soul for one corn chip (and not even eat the corn chip).

☄️ She's a little pink girl, I think it's pretty safe to say people expect they can outsmart her easily. Hal uses the underestimation to her advantage, lowering other people's guards while she empties their paypal accounts or whatever else she's doing.

💚 Comfort for Hal... hm. She doesn't really feel any kind of context for physical comfort, not yet anyway, since that wasn't how any attachments were formed with her. Her biggest comforts are her things, her shows, her music, and all the pop trash she fills her head with. I imagine she sees 'distraction' and 'comfort' as the same thing at this point.

[balapann-blog]

Day 1 - 6 September - London > Paris > Stuttgart > Munich > Ljubljana

Our first couple of days included a full 24 hour journey to Ljubljana via Paris, Stuttgart, and Munich. Our night train from Munich was a repeat of a train I took when I was inter railing in 2012. On that occasion went to sleep on the wrong part of the train and woke up in Vienna! Happily this time we were in the right part and at 6.45 i woke up from my slightly uncomfortable sleeping position across a bank of three seats in a compartment to see us leave Austria which and enter Slovenia. It was a misty morning and we were going through some languid alpine scenes.

Day 2 - 7 September - Ljubljana

Our Saturday morning consisted of taking our bags to the apartment for storage before check in, walking around the town and having breakfast (ratatouille baked eggs), going to the castle and walking around the rest of the old town, going on a boat tour and having some very tasty food and wine. Ljubljana is a pretty city, it was quite different to how I imagined it to be, and has Habsburg architecture that hugs a meander of the river Ljublinica. There are lots of wine bars and places to eat, as well as a bustling street food and vegetable market.

Slovenia seems different to other parts of the balkans and former Yugoslavia I have visited, the suburbs e were staying in had an almost Brussels, or Nordic feel. I imagine this to the fact that is was basically always part of the Habsburg provinces, so in feel is more like somewhere like Austria or Italy (although we will find out in the next few weeks if this is right!). This, along with its fertile farmland (lots of corn being grown everywhere) amongst other things meant that it was the highest gdp of Yugoslavia and was the first to secede from the state in 1991. It also managed to largely avoid the violence that engulfed the rest of the former countries following the collapse of the rest of the state.

Where we ate - We had a delicious sausage and roll with lots of mustard in …, We had some nice dumplings in …, Wine bar

What we liked - The sausage was amazing, and the meat dumplings were great - the cottage cheese and tarragon ones were quite similar and the dumplings were very filling. I feel like life might be hard for a vegetarian in Slovenia. The orange wine was great

Day 3 - Ljubljana / Bled

Sunday morning we got up early, did a 5k and then went to a municipal swimming pool for a swim, this is something that I would like to do more of over the course of our time travelling, seeing what they are like. This one was really nice and slightly pricy (14 Euro each, last day of summer pricing), having had quite a good time since I finished the tri, I was very unfit in the pool and had to stop and rest after every couple of lengths.

We then went to Bled via a delicious borek place called Olympic Burek, it was on all the reviews we had read online and was delicious, the meaty one was incredibly meaty with lovely flakey pastry. We bought 2 meat ones for breakfast, a spinach and cottage cheese one for lunch although we only ended up having the spinach one in Bled. Our bus was only 1.90 as it was a local bus (the others are all a lot more expensive).

I had been to Bled 12 years ago inter-railing, and had camped in the camp site on the far end. Since I had been, i think they have pedestrianised quite a lot of it. we had a fun packed lunch and had a couple of nice swims, as well as going past the camp site incognito since i might stil be wanted for leaving the campsite without paying in 2012! The water was beautiful and it was nice to swim at a couple of places as we walked around, although this time we did not swim to the island due to not wanting to leave stuff unguarded. Speaking of leaving stuff, I managed to leave my phone and camera battery in the apartment so all photos from the day are Nina’s.

We had some lovely glasses of Slovenian wine, of which they only export 15%! A couple of orange wines at a wine bar on the river on Saturday night, a nice glass of white in Bled and a house red in the restaurant we had dinner on Sunday night. Our Sunday night meal was Slovenian sausage with potato salad and loads of mustard highly recommend and a delicious goulash.

Where we ate - Marley & Me, Olympic Burek

What we liked - Burek was amazing but dinner was also good, loved Slovenian wine!

Day 4 - 9 September - Ljubljana > Zagreb

We caught the 30 train we had come from Munich on as it carries on to Zagreb. It was half an hour late so only left around 9. The train was lovely as it went along the banks of the river Sava, it was also pouring rain so felt cosy to be inside in the comfy seating.

We arrived in Zagreb around 12.00 and left our bags in the station and then started to walk around the city. Looking for vegetables, we bought a lettuce and some tomatoes for dinner and actually went for an Indian, having a dal and a chana masala in an effort to get some vegetables into our diet. We then went to the museum of broken relationships which was actually fascinating. It showed items that symbolised relationships that had broken down with a little explainer about the item and the relationship. They ranged from a couple of lines to long multiple paragraph explainers. There were lots about the Balkan wars which were particularly poignant. After the museum we walked round the old town trying to remember all the items and their stories. Nina had very good recall! We kept playing through the day when someone would call out something like ‘oh the mirror!’

We then went to the strip and had a small beer to get out of the biblical rain. These are some of the moments I am enjoying most, the little moments of chill, having a little drink and being in each others company.

After the drink we went and got our bags and checked into the apartment. It was quite plush and only like £4 over the budget of £50 we have set ourselves per night. By this time i was very tired and we went to a big but incredibly disappointing Spar (‘it’s just a big spar’) and then the laundrette to was our clothes. We met an American lady who accidentally put all her dryer money into our dryer giving us double time.

We then had a very welcome salad, after which I was very tired and went to sleep.

Where we ate - Royal India

What we liked - going to the market for stuff to make ourselves. The Indian was actually passable. Ozujsko grapefruit raddler.

[jasminebutintaiwansojiemin]

July 15th, 2024 星期一 - Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Presidential building, Shilin Night Market, The Grand Hotel, etc.

I went to bed very early yesterday, so I woke up around 4am. I have a lot going back at uni so I had to do A LOT of administrative stuff whilst half asleep since it was afternoon over there. After doing that for a few hours, I got up and went to breakfast around 7am. I’ve been trying to limit my portions lately, so thankfully I didn’t eat too much.

After breakfast, I went to the 15th floor where I did a zoom meeting for one of my dances and then started recording a series of videos for one of my clubs. I successfully did 2/4, but then on the third video, this lady walked in with her kids and interrupted me so i just ended it there. Then I returned to my room and laid in the bed before going to find a bookstore with my roommate. After what felt like a million years trying to find this bookstore with the most obscure location ever, we finally found it. Unfortunately they didn’t have what she was looking for so we went to go find a ramen restaurant instead.

Once we got to the restaurant, it wasn’t open yet for another ten minutes. We just decided to go look for the curry place nearby because my roommate is vegetarian. We never did find it but we did find an Indian restaurant where surprisingly the owner didn’t speak any Mandarin. The prices were pretty high so we just returned back to the ramen restaurant. I was originally going to order takeout, but we decided to eat in because they had vegetarian options. The food was pretty good, probably a 7/10 (I used to work at a ramen restaurant). They were playing Gee by Girls Generation when we walked in which I thought was funny because it’s a Japanese restaurant in Taipei lol. Although the place was pretty small, it was packed with people. My roommate thought the waiter was cute so I complimented him on his tattoo (which made him roll sleeve up for the rest of the time we were there to show it off), but when she hit on him later he was not with it unfortunately (she thinks he may have been into me instead since I was talking to him but alas).

After lunch (which we left our water bottles at in a hurry to scurry after the speed flirting), we scurried back to the hotel (not before stopping at the WRONG bank trying to pull out money) where I showered quickly before our classroom time. After doing homework during the self-study classroom time, we all met up and headed out to visit Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, alongside the Grand Hotel (we took a shuttle bus thank god), and the Presidental hall. It was so hot and humid that i was dripping sweat down my legs (i also forgot my umbrella because I hate myself). It was cool getting so see such ornamented places and I always love seeing the Chinese style gates.

We ended at the Shilin Night Market, where I ate a Korean corn dog and drank some Cranberry juice before doing some shopping with some classmates. I bought a few pieces of clothes, adding to the various items I bought at the many gift shops I’d seen that day. I was also able to get a glass blown bok choy charm because on of my classmates was able to haggle the old lady working the counter really well (bless him). When I returned home, I again knocked out around 9pm (I really need to stop doing that) and woke up at 4am.

Academic Reflection

Today’s reading talked about China Kai-shek’s personality cult that was used to legitimize his rule not only in Taiwan, but in Mainland China as well. I thought it was interesting when the reading compared him to Stalin because after visiting the museum, I see how the comparisons could be drawn. I think it’s good that the museum had the section talking about all the ways in which Chiang Kai-shek was NOT a perfect leader and how his rule effectively oppressed many people. I also thought it was interesting when the text talked about how China Kai-shek consciously used Confucian values to gain respect, and then later switched to painting himself as the subservient loyal student of Sun Yat-sen.

Something else that piqued my interest was when the reading talked about the different non-governmental organizations that worked faithfully to promote Chiang Kai-shek’s personality as being the embodiment of Chinese culture and virtue. The Officer’s Moral Endeavor Association, for example, though having a purpose not related to the government, turned into a full fledged Chiang Kai-shek fan club. Through this article I also learned the full name of the YMCA. This reminds me of how in the U.S., there are certain non-government related organizations that absolutely lick the boots of certain political figures when it comes to election seasons. Off the top of my head, I can remember that the NRA (National Rifle Association) is an organization that is very involved in politics, and in the past few years the promotion of certain political candidates/figures in comically positive ways.

[what-if-w0nder]

The Bloom and Doom Conspiracy AU

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[About the AU]

[Fanfic Masterpost thingy]

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Chapter 1: This is the first chapter

Summary:

What starts out as a normal day in Neighborville, quickly devolves into tension and uncertainty as Crazy Dave mysteriously disappears without a trace. 

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It was yet another beautiful morning in Neighborville, and another day for the self-imposed plant protectors to fight some zombies.

Sunflower got up out of bed on cue, feeling the warm sun on her face shining outside her bedroom window, the birds were chirping a mellow tune, and she could feel the Earth's jazzy rhythm beating along from beneath the floorboards. She knew it was gonna be a great day, cause even when the zombies come to eat their fellow neighbors' brains, Sunflower and the other plants will swoop in and save the day, making it an even better day!! 

As she descended down the steps, she saw Crazy Dave talking to Peashooter. He had his shoulder bag on and was about to leave, but stopped for small talk with the plant. 

“I’ll be gone for a while, and I might come home late.” Dave said, “Make sure to remember-”

“Remember to feed and walk Twister, don’t let Patrice and Nightcap stay up late watching TV, don’t let Snapdragon jump off the roof for the hundredth time, keep the house clean as usual, make sure the zombies stay off our neighbor’s lawns, and if anyone’s hungry there’s plant food in the cabinet and some leftover tacos in the fridge.” Peashooter interrupted, “Did I miss anything?” 

Dave chuckled, “Nope, you’ve got everything. I’ll be on my way now, goodbye!” 

“Good Morning and goodbye Dad- I mean Dave!” Sunflower called out “Take care!!” 

The man noticed the plant on the stairs and waved goodbye to her too, he then gently patted Peashooter’s head before exiting their home, off to wherever he’s going to. Sunflower had finally reached the bottom of the stairs before she gleefully approached the other plant, bearing her usually sunny grin. 

“You’re a lot sunnier than usual today.” Peashooter commented, “Anything in particular you’re looking forward to?” 

“Nope! Just being my usual sunny self, as always!” 

Just then, Rose peeked her head out from the kitchen and shouted “Everyone! Breakfast is ready!!” The room she had come from smelled faintly of eggs and bacon, which was Sunflower’s, and maybe also Chomper’s favorite food. 

Speaking of him, Chomper then came dashing through the hall, attracted by the smell of freshly cooked breakfast. Citron then came rolling in, with Kernel Corn following along with Snapdragon, the Acorn Triplets, and Oak stomping in. 

Just before Sunflower was about to follow them, she curiously asked “Hey Pea, where was Dave going? It’s not like him to go out this early, and to miss Rose’s cooking too.” 

“He’s just going out to look at something” Peashooter replied, “He’ll be dropping by the store later to go grab some milk since we ran out.” 

“Hey you two!” Cactus said, butting in, “Are you gonna join us or what? Chomper’s gonna eat all the eggs!!” 

The two remaining plants just looked at each other and shrugged, proceeding into the dining room where they spotted a tired Patrice still in her pajamas, her hair taking the appearance of a bird’s nest as one of her pigtails were loosened and the hair tie that held onto it was slowly drooping down. She definitely stayed up late last night, probably watching TV with Nightcap as always. Peashooter has told Nightcap many times about Patrice needing her sleep, and this was a prime example of that. 

Like the rest of the day, breakfast continued as normal. Sunflower savored every second of the bacon on the food on her plate, like she always does everyday as a little way of showing her appreciation for Rose making breakfast for them everyday. It's a good thing she did though, cause from that day on breakfast won’t taste the same as it did. 

*****************

A bolt of lightning flashed through the dark cloud covered sky, followed by a haunting boom of thunder. It shook Sunflower’s nerves as a chill breeze blew past her, followed by the rapid pitter patter of rain splashing her face. Mustering up the courage to fight the elements, she went up the window, her vision getting blurred by the ongoing storm attacking her. Closing her eyes, she felt around for the window before finally finding the sides and slamming it shut, the wind assisting her albeit nearly squeezing Sunflower’s fingers. It helped her many times in closing the windows, which she was grateful for nonetheless. 

With the last window closed, she was finally done. “Good job Sunflower!” She thought to herself, before spotting an anxious figure in the hallway. It was a Peashooter, looking out the window and seemed to be looking for someone. 

“Looking for Dave again?” Sunflower peeped in, she joined her ally in his window-watching, but she could only see the ongoing downpour of rain wetting the window, a high stakes race of raindrops if you will. 

Peashooter nodded. He bore an uneasy expression, and as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky with the thunder in tow, she could see why. Dave hadn’t been home in 2 days and with the raging storm that seemed to get worse as the night prolonged, who wouldn’t worry for the man that took care of them all? 

Sunflower patted his back, glancing back at him with a generous, comforting smile. “It's alright, I’m sure he’ll be home soon. Plus, look on the bright side!” she said, saying her iconic catchphrase. “I think he’ll be home any day now, he probably just got caught up by the storm!” 

“Do you think the zombies got to him?” A chill crawled up his stem with unease wrapped nicely around each word Peashooter mumbled, anxiety filled the mere mention of their undead enemies the most. 

“Pssh, who cares about the zombies? A bunch of browncoats are nothing Dave couldn’t handle.” 

“But what if it wasn’t just a bunch of browncoats?” 

“Oh stop it Pea! If you keep thinking negatively then it’ll be months before he gets back home! Think positive! cause everything will be alright in the end, remember?” 

“Right…”  

“C'mon! Let's get to bed, we have a whole day of kicking zombie butt tomorrow!!” 

“Okay…” 

Before leaving, Peashooter took one last glance out the window, looking for at least a sign of a human being, the silhouette of a man wearing a saucepan hat, but then gave up after seeing nothing but the aggressive downpour of rain. He was about to head upstairs with Sunflower, but then the faint sounds of the downstairs TV caught his attention.

“Pea? Where are you going-?”

“I’ll go to bed in a second, I have a certain night owl to drag upstairs.”

Sunflower paused for a while, stopping midway up the steps and listening. She heard the sound of the TV getting turned off, then the vague protests of Nightcap arguing with Peashooter about her sleep schedule again. The eavesdropping plant on the stairs just shook her head and giggled slightly, before going all the way up and making a beeline for her own bedroom. 

************************************

Whispers and murmurs were exchanged among the plants as they were all gathered round the dining room, a week had passed since Dave just went out for a while and hadn’t come back. They had spent the last few days searching for the man, asked their fellow neighbors, but to no avail no one had seen any sign of him since. 

Or at least… until today. 

Sitting on the table in front of them all was a saucepan, but no ordinary one. This one in particular belonged to Crazy Dave himself, and instead of sitting on his head, it laid there on the table. 

“Snapdragon, where… Did you find this?” Rose inquired. 

“Somewhere in the woods, inside that creepy old abandoned factory. I was taking Twister for a walk and sniffed it out, but…” Snapdragon paused for a moment, before speaking again saying “We found my Dave’s saucepan next to this.. massive hole. We looked everywhere and no one else was there.”

More alarmed discussion was exchanged, but what all the plants spoke about had seen eye to eye despite having differing conversations from one another. Sunflower looked around and saw that everyone was either distraught, in disbelief, or devastated. Such was with the case with Peashooter, who just sat there, staring at the saucepan. She couldn’t read his mind at all but could tell by his dazed expression alone how horrifying the implications of what Snapdragon meant. Still, this situation could be salvaged, turned positive if you will. 

“I want to clarify..” Sunflower spoke up, hushing the worried murmurs among the crowd of plants “Did you see any of Dave’s footprints? It got really muddy after the storm a couple of days ago. Perhaps there was a set of footprints that lead elsewhere?” 

“I did find his footprints actually.” 

That sentence brought Sunflower immediate delight, and the other plants a spark of hope. They all looked to the plant, ready to pay close attention, as her expression went from worried, to sorrowful. 

“But they all lead to the hole, where…” They could see tears well up in his eyes, Snapdragon didn’t finish his sentence. 

The delight and spark of hope that filled Sunflower and everyone else was immediately snuffed, like the flame of a birthday candle. To Peashooter however, it was like he was shot with a bullet, a sharp, psychological, pain in his gut when he heard those words come out of Patrice’s mouth. He couldn’t believe it, and as distraught he was like everyone else, it was the most plausible explanation for Dave’s sudden disappearance. Much like any other truth, it hurt.

. 

.

.

Nate and Patrice pressed their ears against the door, trying to listen into the plants’ conversation. Twister and Mo copied them, also wanting to eavesdrop.

“You hear anything Nate?” Patrice whispered. 

Nate shook his head, then looked to the other two. “How about you guys?” 

Mo’s screen turned a blue-ish violet “I’m sorry User [Nate], I'm afraid I cannot relay what the plants are saying.” 

“Woof!” Twister barked in agreement. Even if she could hear them, she wouldn’t be able to relay what they said either. 

“What are we even eavesdropping for anyway?” Nate asked, turning to his friend who still had her ear pressed against the door. 

“My uncle’s been missing for days, and I saw them take his hat inside the dining room.” 

“The saucepan?” 

“Yes, keep up will you?” 

Suddenly an alarm blared through the house and alerted every single person present.  Inside the dining room a computer screen slid out of a secret compartment in the wall and displayed a map of Neighborville, a massive horde of zombies were approaching, alongside a team of 10 zombies that stood out from the brown coated crowd. They all wore a matching set of purple and black uniforms, but were more diverse in terms of height, appearance, and weapons. 

The plants’ despair and mourning will have to wait. 

“Hey what’s going on?!” Nate worriedly asked, “Why’d the alarm go off? What’s happening-”

“No time Nathaniel!” Interrupted Rose, “There is a massive horde of zombies approaching, and I'm going to need you both to stay here and don’t move.”

“But what about me? I can fight the zombies too y'know! I can help!” Patrice protested. 

“No, we just cannot afford to lose you too.” 

“What? What do you mean afford to lose me??”

Rose didn’t answer, she just looked around, in search of someone. Among the crowd of plants, all bustling to get ready for the sudden, incoming attack, she spotted Mo, navigating through the crowd with Twister. 

“Mo!!” she called out, catching the attention of the robot. He made his way over, before Rose crouched down to his level. 

“Affirmative. I shall mulch any zombies that come close to User [Patrice] and User [Nate] until User [Rose] or Creator Dave has returned from your mission.” 

“I’m gonna need you to protect Nate and Patrice for us, and under no circumstances are any zombies allowed to get near the two of them, alright?” 

“Thanks Mo!” she said to the mower behind her, and left to get prepared as well despite having such little time to do so.

Regardless of their preparation, nothing would’ve gotten the plants ready for the absolute mess they were about to experience, and this included the citizens of Neighborville as well.