#i cannot wait to see this game get dissected

[waywardsalt]

found an 8 hour video about who’s lila i love weird little indie games with insane depth

[steddieas-shegoes]

if you fall, i will catch you

for @steddielovemonth day 2 using Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper

rated t | 855 words | no cw | tags: high school, prom, slow dance, flirting, open ending but assumed getting together

🪩🕺💃🪩🕺💃🪩🕺💃🪩💃🕺🪩

Prom is stupid.

Steve didn’t even want to come. He didn’t have a date and nothing is more embarrassing than showing up to prom alone. Even the nerds come as a group, dancing and laughing together.

His mom made an appointment for his suit fitting and he couldn’t really explain to her that there was no need. She still thinks he and Nancy are on track to be married when Nancy graduates high school. He doesn’t know how to tell her that he’ll probably die alone.

Okay, that’s a little dramatic. He’s probably not gonna die alone.

But he may die unhappy, and that’s worse.

Most of the music hasn’t been terrible so far, at least. Only one slow song played and no one seemed interested in dancing to it.

Steve’s a fucking wallflower at his own prom. He never saw this coming.

He figures he could probably escape within the next few songs, no one would even notice his absence. He makes a mental plan to wait until one of the parent chaperones walks back to the other side of the room.

Then he’s off.

He manages to escape to the hall behind the gym, the one that leads to the auditorium and drama class, not the main building of the school. No one should be back here. It’s the perfect escape route.

“Never thought I’d see the day when King Steve is trying to escape prom,” a voice says from the end of the hall. The music from the gym is echoing in here, but the voice is much louder. It’s familiar, too. “Miss Wheeler too busy with Byers to dance?”

It’s Munson. Steve sighs.

“Why are you even here?”

“It’s my senior prom, too! Or should those of us not graduating not be allowed?” Eddie walks closer and Steve sees that he’s actually dressed up. It’s not a designer suit like he’s been forced into, but it’s nice. Eddie looks…nice.

“Wait,” Steve registers what he actually said. “Not graduating?”

“Yep. Apparently quadratic formulas are crucial to my development and I cannot enter society until I understand them.” Eddie kicks his foot across the tile, leaving a scuff mark from shoes that have probably been waxed beyond necessity. “And I guess dissecting a frog and turning in homework may have helped.”

“But aren’t you pretty smart?” Steve thought he was one of those dungeon dweebs like Dustin. Dustin’s the smartest person he knows, without a doubt, kid or not. He thought all the nerds who play that game were like that.

“Sure, I’m smart enough,” Eddie scoffs. “But I don’t play by their rules. I forget to do homework. I argue.”

“But if you know the stuff, they can’t fail you.”

“Ah, but they can. I don’t have the Harrington name to convince them to change a D to a C. It’s all good. Everyone expected it.”

Steve’s brows furrow, forehead creasing as he thinks about how many things people expected of him that won’t happen.

“Just because people expect it doesn’t mean you have to give it to them,” he says.

Eddie’s eyes widen and he seems shocked by Steve’s words. But the shock wears off quickly. Steve wonders if he imagined it.

“Right you are! Very wise words from the king,” Eddie bows dramatically.

Steve laughs.

Eddie glances up, tense until he realizes Steve’s not laughing at him, just at the entertainment. He stands straight and holds out his hand.

“I do believe such wise words should be repaid with a dance,” Eddie puts on a fake British accent, nose pointed to the sky, smirk playing on his lips.

Steve thinks this must be what it’s like to be charmed by someone.

“A dance?” Steve asks. “Here? With me?”

“It would be my honor,” Eddie loses the accent and turns his head back down so he’s looking right at Steve’s eyes. “Miss Lauper wrote this song just for us, after all.”

Steve’s confusion grows until he hears the song coming from the gym. He can only imagine how awkward it must be in the gym while some couples slow dance with chaperones watching their every breath. He reaches out and takes Eddie’s hand.

“The honor is mine, sir Munson,” Steve tries for an accent like Eddie had previously, but it falls flat.

Eddie pulls him close, but hesitates before he puts an arm around his waist. Steve feels breathless all of a sudden, like they’ve rocketed into space and he forgot one of those astronaut suits. He nods, giving permission for Eddie to take the lead.

When Eddie pulls him closer, they’re almost flush against each other.

Steve’s heart is racing.

“I didn’t know you were weird,” Eddie admits quietly. It sounds a lot like admiration. He’s swaying them back and forth gently, and Steve finds it’s easy to lose track of everything but the way Eddie’s hands rest on his body. “It’s nice to see you, Steve.”

It’s a lot more than what it sounds like.

As Cyndi Lauper plays, Steve wonders if this is how his prom was always meant to be spent: in Eddie Munson’s arms, falling.

[izelthewashbear]

Screw this, yet again instead of studying for an exam I have tomorrow (Lord have mercy upon my gay soul) I'll be dissecting my favorite blorbo because why not. I can't stop thinking about one thing.

Today was probably the first time I've watched an entire Rats SMP stream - I was watching Ren goof off with his lieutenant for two hours and it was amazing. Seeing them having absolutely no idea how to play checkers was so funny. But what Martyn said at a certain point instantly flipped my view of him.

He basically said that he's not good at card games and overall strategy games, including checkers. That he has a hard time thinking three steps ahead and only focuses on what's here and now. At first I was like "wait a second, but you're the strategy guy"- Is he? It was only then that it hit me that seeing him as a strategist was kinda wrong.

Let's take 3rd Life as an example. I always saw him as this guy who'd make strategies that Dogwarts would utilize. And to some extent, yeah, maybe- but let's think about his first death in the series. He was so adamant, so headstrong about getting the Dogwarts banner back that he basically chased Scar around the whole server. Without a plan, without even a good reason. And what happened when he finally got the banner back? He basically had to plan on how to return to Dogwarts, which led to him going down and being killed by a skeleton. And I'm sure that if I wasn't trying to stare at my exam notes right now, I'd think of many other examples. Such as, him accidentally killing Cleo in Double Life. Or him trying to do a mass Boogie kill in Limited Life and that going horribly wrong.

What that one moment of these gay rats playing checkers made me realize is that his primary role is not a strategist. He has a basic idea of a plan - but the thing he's good at is basically improvising every step on the fly. This guy can do a 30 minutes long improvised roleplay of pretending to be a demon and almost not lose the lore in the meantime. He cannot stick to a singular plan, instead coming up with solutions to problems as they come and go. He may not be the best at planning, but he can notice little opportunities and take them as they come. He has basic ideas for his lore, and he utilizes them whenever he notices an opportunity. He may have planned to betray Ren in 3rd Life, but ultimately did not end up doing it because of all the choices he made during the series. But the moment there was a perfect poetic opportunity to betray his Mean Gill, he grabbed it and sunk his teeth into it.

I guess he really is the manifestation of 'fuck around and find out'

And now back to studying, wish me luck 🫡

[girl-named-matty]

Why I don't like Solomon Sallow

(I worked this out on a google docs first and that has some screenshots i couldn't fit into here so after this post imma post some screenshots of the document) SO HI EVERYONE! You'll probably remember what I posted yesterday about dissecting the scene where you first go to Feldcroft in order to find out just a few things about Solomon upfront, so here it is! Buckle up because it is a lot.

Why I dislike Solomon Sallow, by me. 💕 Based on the scene where you first arrive in Feldcroft to visit Anne with Sebastian. 

So I’ve just finished writing this scene for my fanfiction and going over the dialogue so carefully has made me realize just how much from this scene only we can see why Solomon was just a horrible person in general–if it wasn’t already obvious by now. I’ve been wanting to dissect scenes from the game for quite a while now and I think this presents a perfect opportunity to do it! 

First, we’re going to start out when MC first arrives in Feldcroft and Sebastian is standing up on a ‘watch-tower’ to keep an eye on things since Feldcroft hasn’t been safe with all the goblins around. And then he states this: 

Now, the goblins being around Rookwood castle isn’t Solomon’s fault. But being a resident of Feldcroft and being an ex-Auror, one would assume that he’d at least check it out, correct? Nope. Because Sebastian goes on to say this as well:

Now at the time, everyone thinks that Anne has been cursed by Goblins and not Rookwood, even Solomon does. But even with Solomon thinking the goblins had cursed Anne, he refuses to confront them even though we know he could since two fifteen-year-olds (Sebastian and MC) could easily defend themselves against said goblins. 

And this leads us into our second segment. 

We are now at the Sallow residence in Feldcroft and Sebastian walks in first, going to surprise Anne. Everything is happy and Anne is extremely excited to see Sebastian as shown in this picture: 

Sebastian then pulls out a Shrivelfig, something he picked up in Hogsmeade for Anne.

Now from that screenshot alone, we can’t really tell if Anne just really likes shrivelfigs or if she thought it could be the cure–but from what happens next I can safely assume she may have thought it was some form of cure. 

Because as shown right here–SOLOMON JUST YOINKS IT OUT OF SEBASTIAN’S HAND. 

Solomon doesn’t give Anne and Sebastian even a moment to have a proper reunion, he doesn’t say hello to Sebastian, or greet MC, he doesn’t wait until MC is out of the house to have a conversation with Sebastian like a civil person would if a guest were around. In fact, he doesn’t do anything civilly, he starts an argument with Sebastian RIGHT there and then over a shrivelfig! 

He looks at Sebastian and tells him that Shrivelfigs cannot reverse the curse. But we have no background to if they’ve ever even tried to do something with a shrivelfig to even help ease Anne’s pain. Since Hogwarts Legacy came out, the wiki for shrivelfigs has stated that they cannot reverse curses but it does have “medicinal properties' which could’ve at least perhaps eased Anne’s pain for even just a bit. 

But what is even worse is that when he says “Nothing can” he looks DIRECTLY AT ANNE!

Why would he look directly at Anne while saying nothing can reverse the curse she has? Probably because he wants her to believe that she cannot be cured. He’s tired of trying to find one and so if Anne isn’t complaining about not having a cure, he doesn’t have to hear about it from anyone other than Sebastian. I’ve had conversations with friends about this and have a few theories about this situation but that’s for a different post. Then Solomon proceeds to destroy the Shrivelfig right in front of Sebastian and Anne.

Now, this is possibly a bit of a stretch but Sebastian got that for Anne and not Solomon so he’s basically just destroying a gift that Sebastian took the time to get for her right in front of the both of them which is a pretty crappy move in my opinion.

Then he turns to leave, yet again not even taking the time to say hello to Sebastian or MC and of course Sebastian, feeling like he needs to defend himself, says that they haven’t tried everything–which is technically correct. But then of course, instead of Solomon civilly telling Sebastian that there is no cure–It turns into another shouting match.

He gets up in Sebastian’s face and shouts at him, right in front of Anne and MC. Wow Solomon! I wonder why your nephew hates you. 

Yes I understand that Sebastian is a stubborn boy but at this point in time, he’s a fifteen-year-old boy who is desperate to cure his twin sister! Before this, all he had was Anne and Ominis because his parents were dead and his uncle truly never cared. Let’s say MC had never come into the mix and Anne died, all he would have was Ominis. This is an act of Sebastian trying to preserve the last of the people who love him. 

And then, unfortunately, the effects of the curse start to pain Anne.

The first thing they do is look over but instead of Solomon immediately going to Anne’s aid, he has to look at Sebastian and blame him for Anne’s pain.

Then he goes over to Anne to aid her and Sebastian tries to apologize for the argument that Solomon started.

Then instead of letting Sebastian apologize, Solomon tells Sebastian to leave.

He doesn’t even give Sebastian a chance. He’s fed up and doesn’t even want his nephew around. My whole guess is that he’s truly never wanted Sebastian around and this was all just an excuse. This leads us into our third segment.  Sebastian storms out of the house and tells MC that he needs a moment alone if they are alright with it. Then MC will go talk to Solomon and Anne and for this, we’re going to speak to Solomon first.  You go up and you greet Solomon, everything seems normal. Solomon apologizes for Sebastian’s behavior claiming “he doesn’t know when to stop” which is true in some cases.

When he says this, this is not a fact, and we have to keep that in mind. When he says nothing can be done for her–that’s his opinion because HE doesn’t think anything can be done for her. Which opinions are okay to have, but using your opinions to discourage others is usually not the way you want to use them. 

Now after this, MC can say two different things. If you pick the option “Surely there’s something” your MC will say “It could be that you’ve not yet discovered a cure.” so in turn, slightly disagreeing with Solomon’s statement that nothing can be done but not downright disagreeing with him out loud. 

But again, instead of Solomon holding a civil conversation, he starts to accuse MC of thinking they know more than the healers at St. Mungo's. 

Now did MC ever claim to know better than the trained healers? NO! So why is he assuming this? It’s because he’s incapable of having a civil conversation regarding the curse if anyone disagrees with him in the slightest. We see this several more times throughout the game! 

After this, your MC will say “Perhaps the healers don't know everything, sir.” which is in turn–correct because as skilled as they are, no one knows everything. And keep in mind that MC is calling Solomon “sir” being respectful while Solomon is not, he is shouting and spouting off. MC then follows up with “Sebastian is single-mindedly focused on finding a way to help his sister. If there is a cure, he will find it.”  Then Solomon responds with this.

Yet again going back to the fact that he could easily confront the goblins but he never does. You have a dialogue choice here but both of them really just lead back to this statement.

He claims giving Anne hope is cruel because he doesn’t want her to have hope that she can be cured but in my opinion—not giving her hope is just as cruel! Imagine telling your niece, the child you are supposed to be raising, that there is nothing that could possibly cure her and so she is stuck feeling immense pain for the rest of her possibly short life even when there are still chances of finding a cure! I’m not sure about anyone else, but that sounds pretty cruel to me. I can see why you’d want to keep her comfortable but its still keeping her comfortable for her impending death when there’s still a chance she can be cured. 

Then, as if he’s been acting like a good guardian, Solomon plays this card.

He says he knows what's best for both of the twins–which is clearly not true seeing how he treats Sebastian. Then he goes to say “my stubborn brother’s children” which always makes me think that Solomon had something against his brother–a rivalry possibly–that led them into fighting a lot and so Solomon takes his anger for his late brother out onto his brother's children. Which, keep in mind, is never okay. 

Sebastian is a target of Solomon’s constant attacks because Sebastian acts like his dad. And that’s just the nature of a young boy to act like their father. Also, to Solomon, are you sure your brother was the stubborn one here…?

Solomon follows up with this and then this.

THIS ^^ is probably the only sensible thing he says during the entire game. Yes, Sebastian doesn’t know when to stop sometimes but I wonder why he doesn’t stop. It’s because he’s constantly being verbally attacked and Anne is the LAST bit of family he has that actually loves him! Of course he isn’t going to stop–he’s trying to save the life of his twin sister! 

Our fourth segment leads us into our conversation with Anne–which gives us more perspective since we get all three perspectives of the Sallows who were involved in this. 

MC enters the house and apologizes for earlier and Anne–being the sweet girl she is, reassures MC that it is not their fault for the pain she has.

It’s clear she’s struggling but she always makes sure to make it clear that it is not anyone’s fault when her pain comes and goes. Meaning Solomon was wrong by blaming Sebastian for Anne’s pain during the argument. 

MC and Anne go on to talk about Anne being at Hogwarts and how she misses it but she says she wouldn’t mind being in Feldcroft all the time if it weren’t so dreary. That meaning, the goblin attacks and of course, her uncle and brother fighting all the time.

She says this but the way she words it makes me think a few things. She mentions that Solomon is fighting with Sebastian whenever he’s home. Which this could be a stretch but that makes me believe that Solomon starts the majority of the arguments that they are in. As seen earlier, Solomon started this one as well instead of letting the scene play out before he jumped in. Not only does Solomon starting arguments affect Sebastian, it affects Anne too! 

MC will then say “Sebastian mentioned something about your uncle being an ex-Auror but refusing to go after Ranrok’s Loyalists'' and while I’m not an uncle, I am an aunt and if someone cursed my niece especially while she was in my care–I’d be burning down the goblin encampment while demanding answers. Then MC says “I must say, I wasn’t prepared for him to be as angry as he was''

Then Anne goes to defend her uncle, which is understandable.

BUUUUUT then we get into Anne now thinking she cannot be cured, saying that she can feel it.

Now I am not about to argue with the victim of the curse for saying she doesn’t think she can be cured–after all, she is the one suffering. But from what we saw with Solomon looking directly at Anne while saying “nothing can” referring to nothing can cure her, how much of her disbelief about her being able to be cured is actually coming from Solomon that she has just accepted and isn’t actually her own belief? 

After that, you finish up your conversation with Anne and go to find Sebastian which leads us into our fifth and final segment.

Now, Sebastian does the same thing Solomon does and apologizes to MC for the way he acted–which means they are sort of the two sides to the same coin when it comes to how others perceive them. Both feel like they need to apologize for something that the other has done–even when only one of them is actually in the wrong. You have two options for dialogue here. You can either choose “He was out of line” which will lead you into saying “I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting him to be so angry.” or you can chose “He’s trying to do what’s right” which I honestly have no idea what that option will lead you to say because I’ve never chosen it and I went through nine different playthroughs I found on YouTube and nobody chose that option so I assume people agree that he was out of line. (If anyone could tell me what MC says if you chose the option “He’s trying to do what’s right”, that’d be lovely) 

SO if you chose “He was out of line” which leads to you saying the part that you weren’t expecting him to be so angry, Sebastian will reply "He's always angry. He's been angry since my parents died." and "After Anne was hurt, he only grew worse. It's as though he blames me somehow. Always calling me 'my father's son' as if its an insult." (I apologize for the lack of screenshots here, I wrote this out on a google docs sheet before this and tumblr only allows me to have 30 pictures in post so screenshots of the doc are coming soon!) This brings us back to what I said earlier about Solomon deflecting his angry feelings from his late brother onto the twins and he most likely targets Sebastian the most because Sebastian acts the most like his father. Sebastian will go on to say “I’m the one trying to help her. He’s simply given up.” to which MC will reply, “Both Anne and your uncle seem to be genuinely convinced that nothing more can be done for her.” 

To that, Sebastian replies that he refuses to believe that, that Anne’s pain is more than physical, that it’s changed her entirely, and that he misses her and is going to get his sister back. 

After that you’ll go and explore the plateau that Anne was cursed on yada yada and you’ll get a bit of background on that.

So–what's the conclusion of all of this? 

Solomon is just a horrible person. 

He immediately starts an argument with Sebastian in front of Anne and MC over a shrivelfig, no less. And I don’t know about you but it's always so awkward when a friend gets yelled at by their parents/guardian and it's pretty embarrassing when it happens to you and you're the one being shouted at. 

He’s either subconsciously or consciously trying to convince Anne that she cannot be cured by telling her “Nothing can” and by always screaming at Sebastian that nothing can cure her. When he shouts, it's scary, so obviously Anne isn’t going to want to speak up for herself and get screamed at. 

He verbally abuses Sebastian–and probably Anne in the past as well. Now I’ve seen theories that there is possible physical abuse which I have also had theories about but it’s never been proven so I’m not gonna accuse him of such a crime BUT there is obvious evidence that he has no problem verbally abusing Sebastian at all by screaming, shouting and yada yada. 

He’s taking his anger that he has for his late brother out on Sebastian and Anne, which is never okay. Children are never responsible for the sins of the father–and we don’t even know if their father did do anything wrong! From how Solomon acts, he could’ve totally been in the wrong for whatever arguments they had. And Sebastian is a target because he acts the most like his father. 

And although this isn’t in this scene, Solomon has no problem attacking two 15/16-year-olds (who are still legally children) in the catacomb.  So the conclusion is that Solomon Sallow is not a good person and he has no problem showing it. And that you can see so much just from this one scene that probably lasts only a few minutes. 

I rest my case. 

Taglist: @boomingsmile @biographyofanadult @kit-kair @operation-pez @morelikeravenbore @findingtruenorth23 @follesexual @epicsweetness712 @mcyt-trash-can @sallowgauntsupremacy @kukukha-sanctuary

[akiumzeno]

A Dive Into Ushirono Fuyu's Relationships

I intend this to be a character analysis but I was thinking of this while on the bus and going ice skating and got really passionate that I had to write down the words. If you already can't tell from my pfp and banner, I love Fuyu so I made him his own dedicated analysis because he's the best.

ZENO remake and ZENO daily life SPOILERS

Fuyu and Maeno's relationship

Well, the most dominant thing about Fuyu and Maeno's dynamic is the revenge part. All throughout the game, Fuyu is chasing Maeno (and Tsugino) down to kill him. And his additional part in the story is about redefining that revenge.

And well, it's understandable; Maeno ate his sister. Granted, he didn't want to and was forced into it but Fuyu had no way to know that. How could you forgive someone who did something who did so atrocious?

But... there's something to be discussed about that.

Fuyu didn't see the event happen. One day, Maeno and Natsu both went missing. It was strange. How could both of the people he cared about just disappear without a trace?

So he set out to find out (or even better, Maeno and Natsu). And he did. After years, he finally found Maeno... but not Natsu.

And likely, that's when the awful truth came out. Natsu died because Maeno cannibalized her. And it's likely when he found out, he gained ZENO and was determined to kill Maeno in revenge.

Fuyu got hired as a researcher/doctor and tried to hide his ZENO and suppress his ZENO (likely through treating himself with the Memory Control Device). (Also, one of the doctors had a feeling he had ZENO).

And he waited for the perfect opportunity to get his revenge (which we all knows that opportunity comes).

Although Fuyu wants to kill Maeno and will never forgive him for what he did, that doesn't mean he hates him. In fact, he cares for Maeno. And you can see this in different endings.

Fuyu begs Maeno to not leave him in the Oblivion ending, Fuyu seems shocked or concerned when Maeno dies in the punishment ending and, hell, even Fuyu chooses to help out Maeno and work with him rather than leave him alone to die by Tsugino and get his revenge. He could completely just not choose to help him and escape the facility on his own and there would be no problem but he can't because he still cares enough to try to help him.

Despite what Maeno did, Fuyu can't not care for Maeno. They had known each other since they were 4 years old. They've been together and sharing their lives together. They always had each other. And nothing will change that. Fuyu may not forgive him for what he did, but there will always be that part of him caring for Maeno.

And it's probably because he cares for Maeno is the reason why he wants to kill Maeno. The first reason is that ZENO makes you want to kill your loved ones. But it's because he cares that it's why it hurts so badly. It was his friend, of all people, to eat Natsu, let alone the friend he spent years trying to find. (Maybe his only friend.)

And it's also why he doesn't feel fulfilled when he kills Maeno. Because there's still a sense of emptiness after killing his friend. Sure, he might've gotten his revenge but there's still a hole of sadness and anger still inside of him and he doesn't feel better from killing one of the only pieces of his life still left, after Kanrai destroys his workplace and all his friends are gone and the only family he has left are all shitty people. He loses the one good thing left in his life. And revenge is not a thing that'll make you feel happy for long, if at all.

Fuyu and his family

Fuyu's family. ...Yeah.

Hoo boy. Won't this be fun?

Uh, I'll get into Natsu first because I honestly cannot dissect much about Fuyu and Kanrai's relationship aside from what's in the wiki, the two English translation videos of ZENO daily life and TV Tropes.

So, Natsu is clearly one of the only people who is close to Fuyu (the other being Aki and later on Haruno, I believe). So a ton of Fuyu's prime motivations are hinged on Natsu since his and Maeno's relationship ranges from strained to enemies after Maeno eats Natsu.

Considering Kanrai's just... garbage personality and Ritsuka deciding to be a free woman over taking care of her children, Fuyu had to be the one to take care of Natsu bc they have about a 10-year age gap, whether it be just giving her a father figure or straight-up defending Natsu from danger. (Also, second thought, Fuyu also had to take care of Maeno considering he was home alone at 4 and all Maeno would want to do was just stay inside and read books all day. Bro's fr a single dad since childhood.)

With this in mind, it's very easy to understand why Fuyu is so protective of Natsu. She quite literally had no one else to look up to, aside from Maeno. He was her one and only protector and they shared a relationship that was very close because of this. Hell, he even takes a stab for her.

And it's also hard to not love Natsu. She's sweet, polite, curious, cheerful and selfless. Aside from being her brother, her personality also made it easy for Fuyu to want to protect her.

So when she died, that must've left a hole in his heart. She was gone forever and he couldn't do anything about it, especially because he was the one who was always taking care of her. (And why it hurts so much that Maeno was the one to take her away.)

While we never explore Fuyu's grief (much) with Natsu in the game, we can very much assume he grieved for Natsu a lot. And the reason for his revenge was likely trying to fill up the hole in his heart. And Fuyu chases after that, thinking it would please or avenge Natsu, when we know that's not true.

And it takes talking with Natsu or seeing her memories to see that isn't what Natsu wants nor how he'll be able to heal.

And even though he did want revenge, he's more than willing to give it up or change way of revenge for Natsu. Because, no matter what, what she wants will always be priority because he loves her and always will. Nothing will change that, ever.

Now, the parents. They're so lovely.

Let's start with Ritsuka. Ritsuka never took care of Fuyu, only occasionally making contact and sending him fruit as a gift. She valued being free over being a good mother, likely because she felt adverse to it because she was told to do that her entire life. But of course, that is selfish as fuck.

Fuyu (and Natsu) grew up without a mother figure and he had to provide for himself (mostly, I believe Kanrai's secretary might've helped), which led to him being rude and blunt as he grew older. He never had anyone telling him to be a good person or had someone to take care of him, making him way more independent at a younger age than any normal kid, especially because he had to take care of Maeno and Natsu, as mentioned before.

While Ritsuka did end up gaining just a bit more concern for Fuyu after Natsu died (emphasis on bit) and tried to visit more frequently, but by then, the damage had already been done. Fuyu had already grown into his stern and cold self, and her actions were too little and too late.

Now, Kanrai.

Kanrai and Fuyu have anything but a loving and respectful relationship. Fuyu wants nothing to do with Kanrai and Kanrai is only concerned with Fuyu when he's able to be used as a tool for himself. But well, how did we get here?

Well, let's begin with how Fuyu was even conceived. As mentioned before, Ritsuka was told to be a wife and mother, and not only that but it was already decided who she'd marry, with that man being Kanrai. However, around the time they were getting married, Kanrai said to her that the only expectation of her was to bear one child and then she was free as a bird. She wasn't even expected to raise the child, just give birth to them.

But this begs the question of why Kanrai wanted a child, anyway. Did he want to be a father? Did he enjoy taking care of children? Maybe he just needed to continue his lineage.

Hah, NO!

He wanted a child... to try to spread ZENO.

He wanted to have the child develop ZENO and then have a person which he can influence under his own will to go do whatever he wants. And if that child never developed ZENO then he didn't care for them at all. How fun.

While I'm not sure if Fuyu knew he was even created for the sake for ZENO, but regardless, his father didn't pay attention to him. And it likely stayed that way until Natsu gained ZENO and Fuyu himself got involved with the issue, considering Kanrai does try to ask Maeno to tell Fuyu to call him back. And that probably frustrated Fuyu more with his father than his mother's neglect did.

For Fuyu, his father never bothered to take care of him until he got involved with this illness that Kanrai has based his entire, wicked and horrible, life on. To him, that likely felt like a slap in the face. He didn't care before and now he cares once he begins getting involved with ZENO; the disease that led to his sister's death because his best friend had ZENO and ate her because of it. Not to mention, Kanrai wants to spread that same disease.

And that's likely the reason why Fuyu refuses to return his calls and constantly says for Kanrai to die. He was created for the sake of ZENO, something that ruined his life and made his life just suck. No matter what, Fuyu could never live as a normal kid because Kanrai had set it up to be that way. If Fuyu had never gained or gotten involved with ZENO, his family had no desire to ever raise him and he meant practically nothing to them. And it probably hurt more for his family to exist and never take care of him rather than just never having one that was alive. His whole life was just doomed from the start and all he has to blame for it is Kanrai. Because it was Kanrai who wanted him to exist, not his mother.

Fuyu's life is the worst and it's his father that made it that way. Fuyu hates the circumstances that made him the way he is. The circumstances created by the horrid, vile, wretched, awful and evil Kanrai.

[ibviously]

Project Pollux

Summary: Worlds collide when Agent Dioscuri is intercepted by Natasha Romanov. As the Avengers scramble to keep infinity stones from Thanos’s grasp, Agent Dioscuri scrambles from theirs. When the past is dissected and history resurfaces, Dioscuri fights to contain ugly, imperative truths. A pawn in the middle of a death-match, Dioscuri is forced to pick a side, or end up flipping the board.

Chapter Summary: The Avengers kidnap an important asset.

Warnings: Descriptions of torture, violence, and nudity.

Chapter One- Gentleman

“Gentlemen, I am joking, of course, and I myself know that I am not joking very successfully, but one really cannot take everything as a joke. Maybe I am grinding my teeth as I joke. Gentlemen, I am tormented by questions; resolve them for me.” From Notes from Underground, Fydor Dostoevsky

December 31st, 2015. New Year’s Eve. Avengers Compound, New York, NY. 11:43 pm.

Tony taps his glasses once, then twice, to recalibrate the lens. He has to be sure what he is seeing is real. He needs assurance that this is raw, unadulterated footage. The glasses ping softly, confirming his dread. The images projected in front of him move seamlessly, one moment flowing into the next, the way moments do. At the end of the third play-through, Tony spins on his heels. The pulse of revelry and hot-blooded fun sound beneath his lab. He had sworn off work tonight- no tinkering or analysis of any nature. But Fury’s text, “Get on this, now,” had been too intriguing.

Now, he wishes he had never watched. Now, he scrambles down the glass stairs, descending into the compound’s main room and submerging himself into the crash of bodies. Lights throw stripes of color around the room. Heat blooms under his suit and he tugs off his tie. Finally, after throwing a few “pardon me” elbows, Tony surfaces to a splay of couches by the bar.

Natasha was mixes a drink, Banner leaning over to watch her process. Bucky and Steve are engaged into what looks like a game of rock paper scissors, during which Tony catches the phrase “No fair, Buck. I swear, the arm, it knows.” Thor galavants around, offering swigs of Asgardian liquor to “whomever dared.” Clint throw his head back in laughter, arms slung around Rhodey and Sam. Wanda and Peitro stand behind the sofa, watching the display with wide, amused eyes, leaning into each other’s ears to whisper something in Sokovian. Vision sits straight-backed next to Sam, with a pink party hat strapped to his chin.

A tug of frustration pulls in Tony’s chest. He could just leave this till tomorrow and let the team have one goddamn night of undiluted peace. Tony sighs, drawing the attention of the team, who had unknowingly concentrated themselves to a small section of the sprawling party. The sight warmed Tony’s cold blood- the mutual gravitation of friends. He wanted to tell them to all sit still so FRIDAY could mock-up a Renaissance-style painting. He pushes the thought aside.

“Stark?” Steve ask-commands, the pure glow of his blue eyes squashed by the furrow of his brow. The entire area stilled.

Straightening his spine and relaxing into his usual swagger, Tony takes off his glasses and tucks them into his button-down. “I have good news,” he drawls, motioning for Banner to come near. At his arrival, he plucks the drink Natasha had made him and, in one fluid motion, swallows it down, coughing at the burn. The team waited with straining patience.

Tony coughed, “Uh-“ Another cough. “Ruh- Romanov knows how to make a strong drink.”

Vision, who had removed his party hat, speaks up from the corner, saying, “Tony, I feel there is a shared sentiment of impatience. We would like to know what is wrong.”

Gathering himself, Tony swishes a hand of acknowledgement. “Yeah- yeah, and I am here to tell you. Drum roll please…” Pietro alone thrums his hands against his knees.

“I found the Soul Stone!”

Romanov slinks from behind the bar. “Where?” The words come clipped and taunt.

Tony casts a lazy finger in Romanov’s direction, and an even lazier wink. “That is the obligatory accompaniment to aforementioned ‘good news.’”

Bucky rises to his feet, his arm sending whisper-whirls into the hushed space. Beyond their pensive superhero bubble of concern, the party bounces along into the night, building to the apex of the night; twelve o’clock. “Spit it out, Stark,” Bucky grumbles.

“The Soul Stone is in a girl.”

From the corner, Tony hears an attempt at swallowing laughter, followed by the word “kinky” and a slap of Wanda’s hand against Pietro’s shoulder.

“Yes, yes. This is all very funny- accept it’s true and it’s a huge pain in my ass.” With a languid flick of his wrist, Tony sent the holograph blooming into the center of the circle, paused on the image of a young girl. She huddled in a corner, with a blanket wrapped around her body and her arms wrapped around her legs. Tucked into herself, the girl stares into the camera, unblinking. Around her, black steel walls. The image shook- an indication of a presence behind the lens, adjusting the shot. A disembodied voice sounds, clearly the operator of the camera.

“Dioscuri.” It commands. The girl’s eyes widen in fear.

Bucky, who had removed himself form his spot on the sofa next to Steve, was stricken into a stillness that drew more attention than movement. His eyes did not move from the hologram.

“Близнецы.” One short, cold word trails after the other like freight cars along the Trans-Siberian. “кастор.” “апельсин.” “пламя.” The words are hissed and devoid of warmth. Whoever is speaking to the girl hates her. The air between the group seems to cool.

And finally, “полночь.”

Natasha’s eyes mirror Becky’s, glazed, but pulsing with fear under the obvious strain of memory. Quietly, Natasha whispers the five words. “Gemini, Castor, Orange, Flame, Midnight.”

At the entrance of the last word, like whisp of fear puffed into the air, the room erupts. Per-programmed confetti bursts and the pop pop pop of champaign goes off like gunfire. The compound, filled with colleagues, friends, and family, join in one jovial, harmonious “Happy New Year!”

The hologram continues, its contents uncorrupted by shifts in time and emotion, because, as Tony confirmed, this was real. What is about to happen here will happen again, and again, for the duration of time and space. It is memory manifest. Tony, when consumed by the glory of technology, sometimes reminds himself that evil encompasses innovation, as well. The girl goes still at the end of the sequence of words, shedding her blanket and walking, smooth as steel, to the middle of the room. She is naked. Unobscured, she looks older. Her body, though thin, is taunt and developed- not a girl, but a young woman. A gaunt, blank young woman. In the light, her pale skin is akin to untrodden snowfall.

As the voice behind the camera talks, Natasha translates. “Stand and present, soldier,” Natasha speaks to the group. The girl on the hologram raises her hand to solute. The motion is rigid, practiced. Now that she’s closer to the camera, bruises and flesh-wounds appear on her body. Untrodden no more. Purple lacerations encircle her wrists and ankles like bracelets of cruelty. One eye is swollen shut, her lips swelling to match. Most starkly, though, are two open wounds in the center of her feet. They’re half-healed and leaking half-coagulated, jellied blood.

Steve, now risen to Bucky’s side, strides towards Tony. “Not here, Tony,” he whispers, “The twins-the party shouldn’t see this. Turn it off.” Tony, unmoved, continues to watch the hologram.

“It’s almost over,” he whispers, eyes unmoving.

A hand stretches into the frame, spear-headed by a handgun. The disembodied hand presses the gun to the girl’s temple. Natasha continues her translation as the figure with the gun speaks, “Show them what I gave you.” The girl remains unmoved. The gun presses deeper into the flesh of her skull, pushing her head to one side. “Show them,” Natasha translates. The girl’s long, pale hair trails down her body, covering her breasts. The hand without the gun reaches forward, caressing her neck and pushing the hair behind her shoulders. A masked face leans into view, the owner of the gun and of the hands, whispering against the girl’s neck.

“Natasha?” Bucky demands, his voice cold.

“I didn’t hear it- too quiet,” Natasha snaps back.

The hologram continues. “Turn it off,” Steve commands, his voice dipping to the timbre of a plea.

The words the masked man whispered hit their mark. The girl, as if unchained, lurches away, pain corrupting the integrity of her voice as she demands, “What did you say?” Shuffling sounds behind the camera. Someone mutters the word “дефе��тный ” from behind the lens. It takes Natasha a moment to find the English equivalent; “Defective.”

Roused, the girl screams the same words, covering her chest with her hands. “What did you say!” She shouts, the receptor of her fury a figure beyond the camera. A thick embroidery of overlapping voices quilts itself over her words- so many voices that Natasha stops translating. The girls eyes scan in wild, erratic patterns beyond the lens. She backs up to the rear wall, pressing herself into the steel.

The voices build, figures enter from stage left and stage right, guns trained on the girl’s bare, pale body. And then a glow, orange and bright, builds from her skin. Her eyes, once darkened by the overhead light, glow white. The same light pours from her mouth as her caves into herself, lowering her body to the floor, and screams. The sound stops, an eruption of orange light, and the hologram dies- drawn curtain, end scene.

As if the holographic explosion had occurred right beside them, the entire room felt devoid of air. The party raged on behind them, the revelers indifferent to the sombre mood, like a cloak, drawn over the Avengers. Cutting the settled tension, Bucky states, “That was Hyrda procedure- the words, the- the audience.” Tony felt his stomach roil. They were the audience. They just watched that girl stripped naked, the barrel of a gun pressed into her temple.

“But it’s Dreykov’s personnel and facility. I’d recognize that room if I were dead,” Natasha added.

Shaking himself from his horror-induced stupor, Tony clapped his hands together. “Fury sent it in. Video dates to January 1st, 2014- two years ago.” Tony taps on his watch, whispering incoherently into it. Suddenly, a light, female voice echoes through the tower.

“Tony Stark and his Avengers thank you for coming to celebrate, the party has ended. Please make your way to the exits.” With Friday’s announcement, the music stops, the lights turn on, and a conglomeration of feet shuffling ensues. Tony turns, waving with winks and smiles, thanking the visitors.

Silence hangs in suffocating drapes. Bucky had left silently, unnoticed. Steve stared at the table, arms crossed, lost in thought. Natasha looked on the brink of destruction. All around, worry and disgust colored all faces.

Steve cleared his throat and uncrossed his arms.

“Captain?” Tony asks, voicing the inner monologue of the entire gathering.

Captain America meets the gaze of the group, bracing his hands on the back of the sofa. His blue eyes have cooled with concentration- icy and pale. His voice is full and hard when he speaks.

“We go get her, Thanos can’t have access to any more stones. And Hyrda can’t have access to any more soldiers.” His voice dips on the word solider, pain making the pronunciation malleable, bruising the letters as they come from Steve’s throat. He swallows, his throat bobbing against the top button of his blue shirt.

“Suit up.”

January 3rd, 2016. Red Room Interrogation Center. Moscow, Russia. 8:24 am.

The red-haired bitch wouldn’t crack, Lux would give her that. She was hard. But Lux was harder.

She smiled, digging the white lighter from her coat pocket. Normally, she didn’t enjoy the stench of charred flesh this early in the morning, but she’d make an exception today. It was a new year, after all.

Lux rolled her thumb over the wheel once, twice- inhaling the smell of butane as she held town the lighter’s trigger, rolling the flame over the metal cap. When the cap glowed red, she brushed her fingertip over it, a hiss of pain slipping from her lips. As her fingerprints had been singed off long ago, the reception of pain indicated the lighter was ready. The red-head tied to the chair in front of her grinned. Her teeth were white and straight and beautiful- Lux was struck by the sight. Nobody with such a beautiful smile had entered her chair in a long while.

“вы говорите по-английски?” Lux asked, straddling the chair positioned across from the woman’s. Romanov, her file had read. A Black Widow. Lux was surprised when she saw the title- she had yet to encounter one of Dreykov’s original creations. Like discontinued toys, Black Widows had gone out of circulation.

“Why? Is your Russian a little rusty?” Romanov shot back, her smile never dimming.

Lux smiled back, self conscious of her teeth. She hadn’t been allowed to see her reflection in years, but she doubted her smile shone as bright. A stupid, flippant thought- Lux scolded herself for allowing it to enter her mind. Especially here, and especially now. She knew they watched her through the cameras in each corner of the room. She knew she was a being assessed, still, two years later- they didn’t trust her.

“No,” Lux drawled, “I prefer English, though. It’s the first language I spoke.” Lux breathed deeply, hoping the detail wasn’t too intimate. She knows the technique. Show some emotional skin, establish a rapport, create some common ground, and then rip it right from under their feet.

Romanov tilts her head, her swath of red hair shifting around her beautiful face. “Oh?” She asks, the light-toned pronunciation of curiosity tinging the end of the word. “You’re American?”

Lux shakes her head, flicking the lighter once again, which was cool to the touch. She curses herself in her head. She’s wasting too much time. The dance is awkward, stalled. It isn’t flowing, like she was trained. She is failing, miserably. Her back tenses at the thought of her punishment. Dr. Von Arx was getting more creative every day.

“You aren’t,” Lux chirps, looking up from her lighter. “Ro-man-ov.” She lets the syllables drip off her tongue, luxuriating in the sounds. “Are you enjoying your homecoming? Dreykov is excited to see you- Prodigal Son you are. But they insisted I give you the run-down first. You understand, of course.” Lux punctuated her words with a wink. Abandoning her chair, Lux rises above Romanov, gripping her jaw in a leather-gloved hand and forcing her head backward. The lighter glowed ounce again in her hand.

Hovering just above the surface of her jugular, Lux moved the lighter back and forth, letting the heat kiss Romanov’s skin. “I am going to ask you one more time, why did you come?”

Just as the lighter moves to melt the surface of Natasha’s skin, the wall explodes.

Lux sees white, and then feels the burning of her skin. She believes in karma, but had never seen it work this fast. Covering her head, Lux waits for the rumble of debris and destruction to stop. As soon as rocks ceases to fall and the ringing subsides in her ears, Lux is on her feet, two knives in hands. Damn Von Arx from not allowing her a gun.

Dust fills the room, along with cold, grey sunlight from the hole in the north-facing wall. The scream of sirens fills the void the ringing left in Lux’s, ears and a figure in black fills the void Romanov left in the room.

He’s male. Tall. Long brown hair drapes his face, which is half-obscured by a black mask. He carries a large gun in one arm, and the other-

Lux blanches, forcing her jellied knees to lock, to keep her upright. Something shifts within her. Like a root, deep and established, being torn from the earth, everything inside Lux shifts as a memory is tugged from her.

Blood, blood, so much blood. It pools around her, spilling from her sister’s small body. Astoria. Astoria. As-tor-i-a.

Clinging to the name, branding the syllables into her mind, Lux swears to herself that she wont forget. That she will not let them take the memory. Her twin, her Astoria.

Suddenly, the man’s presence loses its edge. Lux throws her knife, sinking it into the man’s thigh. He pulls the knife, sending it clattering through the rubble. Lux’s next knife lands in the apex of his left shoulder, and when she hears and thud, instead of a clang, Lux knows she’s hit her target. The man grunts, stopping his affront to tear the knife out. Lux turns to run, but not before a red gas fills the room. She throws her sleeve up to cover her mouth, but it’s too late.

Lux falls to her knees, a heavy, thick warmth pressing itself into the contours of her consciousness. She’s tired, so damn tired. The soldier kneels before her and something in her chest leaps at the deep blue of his eyes. She repeats the name Astoria, Astoria, Astoria, like a prayer, like a incantation that could protect her from him.

Lux isn’t afraid. She’s seen The Winter Solider at work. Let him do his worst. She would happily die cloaked in the sweet memory of her sister, her greatest, newfound possession. Let him try to take it from her again.

A ragged, joyful laugh escapes Lux’s hoarse throat. She feels her grip on the moment, on sight and sound, feel and taste, loosening. The Winter Solider lifts her from the ground and she has no strength to fight. A funny, light sensation trickles over her skin. She laughs again, harder, this time.

“You’re amused, Dioscuri?” The Solider above her asks as she slips into the thick, warm current of sleep.

“I just-“ Another giggle. “I just think it’s a joke, you’re carrying me. Who knew The Winter Solider” another giggle, “was a gentleman. I mean- you shot Astoria.” Lux wheezes into the Soldier’s chest. Who would have thought he’d be carrying her, bridal style, away from Dreykov. Moscow’s winter chill caresses her body and Lux shivers, burrowing into the iconic heat of the Soldier’s body. The hum of propellers envelopes her.

Lux can’t control her laughter. Her body convulses against the Solider’s chest as wave after wave of laughter ravages her. Here, in his arms, she thinks she might be in Hell. Or at least some damning, liminal space- away for Von Arx but out of the reach of Astoria.

The volume of propellers increases and the humor of the moment fades to misery. She’ll die here, she thinks. Wherever the Winter Solider is taking her, she will die.

Chapter Two:

[gingerpeachtea]

tell me about mr burning suns fic NEOW!!!!! (if u want to!)

(wip list game!!!!)

YAAAYAYYAYSYYAYSYSYYAYAYY feeling HIGH after talking about siye SO LETS GO!!!!!!

siye is my FUCKING BABY but this is like. my moulin rouge baby

it is so incredibly laurel ocd fic in terms of projection not telling u which illness tho u gotta guess like it’s hangman. it’s like an if u know u know situation. u know?

cannot give u a snippet i fear because i have genuinely posted half the fic at this point and i’m not exaggerating LMAODKWD i just love this fic so much i want to SHARE IT!!!! but it’s not DONE!!!

it’s the only moulin rouge fic i’m anywhere close to finishing. it took me a WHILE to know where i wanted to start it, if i wanted to write the Before It Gets Bad and create a buildup, or if i wanted to start right in the thick of it. you’ll see which i chose when i post it i guess LMAO. actually no bc i ❤️ talking. i chose to start kind of right in the thick of it after providing wider context for the point the characters are at post-canon, SPECIFICALLY because i was struggling with creating more tension and buildup to The Big Moment in siye and i spent so much time struggling to figure that out that i went IM SICK OF THIS SHIT!!!!! and just put y’all right in the middle. (or the end. of the show. bohemian rhapsody. (……kind of. you’ll see. it’s kind of like if u took bohemian rhapsody and like. did an interpretive dance* of it instead of doing the show that we’re shown in the show (“the show” being moulin rouge of course. because i have explained this so logically))

(*and by “did an interpretative dance of” i do of course mean forgot absolutely everything and started making shit up. because i forgot that the plot of bohemian rhapsody is just. the fucking plot of moulin rouge)

i rly wanted to post it when i saw mr for the second (…third???? consult my intermission fics on ao3 idk) time on july 26th but i was busy with my stupid gay (actually wonderful and very enjoyable) job and like. being at broadway con. so. that didn’t happen. and then i Continued being busy with my stupid gay actually wonderful and very enjoyable job and then SCHOOL. and then i got my ASS BEAT. and i just got done getting my ass beat (am finally on break) so i WANT to finish it so bad before i go back but i do unforchies have to prioritize finishing a mike fic by jan 12th for his birthday sooooooo who knows!!!

SOMETNING IVE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WITH THIS FIC FOR SO FUCKING LONG. somebody said at some point in time SOMEWHERE (probably on tumblr IF YES AND ONE OF U KNOWS THE POST SEND PLS!!) that christian starts off the musical as an optimist and ends as a pessimist and satine starts off as a pessimist and ends as an optimist. prob phrased differently than that but ARARARAIAIUARARRAIAUZUSHGAGHH YES!!!!!!!!!!!! YES BITCH YEAAYYAAGHHHHHH U GET IT!!!!!! fuck ill vomimit i lvoe them so much FUCKMTLIGFE okay back to being coherent

WAIT IT MIGHTVE BEEN BEA THAT SAID RHAT??? bea if ur reading this did u say that???? anyways

that is SOOOOOOOO something i wanted to let influence their characterization in this fic!!!! this shift in perspective/outlook for the two of them is essentially the spark that lights their argument. you can see christian’s inclination towards pessimism in this snippet (which i’ve already shared at some point so🫡 sharing it again):

LIKE BITCH….. christian not being able to trust that she would be honest with him about her residual (#CHRONIQUE) illness…… AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN…… SATINE KNOWING BETTER AND TRUSTING CHRISTIAN…… JESUS FUCK!!!!!

analyzing the fic before i even post it 😭😭 very me behavior unfortunately. like yeah i would dissect a single exchange of dialogue for like an entire paragraph instead of actually writing the fic

anyways turns out when i run out of snippets to share i just start talking. where is pitbull hope wveryone enjoyed that lemme find it

[picnokinesis]

PART SEVEN CHAPTER ONE!!! oh my god I was so excited when this email came through I’ve never clicked so fast in my life!

DOCTOR!! I MISSED HER!! god I love her doctor and her terrible coping mechanisms. how close her emotions are to the surface right now and her reaction even to the name john yeah she is NOT doing well

‘Even just thinking his name sends a shiver rushing through her. Like finding a groove worn into an ancient stone and realising that it fits the contours of her hand perfectly. Like it was made for her.’ HELLO?? how close he is to her thoughts and the fact that the fam aren’t even aware she’s been looking for him…

DONNA MENTION!!!!

I love your characterisation of the lake geneva group! honestly from what I’ve read of these people’s lives you’ve got the vibe of this friend group down cold bc they are FASCINATING to learn about

“Well, yes, John, you’re such a drip I thought I’d cheer you up by making myself a walking metaphor for your whole personality” SKSKSKSK

“it’s sick to play mind games with someone for years. Isn’t it?” the dramatic irony!!!! how mary manages to mention something that’s already been on the doctor’s mind

in conclusion I LOVE the chapter and I cannot wait to see where this is going!

Ahhh hello again!! I'm so glad you liked this chapter :D

It makes me so happy that you had basically the same reaction as me when I wrote that first chapter haha - it was the same with part 5 and especially with part 6, writing that first chapter from the Doctor's pov after soooooo so long writing everyone else's parts, I'd missed her SO so much! And she always crashes back in with a whole ton of emotional baggage hahaha, but she really is hanging on by a thread in this one hahaha. She needs to take a nap, but she never does what I say rip

The thing I really wanted to do with this story is have Koschei be this constant presence and undercurrent throughout the entire series, without actually BEING in most of the story. It parallels nicely with how the Doctor haunts Koschei - he haunts her right back. I think as well, with regards to his name feeling familiar, is that before her amnesia she clearly thought about him a lot as well. He's a key part of the past that she's always been running from, but he's also someone who really shaped the person that she is now. The last couple of days, I've ended up exploring a completely different (but adjacent) set of alternate universes to campervan where things go unrecognisably differently, and it's been absolutely fascinating to see what impact that has on both Koschei and the Doctor's characters and personalities (although, in those verses, neither of them use those names).

Donna mention!! I don't know how clear it is in the chapter, but for that part I actually mashed the 'Journey's End' storyline with the 'Planet of the Ood' one - so the human trafficking ring is the Ood plot, but the consequences are inspired by what happens to Donna at the end of the s4. I think what actually happens is that she hits her head or something during the fallout of everything, and that Has Consequences. I don't think she actually gets amnesia in this (that would be too on the nose considering the rest of the plot) but I do think she ends up with some other kind of brain injury. The Doctor doesn't ever go back to her after that night though.

So glad you liked how I wrote the lake geneva crew, they were SO fun to write! I especially loved the difference between characters like George and John lmao, I'm so glad you pulled out the line about John being a drip because that was one of my favourite parts hahaha. AND THEN YES the mind games line!! My favourite part of that is just the Doctor going 'Um.' in the prose on the next line HAHAH she's like. Okay. Not gonna dissect that one.

ANYWAY thank you so so much!! :D I hope you enjoy the next chapter, I'm pretty excited to share that one (but not as excited as for chapter 3 👀)

[doctor-bus]

WIP game!

Rules: you will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word.

I was tagged by the ever-delightful @randomhatthief and given the word SACRIFICE.

S – Shaking, slow, sleeve sticky with blood, he points it in the direction of the looming figure— unable to see well enough to aim, but it won’t matter point-blank— and fires. (Code: Realize WIP #1 – Down for the Count) A – A boy can only get so far in the dictionary before it starts to drag, after all. Do there really need to be THAT many words starting with the letter C…? (Code: Realize WIP #2 – Emergency Maintenance) C – “Cheating death does not come cheap, you know.” Helvetica hummed, plugging a thick wire into a port on the machine’s face with a click. “Speaking of…” “I know, I know. You don’t work for free, right? I’ll make sure you’re compensated well for your time, Dr. Helvetica.”   “And the stress, of course. I’ll sue you for emotional distress if I get any grey hairs from this.” “Eugh…I bet Valerie would love to take that case… Any chance I could convince you to settle out of court?” “Hmm. Maybe. Buy me a drink at Paradiso Garage, and I’ll think about it.” “It’s a deal.” “It’s not a deal yet. I said that I would think about it, not that I would settle.” (Bustafellows WIP - Asystole) R – “R-right! Right. I can do that. The—the orange ones, yeah?” “Yes.” “You got it, Scarecrow out.” Crow said as he rushed out of the room. (Bustafellows WIP – Asystole) I – “I’m well aware, mademoiselle, and I promise that I will make it worth your while,” Lupin says, velvet-voiced, “I apologize for troubling you yet again, but you see, for this job we need someone of no less than the highest caliber.” The doctor scoffs. “You need someone who will keep their damn mouth shut.” “Talented and perceptive! This, my dear, is why it had to be you.” (Code: Realize WIP #1 – Down for the Count) F – For the span of a heartbeat, the four of them stand there in the center of that terrible room, surrounded by 665 faces that do not, cannot watch them, staring silent at nothing with glassy eyes and placid expressions. (Code: Realize WIP #1 – Down for the Count) I – It’s a miserable slog to the kitchen, but he makes it, one foot after the other. Eight feet from his bedroom to the sink. Then one foot up onto the step stool— both feet up onto the step stool— and two hands on the basin to steady himself. Two hands gripping the basin as he dry heaves into the sink. Two hands gripping the basin as he breathes through the aftershocks. Breathe. Okay. (Code: Realize WIP #2 – Emergency Maintenance) C – “Cardia, honey!” Impey cuts in, voice bright with faux cheer, “Mind giving me a hand with the compass?” “…Okay.” Cardia says. Resigned, she allows herself to be pulled away. “Hah. If that was supposed to be a pun, it wasn’t funny at all…” Lupin sighs. “Oh, please. My puns, just like my cooking, are always in good taste. Right, Cardia?” Impey says “…Sure.” (Code: Realize WIP #1 – Down for the Count) E – Ensure adequate ventilation. Slowly add one part hydrogen peroxide to three parts sulfuric acid. Place the dissected parts in one at a time. Wait for the reaction to complete. Repeat. (Bustafellows WIP – Asystole)

Thank you for the tag! Sorry it took me a million years to get to!

Anyone who wants to do this too, please take this as an open tag! If you want me to give you a word, feel free to leave a reply or shoot me a message :)

[thefanboyhub]

My laundry is on the floor right now and I decided right now was a good time to do some digging into one of the most interesting characters in KOTLC.

It's time to dissect Fitzroy Avery Vacker!

So we all know Mr. Ritz Cracker,

Mr. "We're Cognate's!"

Mr. Golden boy

Mr. You-get-the-damn-point!

Fitz was the Elf who found Sophie in the Forbidden Cities. He was the one who introduced her to his— their— world. He was the first person to see Sophie cry, first person in the Lost Cities to support her.

From reading the books we learn a lot about how Fitz grew up, and you might be saying "uh... no?" BUT HA! YOU FOOL! You cannot just simply read the words, you must read behind the meaning and watch a characters behavior to learn how they grew to be who they are! (It's why I love characters so much, there's so many ways to learn about them)

From context clues and how he behaved in the books we know he was the golden child. First kid to manifest at the tender age of 13, and lose his leaping bracelet early too, not to mention he was a telepath and was basically flawless in school. He took pride in it, like most kids do. But you see here, that's the problem. He never had someone to take him down his pedestal that his parents practically built for him (fucking Alden). He grew up being told he'd do great things, that he was a strong Elf, that he was better then anyone else. So naturally he started to believe it and act like it. He wasn't necessarily vicious either, but he didn't need to be; he always got what he wanted anyways.

I think he felt alone. I mean he reacted so viciously towards his brother Alvar after finding out he was a traitor— UNDERSTANDABLY SO BY THE WAY! But my confusion with this was how angry he was. But I thought about it a lot through my rereading of the series and I realized that he was so angry because he had loved, trusted, looked up to, and felt inferior to his older brother. Despite— No— Because he was treated so much better by Alden(bitch) and Della(ILoveYouWifey) Alvar gained resentment for his siblings, mostly Fitz.

There was a part of Fitz sports thing in book 8.5 KOTLC Unlocked where he talked about playing with Alvar. He said it's no fun playing base quest (I think) with him because he'd stay invisible the entire time. What this tells me is Alvar agreed to play the game but would dip out of his own jealousy and pettiness. Which takes me to my previous statement—

Fitz felt alone. The one thing he never got was a brother who actually liked and loved him. The one thing he had been patiently waiting for and hoping for since he was younger and treated like the golden boy was his older brother. But he never got it, instead he got a traitorous older brother who hated him so deeply he'd hurt his friends without a second thought.

In my opinion, Fitz's rage over his brother is reasonable. It's honestly so real and raw that I can't even say he's being idiotic. Especially considering what I just said.

BUT

His fatal flaw his his anger— or more technical — His tantrums.

Like I said before, he always got what he wanted, he was spoiled and treated like a little prince. So every single time he didn't get what he wanted, his anger would rise. His emotional intelligence has been stumped because he never had someone say no to him or been rejected for something. So he's confused and angry; "Why not!? This never happens to ME!" Type of mentality.

This also comes along with jealousy and the need to compete with others. So when Keefe started to show his affections for Sophie a lot more openly back in book 4 KOTLC Neverseen, specifically when they ended up in Alluveterre for protection that was provided by the black swan, he started to act jealous. He realized how Keefe felt and noticed something about how Sophie acted and he automatically felt the need to compete which is why in book 9 KOTLC Stellerluna he has Sophie on a pedestal like a prise in his subconscious. He doesn't see her like a lover or a crush, he sees her as a prise to win over, subconsciously though. Consciously he thinks it's a crush. He went from thinking of her as a sister to someone he wanted to date; that doesn't happen for no reason.

Moving on from the relationship drama aspect of this, we can talk about his outbursts when something goes wrong. He needs someone to blame. Always. And it's never himself. He needs someone to push all this fear and anger out on because he's not emotionally or mentally equipped to deal with it. It's a self-destructive flaw he posseses. Same with his jealousy.

Which is why I love his character! He actually has some pretty bad flaws! But he also recognized it and is attempting to fix it; what he doesn't realize is that it will take time and whatever he broke will most likely never be fixed again. Simple as that. It's sad and will probably hurt him a lot but I will help him grow.

In conclusion: Kill Alden and get Fitz into therapy :D

[ausetkmt]

Kendrick Lamar Already Has the Best Verse of 2024 - XXL

Kendrick Lamar has arguably had the best verse of 2024 so far. When the rapper joined Future and Metro Boomin on their new song, "Like That," in March, it served as a defibrillator for the rap game. The lethal verse he unleashed into the world sent an electrical shock throughout the genre. A potential three-way feud between Kendrick, J. Cole and Drake as a result of K-Dot's bars has given the genre an explosion of energy not seen in 2023.

Cultural impact aside, Kendrick's lyrics effectively straddle the line between subliminal and targeted. The track, which appears on Metro and Future's We Don't Trust You album, finds Kendrick adding just enough details so fans knew, without naming names, exactly who Kung Fu Kenny was speaking about.

Breaking Down Kendrick Lamar's "Like That" Verse

Kendrick did this by continuously playing off Drake and J. Cole's joint song, "First Person Shooter," as well as Drizzy's latest album, For All the Dogs. 

"OK, let's get it up, it's time for him to prove that he's a problem/N***as cliquin' up, but cannot be legit, no 40 water, tell ’em," Kendrick raps in the opening bars.

This line alone perfectly exemplifies the multiple layers of meaning Kendrick brings to each bar. On one hand, Kendrick notes that Cole and Drake appear to be "cliquin' up" and teaming up against together. K-Dot says their partnership will never be on the same level as when E-40 joined forces with B-Legit and The Click back in 1991.

However, "cliquin' up" could also be about Cole and Drake's joint song "First Person Shooter," and referring to how their guns are clicking because they're out of ammo. Additionally, the "40 water" line could be interpreted as a dig at Drake's longtime producer Noah "40" Shebib, who is known for using what he calls an "underwater" effect on his beats.

While it's this layered eye for detail that makes Kendrick's "Like That" verse so effective, he abandons the double entendres shortly after to make sure his point is made loud and clear in the following bars.

"F**k the sneak dissin', first-person shooter, I hope they came with three switches," is the bar that caught rap fans' attention. This part of the song is when everyone realized Kendrick was taking aim at Cole and Drizzy. While the lyrics before this were littered with metaphors and clever wordplay, Kendrick decides to seize the moment in a direct callout of "First Person Shooter." He wants everyone to know who he's talking about, not just the rap scholars ready to dissect his every word.

Kendrick continues on this trend by rapping plainly, "Muthaf**k the big three, n***a, it's just big me/N***a, bum, what? I'm really like that."

Read More: Metro Boomin Insists New Album Would Have Gone No. 1 Regardless

Kendrick Doesn't Use Violent Threats to Get His Point Across

Kendrick's verse is also powerful because he doesn't rely on violent threats to get his message across. With violence perforating diss tracks within the drill scene, and in rap beefs of the past, it packed more of a punch to hear Kendrick rely on his lyrical talents as an MC to target his foes.

"And your best work is a light pack/N***a, Prince outlived Mike Jack'," Kendrick raps at one point, referring to Drake's current tie with The King of Pop for most No. 1s ever for a solo artist. Drake takes great pride in his ongoing contest with "Mike Jack." In the video for "First Person Shooter," Drizzy wears a sequined glove in reference to Jackson. Kendrick merely saying that Prince outlived Michael Jackson implies that these titles aren't everything when it comes to life and death.

Drake Seems to Have Heard Kendrick's Verse

While rap enthusiasts could dissect Kendrick's "Like That" clever verse for hours, it seems to have shaken Drake to his core. In the wake of hearing the diss, Drizzy has seemed to subliminally fire back at Kendrick via cryptic Instagram captions. While fans wait with bated breath to see if The Boy will hop in the studio for an official response, it takes a lot to catch Drake's attention these days, so it's safe to say the message was received.

However, the best part about "Like That" is the conversation it's provoked among rap fans. What will a Kendrck, Cole and Drizzy face-off even look like?

Is Future involved, too?

Is Future and Metro Boomin's We Don't Trust You an entire album dedicated to dissing Drake?

Who will emerge victorious when all is said and done? All of these questions have consumed rap fans' psyches and resulted in some very intense back-and-forth discussions. While only time will tell what happens next, no one in 2024 has gotten the rap world talking quite like Kendrick Lamar.

[saintadeline]

Hey there. I've been doing a lot more lore diving lately and there's one question I have regarding Adella. Do you think she ever learns that the Hunter is not part of the Healing Church? When you meet her, you have to have church clothing to get her to trust you, but it never occurred to me until now that she might think you're a member through out the entire game. I think that assumption changes the context of her feelings towards you getting Arianna's blood, so I was curious of your feelings on it.

You know you're so right I never really thought about it extensively either so now's the time. A while ago I used to assume she'd just figure it out on her own but if you think about it theres actually nothing that could indicate so and if anything, all that happens kind of reinforces that idea anyway? She might see you walking around with another garb yeah but you have brought her to a chapel of all places, and the chapel dweller doesn't really know you either it's not like they'd say anything about you that could signify otherwise. That and she's not really talking to them anyway. I think in her mind authority and hunters are inherently linked to the church so even without definite proof or without you wearing church attire constantly she would've assumed so. She's a Yharnamite, she's not expecting any random person and Especially not an outsider to help her, the church is the face of bravery and kindness in adversity. I think the way I'd see it is that she immediately took you for a higher standing member of the church but figured out you were a church hunter, so still a church member and still "above her" but not as much as she seemed to think in that very first dialogue, which would explain why she never really brings up the church again. Mostly what's worth looking at here is this line: "Oh, brave hunter. You’re alive. Thank you very much. The town is in disarray, but there are still people here. Together, we await the help of the Healing Church. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to you. The only thing that I can offer… Is my own lowly blood. If it would suffice?" It's the only time she ever mentions the church and you at the same time again but it's easy to interprete in several different ways due to the way it's phrased so vaguely. I looked up the literal translation of the japanese text, "together" denotes specifically her and the other people waiting in the chapel and doesnt seem to include the hunter (you) in the "us". Thus it's possible to take the way she says "(we await the help of) the healing church" as encompassing you and being almost a direct question. But i think it's a subtility that's impossible to figure out for sure so that really depends how you want to take it. Unfortunately I'm running into an issue here which is the "you" in "my gratitude to you". I don't know enough about japanese to figure it out myself but I know for sure it is different from the way we have a separate and yet undistinguishable plural and singular You in this scenario. So not being able to look at the grammatical building of the original sentence I can't bring light on anything wrt how this sentence is supposed to be taken, singular and plural You in english are only differenciated with their context but here both would work and bring a different meaning to what we're researching, so I'm a bit stuck. If anyone knows more about it and would like to help me dissect "貴方には、感謝の言葉もありません" you're more than welcome to LOL. So this did not help a whole lot or bring many definite answers but I think it's more easily interpretable as her still viewing you as part of the church although not exactly all-powerful like her superiors are. But then again she's kind of the bottom of the ladder anyway so Anything would be "above" her.

Anyhow, yeah this absolutely ties into her aversion for Arianna, I wouldnt go as far as to say it Changes the context entirely, it just adds some that was, in my opinion, already in the same direction; I do think the church is a prejudiced organization but her distrust of Arianna was always more strongly about bloodline than sex work. Yharnam has such vitriol towards Cainhurst that I think it would be near impossible to have lineage from it and not have it be known by everyone, especially since Arianna just straight up uses a dress from ye olde Cainhurst. So not only is Adella wary of her, and jealous of the attention she has, and considers her existence blasphemy, she also directly sees a church member, higher up than her, interact with her and even partake of her blood which would be Extra forbidden. I think she's too far brainwashed to ever even think about the fact that people in the church might be corrupt, she's too busy looking up to people as saviors and the epitomy of good (as well as herself as lowly and insignificant in their wake) to consider that. So seeing what she would (wrongly) assume as exactly that will be a shock to her and something she just cannot understand no matter how much she thinks about it. And confusion and a lack of understanding make you much more likely to act irrationally especially when you're unknowingly being influenced by something greater than you.

[the-physicality]

here in the phoenix mercury if there's one thing we don't do it's stat pad

remember when we blew seattle out by 20 all game [when we beat them last] and their starters were playing until the end? [and then someone got a tech? bc they were upset in another game that the opponent didn't pull their starters?]

nate...... these rotations....does he know we don't play until Friday?

i didn't realize until now how much i hated this announcer

what is the point of pulling someone who is banking 3s bc of foul trouble if you aren't going to play them the rest of the game?

i guess we decided not to try and draw fouls in the second half?

i've said it before and i will say it again, you need to start celeste

i understand that we're trying to make a playoff push and solidify this team as a unit but not everybody is a celeste taylor

maybe the game wasn't "winnable" but it didn't need to be a 24 point deficit

if the zone isn't working you have to take them out of the zone....

celeste had a stunning assist [highlight reel dt type assist] at either the end of the first or the start of the second [she had 2 in this time frame and nothing on the wnba website will load so i don't know which one it is *upside down smiley face*

the first game celeste played i said "oh she cannot leave the floor" that still holds true

i don't know what's going on but it seems like many people not longer know how to make the right basketball plays? like so many times they would be inside and want to kick it out instead of forcing the foul? and that caused so many turnovers [which we actually had fewer of this game]

and like sophie was getting forced out on a drive to the net which caused an out of bounds turn over when she could have just done the dt and bounced it off a storm body

and then there was another time it was in the 3rd i think after that very fast paced portion when no one was moving off ball. and there was a look that was like "fucking move!?" cause you can't play static basketball. and it's stuff like that that make me think they have lost their offensive identity. and i don't want them to wait for bec to get it back

can they all go see the sports psych pls? i feel like there is so much happening mentally rn that needs to be cleared away

so time to dissect here: if you look at the 1st quarter, it was fine that we weren't defending well because we were returning each shot with another shot [and drawing fouls]

in the second: we were 3/13 plus 2 trips to the line and 1 technical shot [6/7]. storm were 12/24 plus one trip to the line [0/1]. that's what we call not taking care of the ball

3rd q: we're 8/17.. in our little 9 point [it wasn't even a run] back to back to back successful possessions, DT was involved in all 3 plays- either scoring or assisting

[i'm bored with this now... my point i think is that i need dt and celeste on the floor together and i don't understand why you would give up halfway through the 3rd @ nate

[cleverhottubmiracle]

It’s the way every television love triangle goes and there’s no way to escape it. Especially nowadays, with TikTok in full force and fans able to create a hodgepodge of videos supporting their team and The Summer I Turned Pretty is no stranger to that. Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah, also referred to as Team Bonrad and Team Jellyfish, have taken over since the series began in 2022 and even earlier when the trilogy of books was published between 2009 and 2011. But no matter how long the show continues and how many times Belly changes her mind about which brother she wants, viewers cannot seem to come to a solid agreement on which Fisher boy is the better choice.  Entertainment Season 3 of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Is Closer Than You Think—Get the Scoop “This summer will be different,” and that’s because the third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is coming very soon. The final chapter of the hit drama series begins on Wednesday, July 16! It’s been a long road since the second season dropped, but it is finally time to enjoy your favorite show of […] Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Erika Doss / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection We’ve seen it before with shows like Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, The Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill (to name a few). Love triangles often supersede everything else on a television series — whether it’s the plot or the characters themselves — with the romance aspect always eating up everyone’s attention.  As for The Summer I Turned Pretty, fans are nearly split between which brother they hope to see with Belly, though Team Conrad often ends up with the most love. We’re going to dissect the relationships between Belly and Conrad and Belly and Jeremiah and allow you to make your own decision about which Fisher boy deserves Belly’s heart (and why it will always be Team Conrad). Entertainment Every ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ Hunk We Can’t Wait to See in Season 3 If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Jenny Han knows how to pull together an attractive cast. From the stunning female leads like Lola Tung and Rain Spencer to the good-looking guys, it’s clear the author and creator of The Summer I Turned Pretty knew what she was doing. Whether you’re Team Conrad or […] Team Conrad: ‘Lover,’ hot cocoa and fireworks Christopher Briney and Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Dana Hawley /©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection It’s nearly impossible not to fall madly in love with Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney). From the moment he stepped onto our screens, he moved right into our hearts and has kept a tight hold of them ever since. Considering his entrance was backed by Taylor Swift’s “Lover,” a song that gives away Belly’s feelings for him right from the start, it’s hard to imagine her with anyone else.  From the very beginning of the series, Belly has only had eyes for Conrad. The entirety of Season 1 revolves around her love for her longtime family friend, who often only saw her as a little sister. But throughout the first seven episodes, Conrad began to develop similar feelings for Belly and revealed his sweet side for her.   Entertainment This New ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ Teaser Has Swifties Shook It was the song change heard around the world. A teaser for Season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty has officially dropped, and fans can’t stop talking about it. The 52-second clip gives fans of Team Jeremiah a 40-second montage of their sweetest moments from the upcoming season to enjoy. But it’s the last […] Christopher Briney amd Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ John Merrick / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection Some of their most memorable moments together include the Belly Flop in the first episode, where we saw their initial bout of chemistry, followed by their winning the volleyball game in Episode 6 and when he taught her how to properly make a bed. Similarly, their almost-kiss on the dock during Fourth of July as well as the “And I thought cocoa was your specialty” scenes, both live rent-free in our minds. And it’s impossible to forget every one of Conrad’s longing stares at Belly. Conrad thought Belly knew! Lola Tung and Christopher Briney in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Erika Doss / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection By the end of Season 1, both Belly and Conrad finally admit their feelings for one another and have a magical kiss on the beach. But by Season 2, things had changed and while we were served flashbacks into their relationship, most of the second set of episodes feature Belly figuring out her own feelings for both brothers. One of the most emotional scenes for Team Conrad viewers has to be when Conrad and Belly argue on the beach and she learns how much he truly loved her. Although she claims not to have known how he really felt, Conrad argues back, “I thought you knew! From the moment we kissed on the beach, I thought you knew!” Belly’s feelings for Jeremiah Gavin Casalegno and Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Peter Taylor /©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection Of course, no iconic love triangle would be complete without a third party and in this case, it’s Conrad’s brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Although Team Conrad should be the endgame, Team Jeremiah fans make a strong case (but not strong enough!) Throughout most of Season 1, Belly and Jeremiah stay in the friend zone. It isn’t until Jeremiah witnesses an almost-kiss between Belly and Conrad that his feelings start to show, which many fans find problematic. While he claims to have loved her forever, it isn’t obvious to viewers until this moment. Gavin Casalegno and Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Peter Taylor /©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection Just a couple of episodes later, they share their first kiss in the pool, which begins the infamous, yet problematic, love triangle. And while their relationship doesn’t last once Conrad shows his true feelings, Season 2 begins to explore their relationship more, with Jeremiah falling hard for Belly and her returning the feelings.  During Season 2 there is a bit of a will-they-won’t-they between Belly and Jeremiah, ending with them choosing each other in the finale. But it seems Season 3 might be rocky for the new couple, according to the recently released teaser. Whether you choose Team Jeremiah or you are a die-hard Team Conrad fan, it’s without a doubt that The Summer I Turned Pretty has everyone within its grasp. Make sure to tune into Season 3, which begins airing on July 16, 2025! Keep reading for more entertainment! Where Was ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Filmed? Visit the Dreamy Beaches That Brought Cousins to Life ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Cast: Meet The Stars Behind Belly, Conrad and the Rest of the Cousins Clan Meet the Real-Life Partners of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Cast—From Sweethearts to Spouses Source link

[norajworld]

It’s the way every television love triangle goes and there’s no way to escape it. Especially nowadays, with TikTok in full force and fans able to create a hodgepodge of videos supporting their team and The Summer I Turned Pretty is no stranger to that. Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah, also referred to as Team Bonrad and Team Jellyfish, have taken over since the series began in 2022 and even earlier when the trilogy of books was published between 2009 and 2011. But no matter how long the show continues and how many times Belly changes her mind about which brother she wants, viewers cannot seem to come to a solid agreement on which Fisher boy is the better choice.  Entertainment Season 3 of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Is Closer Than You Think—Get the Scoop “This summer will be different,” and that’s because the third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is coming very soon. The final chapter of the hit drama series begins on Wednesday, July 16! It’s been a long road since the second season dropped, but it is finally time to enjoy your favorite show of […] Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Erika Doss / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection We’ve seen it before with shows like Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls, The Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill (to name a few). Love triangles often supersede everything else on a television series — whether it’s the plot or the characters themselves — with the romance aspect always eating up everyone’s attention.  As for The Summer I Turned Pretty, fans are nearly split between which brother they hope to see with Belly, though Team Conrad often ends up with the most love. We’re going to dissect the relationships between Belly and Conrad and Belly and Jeremiah and allow you to make your own decision about which Fisher boy deserves Belly’s heart (and why it will always be Team Conrad). Entertainment Every ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ Hunk We Can’t Wait to See in Season 3 If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Jenny Han knows how to pull together an attractive cast. From the stunning female leads like Lola Tung and Rain Spencer to the good-looking guys, it’s clear the author and creator of The Summer I Turned Pretty knew what she was doing. Whether you’re Team Conrad or […] Team Conrad: ‘Lover,’ hot cocoa and fireworks Christopher Briney and Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Dana Hawley /©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection It’s nearly impossible not to fall madly in love with Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney). From the moment he stepped onto our screens, he moved right into our hearts and has kept a tight hold of them ever since. Considering his entrance was backed by Taylor Swift’s “Lover,” a song that gives away Belly’s feelings for him right from the start, it’s hard to imagine her with anyone else.  From the very beginning of the series, Belly has only had eyes for Conrad. The entirety of Season 1 revolves around her love for her longtime family friend, who often only saw her as a little sister. But throughout the first seven episodes, Conrad began to develop similar feelings for Belly and revealed his sweet side for her.   Entertainment This New ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ Teaser Has Swifties Shook It was the song change heard around the world. A teaser for Season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty has officially dropped, and fans can’t stop talking about it. The 52-second clip gives fans of Team Jeremiah a 40-second montage of their sweetest moments from the upcoming season to enjoy. But it’s the last […] Christopher Briney amd Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ John Merrick / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection Some of their most memorable moments together include the Belly Flop in the first episode, where we saw their initial bout of chemistry, followed by their winning the volleyball game in Episode 6 and when he taught her how to properly make a bed. Similarly, their almost-kiss on the dock during Fourth of July as well as the “And I thought cocoa was your specialty” scenes, both live rent-free in our minds. And it’s impossible to forget every one of Conrad’s longing stares at Belly. Conrad thought Belly knew! Lola Tung and Christopher Briney in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Erika Doss / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection By the end of Season 1, both Belly and Conrad finally admit their feelings for one another and have a magical kiss on the beach. But by Season 2, things had changed and while we were served flashbacks into their relationship, most of the second set of episodes feature Belly figuring out her own feelings for both brothers. One of the most emotional scenes for Team Conrad viewers has to be when Conrad and Belly argue on the beach and she learns how much he truly loved her. Although she claims not to have known how he really felt, Conrad argues back, “I thought you knew! From the moment we kissed on the beach, I thought you knew!” Belly’s feelings for Jeremiah Gavin Casalegno and Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Peter Taylor /©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection Of course, no iconic love triangle would be complete without a third party and in this case, it’s Conrad’s brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Although Team Conrad should be the endgame, Team Jeremiah fans make a strong case (but not strong enough!) Throughout most of Season 1, Belly and Jeremiah stay in the friend zone. It isn’t until Jeremiah witnesses an almost-kiss between Belly and Conrad that his feelings start to show, which many fans find problematic. While he claims to have loved her forever, it isn’t obvious to viewers until this moment. Gavin Casalegno and Lola Tung in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Peter Taylor /©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection Just a couple of episodes later, they share their first kiss in the pool, which begins the infamous, yet problematic, love triangle. And while their relationship doesn’t last once Conrad shows his true feelings, Season 2 begins to explore their relationship more, with Jeremiah falling hard for Belly and her returning the feelings.  During Season 2 there is a bit of a will-they-won’t-they between Belly and Jeremiah, ending with them choosing each other in the finale. But it seems Season 3 might be rocky for the new couple, according to the recently released teaser. Whether you choose Team Jeremiah or you are a die-hard Team Conrad fan, it’s without a doubt that The Summer I Turned Pretty has everyone within its grasp. Make sure to tune into Season 3, which begins airing on July 16, 2025! Keep reading for more entertainment! Where Was ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Filmed? Visit the Dreamy Beaches That Brought Cousins to Life ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Cast: Meet The Stars Behind Belly, Conrad and the Rest of the Cousins Clan Meet the Real-Life Partners of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Cast—From Sweethearts to Spouses Source link

[moderndavetherapy]

All In Or Out

I waited patiently in the drive-thru, sitting in the passenger seat of a lifted pick-up. I gazed in awe at the organized assembly line staring at their all-white shirts and unique-looking caps. I had never been to an In & Out, but I heard all of the rave. I'm not as boujee as some foodies, but I do get pretty ecstatic when trying new things. There was a chance I was about the try the best burger of my life.

"Goose...Goose...Goose! Take the food!" I suddenly snapped out of the delicious daydream and slurped up the drool from my bottom lip as my landlord passed me two boxes of burgers and fries.

I was used to devouring fast food in cars before I arrived home. The guy I was with was I little peculiar though. He had been through more divorces than most and had the patience of the second grader. Before moving in with him, I knew I needed to be on my A game behavior and not piss him off.

Regardless of his uptightness, I survived the ride home and felt like a child on Christmas Eve waiting to open up presents. I prepared my dipping sauces and sprinkled some salt and pepper over my fries. I opened wide like I was at the dentist's office and took a large chunk out of the double-double. I took my grand old time savoring the flavor to see if the hype was real.

I noticed a funky flavor that I was not fond of. I used to be picky eater, but my palate had developed exponentially after my childhood. Mustard. I even ordered the burger without mustard. As I dissected my dinner, I couldn't even find a splash of yellow anywhere. I pinched off a piece of beef and carefully tasted every single seasoning. Mustard seed. I found the culprit.

Despite my dislike of mustard, along with the disappointment of their simple bland french fries, I'll end my hate speech on In & Out. I'll even say it's a solid late night snack. But my real Ted Talk is about being all in or all out...

I don't have a medium switch. It's almost if there are only two settings. My batteries are either on their last life or full of juice. The air conditioning is either blasting freezing cold or barely working at all. There's no half full. half empty, fifty-percent; it's all or nothing.

This one has been eating me alive for most of my life. The worst part is making the same mistake over and over again. I've realized that a lot of this stems from emotions. As simple as it sounds, I have not had the leisure of controlling them the best. The worst part is a majority of the time I regulate them too much. I withhold emotions at times to maintain a role. It's not healthy. I've withheld my emotions, because the addies took them away. I've hid my emotions to hide my vulnerability, and that one hurts the most.

With all of this build up and stored energy, I'm just a ticking-time bomb waiting to explode. It's not a substance or alcohol issue, well it is, but it's everything. From working, to gambling, working out, reading, laughing, and loving. I'm like a teeter-totter that can never find an equilibrium, always living on polar opposite ends. Living on the poles of the earth has led to a roller coaster life of happy highs and depressing lows. The emotional void and trips of turmoil have finally hit a road block and something must be done.

The awareness is a huge step, but there's still miles to travel. It's painful not being able to watch a sports game thinking, "I can't enjoy this without betting." It's depressing pondering, "I can't go out tonight, because there's a chance I won't stop drinking." It's embarrassing not being able to reach out, because "I'm working on myself or becoming a better me."

Just like food, we are learning what we like and don't like. I am learning what I can do and cannot. Rather than take the cold turkey approach at life and ride the emotional roller coaster, I've learned to slowly integrate and find peace in it. This all or none has led to nothing but despair. I know I won't be perfect along the way, especially at the sports book, but we are human after all. I've learned to go to NFL games without betting, bars with only have two drinks, allowing myself some cheat meals, and practice this thing they call "balance."

Here's to control and finding that medium setting.