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total-drama-takes-takes-2 · 1 year ago

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tti episode 2

“Last time on Total! Takes! Island! 22 campers participated in their first challenge: a one-thousand foot dive into shark-infested waters. Most campers took the plunge, but a few were feathered and tarred by their teammates- and me! In the end, it was Fren who walked the dock of shame, and Ass who lived to play another day. Who will go home this week? Find out today, on Total! Takes! Island!”

Another beautiful morning in Wawanakwa- that is, unless you’re a camper being woken up bright and early.

“It’s 6 AM!” Bonnie yells out the window as air horns blare over the intercom.

“Rise and shine, sleepyheads!” Chris shouts through his megaphone. “It’s challenge time!”

The campers collect outside of their cabins, groggy and tired. Frollo arrives first, carrying his Bible with him, much to Max’s annoyance. “Are you really gonna bring that thing with you everywhere all season?”

Frollo looks thoroughly unamused. “Yes,”

Julia steps out next, yawning and rubbing her eyes under her glasses. She glares at both Max and Frollo as they stare at her before being ran into by Michael, who wasn’t watching where she was going.

Mal is, of course, up bright and early, smiling. Ass stares at her with heavy bags under their eyes. “Morning person?”

“Nah, just snuck some coffee from the mess hall before Chris came out here. Want some?” She offers a thermos. Ass smiles and accepts the gift.

“Morning, campers! Hope you had a good night of sleep, because your next challenge starts in eight minutes!” The crowd responds with a groan, much to Chris’ delight. “Time for your twenty kilometer run around the island!”

“Are you kidding me!?” Caesar shouts. Chris rolls his eyes. “You know I would never joke about torture,”

Chef walks up behind the crowd and blasts an air horn, shocking all of the campers into running (with the exception of Bonnie and Caesar, who sigh and walk instead).

“Well, this blows. No one’s even had a huge meltdown yet,” Bonnie says, hands in their hoodie pockets as they walk.

“Oh, they will,” Caesar chuckles. “Trust me on that.”

Bonnie shrugs and keeps walking at a steady pace as the two pass O, who's wheezing on the ground.

The inside of the mess hall looks like a refugee hospital as the campers who have arrived already lie on the floor, the benches, the tables, panting and coughing. Joner groans for water, weakly holding a hand up, which McLovin (lying beside him) shakily high-fives.

Peter and Sha-Mod come bounding in, breathing through their mouths. Even the picture of Lightning is red-faced as they complete this leg of the challenge for their team.

“That’s everyone, McLame,” Patrick snaps. “Where’s our prize?”

“Oh, no,” Chris says. “This is just the beginning!”

Everyone groans. “Don’t worry, dudes, I’m sure you’ll love this part!”

Chris pulls a drawstring by a pair of heavy purple curtains and reveals a glamorous buffet, lined with every fattening, carb-heavy food you could imagine: breadsticks, mac n cheese, potatoes in all forms, a ham and a giant turkey, beans, and with dessert to spare. The whines and groans of the Fujoshis are stifled as they stare in ecstasy, and then dig in.

When they finish up, Chris giggles. “Ready for part two?”

“Part two?” McLovin groans. “Wasn’t this part two?”

“Just the beginning, my friend, just the beginning,” the host chuckles back. “It’s time for the Awake-a-Thon!”

“Don’t worry, dudes, this is an easy one! Your only goal is to stay awake!” Chris chuckles. “Whichever team member survives the twelve-hour marathon wins!”

---

MAL: “Well, I can’t say I’m proud of myself for not remembering this from the original season, but… something possessed me seeing that food. After a week of inedible garbage, it was like seeing my Twitter account finally being unsuspended after a month on my alt!”

---

10 HOURS IN

“We are ten hours into the Awake-a-Thon, and miraculously, everyone remains awake,” Chris says softly, gesturing to the contestants behind him.

Mal sits on a patch of dead grass, using the uncomfortable surface to keep her awake. She turns to Peter, who’s looking like a zombie.

“Hey, are you-”

And with that, Peter falls backwards and is out cold. Mal sighs.

“One down,” McLovin mutters, mildly annoyed.

Courtney shrugs. “Could be worse, right? I should’ve known this was coming, I've seen the original a thousand times.”

“I don’t blame you, that stupid run put my brain on the backburner. And those beans were really good,”

“Agreed,” they smile.

The Anons are faring much better without having had the feast, though they look more “sickly and fatigued” tired than “warm and comfy” tired.

Austin turns to Kelly, eyes tired. “How’re you holding up, baby?”

She yawns. “Well. You?”

“A little bummed we missed out on that groovy meal, but glad I have you to keep me company, eh?” he winks, earning a little blush from Kelly in return.

O raises an eyebrow at the two from a few feet away.

---

O: “Listen, I try not to watch Total Drama too much, but I know an alliance is forming when I see one. If I’m gonna make this, I’m gonna need friends.”

---

O turns to Joner and tries to smile. “Hey man, how’re you holding up?”

He smiles back. “Tired, but good! How’re you?”

“Could be better. Hey, listen…” O points to Kelly and Austin, and then looks back at Joner. “You seem like a friendly guy, right?”

“I try!”

“Well, from one friend to another, I’d watch out for Kelly and Austin,” he mutters. “There’s an alliance brewing there.”

Joner’s eyes widen. “An alliance?!”

“You bet. And now both of us are at risk cause Kelly and Austin are the nicest players on the team. There’s no way anyone would vote them out,”

“Well… I don’t know, I’m not the biggest Austin fan,” Joner yawns. “He didn’t treat my buddy Michael very kindly yesterday.”

“Well, we’re in the minority on that. Look at them!”

O points. Kelly finishes a flower crown of daisies and dandelions and places it on Austin’s head. A butterfly lands on his shoulder and a beam of sunlight pierces the clouds and washes over them.

“I see what you mean, man,” Joner says. “Who else can we get in on this?”

“Well, who else do you think would hate to see nice people having fun?”

Both turn to Max.

FIFTEEN HOURS IN

Courtney’s head droops, and they’re only awoken when McLovin shakes them violently.

“Jeez,” they mutter. “I almost lost myself there. Thanks, MC.”

“No problem. Just gotta… stay on top of the game…”

Courtney and McLovin are out seconds after.

Michael’s eyes close for a moment too long and Max immediately splashes her face with cold water. “God! What the hell!”

“Don’t you dare fall asleep,” Max hisses.

“You have a lot of energy in you for someone of your size,” Scary comments.

Austin nods. “Like a baby chihuahua, baby,”

“My great-great-great grandfather on my mom’s side was the best chihuahua breeder to ever live,” Staci yawns. “True story.”

“Yeah, that’s fascinating,” Max says, taking a seat far away from everyone else.

O and Joner make eye contact and take the opportunity to sit beside him. “You’re not that short,” O says. “My uncle is 4’9 and he’s a heavy weight lifting champion.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s just that Austin, huh?” Joner says. “Always making trouble.”

“Not making enough trouble, if you ask me,”

“Yeah, that too!”

Across the way, Patrick slumps over, dead asleep. His headphones slip off and reveal he’s been listening to Madonna.

Joner coughs, redirecting the attention back to him. “Say, if you wanted to, perhaps, join an alliance with the two of us.. Keep us safe… we wouldn’t mind,”

Max yawns. “Yeah. Whatever,”

O silently pumps his fist and nods, then sneaks off with Joner to fist bump.

20 HOURS IN

Michael and Staci are out cold on the ground. Kelly and Austin lean on each other, and O and Scruffy keep kicking each other in their sleep.

Scary’s eyes are open, but they’re not moving.

“Can someone check if… if she’s dead?” Max mutters. Joner steps up and stumbles over, poking his shoulder. Scary coughs.

“Not dead. Asleep,”

“Damnit,” Max groans, before promptly slumping forwards and tumbling to the ground, fast asleep. Joner winces.

---

JONER: “I was sitting there, like, if we lose, it’s gonna be on me,” he yells at the confessional camera, eye bags still heavy. “And then Max will drop the alliance and throw me and O to the wolves! I can’t let us down like that! and I especially can't leave Michael and McLovin alone. It's really hard to notice, but... they're not too close.”

---

“Gotta stay up… gotta stay up…” Joner murmurs, slapping himself every other sentence.

“Congratulations, campers!” Chris says merrily. “You’ve made it to the 24 hour mark! Let’s kick things up a notch with some good old fashioned... fairy tales!”

“God, no…” Julia groans.

“Once upon a time, there was… a quiet, sleepy village,” Chris says in a soft, soothing voice. Chef plays the harp nearby, adding a melodic tune to the dreary reading. “And in this quiet, sleepy village… nothing happened… ever”

Sha-Mod and Kitty collapse into each other, bonking their heads and getting knocked out instantly.

40 HOURS IN

“And then they totally left their underwear in the guy’s car,” Ass chuckles. “And that’s why I’m not allowed at IHop anymore.”

Mal laughs. “You’re funny. These things really happen to you?”

They shrug. “I guess so. I think there's just something about me that attracts crazy people. What, you have a normal life?”

“Not quite, but not as exciting as yours,” she says. “I run a TD blog. A really popular blog. It’s nothing exciting, but crazy shit happens,”

“Crazy? Like what?”

Mal's eyes narrow at Courtney, who's fast asleep across the way. “Well…”

But when she turns back to Ass, their eyes are closed and their body is limp. Mal doesn't hold up for much longer after.

Frollo reads from his Bible, looking tired but not uttering a peep.

“Ugh, how are you doing that?” Julia asks.

“Doing what?”

“Not falling asleep reading that thing,”

Frollo looks up at her. “This “thing” is the greatest work of non-fiction ever made. It’s riveting. I'm in Leviticus right now,”

Julia yawns. “Don’t you dare,”

“Leviticus 18:22 says-”

Julia collapses.

50 HOURS

“Listen, I really didn’t want for it to come to this, but you all give me no choice, really,” Chris sighs, pulling a book up. “I’m sure you’re all familiar with A History of Canada: The Pop-Up Book?”

Caesar groans. “God, no, please,”

“I wasn’t finished yet, compadre. This is the revised edition, with an additional thirteen chapters!”

The remaining players groan. Bonnie gives in immediately, slowly dropping. Caesar gasps. “Bonnie, no!” But it’s too late.

That leaves only three- Frollo- still reading his Bible- Joner- fighting for his life- and Caesar- already worried about looking like a zombie tomorrow.

“Chapter one-”

Joner lets out an earth-shattering groan, catching everyone's attention. He then sighs in defeat, curls up into a ball on the grass, and falls asleep, all his remaining effort gone. Frollo blinks, unamused, and Caesar swallows a lump in his throat.

“Oh, come on!” Chris shouts. “This is taking forever!”

Caesar sighs loudly and stands, pacing around in circles to keep awake. A few of the fallen soldiers begin to wake up and watch in dead silence as time ticks down. Chris continues reading. Chef comes out with glasses of warm milk and cookies, which are refused. The sun sets again and the sky turns a deep shade of blue. Caesar’s steps are much slower now, but Frollo’s eyes keep drooping- it’s only a matter of time before one of them collapses.

“This is terrible. Honestly,” Chris says, crossing his arms. He turns to Chef. “Should we make them fight each other?”

“At this point, I don’t think they’d stand a chance,” Chef shakes his head. “Something’s gotta happen eventually, right?”

Caesar’s eyes (now barely open, even as he paces) flit over towards Frollo, who’s been on the same page of his Bible for hours now.

“You done with that yet?” he asks, barely able to speak. Frollo ignores him. “Come on, it’s not like we have anything better to do.”

Frollo looks up from his page and glares. “I don’t fraternize with the homosexual,”

“Woah, buddy,” Caesar holds up his hands defensively. “This is a kid’s show.”

“Stop talking to me, filthy wretch,”

Caesar looks over his shoulder to Chris, who shrugs. Then, he gets an idea. He takes a seat on one of the logs around the campfire across from where Frollo is standing and forces a smile. “You know it isn’t real, right?”

Frollo shakes his head.

“It’s just a bunch of stories loosely based on events that might have happened,” Caesar grins. “It’s less concrete than, um, RuPaul.”

“Silence, you infernal-”

“Watch it, we’re on TV,” he chuckles. “Me, personally, I was never a “God” guy. I spell it with a lowercase G and everything.”

“Enough!” Frollo stands, seething. “You will not take the Lord’s name in vain!”

“Oh, but I just did. Not that he’s going to do anything about-”

Before Caesar can finish his sentence, Frollo spins and launches the heavy book directly at his head. It hits his hair, bounces back, and smacks Frollo straight in the temple. Frollo blinks and then falls backwards. Chris stands in bewilderment, a huge, shocked grin on his face. “Is he out?”

Chef approaches and looks him over. “He’s out,”

“He’s out. He’s out! Finally!” Chris laughs. “Thank God for pompadours! Caesar wins! The Flying Fujoshis win!”

The Flying Fujoshis swarm Caesar, cheering (the ones who are awake, anyway) and the challenge officially ends as Caesar falls asleep and slumps over on Bonnie.

---

“Anons, you put up a good fight today. Unfortunately, your remaining player was a homophobe. Sucks to suck,” Chris smiles. “You all know the drill- no marshmallow, and you’re out. Forever! Haha. Okay:”

“Staci, Scary, O, and Michael, you’re all safe.

Next up is Kelly,

Austin,

Max,

Julia,

And Scruffy.”

Joner looks at Frollo nervously. Frollo blinks slowly, holding an ice pack to his head.

“Joner, you’re up for elimination for willingly giving up and possibly costing your team the win against Caesar. Frollo, you lost, big-time! But only one of you will be boarding the boat of losers tonight, and the other one is safe. And that person is….”

“Frollo. Joner, time to pack your bags,”

Joner sighs and looks to the team. “It’s been a blast, everyone,”

Michael frowns and stands, running over to Joner and giving him one last goodbye fist bump. “You’ll be missed,”

Joner smiles. “I’ll see you, man. You and McLovin better win that million for us!”

She frowns deeper. “Right. Me and McLovin,”

---

MICHAEL: "That was… rough. Even rougher considering that leaves me completely alone. And considering that Joner has been my best friend since elementary school… This has not been a good day for me,"

---

Chris watches curiously, and then waves Joner goodbye as he walks down the docks. “That was tough! Who’s gonna be hitting the road next week? And who will suffer blunt-force trauma? Find out on Total! Takes! Island!”

#tti #total takes island

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blue-arts-stuff · 6 months ago

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Love e**ie as a character but hate that particular breed of bu**ie and e**ie fans they are so pathetic cropping out lou's face or swapping it with other actor's face like imo thats so childlish. Anywho BuckTommy nation stays winning with Howie Han as the biggest fujoshi king. Kinley nation stands for u Howie!

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ginnymoonbeam · 2 years ago

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A couple months ago I decided to watch the whole HIStory series. I had already seen Trapped (more than once) and I watched Love in the Future as it aired, so I picked up the rest in order from series 1-4. Here's my teeny tiny review of each one, in order of least favorite to favorite.

A note: overall this series is drastically unconcerned with whether its relationships are "healthy" or "unproblematic." I'm not bothered by that, and in fact some of my favorites are... well, you'll see. Definitely recommend looking for content warnings before starting any of these - I'm also happy to answer questions about content as long as they're not "how could you enjoy media that features XYZ".

Onto the reviews! There will be a few spoilers, but only things I think viewers are genuinely better off knowing before they start.

HIStory 1: Stay Away From Me

Brief premise: after their parents' marriage, Feng He gets a new roommate in his stepbrother Cheng Qing, who's a big star. It's all too much for Feng He's fujoshi best friend to handle. I quite enjoy a good stepbrothers setup, but this one fell pretty flat, and I hated the fujoshi friend situation. Shipper characters are on thin ice for me in general, and this one was so intrusive that it ruined the other things I might have enjoyed. I did like the leads pretty well - I have a soft spot for bratty characters who are secretly under a lot of strain - but the relationship development was just so-so.

HIStory 5: Love in the Future

There were parts of this I really liked, mostly the side couple, but it was sooo tedious. It's this low on the list because the ratio of "minutes I enjoyed" to "minutes I resent giving away" is so abysmal... at least the H1 installments come in at barely over an hour each, so I don't feel like I wasted so much time on the ones I didn't like. This show is trying to do at least three different genres and doing none of them well. I don't even know how to sum up the premise... there's a guy who's gotten zapped 20 years into the future by mistake, but more of the show deals with business drama and eventual corporate espionage at the department store where the other main characters are centered. There's so much going on and none of it quite coheres. I'm too bored and annoyed to talk about it any more.

HIStory 1: Obsessed

This gets top out of the three I really didn't like, because it had the most id candy. And, again, because it's short. The setup is neat: a guy who's just gotten his heart broken gets zapped back into his younger self and tries, unsuccessfully, not to get with the same guy again. The love interest is just incredibly pushy and aggressive, sometimes in a way that's bad!hot and sometimes in a way that's just bad. I also hated the reveal at the end - there was no reason for him not to explain himself immediately instead of watching his lover's heart break, and I have no patience for that kind of thing.

Those were the three I didn't really like. Now we're going from liked to loved.

HIStory 1: My Hero

This one was a big surprise to me... I would have skipped it entirely if I wasn't on a completionist project, because the premise "girl dies, gets put into a boy's body, and has to try and win over her boyfriend" is incredibly unappealing to me. But they took it in a direction I wasn't expecting and I found myself having a great time. It couldn't have sustained itself for any longer, but with an under-90-minute runtime it's a fun little story.

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong

Enjoyed this one a lot - I love a nanny romance in theory, but I'm picky about kids in media. This kid is both charming and realistically childlike, and one of the leads does plenty of yelling about the kid's initial bad home situation, so I don't have to. The basic setup is that Fei Shengzhe discovers that his professor's 8 year old daughter is being neglected, gets hired to take care of her, shakes his professor/boss into being responsible, and of course eventually falls in love.

I liked most of the relationship dynamics - when there's a big structural power differential, I like to see it balanced in-story by their personalities or other factors, and this show did that well, but there were still moments where I wanted to yell not at school! or transfer out of his class ftlog! Overall, still positive, and I'll probably rewatch it when I'm in the mood for some nicely layered domestic romance.

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

I am not a sports person but I loved these sports boys very much. A new transfer student gets strong-armed into joining the school's volleyball team, ends up pursuing the team's previous ace, who's permanently unable to play due to an injury.

Xia Yuhao thinks he's sooo bad until he discovers a burning need to be bossed around and I love that in a man. Qiu Zixuan won my heart immediately and kept it - he's so sensible and focused and stoic, and the moments where he struggles against the reality of his injury hit so hard in contrast. This one had me hooked from beginning to end. And the side couple is exactly what I mean when I say I enjoy a good stepbrothers setup - the established intimacy and tenderness juxtaposed with confusion and guilt makes a tasty tasty emotional cocktail.

The final three shows are why this post has been sitting in drafts for a couple weeks. I've been undecided on how to rank them, and I've been processing a ton of thoughts about the two new-to-me ones. I'll try to stay brief here, and keep my longer thoughts for possible future posts.

As for ranking - I simply can't. I love all three very much, so let's just say they sit together at the top spot.

HIStory 4: Close to You

I'm fascinated by stories that take some basic messy yaoi tropes and peel them back, really dig into the layers of what's going on and how they affect people, all while keeping it fun and horny. Love in the Air does that with consent (masterfully, as I will argue until I'm blue in the face), and Close to You does it with the boundaries of intimacy, the extent to which we're required to draw rigid lines around types of intimacy and what happens when those lines get smudged.

I do understand why a lot of people simply do not fuck with this show. There very much are multiple sexual assaults, including between one of the main pairs. And while the other stepbrother romances in this series do what they can to lean away from the incest angle, this one leans hard into it. A lot of the show operates on the level of farce - it's doing absolutely outrageous things with a straight face. If you can have a sense of humor about the things it's playing with, there are some sublimely funny moments. But I don't fault anyone for saying "nope, that's not for me."

Teng Muren and Xiao Licheng, the best-friends-to-lovers, are one of my favorite couples from the whole HIStory franchise, and the only thing better than their intricate and frenetic dance around each other was Ye Xingsi watching with his fond, weary, experienced-gay gaze. Also I am obsessed with the way people just come out and say shit in this story. Nobody keeps a secret for more than half an episode, even when they really probably should. Plots are so often driven by people not telling each other everything, and watching this one run instead on everyone telling each other way too much was fascinating.

HIStory 3: Trapped

I can't possibly rank this one in relation to the others because I watched it long ago and I've seen it several times. It's been high on my list of beloved BLs since I first watched. Meng Shaofei is one of my all-time favorites, he's so stubborn and loving and honest. I love how hard he and Tang Yi fight for each other once they get together. I love when guys get lost in the woods handcuffed together, I love Tang Yi's sexy bffs and weaponized makeouts, I love the angst and hurt/comfort and yelling crying fights between two people who love each other. I don't feel the need to say much more: it's the most popular of the series, and rightly so.

HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count

I think I watched MODC in the best possible way: knowing the ending, and in 2023 when there are so many good happy-ending BLs I can't possibly watch them all. Had I watched it when it aired and been hit with the ending out of the blue, I think I'd have been as devastated and lastingly bitter as a lot of people who did.

I really do think viewers are better going into this one spoiled, so in case you don't know: one of the leads dies abruptly at the end of the penultimate episode (not onscreen), and the final episode is the surviving partner processing grief many years later.

The presence of grief - past, future, or potential - grounds a love story for me like nothing else quite does. Without the ending, I would like MODC very very much but I wouldn't love it quite as fervently as I do. The final episode is complicated and difficult - we see Xiang Haoting at a moment when his grief over Yu Xigu is rearing up due to a time of transition in his life. We see him let go of some of the ways he's been coping in the past, we see him fall into a dangerously low state and then come back out of it, but we don't see him get over it and move on. That's because you don't get over some losses, you don't move on - they sit beside you for the rest of your life, and you learn how to be happy but never entirely how to not be sad.

The other thing I love most about MODC is how extremely Boys the boys are. The leads don't look the age they're supposed to be, but they act it. No other BL I've seen has done so well at capturing this type of teenage boy, bursting at the seams with hormones and the fiery need to DO things. They lose control and do the dumbest shit even though they know better, and they're also overwhelmingly thoughtful and caring just when you least expect it. The way Xiang Haoting sometimes just moves because his body can't be still; the way the whole friend group teases and derides but also rallies around each other with fierce devotion. Haoting's reaction when his friend comes out to him is perfect - a minute of teasing and incredulity, then an immediate pivot to "I've got your back."

The contrast between youthful, hopeful energy and adult experiences of pain and loss makes the key axis the whole show rotates around. The side couple has a big age gap, with high schooler Sun Boxiang pursuing Liu Zhigang, a wounded and weary gym hottie of about 30. Yu Xigu is the same age as Boxiang and Haoting, but he already knows grief. Haoting and Boxiang with their fearless optimism beat like waves against the walls of these sadder, warier love interests until they each decide to dare to try for happiness. In the one story, Haoting ends up inheriting his lover's sorrow, and it will take some other, future connection to get him to try for happiness again. In the other, Boxiang's persistence not only brings romantic happiness to Zhigang, but eventually heals another loss that Zhigang had given up on ever seeing restored.

There's a moment during his pursuit of Zhigang when Boxiang swears he'll love him forever, and Zhigang says no, you can't promise that, no one can. Which is always what I want to say to the BL schoolboys, because I too am older, wounded and weary. You can't promise forever, no matter how badly you want to. All you can do is love each other well for as long as you can, and know that life is long, and joy follows sorrow follows joy.

#history series #taiwanese bl #history 4: close to you #history 3: modc #bl drama

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blerghie · 1 year ago

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uriel webtoon debut on 801 yaoi day fujoshis stay winning

#orv #uriel #she's paywalled but a win is a win

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chicago-geniza · 1 year ago

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Met a new person last night and within one (1) hour had filled them in on philosopher polycule lore and told them all about Donna Tartt's transmasculine fujoshi swag. Autism stays winning

#Give me a topic any topic and I will make it six degrees of my special interest

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airjemsfandump · 6 days ago

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ᬊ Work him, darling.

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shutinlear53 · 6 days ago

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so here's what's gonna happen:

I will cum inside a feminine guy

I will make the fujoshi lick up the semen spilling from his ass

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fencer-x · 2 years ago

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I posted 707 times in 2022

That's 71 more posts than 2021!

258 posts created (36%)

449 posts reblogged (64%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@nimbus-cloud

@fencer-x

@shigacajun

@shameless-fujoshi

@lettersbyelise

I tagged 389 of my posts in 2022

Only 45% of my posts had no tags

#spoilers - 158 posts

#free! - 146 posts

#free! the final stroke - 107 posts

#sharkbait - 60 posts

#interview with the vampire - 37 posts

#harurin - 32 posts

#rinharu - 32 posts

#sasaki to miyano - 28 posts

#sasaki and miyano - 27 posts

#our flag means death - 26 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#was remembering this in contrast to rin's 'i want you to swim for me' early in s01 and makoto's 'i want you to swim for yourself' in fs02

My Top Posts in 2022:

nbd just Haru smiling as Rin catches him when he faints, just before losing consciousness.

nbd nbd nbd nbd nbd nbd N B D

286 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

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Sasaki to Miyano, ending theme w/subs (from September Subs’ subtitles)

297 notes - Posted January 10, 2022

FENCER'S HUGE-ASS SPOILER-LADEN DAY 1 REVIEW OF FREE! THE FINAL STROKE PART 2 or How KyoAni Said, "You WILL experience 10 years' worth of emotions in 2 hours and you'll like it!!"

Let's cut to the chase. You know why you're here. I know why you're here. So I won't make you wait any longer. You wanna know every gory detail from this glorious sobfest of a movie? THEN GET THEE BEHIND A CUT!

(warning that this is probably only mildly coherent and has a HEAVY HARURIN BEND. Mostly because THE MOVIE HAS A HEAVY HARURIN BEND. Sorry I don't make the rules I just report on how much boys stay winning)

Now, I was so scared of this movie.

I have a thing, see. If a series ends, and it doesn't end EXACTLY the way I wanted it to? If it does something that I think is a sour note to end on, or even if it just makes some narrative decisions I disagree with?

I can't watch it anymore. I can't read it anymore. Everything I used to love about it turns sour to me and I can't enjoy it. It happened with Haikyuu, it happened with Evangelion. It's happened with dozens of series over the years. A series is pretty much never going to end the way I want it to, and in my case, for whatever reason, that means I can't enjoy it AT ALL anymore. I can't just imagine what happened DIDN'T happen. It's there. I can't forget it, and it ruins the story.

So I was scared of this movie. Because it was the end. Decisions would be made about characters' futures, and I probably wouldn't agree with them. Might even hate them. I was of course under no delusion that there would be any SHIPS confirmed--so that wasn't something I was worried about or excited about--but everything else. Everything else was something real and final that would be canon now.

I went anyway, though, knowing I'd never forgive myself if I just let someone else spoil me. I fought the knot in my stomach, settled in, and watched.

And I cried. Oh boy did I cry. There was definitely a moment there where I knew oh this is it, this was going to be what made me never able to watch this series again. It wasn't disappointment--it wasn't anger--it was just...sadness. A deep well of sadness.

But then they fixed it. And I won't bore you with those out-of-context details now. I'll just say read on, and you'll understand.

And then you'll start to see how amazing it was.

Movie opens with a semi-recap. Not a recap in so many words, but characters remembering things and flashing back to those scenes in the previous movie. No biggie.

Except. Except then KyoAni said, "Hi we're here to kick you in the stomach so settle in for two hours of emotional trauma :)))))" and RIPS INTO AN ACOUSTIC DRIED UP YOUTHFUL FAME. OH YEAH, THEY WERE IN. THIS. BITCH.

"But wait, flashbacks to previous scenes from the last movie? You mean we have to live through That Fight all over again?"

Oh, no don't worry. You don't have to live through it again as it happened.

You have to see how Haru imagined it going and then see his heartbreak when he realizes it didn't happen that way.

You have to hear him tell Rin, beaming and whole-heartedly committed, "Rin, I want to swim in the lane next to you in our next tournament. I want to keep walking forward with you."

Yes, he was explicit in that he wanted to go there with Rin. He wanted his future to be, explicitly, swimming alongside Rin. Competing alongside Rin. Forever.

But then, of course, that's not how it happened.

A lot of this movie takes place in imaginary sequences, dreams and nightmares and memories that never happened. It's very cool, but also a little weird XD So, par for the course for Free! For example, early on as Haru is reliving his fight with Rin, we see lots of flashbacks to them as kids, but viewed in a movie theater (whoa trippy) with baby Makoto and baby Nagisa giving commentary. Scenes of young Haru and Rin fighting morph into them as Power Ranger standins (blue and red ofc), fighting but then deciding to work together, their union being stronger than either of them alone.

Haru has nightmares that play out over and over and over--most of the time of Rin leaving him…but occasionally of him leaving Rin, of him pushing Rin away and avoiding him for so long, refusing to swim with him. Haru resents Rin for his decision to 'leave' him, but he also recognizes that it's his own selfishness and stubbornness that has hurt Rin too.

Elsewhere, the coaches discuss their students. Mikhail remarks that Rin was crying.

Part 2 is set one year after Part 1, for context--and in that time, Nagisa and Rei and Nitori have all graduated…and moved to Tokyo! Rei and Nitori have joined the swim team at Ikuya and Hiyori's school, while Nagisa has joined Kinjou's school's team. The gang's all back together again!

Haru has been training HARD this whole time…to the point that he's hurting himself. He's working himself to exhaustion, and after nearly fainting after one training session, Azuma makes him take a break to rest, warning him that he's trying to do the equivalent of strapping a huge engine into a tiny car--it's going to destroy the car eventually.

Makoto hears about Haru being made to rest because he'd worked himself to exhaustion and immediately tells Rin…who absolutely wants to MURDER Azuma. Makoto has to almost physically restrain him, begging him not to do anything rash when Rin confronts Azuma in a rage over the state he feels he's brought Haru to. Azuma snaps back, "If something's really that important to you, then you shouldn't have let it go in the first place!" Makoto and Rin split up, looking for Haru, who's nowhere to be found.

Rin runs himself ragged searching all over the city, regretting how selfish he'd been. Muttering, "I'm so lame…" he collapses on a sidewalk and rolls over…and sees a beautiful glimmering sakura tree towering over him, lit up in the night. He squints at its brilliance--and just beyond it, standing atop a building, he finally spots Haru.

Rin calls Makoto and tells him he's found Haru, and they meet up at the top of the building, where there's a night pool you can swim in. Haru is floating aimlessly on his back in the pool alone. Makoto moves to go to him--but Rin holds out a hand to stop him. Then Rin jumps in the pool and approaches Haru.

Apologies are made, challenges are issued. "You have a duty to race me," Rin says, harkening back to their first real clash when they reunited in Season 1.

They race. Rin keeps glancing over, watching Haru, as they push each other further and further.

They reach the finish, both panting, and in Haru's mind he sees himself standing once more at that railroad crossing. Rin is there, on the other side. And this time, the crossing guard lifts and Rin rushes toward him.

See the full post

315 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

"So when I first read the script, I was kind of taken aback by the way that Rin got dragged down whenever Haruka did, getting in a total funk. But Haruka and Rin share a common destiny, right? So when one stumbles, the other does too. I was both moved and excited by their exchange in the night pool."

- Miyano Mamoru, at the May 1, 2022, stage greetings (x)

331 notes - Posted May 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Sasaki and Miyano, vol. 8, ch. 42

422 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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totaltakesisland · 1 year ago

Text

EPISODE 12 - EXTREME SPORTS CHALLENGE

""Teams compete in three extreme sport challenges. For the first challenge, Extreme Sofa Bed Skydiving, one camper from each team, as decided by production, will jump from a plane five-thousand feet above the ground and attempt to land on their sofa bed. As the two campers fall, their teams can move their respective sofa beds in order to help with the landing. The first camper to land on their sofa bed wins the challenge for their team. For the second challenge, Extreme Rodeo Moose Riding, one camper from each team, as decided by production, must rodeo ride a moose for eight seconds. If either camper falls off the moose, they will land in a pile of dirty socks from the lost and found. The camper that stays on the moose the longest wins the challenge for their team. For the final challenge, Extreme Seadoo Waterski, Two campers from each team, as decided by production, are given a role; The driver, and the waterskier. One at a time, drivers must race through a course while the waterskier from the opposite team is attached to the driver's seadoo. The waterskier's goal is to collect as many opposing team flags as they can before the driver crosses the finish line while the driver's goal is to prevent the waterskier from collecting flags. The waterskier who collects the most flags wins the challenge for their team. The team that wins the most challenges wins invincibility and a tricked-out, multi-massage mobile shower.""

Challenge 1

Scary competes for The Inane Anons.

Bonnie competes for The Flying Fujoshis.

The Flying Fujoshis win the point!

Challenge 2

Kelly competes for The Inane Anons.

Courtney competes for The Flying Fujoshis.

The Flying Fujoshis win the point!

The Flying Fujoshis win invincibility!

#episode #12 #changed a bunch of this for the story sorry yall

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total-drama-takes-takes-2 · 1 year ago

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tti episode 13

warning: this chapter contains content that may be triggering for those with emetophobia, or those who are easily grossed out! please proceed with caution

“Last time, on Total Takes Island: the teams- or what’s left of them, anyway- competed in an all-out extreme sports challenge. The ever-failing Fujoshis finally secured themselves a win due to Julia’s sabotage backfiring and stunning the team with Austin’s surprisingly well-built bod. Ultimately, a distracted Courtney sent him flying and sent him home. Who will almost die today? And who will survive to see the merge? Find out now, on Total! Takes! Island!”

An air of anxiety hangs around the mess hall as the few remaining campers enter. Kelly looks tired, dejected, even a little slouchy despite their normally perfect posture, though they lead both teams in like a war hero into battle.

Staci follows, attempting to comfort their friend with sweet nothings as Julia and Scruffy both listen in on their conversation, the former whispering what to write down as the latter takes notes. Michael is next, Max close behind. Both refuse to look at each other, expressions of pure contempt on their faces whenever they cross paths.

McLovin stays between Courtney and Bonnie, nervously using both of them as a shield from Michael. Scary is last, skipping along merrily.

Julia turns around, watching them hum to themselves. “How is that thing still in the running?”

Scruffy shrugs. “Scary's been flying under the radar, doing well at challenges when need-be. Plus, there’s always someone more hate-able in the running, right?”

“Right. Well, at least that other clown is gone,”

Kelly’s head whips around and they glare sharply, sending a shiver through Julia as the teams take their seats as Chris had instructed over the intercom that morning.

“Congratulations, remaining ten campers! It’s honestly a miracle most of you have made it this far,” Chris pauses, looking between Staci and Scary. “Nonetheless, you’ve all reached the halfway point in the competition! Next week is our merge, which means our remaining two teams will become one, and it’s everyone for themselves. But for today’s episode, we have a little twist for you.”

Chef comes out of the kitchen, holding a set of cue cards. “Your teams today will be split into two new ones: team #1 will be Bonnie, Julia, Scary, Kelly, and Scruffy. Team #2 will be Michael, McLovin, Max, Staci, and Courtney. I’d rearrange yourselves now- things are about to get messy,” he shakes his head, walking into the kitchen.

The campers stare at each other in a mix of shock and terror. Staci clutches Kelly’s hands. “No! You can’t separate us, I won’t allow it!”

Chris rolls his eyes and a few interns run in, grabbing Staci’s arms and dragging her over to the other side of the room. Courtney gives Bonnie a nervous wave goodbye and walks ahead while McLovin lags behind, looking pale.

Michael glares at him, then at Max, who glares back. Julia cheers, much to Michael’s annoyance, and hugs Scruffy.

---

MICHAEL: “You know, I’m starting to get a little fed up with that two-faced fake-blonde freak.”

---

“Well, I guess we’re stuck together,” Michael sighs.

Max rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to sound so pissed about it, it’s one challenge,”

“One challenge too many,”

“Oh, what? Mad that your little friend found someone better?” Max snaps, looking in Julia and Scruffy’s direction. “For once, I can’t even say I blame her.”

“Eat me,”

Staci ignores the commotion, picking at their nails while looking forlornly across the room. McLovin and Courtney look between the two as they argue, the former somewhat relieved that the hostility isn’t directed towards him, the latter just confused.

Julia watches the scene from across the room, smiling slightly.

---

JULIA: “Honestly, I cannot believe I wasted so much time and energy fighting over Michael when Scruffy was right here. I guess I should keep her on my side for the merge, but still… all that drama for what? A chick who can’t do anything but whine and argue? Um, yeah, I’ll take my chances with the egghead.”

---

She turns to Scruffy. “Still allies after the merge?” she smiles sweetly, holding out a hand.

They nod, shaking it. “For sure,” and then they return to taking down notes.

“If you’ll look at your table, you’ll notice there’s no breakfast! Worry not, you’ll be eating soon,” Chris continues, pacing around the room. “Oh, and this is also a non-elimination challenge, so worry not about failing! The winners, however, will be treated to a weekend cruise!”

Most of the camper’s jaws drop.

---

KELLY: “Austin would’ve loved that…”

---

STACI: “I really like the idea of a cruise- or anything to get me away from here, TBH- but what’s the point if I don’t have anyone to enjoy it with? I mean, have you seen my team? You might as well call us the haters!”

---

Bonnie packs up their final things, giving Courtney a small wave goodbye before holding their breath in anticipation and walking to Team 1’s cabin.

They open the door, peering inside, and seeing no one. Breathing a sigh of relief, they set their bag down on an empty bed and smile just as something grabs their ankle from below. They scream.

“WHAT-”

Scary somersaults out from under the bed. “This one’s mine. You get Michael’s,” they grin wickedly, pointing to an upper bunk across the room. Bonnie swallows a lump in their throat and nods, walking over to an unmade but vacant bed.

Kelly walks inside seconds after in a towel, fresh out of the communal showers. They sit on their bed and begin their usual post-shower routine, lotioning their legs and dousing themselves in perfume. Bonnie coughs.

Julia storms in seconds later. “WHO ate my gummy worms?”

Bonnie jumps, startled, and then looks around the room. Everyone else ignores her.

“Um, freak! I’m talking to you!” she says, pointing an accusing finger in Scary’s direction.

Scary sticks her tongue out and sits next to Kelly, leaving Bonnie completely alone on the other side of the room. “I know you took them!” Julia says.

Kelly smiles at Scary. “I love your nails,”

“It’s blood,” Scary grins back, wiggling their bright red fingers. “Don’t worry, it’s not mine,”

“You! Goth-y!” Julia snaps, pointing at Bonnie. “Where are my gummy worms?”

They roll their eyes. “Jesus, calm down, queen bee”

Julia steps closer, getting in Bonnie’s face. “Watch it,”

“Oh, God,” Kelly murmurs, sighing dramatically.

“Ugh, you're all such drags! I’m staying in Scruffy’s side of the cabin!” Julia huffs, storming outside.

Bonnie blinks. “Is she… always like that?”

“Um… I suppose so,” Kelly shrugs. “I just tune her out.” Scary nods along in agreement. Bonnie raises an eyebrow.

---

Michael finishes unpacking their things in their new cabin, looking between Courtney and Staci every few moments as everyone struggles to find something to talk about.

Finally, Courtney gives in. “Let’s… um, go outside, I think the guys are already waiting for us,”

The other two murmur in agreement and follow them out, where, sure enough, McLovin and Max are standing on opposite sides of the porch.

“Ready?” Courtney smiles. Max glares, surprising them slightly and forcing them to take a step back, like he might bite them.

“Let’s just try not to lose,” he says, walking off. Courtney jogs after him, trying to catch up.

“You know, for someone with short legs, you walk really fast,” they chuckle.

Max turns and gives them a stare so icy it feels like a bite. Courtney moves away from him.

---

COURTNEY: “So, I was sort of a team leader for the Fujos, which are now dissolved, and I’m pretty sure this guy Max was leading the Anons. Some kind of agreement to share power is in order, but I don’t want to step on any toes here, so I thought- hey, what’s the worst thing that could happen from talking it out?”

---

McLovin, Michael, and Staci lag behind, with the latter conveniently placed between the two as they rattle on about something Michael isn’t really listening to.

“And that’s how my uncle Steve started his own magic supply franchise,” she nods, finishing the story with a confident smile.

“Wow, your family is really awesome,” McLovin smiles. “My dad is just a stupid lawyer.”

“You’re always welcome to-”

“Is any of what you say actually true, or are you just making things up for your game?” Michael cuts in, crossing her arms.

Staci frowns and lowers their eyes at her. “Kinning isn’t a game. And for the record, I don’t lie,”

“Really?”

They huff and speed up, leaving Michael and McLovin behind. He stares at her. “You know, you didn’t have to be so mean…”

Michael glares at him. “I just have a certain distaste for liars,” and then she disappears up ahead.

---

“Today’s challenge is a personal favorite of mine- hell, what am I saying, they’re all personal favorites!” Chris laughs, tossing away the clipboard in his hands. It flies out the window and hits an intern in the head. “Now, normally, I’d find telling you all delightful, but I’m going to let our less-annoying Sierra take it away!”

Scruffy sighs, then steps up. “Today’s challenge is the brunch of disgustingness. We’ll be eating a nine course meal of the nastiest, grossest foods Chef can cook up. If I remember correctly, and if the recipes haven’t changed… let’s hope you guys have strong stomachs,”

---

SCRUFFY: “Oh, I’ve built up a tolerance to pretty much everything by now,” they say, counting the following on their fingers. “Bugs, poison, mud, blood, rocks, metal scraps, raw meat, moldy cheese, snot, spit, pre-chewed gum, flesh-like substances, glass- you name it, I’ve eaten it. The only thing I really can't stand is seeing other people vomit. As long as I focus on eating and don't think about throwing up, I should be fine!"

---

Julia frowns, scooching closer to Scruffy as they step back into the crowd and holding their hand. “Coach me through this?”

“Um… yeah, for sure,”

Michael watches the two with a deep frown and turns to her own team, surveying the options- McLovin is weaving a braid out of a few strings hanging from his shirt, Staci is biting their cuticles off, and Max-

“Don’t even think about it,”

That settles that. Michael steps next to Courtney, standing side-by-side with them as they look longingly at Bonnie alone on the other team.

“Each member of each team must finish each dish to win., Chris chuckles. “Chef, the first course, if you please!”

Chef wheels out a cart of covered dishes, and sets each at a place at the tables. The contestants sit with their respective teams. “You may now, dig in!”

Scruffy sighs and takes the metal cover off of the dish, revealing a handful of tiny sausage-like substances underneath. They turn to Julia. “Tune everything else out,”

“What? Why?”

“Trust me on this. These are just… cold sausages,” Scruffy holds one up, popping it into their mouth and chewing with ease. “See? No big deal.”

“Just cold sausages?”

“German, I think,”

Julia sighs, and then begins eating. Across the room, Michael turns to Courtney, who’s already downed half their plate. They follow suit, though eating at a much slower pace. McLovin chews while listening to Staci ramble on through a mouthful of food, and Max completely ignores the commotion altogether.

“Um…” Bonnie says, poking one with their fork. It makes a wet squishy noise. “What’re these?”

Scruffy covers Julia’s ears. Chris grins. “Oh, nothing, just a little beef testicle,”

A pale look crosses their face and they push away the plate. “Um… no, thank you,”

“Yeah, this doesn’t seem friendly for my diet?” Kelly says nervously, holding up a finger. “I’m not supposed to have processed red meat.”

“Oh, these aren’t processed,” Chris smiles. “They’re au naturale!”

Kelly looks squeamish. Scruffy uncovers Julia’s ears, still eating. Scary unhinges their jaw and swallows the tiny meats whole.

“Ew, how can you do that?” Bonnie asks. “All at once? Beef testicle?”

“NO-” Scruffy starts, but it’s too late. Julia goes pale. “What?”

She stands and runs outside to throw up, which makes Scruffy follow suit. Bonnie and Kelly wince.

Michael finally finishes her dish.

“And this round goes to Team #1!” Chris announces. “Our next dish… pizza!”

The campers all collectively look at each other, suspiciously.

“Jellyfish with live grasshoppers and anchovies,” Scruffy says, sitting back down with Julia, looking a bit dizzy. “I’ve tried it before, it’s not so bad!”

Chef distributes the platters, and everyone on Team #2 looks between each other as Michael stares in horror.

---

MICHAEL: “Fish! Why did it have to be fish?!”

---

“Um… you want us to eat bugs?” Staci asks. “I mean, my great-grea-”

“They’re still alive!” McLovin shouts in terror. “I can’t eat them, it’d be wrong!”

“Are you really valuing the life of a bug over a win?” Max snaps.

“Yes- no- I mean, I don’t know!”

Michael looks pale. Courtney notices and attempts to comfort her, putting a hand on her shoulder before hearing McLovin yelp and running over to hold him down while Max force-feeds him.

Across the room, Team #1 is eating with no problem, everyone listening in as Scruffy describes the protein in the pizzas to Kelly.

Scary giggles. “Mm, cheesy…”

“And…. Team #1 wins!” Chris announces. “You two are currently even. But what will this next round bring?” he grins as Chef wheels out the next dish. “That’s earthworm spaghetti with snail slime sauce, topped with some amazing gourmet hairballs!”

Chef grins. “Made it from scratch,”

“O-okay, we can do this,” Courtney says as the bowls are distributed. They begin chowing down, garnering looks of terror from their teammates.

“If you just close your eyes and say “purple” while you’re eating, it’ll taste like beans!” Scruffy says merrily. “Learned it from a Buddhist monk while I was traveling in Nepal. See? Purple!” they swallow a bite with ease.

---

SCRUFFY: “Yeah, I made that up. I've never even been out of the province. But we weren’t getting anywhere without help, so…”

---

Julia closes her eyes and takes a bite. “Purple!”

A round of “purple”s continue from Team #1’s table, as Team #2 watches on nervously. McLovin takes a slow bite, chewing in abject horror as Staci watches nervously. Michael follows, not wanting him to outpace her, and takes two bites before coughing, a hairball flying back onto the table.

“Team #1! Two points!” Chris grins. “Our next dish is a staple in every classy restaurant- soup! Today’s special is French bunion with hangnail crackers and a chewy used-bandaid topping!”

Scruffy looks around for a moment before pulling the large straw from the glasses of water the contestants were provided (at Chris’ mercy). Their team watches, grins and nods, doing the same and slurping down their soup in no time.

“Three points for Team #1, thanks to Scruffy!”

The team cheers, Julia especially loud. Michael glares, and turns to Courtney. “We gotta do something,”

“Our next dish is a delightful chewed-gum salad,” Chef smiles, pulling a wad of white gum from his mouth and garnishing a dish with it before setting that in front of McLovin, who pales.

Across the room, Scruffy grins confidently.

“Okay, remember earlier when Julia barfed?” Michael mutters. “And Scruffy lost it like two seconds after?”

“Oh, shoot, you’re right. One of us has to barf to throw them off,” Courtney whispers back. “But who’d be willing to do that…?”

Michael sighs and turns to McLovin, already green. “Hey, we… need your help,”

Scruffy swallows each piece of gum with ease, the rest of the team following suit. Suddenly, McLovin rises to his feet, runs over to their corner of the room and vomits on the floor.

“Nasty!” Chris shouts, turning just in time to see Scruffy turn greener than their hair and do the same. “Nastier!”

Scruffy runs out of the mess hall and into the confessional, holding their mouth until the door slams shut. The rest of the team winces as the sounds of violent groaning and liquid sloshing around follow.

“Team #2, congratulations, that’s two points!” Chris beams as Courtney encourages McLovin to finish his dish. Scruffy walks back inside seconds later, paler than the white of the plates.

Chef rolls his cart back out, carrying skunk-juice smoothies which are distributed amongst the campers with a grin. The Anons nod at each other, everyone having become aware of the plan through simple observation. Staci takes the dive next, bringing down Scruffy again.

Three points for Team #2.

Four points for #2 as Scruffy becomes paler and paler, dizzier and dizzier. Julia attempts to coach him. “Stop vomiting!” She screams as Michael runs out with a grin.

Scruffy can’t hold it in anymore, and weakly coughs up some water. “Okay, that’s enough,” Bonnie says, moving to the bench across from the two. “We need to get something solid in you,”

Chef rolls out course number 8- a garbage-inspired stew. Bonnie winces. “Julia, do you think you could-?”

“On it,” she says, holding Scruffy still while Bonnie uses one hand to cover their eyes and the other to force spoonfuls of garbage into their mouth. They move at a rapid speed, both Bonnie and Julia eating while feeding Scruffy.

“That’s another point for Team #1!” Chris shouts. “We’re at a tie- which makes this last dish the penultimate decider… dolphin dogs!”

Chef rolls out the final cart. Max raises an eyebrow. “I don’t get it. What’s the catch?”

Pan over to McLovin and Staci, who are in tears. “B-b-but… my mom’s third cousin trains dolphins, I can’t eat them!”

McLovin whimpers, holding his head in his hands and pushing away his plate. Courtney frowns and runs over to their side of the table to calm him down, leaving Michael alone.

“I’m with them on this. I can’t eat a dolphin!” Kelly says while Scary chows down next to them. “Isn’t that cruel?”

“What’s cruel is losing the challenge because you’re too baby to eat some fish!” Julia snaps.

Michael goes pale. “Fish?”

“Mammals,” Max corrects her. “And don’t feel bad about it. They’re known to be some of the most vile creatures alive.”

“Yeah?” she says, still wide-eyed and shaking.

“Terrible. Murderers, rapists, you name it,” he says, taking a casual bite. “They’re like if you took the worst parts of humanity and made that a species. Just horrible.”

“But… they’re not fish?”

“No. They’re warm-blooded,” he continues. “I’m pretty sure this is healthier than whatever they put in normal hot dogs, too.”

Michael smiles slightly before taking a cautious bite. “Thank you,”

---

MAX: “I wasn’t trying to help her, I was just correcting her. There’s a difference.”

---

Bonnie finishes the dog and turns to Kelly, the only member of the team who hasn’t touched their plate yet.

They turn, watching as Courtney manages to encourage Staci to take a bite, and then look back. “Hey, Kelly? Your boyfriend got voted out last week, right?”

Kelly nods.

“Well… when I’m in a tough place, I ask myself what my best friend Caesar would do,” Bonnie says encouragingly. Julia rolls their eyes.

“Isn’t it kind of stupid to follow the ways of a player who got eliminated?” she asks. Bonnie slams their fist on the table and glares at her.

Julia seems taken aback for a moment, and then stands, scoffing and dragging Scruffy behind her out the door.

Kelly thinks to themselves. “What would Austin do…? What would Austin do…? Austin would… he wouldn’t care about anything but having a good time, and- he’d want to enjoy this dog!” they say affirmatively, taking a bite.

Bonnie cheers them on, watching between them and McLovin as he takes the tiniest bite of his dolphin sausage while Courtney massages his shoulders.

---

BONNIE: “Do I miss Courtney? Yeah, of course. I could do without McLovin, but the team we had- when we weren’t losing, anyway- was really solid. At least from my perspective,”

---

The two remaining players cautiously eat their hot dogs as the teams look back and forth between them. A tear rolls down McLovin’s cheek. Kelly hums a groovy tune.

Bonnie is the only team member left cheering as everyone else has disappeared when Kelly finishes first.

“Team #1 has secured the win, and the weekend getaway!” Chris shouts. The other group groans, and stands, walking away.

---

Scruffy and Julia sit in the far reaches of the island, looking over Scruffy’s journal as the sun sets.

“What’s that?” Julia asks, seemingly every few minutes as they leaf through the book.

“I’m not sure. I think it’s a squirrel with horns, but it’s impossible to properly identify anything,” Scruffy shrugs, setting the book away. “I’m not sure what it means, yet, but I’m gonna find out what’s happening on this island.”

“Ok, you do that,” Julia says before resting her head on their shoulder. “Tell me what you find.”

“I’ll try to remember,” they smile.

Scary scampers through the canopy, chasing bats as the sun disappears.

---

“Ok, whoever keeps leaving these things around is starting to get on my last nerve!” Max shouts, throwing a bundle of flower garlands out the window of the cabin. “Bugs, people!”

Staci shouts back from outside. “Well, excuse me for trying to lighten the atmosphere! I can’t help being the great-great granddaughter of a Parisian interior decorator!”

“Oh, yes you can!” Max yells before slamming the window shut. McLovin watches from a bunk across the room and opens his mouth to say something, but he’s immediately silenced.

“Don’t even get me started on you, pool noodle,” Max says as he walks outside, slamming the door behind him.

Michael is sitting on the steps of the porch, staring in the direction of the campfire pit. Max sits across from her, the two shooting occasional glares but neither having the energy to argue.

After a while, Michael takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, resting her chin on her knees, which are pulled close to her chest in a defensive posture. Max stares.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Is it going to be mean?”

“Depends,”

Michael thinks for a moment. “Yeah, okay,”

“Michael… that isn’t your real name, is it?”

She pauses, looking back up. “Um… no, it’s just something McLovin started calling me when he showed up. I didn’t even really choose it myself,” she smiles a bit. “And the funny thing is, he didn’t even use it. He called me Mikey for the longest time, and I hated it.”

“Yeah... I don’t blame you. What’s your real name, then?”

She seems to hesitate for a moment, listening to the sound of crickets and Chef shouting at the raccoons who broke into the kitchen again. Finally, she speaks. “Michela,”

Max thinks for a moment. “That’s a lot better than Mikey,”

“Hah, I guess,” Michael says, standing. “But it’s fine, I don’t want to bother with arguing over it. And if you think this is gonna be something more to torture me over, fire away, I’m used to it.”

She walks off into the cabin, closing the door behind her. Max sighs for a moment, holding his head in his hands before turning and seeing McLovin watching him through the window with a slightly frustrated expression.

#tti #total takes island

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