#imo previous year papers

[teenidlegirl]

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ౨౿  ׅ ۟   ֪ 𝓕eel 𝓨our 𝓗eartlines ۪ ׂ   𓈒 ୭

ઇ ˚ ݂ ֹ ꒰ vaquero!miguel 𝓍 fem!reader ꒱ ! ۟ ׅ ♡

ׄ   ׅ ྀ 𝓢𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘. your family bought a new ranch next door to the o’haras. both families grew acquainted with each other. you and the eldest o’hara brother grow an interesting bond which lead to something more but your father isn’t necessarily fond of.

ׄ   ׅ ྀ 𝓒𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓. rancho!au, neighbors/enemies to lovers, forbidden love, fluff, angst, drama, tension, arguments, jealousy, smut, protected sex (yessir), fingering, truck sex, swearing, pet names, happy ending, hispanic/latina!reader ( mdni )

ׄ   ׅ ྀ 𝓛𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝓝𝐎𝐓𝐄. this is probably one of best fics i’ve written imo. holy shit the creative flow was flowing with this, lowkey proud of it. this is most definitely one of my favorites.

new start at a new home.

your parents bought a new ranch after selling the old one. it’s been in your family for generations but the time has come for a new home. however, there’s another ranch property next door.

the o’hara ranch.

rumored to be a woman and her two sons. according to your parents, they weren’t opposed to have another ranch near their property. in fact, thrilled to have neighbors. that ranch your parents bought hasn’t occupied in a few years.

the opportunity to meet them is the day you move.

the radiate sun was your enemy. the humid air made the move unbearable. a layer on sweat glistening over your skin from walking back and forth carrying boxes. summer is the worst time to move.

one particular box was a bit heavier than the previous ones you carried. your hand fails to grip it from underneath, causing it to slip out of your hands before another pair of hands catch it in time.

“i got it.”

a rich, baritone voice makes you look up to who it belongs to. your eyes dilate immensely.

a man who towers over you to a insane level. way too tall for the average male. thick brows with a pair of brown eyes. sharpest cheekbones you’ve ever seen on a man, so sharp you’ll get a paper cut if you drag your finger over it. and last, a set of very plump lips.

ay dios, he is handsome.

“cuiadado con eso.”

carlos, your older brother, walks by. “ay tonta, i told you i’ll get it pero no haces caso. gracias, miguel.” he turns to the man standing in from of you.

oh that’s his name.

you just roll your eyes at your brother. face turned to the said to conceal your embarrassment and frustration. cheeks slightly flushed.

“todo bien, carlos. i manage to catch it in time before miss manos de trapo here dropped it.” miguel chuckles, shooting a glance at you for emphasis.

your mouth dropped in offense and he smirks.

what an ass.

well yes, you were dumb to believe you could carry that damn box and should’ve waited for carlos to come get it. you were being stubborn but also trying to help as much as possible.

both men laugh at your reaction.

“cabrones.” you grumble, looking off to the side.

“cuiadao, hermana. don’t be mean to our neighbor.” carlos teases, nudging your shoulder.

you figured this man, miguel, is your neighbor. one of the o’hara brothers. one of the sons.

“well, i don’t think i’m the mean one when he’s talking shit about me with my brother.” you deadpan.

that elicits a chuckle from the said man. “ay chiquita, i’m not being mean. just stating the truth.” a teasing smirk graces his lips.

“no me llamas eso, cabrón.” you glare up at him.

the smirk grew wider. you want to slap it off.

“oh okay! lets get a move on, vale?” carlos clears his throat, sensing the tensions between you and miguel. clearly he didn’t expect this.

you walk away in a sassy manner, not sparing one last glance at your asshole neighbor. what you don’t see is him watching as you leave. brown eyes following your figure before he heads inside the house to put the big box away.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

it’s been a few weeks since you settled into the new ranch. you’ve grown to adore it. decorating your room was your favorite part. throughout those few weeks, you and your family quickly accustomed.

the only thing you weren’t accustomed to was the weekly visits from your neighbors. your dad, brother and the o’hara brothers been working together with both ranches. your mom and their mom, conchata, have grown to be friends. you don’t mind conchata or gabriel, the younger o’hara brother. the woman seems very nice and caring. she adores her two boys with all her heart. very determined and resilient woman. her husband died when the boys were young so she raised them on her own since. an admirable woman. gabriel is such a sweetheart, completely different from miguel. you first met him and he was very polite but also a big flirt. you like him more.

miguel, the o’hara sibling you dislike. ever since he started working with your dad and brother, you practically see him everyday. his large frame catching your eye form the window or porch. luckily, there hasn’t been many encounters other than quickly glances and smirks. he’s too busy working to talk to you and you prefer it that way.

however, you can’t deny observing him from afar as he worked outside. always wearing a pair of blue jeans con sus botas. switches between black, white or gray shirts that hug his muscles a little too tight. so tight you can see the outline of his abs. so tight on the sleeves his biceps are on display, those hairy muscular arms. flexing whenever he grabs or works on something. you’ve noticed la virgencita hanging around his neck when he passed by you at the ranch one day. he also wears either black or tan hat. when he takes it off, those messy brown curls are revealed. you bite your lip when he runs a hand through those curls then quietly curse to yourself when you catch yourself in the act. you hate him, not like him.

seeing that stupid smirk on his face when he notices you makes your body ignite on fire. brows furrowed and hands balled into fists while your heart beats like crazy. his entire existence makes your skin crawl. you’ve only met the guy for a few weeks and you despise him. he drives you fucking insane.

why do you wear the cutest outfits when he’s there? why do you apply extra perfume when he’s there? why do you check your breath a million times when he’s there? why do you keep doing these things?

he’s driving you fucking crazy.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

as you exit your room and step foot into the kitchen, your mother asks if you’ll take fresh lemonade for the men. part of your wanted to rip your hair out because you know you’ll run into miguel. as the obedient girl you are and know not to argue with your mother, you make the lemonade and take it outside.

carrying the tray of four lemonades, you walk over to the ranch. as you approach the table, you notice miguel at the stables from across. you were lost in trance as he maneuvered with the horse he was dealing with. quickly blinking, you snap out of it and place down the tray of lemonade. the family dog lola, a german shepherd, comes to your side. you happily pet her, smiling her happy face and wagging tail.

“nice to see you again, chiquita.”

the smile on your face vanishes and is replaced with a irritated look. slowly turning around, you see miguel standing in the opposite side of the table.

damn how the fuck did he get here so fast? he was literally just at the stables a few seconds ago.

“i said don’t call me that, cabrón.” you scowl.

“ay no hagas asi, hermosa. you love it when i call you that.” the bastard smirks as he drinks his lemonade.

“you’re so fucking annoying.” you spit. “rude and never listens. i applaud your mother for putting up with your stupidity.” you look away, arms crossed.

you don’t see his smirk falters a little. “hermosa, i’m not being rude or trying to be. it’s just teasing.” he sound a bit serious but you don’t buy it.

“whatever.” you roll your eyes. “vamos, lola.” you tap your thigh to signal her to follow you back to the house, which she did with her tail wagging happily.

a pair of brown eyes follow you, watching you leave. you fail to see the slight slump on his shoulders. miguel sighs before taking a another sip of the delicious lemon then heads off to join the others.

you and miguel both fail to see a third set of eyes form afar. a light, skeptical frown settles on your dad’s face as he witnessed the interaction. he can sense the tension and it didn’t sit right with him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

one evening, your parents decide to host a carne asada for family and friends. that also means the o’haras were invited, meaning miguel was invited.

oh you wanted to die.

but family members and friends would be there so you’ll be distracted with them. as long as you stay away from miguel, you’ll be fine.

after a fresh long shower, you wear a cute gingham dress con tus botas blancos. you add a few small white bow clips in your hair as accessories to feel more cute. makeup and hair done.

the background is filled with people, relatives and friends. loud music playing from the speaker. food on the table ready to be served. oh the delicious smell consumes your senses, making your tummy growl. you grab yourself a plate of food then venture off to meet up with your cousins. it’s been a while since you’ve seen them so you wanna catch up.

after finishing your food, “la chona” starts playing and everyone goes berserk. once you throw away your empty plate, you and your cousins rush to the dance floor along with everyone else and dance.

while dancing, a young man approaches you with a gentle smile. he’s introduced as javier, son of one of your father’s friends. tall, dark brunette, quite fit but not too much, sweet and handsome. you two dance together as you talk and occasionally flirt. apparently, he’s a comedian because he’s been making you laugh every time he tells a joke or funny stories.

what you fail to notice from afar is a pair of brown angry eyes. watching your every move the entire evening. miguel never took his eyes off of you, only when someone was speaking directly to him. the minute you stepped foot into the backyard, his pupils dilated and heart raced in his chest. how gorgeous you look that cute dress and tus botas. watching you dance for a bit finally gave him the courage to join you until that idiot waltzed in. his grip on his moledo tightened when javier wraps an arm around your waist and pull you closer towards him. his grip was so tight, miguel almost broke it in his fucking hand. a sting of jealousy and slight possessiveness bubbles in his chest. a huge frown on his face. oh he is pissed the fuck off. he didn’t like this encounter one bit.

after drinking lots of water and jamaica (drink), nature calls. quickly telling javier you’ll be back, you make a beeline for the house then the bathroom upstairs. luckily, no one’s in the house so it’s empty inside. after doing your business and washing your hands, you fix your appearance. detangling your hair and patting down any creases on your dress.

a subtle knock on the door makes you jump a little. “just give me a minute!” you call out nervously.

it truly caught you off guard. there’s a bathroom downstairs but perhaps it’s occupied too. there’s the master bathroom but supposed people don’t want to invade your parents’ privacy.

you finish fixing your appearance so the next person doesn’t have to keep waiting. just as you unlock and open the door, a gasp left your lips.

“miguel? what the fuck?”

the man stands before you. however, his sour expression captures your attention. you don’t have time to say anything else when he silently enters the bathroom, causing you to step back. he close the door behind him, his gaze never leaves yours. anxiety consumes your body at the sudden proximity. the hallway bathroom is quite small, leaving barely any room left for you to step back.

“miguel, what the fuck are you doing?”

“you seem having fun tonight.”

your brows furrowed. “it’s a party, of course i’m having fun.” you cross your arms.

“a little too much fun.” he takes one step closer.

“the fuck are you talking about?”

“ese pinche huevón who’s been probably telling you shitty jokes or whatever.” he takes another step.

javier. why the hell is he talking about him?

“you’re spying on me?! what the fuck, miguel? what’s wrong with you? what’s your problem?”

“my problem?” miguel’s frown deepens. “that fucking idiot had the fucking nerve to come up to you, dance and flirt with you like that.” he takes a step closer with each phrase.

you flinch when your back hits the wall. now miguel stands right in front of you. bodies merely touching, barely any space between you two. his hot breath hitting your face, or forehead due to the height difference. you have to crane your neck all the way up just to meet his gazes. your heart pounds in anticipation, lashes fluttering.

holy shit, he’s jealous.

“so you’re telling you have a thing for me this entire and decided to wait until i was with another guy?” you were half assumed and surprised.

his pissed off demeanor falters a little, softening up a bit. “y-yes…” miguel admits shamelessly, broad shoulders slumped a little. “i wanted to tell you but you hate me so much and refused to talk to me so i didn’t really have the perfect chance.”

you huff, shaking your head. “of course i hate you because you’re a fucking asshole. always throwing smartass remarks or insults at me.”

“i wasn’t insulting you, or at least i wasn’t my intention.” miguel frowns. “i was teasing because i like you, chiquita.” he said softly.

oh your heart did a summersault.

“seriously?” you were surprised wholeheartedly.

miguel scoffs, rolling his eyes with a smile. “que si, tonta. i’ve liked you since the moment i met you, catching that big box you almost dropped.”

you cringe at the memory. if only you knew how stupid you looked carrying that big ass heavy box. if only you knew he was watching.

“and i know you like me too.” miguel leans closer.

“it’s a mixture of infatuation and hatred.”

“see, infatuation.” he smirks smugly.

“don’t push it, cabrón.” you glare at him.

miguel lowly chuckles, amused by your sassy attitude. his eyes drop to your lips. glossy and begging for his. “do you know how many times i wanted to kiss those pretty lips but knew i couldn’t?”

your heart flutter at that confession. you wanted to say the same about his lips or wished he did kiss you but you decide to tease him.

“that’s too bad you couldn’t.” you fake pout, tilting your head in a teasing manner. “i was thinking the same with javi.” a smirk graces your lips.

you watch his brows furrowed immediately. that seductive look replaced with a pissed off one. his jaw clenches at the name of that guy.

damn, jealous looks so good on him.

“he’s so sweet and very attractive. a great dancer and has very kissable lips.” your smirk grows smugly.

there was no time to reaction when miguel grabs the back of your head, pulls you against him and smashes his lips on yours. you can’t resist smiling at his eagerness as you both endure in a messy makeout session. his lips devour yours with such hunger, basically eating your face off.

your arms reach up to his shoulders and wrap around them, standing on your tippy toes due to the height difference. miguel’s back is slightly bent so he can reach you but doesn’t give a shit if it hurts. both his hands travel down to your waist and pull you closer so there isn’t any space left between you two.

broad hands roam over your back, groping each curve. you melt under his addictive touch, becoming putty in his hold. you gasp when he lifts you up in his arms, grabbing the back of your thighs. your grip on his shoulders tighten instinctively. miguel plants you on the sink and settles himself in between your legs.

his lips trail down to your jawline then in the crook of your neck. you dig your fingers into his brown curls while the other hand wrapped around his thick neck. your eyes closed, relishing those kisses on your neck. a gasp left your lips when you feel his lips sucking that sensitive spot on your neck.

his hands fiddle with the top strings of your dress that conceals your breasts. after leaving a mark on your neck, which he smiles satisfyingly at, miguel trails down to your chest. he quickly glances at you for approval and you eagerly nod. untying the strings, miguel dives into your cleavage. leaving hot open-mouth kisses on the soft skin. his hands cupping and kneading your breasts. a soft moan escapes your lips at the sensation. throwing your head back, resting against the mirror. you take off his hat so you can play with his hair, tossing it on the toilet seat. he kisses, licks, and kneads your covered breasts with such desire and affection. he lets out a muffled groan when your fingers tug on his hair.

miguel moves down your body, leaving a trail of adoring kisses on the fabric of your dress. grinning at how your body sweetly responds to him. just as he reaches down to the one place where you desperately want him, he moves away and stands up.

“aww…” miguel mischievously chuckles at your pout and pissed off expression. “you thought you’d get what you want, huh bebita?” he brings a hand to your chin and lightly tilts it upward to meet his eyes.

“asshole.” you scowl, swatting his hand away.

“ay bebita, no hagas asi.” he taunts with a head tilt. “you were drooling about that huevón a few seconds ago. don’t you want him?”

you glare at him and he laughs, completely unbothered by it. oh you want to slap that stupid smirk off his devilish handsome face.

“es la verdad, hermosa. don’t you want him here instead of me?” his fingers lightly brush against your exposed thigh, sending jolts of excitement through your body. the hem of your dress scrunched up a bit.

you know he knows the answer. of course he’s fucking teasing you about this.

“i’m going to rip your balls off.” you threaten.

the bastard chuckles. “i don’t think you wanna do that if you want me.” very slowly, his fingers trail up your thigh, more towards your inner thigh. he chuckles again when your legs twitch at his touch.

“fine, fuck this shit.” you move to jump off the counter but his hands firmly hold you in place.

“ay bebita, you’re so stubborn.” miguel coos, gently tracing your cheek with the back of his index finger. “i’ll give you what you want—“

“ay no me jodas, miguel! just fucking touch me.” grabbing the back of his neck, you yank him towards you and smash your lips on his.

the movement caught him by surprise but indulges in it. his fingers trail up your inner thigh, sliding under your dress. you softly gasp when you feel his fingers gently rubbing your cunt through your panties.

“fuck— estas mojada, bebita.” miguel groans at the feeling of your soaked panties, all because of him. the pad of his fingers rubbing your covered pussy lips. he feels himself grow hard in his jeans.

his fingers slyly slide under your panties and play with your little cunt. a soft moan leaves your lips when he rubs your throbbing clit. fingers rubbing and flicking almost experimentally.

“you want me?” he whispers against your lips as his continues playing with your clit.

“fuck, yes~” you moan, cupping his face.

your lips collided again in a heated kiss as miguel slowly slides in two fingers in your pretty little pussy. you moan a bit louder in pitch at the sensitive before his other hand covers your mouth.

“as much as i want to hear those pretty sounds, can’t let anyone hear.” miguel whispers, a mix of seductiveness and sincerity. the last thing he wants is getting caught in your house.

he pumps his fingers at a slow pace. endless moans falling from your lips but muffled. fuck his fingers are so thick and long. they feel so fucking good.

“fuck, so tight, bebita.” he groans when your walls clench around his fingers. “driving me fucking insane, how you clench around my fingers like that.”

his fingers soon pick up pace. thrusting in and out of your tight cunt. instinctively, you roll your hips to meet his thrusts. desperate for more. miguel buried his face in the crook of your neck as he continues fingering you. you have one arm wrapped around his shoulders while leaning on the other, gripping the ledge of the counter for dear life.

you squeal when his thumb flickers your puffy clit as his two fingers continue pumping into you. your walls clench harder around his fingers.

“you’re gonna forget about that pinche huevón and think about me, si hermosa?” he asks, lips against your ear. “porque you want me, verdad? because i want you.” he states wholeheartedly.

you nod while being a babbling and moaning mess. miguel leaves kisses on your neck as he keeps pumping his fingers into you. with a few more flicks to your clit, you come with a muffed moan. gushing over his fingers, coating them in your sweetness.

very slowly, he slides out his fingers from your now sensitive pussy. you lean back against the mirror as you try catching your breath and recover from your high but his hand on your waist prevents you from slumping completely. miguel examines his two fingers glistening in your sweet nectar. two clear strings connect between them as he spreads them apart. he brings them up to his lips, licking off your sweetness. a moan of satisfaction.

“sweet, just like i imagined.” he hums contently.

grabbing a few sheets of toilet paper, miguel gently cleans up the mess in between your thighs.

“you okay?” he asks sincerely, tossing the toilet paper in the trash while his free hand gently moves away strings of hair from your face.

“yeah, never better.” you let out a weak laugh.

miguel smiles at your cute little laugh then gently kisses you, which you happily reciprocate. one hand cupping your cheek and the other on your thigh.

a ding! from your phone breaks the kiss. grabbing it next to you and looking at the screen, you see a text from your mom asking your whereabouts.

“gotta go before my mom flips out.” you chuckle.

“understandable.” miguel chuckles with you as he gently lifts you off the counter by the waist and carefully sets you on your feet.

you quickly glance down at your phone then at the huge bulge in his jeans. “sorry…” you shoot him an apologetic look.

miguel shakes his head with a soft smile. “no te procupes, bebita. maybe next time.” he winks as he helps you fix your dress.

you swat his arm and he laughs as you both exit the bathroom to rejoin the party.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

a forbidden romance between you and miguel blossomed. however, there were suspicions. conchata knew the minute she caught miguel staring at you from afar numerous times. it makes her smile to see her son falling in love. she knows you’re a good woman and treats you like her own. you’re perfect for her son. gabriel knows as well, he has seen the intense encounters between you and miguel. arguing and brickering but also longing gazes when one isn’t looking. he would give miguel shit and tease him all the time. suppose all that teasing finally paid off.

your mom is like conchata and every other mother. adored to see her daughter falling in love despite the tension between you and miguel. carlos was skeptical at first but accepts it because he knows miguel is a good man. your father, on the other hand, isn’t too thrilled of the idea. it’s not that miguel isn’t a good person but because he’s a known womanizer. your dad has seen the various women swinging by miguel, flirting and battering their lashes at him. he doesn’t want you to fall victim into lies. that’s why he’s been a bit harsh towards miguel lately.

although you’re unaware of everyone’s suspicions, you and miguel keep it very secretive. sneaking off to secluded places like the stables. have heavy makeout sessions, miguel fingering you. unfortunately, things couldn’t get spicer without almost getting caught or someone calling your name.

one day when your parents were gone into town, miguel sneaked you into his truck. he parked in a secluded area on the outskirts of the ranch.

“miguel, we can’t do this. what if they’re looking for us?” you can’t resist giggling as his lips leave butterfly kisses along your neck. you sit on his lap, straddling him in the backseat of his truck. both of you shirtless, you remain in your bra.

“your parents are out and won’t be back for a while. besides, gabriel and carlos got us covered.” his large hands roam over your body.

“miguel!” you swat his shoulder, giggling.

“¿que paso, bebita? they’ll let us know when your parents come back, lo prometo.” he continues those kisses among your neck.

you sigh softly, trusting him with your heart. you grow putty in his hold like always. his large lands roaming your body. your lips meet in a passionate kiss. your hands cupping his face. the tips of his fingers fiddle with the hem of your white skirt. you assume he wants to do the usual but the pleading look in those browns eyes say otherwise.

“do you… do you wanna do this?” he asks anxiously, eyes boring into yours.

you know immediately what he’s asking.

“yes.” you nod sincerely, caressing his cheeks.

“are you sure? i don’t wanna pressure you.”

your heart melts at his caring words. “si, bebito. i trust you and i want this.” you wrap your arms around his thick neck. “i want you.”

fuck. that’s all he needs to hear before worshipping the goddess you are. miguel captures your lips in another kiss. his fingers slide underneath your skirt not only to make you cum first but also to prep you.

after making you cum over his fingers twice, you were prepped enough. miguel hurriedly reaches a hand in his front pocket and pulls out a condom. he rips the tiny packet with his teeth. the sight makes you bite your lip. you follow suit by lifting up your skirt as he yanks out his aching cock from its confinements. the tip angry and red, desperate to be inside you. he rolls the condom over his cock. a shared moan mingles in the air as you slowly sink onto his cock. you grip tightly on his shoulders as support. his own gripping your hips.

“breathe, bebita.” he advises in a soft tone.

fuck he’s so big. when you first got a glimpse of it, you believed it was impossible for it to fit. of course it’ll be hard to take him. his soothing rubs on your thighs relaxes you a little as you try adjusting to his size. any “stop” or “wait” convinced him to pull out but you told him. just need time to adjust.

once you had time to adjust, you couldn’t hold back a moan at the feeing of being utterly full. he’s so deep inside, you can feel him in your tummy.

you both moan in unison as you slowly roll your hips. you move up and down in a slow pace, riding his cock. fuck he feels so amazing.

“fuck— asi, bebita. ride me.” he praises so sweetly.

you oblige, riding him. you didn’t save a horse but you’ll definitely ride a cowboy.

miguel soon picks up the pace due to your pleading for him to go faster. rolling his hips to meet yours. hands gripping your hips, your skirt brunched up in his fingers as his cock pounds into your tight little cunt. moans and groans mingles in the steamy air. the windows begin to fog up. miguel throws his head back against the seat, relishing the feeling of your pussy squeezing the life out of his cock. he’s practically going insane at the sensation.

self-resistance flies out the window as miguel quickly turns you both over. you lie down on the seat and he hovers above you as miguel continues thrusting into you. your hands grip onto his back, nails leaving scratch marks and crescent indents, eliciting a groan from the man above you. miguel doesn’t give a shit. in fact, he loves the idea of seeing your scratch marks when looking at his reflection. it’s a reminder of you and your love for him.

due to his rough thrusts, the truck shakes. luckily, the area is secluded. miguel groans when your fluttering walls clench around his thick length.

“shit— you clenching like that is driving me insane, bebita.” miguel moans.

you can’t even response since you’re a babbling mess underneath him. the bulbous tip of his cock repeatedly hits your cervix, making you arch your back off the seat like waves.

miguel can’t help but smirk at your trembling form. brows scrunched up and mouth letting out the sweetest sounds he’s ever heard. a literal angel underneath him. one hand reaches down in between your bodies and flickers your puffy clit. you let out a squeal at the sudden sensation, arching your back off the seat for the millionth time.

“let go, mi vida. i got you.” he coos in your ear.

with a few more flicks to your clit, you come with a loud cry of his name. coating his condom covered cock with your sweetness. oh that sight is forever imbedded in his mind. how beautifully you sang out his name as you each the pinnacle of ecstasy.

miguel soon followed suit. his hips stutter before letting out a groan as he releases thick hot ropes of cum into the condom. secretly wishing it was your pussy but protection comes first. his thrusts slow down, riding out both your highs before stopping. he buries his face beside yours, panting against your ear as you both recover from your highs.

after a few minutes of recovery, miguel lifts up onto his elbows and looks down at you. “you okay? did i hurt you?” he voice his concerns, gently moving away strings of hair sticked to your forehead.

“no.” you shake your head. “i’m okay.”

he softly smiles at your answer. worries washed away. leaning closer, miguel captures your lips in soft, gentle kiss. “té quiero.”

“té quiero.” you softly smile at him.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

your parents decide to head to town again to buy some stuff. carlos left to meet up with some chick he met at a bailé the other night. that means you’re left alone, which also means miguel comes over.

you both makeout on your bed. hands roaming each other’s bodies. a soft sigh escapes your lips as you feel his lips pepper your neck with kisses, playing with his hair. that’s going to be the hundredth hickey he has left on you. the amount of concealer you applied on the dark mark so your family doesn’t notice says a lot. neck, breasts, inner thighs. marking you endlessly and making you feel like a dalmatian.

“que linda eres.” miguel mumbled against your soft skin, lips peppering adoring kisses.

a gasp leaves your lips as you feel large hands squeezing your breasts. “miguel~ my parents will be back soon.” you whine then followed by a giggle, tugging on his curls to gain his attention.

“the marketplace is packed. they’ll be gone for a while so we have time.” he kisses your worries away.

you softly sigh as miguel travels down to your breasts and makes out with them. calloused hands kneading them through your dress.

“my favorite pillows.” miguel mumbled between kisses and licks on the soft mounds. his fingers spread the opening of the top of your dress to gain more access to your cleavage.

“you act like they don’t hurt because of your big ass head.” you deadpan, still playing with his hair.

“well, that’s why i massage them.”

you can’t see him from this angle but you know he has the biggest smirk on his face. the thought makes you lightly slap his head, earning a chuckle from him.

those adoring kisses trail down to your tummy then back up your body towards your face before your lips collide once again. as his hand slwoly trails down towards your inner thigh, scrunching up the hem of your dress, the sound of the door opening cause you both to jump in surprised. miguel hurriedly lifts off from the bed. your eyes land at the opened door to find your parents with shocked expressions. your father face is red of anger, profoundly pissed off.

“te mato.” he glares towards miguel. fists fidgeting at his sides but never makes a move.

“papá, pro favor—“

“no me hablas.” he points a finger at you, sending the same glare then looks back at miguel. “i trusted you with this ranch. with this home and you betrayed that with taking an advantage con mi hija.”

“papá, no! please—“

“señor, i’ve never took advantage of your daughter or your trust. i respect and love your daughter with everything.” miguel defends himself.

you watch your father’s eyes narrow at miguel’s words. “you don’t truly love my daughter if you allow other women to chase after you.”

both yours and miguel’s heart drop at that accusation. anxiety invades your body. you whip your head at miguel with a shocking expression. he meets your gaze with the same expression but also a look of hurt. your heart breaks at the sight. you know it isn’t true but your heart says otherwise.

miguel looks at you with remorseful eyes then looks back at your father. “pro favor, señor. none of those rumors are true. i walk away from those women, they never leave me alone. the only woman i want is your daughter.” he states sincerely.

a pregnant pause fills the room. the tension lingers in the air. you watch as your father exhales heavily then takes a step towards miguel.

“you’re banned from this house and ranch.” he states through gritted teeth. “and you’re banned from speaking to my daughter. if i ever catch you near her, té mato. entiendes?”

miguel briefly looks down with a frown. shoulders slumped in defeat and frustration. much to your and his dismay, he agrees with a nod. your heart breaks, tears swelling in your eyes. grabbing his hat from the bed, miguel shoots a brief sad glance at you before exiting your bedroom, walking past your parents.

“y tú…” your father turns to you. “you don’t leave this house.” and with that, he walks away.

you collapse on the floor and break down into tears. the wall broke and the waterfall fell. your mother swiftly comes to your aid and pulls you into a tight, comforting embrace. you weep into her shoulder as you cry out your broken heart.

two hearts broke that day.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

she knew something happened.

the minute her eldest stepped foot into the house and stomped his way upstairs to his room without greeting her meant something was wrong. conchata knows her children well like most mothers do. she has her assumptions but rather know the truth.

with a sigh, she placed down the knife and heads upstairs to consult with her eldest son. she leaves a subtle knock on the door.

“mijo? estas bien?” she knew he wasn’t but she hopes he’ll allow her entry.

no answer.

she frowns but her concern increases. “mijo, if there’s something wrong, you can tell me.”

footsteps past by behind her. turning around, she sees her youngest walking by.

“do you know what’s wrong con tú hermano?”

he shakes his head. “no, he walked passed me at the ranch without saying anything.”

she frowns once again as gabriel heads towards the bathroom. glancing back at the door, she lets out another sad sigh before walking away.

later that evening, miguel finally makes his appearance. as she prepares the table with food, conchata noticed her son walking in.

“mijo, qué paso? did something happen?”

he remains silent but helps her with preparing the table. his face lacks of emotion, or at least lacks of his normal content self. mouth flat and tired eyes.

“miguel, por favor, dijeme.” the woman pleads. “is this about her?”

now he finally speaks.

“i’m banned from their ranch.”

conchata’s heart stops for a moment. “banned? como?” she sounds in disbelief but also concern.

his head hangs low, refusing to meet her gaze. “su papá doesn’t approve of me.”

now she feels heart drop. “doesn’t approve you? como que he doesn’t approve my son? you’ve worked so hard helping him at his ranch. he has lost his damn mind ese pinche cabrón.”

“he doesn’t approve me para su hija!”

now conchata is speechless but still in disbelief. “pero… you like each other…”

“pues el no le gusta porque he thinks i flirt with lots of women and believes i took an advantage of his daughter. believes i don’t love her.”

fury boils in her blood for your father to say such vile things about her son. but also heartbroken to see miguel so upset. she’s aware of his unpleasant encounters with idiot women so throw themselves at him, making him feel uncomfortable. it makes her want to give putasos con la chancla for bothering her son. she also feels for you too. understanding the dealing with heartbreak. of course someone gets in the way of true love. always a misunderstanding.

“ese cabrón knows nothing of my son.” she states firmly. “i know my own son and he’s nothing like those pinches mentiras. you’re a good man and have a good heart. i know you love her and she loves you. as much as i want to go beat that man con la chancla,” that elicits a chuckle from miguel. “i don’t want bloodshed between families because they’re good people and have been kind to us.”

the tension eases a bit on his shoulders. pleased to hear his mother’s supportive words.

“i know heartbreak isn’t easy, mijo… pero she’s a smart girl and she, and su mamá, will talk some sense into that man. it may take some time but don’t give up hope, her.” she gently takes his hands in hers.

the corners of his lips curl up into a soft smile. “yo sé, gracias mamá.” he pulls her into an embrace.

“siempre, mijo.” she hugs him back.

miguel wasn’t giving up on you. no, never. all he wants in his life is you. he’s willing to do whatever it takes to show his love for you. hoping it’ll change your father’s mind about your relationship.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

you don’t even know what day it is. you’ve been cooped up in your room since you’re not allow to leave the house. each day has been filled with tears and anger. tears stains on your pillows are proof of the heartbreak. your mom had to change them twice because of your mascara stains on them. anger boiling in your veins. pissed off at your father’s insane behavior about this shitshow. your mom and carlos have been comforting you. your mom soothing your broken heart with hugs and forehead kisses. carlos also gives hugs and tells his stupid ass jokes.

your father hasn’t spared a glance at you since the argument, as if you don’t exist. it hurts since you’ve always been his little girl. it hurts he disrespected miguel with those hurtful lies. it hurts he stripped your experience of love away from you.

besides moping and crying, the only things keeping you occupied is watching tv, scroll on your phone, draw or paint, listen to music, and sleep. your dad really meant not leaving the house because you can’t even visit the stables to greet the horses. your only source of happiness during this period of misery and imprisonment is lola. she’ll join you on the bed when you take naps. play with her, tossing toys at her.

it’s just been so fucking miserable.

the only chance you’ll get to see miguel is whenever he’s outside. you sit by your window and observe him working on his family ranch. you know he knows you’re watching him. god you miss him so fucking much. his kisses, his hugs, his voice, his hands.

you can’t text or call him since your dad deleted his contact off your phone when you left your phone in room behind when you visited the kitchen one day. at least he didn’t delete gabriel’s so you had some type of method to keep in contact with miguel. you’ll text gabriel, asking how his brother is doing. upset and frustrated were what you were expecting.

the love of your life stripped away from your heart by the hands of your father. how fucking sad that is.

you want to make him understand but the man is stubborn as hell and believes his opinion is the only relevant opinion. you understand your mom’s frustration with your dad after years of marriage.

you need to make him understand.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

your growling tummy sends you downstairs to retrieve a snack. heading for the kitchen, you see your parents talking. your mom preparing for tonight’s dinner while your dad drinks a glass of water. he must’ve returned from the ranch.

a wave of determination courses through your veins. you’re fed up with this nonsense and imprisonment. he has to respect your wishes and life. although you’re his youngest and only daughter, you’re a grown woman. you have your own goals, wishes, desires for your life. he can’t strip that away from you. this is your life and he needs to understand.

“papá.” you stand near the kitchen island.

the man turns around and sees you. a frown settles on his face. “¿qué quieres?”

your fists tightened. “this needs to stop.”

his frown deepens. “ya te dije que no.”

“this is ridiculous!” you exclaim with your hands in the air. “you can’t ground me for falling in love! especially with someone who’s a good person!”

“he is not a good person.” he sets the now empty glass of water down on the counter with a bit of aggressiveness. luckily it didn’t break. “ese huevón flirts with a bunch of women behind your back. you can’t love someone if they lie to you.”

“he doesn’t flirt with them, papá! those women flirt with him!” you cry, making him go silent. “they throw themselves at him and it makes him uncomfortable. women twice his age! he tries to be polite and tell them he’s not interested. he already told me about this.” a thin layer of tears forms up in your eyes. “he said he’ll never betray me, never break my heart because he loves me, papí.”

your father only remained speechless. your mother too, who stopped cooking since you spoke.

“being with miguel, i’ve never been so happy. he makes me so happy.” you smile sadly. “yours and mom’s relationship is what i’ve been seeking for. being together for many years, spending the rest of your lives together. i found that with miguel. he’s the one i want to spend the rest of my life with.”

a sorrowful look in his eyes. your mom is on the verge of tears, happy tears of course. she couldn’t be more proud of you, defending yourself and miguel.

“please don’t take that away from me.”

the crack in your voice makes him wince. the anger now vanished, replaced with sorrow and regret. seeing his little girl on the verge of tears breaks his heart into a million pieces like any other parent.

“i… lo siento, mi cielo.” he covers his mouth with a hand. sighing as regret plagues his body. “i’m so sorry… i didn’t mean…” the next few words died when he feels you arms around his body, embracing him.

“yo sé, papí. yo sé.” you whisper.

he accepts your embrace, not wasting a second. “i was just protecting you from heartbreak. i couldn’t bare to you see like that.”

“i know.” you sniffed, smiling a little.

“but i was wrong about him… ay dios, all those things i said. now what you told me…”

“he’ll forgive you.” you pull away, softly smiling. “miguel knows you were protecting me.”

he nods sadly. “still, i need to apologize to him. lo siento mucho, mija.”

“it’s okay, papí. thank you.” you hug him one last time before your mothers joins you both.

it was going to be okay.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

your father apologized to miguel. he immediately accepted because he understood your father’s reasons. the apology concluded with a hand shake before your dad pulls miguel into an embrace. everyone was pleased the shitshow was over. conchata also accepted your father’s apology. no bloodshed was made. just two happy families.

the words “son-in-law” accidentally slipped through your dad’s lips and it made you and miguel flustered a little. it was pleasing to know your dad was envisioning a future of the family including miguel.

afterwards, you and miguel finally pursue this relationship without fear. opened to the world.

riding in his truck, you drive to the beach. windows down and the hot summer breeze flowing through your hair. parked in the same secluded spot from previous times, you and miguel share a little intimate moment. lips connected in a passionate kiss.

with one final kiss, miguel sucking your bottom lip, he slowly pulls away to admire you. eyes filled with adoration, simply and only for you.

“té quiero tanto, mi alma.”

you softly smile. “té quiero tanto, mi vaquero.”

little did you know five years later you and miguel would have a ranch and family of your own. a daughter who’s an exact replica of her father. like your parents, you and miguel spend the rest of your lives together. like true soulmates.

© teenidlegirl. don’t steal, plagiarize, or translate my work. ♡

[arminreindl]

Kalthifrons and the Fall of Mekosuchines

The penultimate singular mekosuchine I'll talk about here is Kalthifrons, one of the more obscure members of this clade. After all, Kalthifrons was named only in 2017 and unlike some other animals like Ultrastenos, it does not stand out as much morphologically. But I still wanna take a moment to talk about this medium-sized Pliocene croc, its potential fate and the implications for its relatives.

Left: The skull of Kalthifrons (Ristevski et al. 2023) Right: A reconstruction of how the skull may have looked like intact

In many respects Kalthifrons looks very typical for a crocodilian, with a triangular head, rounded snout and eyes that face upwards. There are some interesting factors to mention, at least imo, and one thing thats sorta unknown. Starting with the unknown, what we aren't sure about is how deep the skull is. Sure the skull of Kalthifrons looks very intact in top view, but when looking at it from the side its about as flat as a sheet of paper. So we can't exactly tell how deep the skull would be. Maybe it was not much different from a modern croc...or maybe it was comparable to Baru the cleaver-headed crocodile. We simply don't know. The other two interesting things about its anatomy are more subtle. For one, the tip of the snout is comparably narrow. Now generally, if you look at mekosuchines the premaxilla and external nares tend to be wider than long, even in Australosuchus, but in Kalthifrons they are longer than wide. And then there's the frontal. The name Kalthifrons derives from the Latin word for forehead and the Dieri word for spear. The reason why is that the frontal bone, which covers the forehead, has an exceptionally long spear-like process at the front. Sure such a process is also found in other crocs, but in Kalthifrons it makes up 64% of this bones entire length.

A hypothetical reconstruction showing the size of Kalthifrons, which may have been around 3.4 meters.

With a length of possibly up to 3.4 meters and a triangular skull, Kalthifrons was probably a fairly generalist hunter. Fossils of Kalthifrons are known from a single place, the Golden Fleece Locality along the shores of Lake Palankarinna in the Lake Eyre basin, South Australia. Now this locality primarily yields two things. Croc fossils and turtles. Based on this and certain minerals in the sands of this locality, it has been suggested that the Golden Fleece Locality once housed a waterhole that dried up, leading to the deaths of its inhabitants.

The death of Kalthifrons as illustrated by Joschua Knüppe.

Which leads us to a bit of discussion regarding the general state of mekosuchines during the time of Kalthifrons. Now if you have read my previous posts on mekosuchines, you'll notice one thing. Most species native to continental Australia were around during the Oligocene to Miocene. Australosuchus, Baru, Ultrastenos, "Baru" huberi, Trilophosuchus and the continental Mekosuchus species. After the Miocene, continental species become rarer. Really you got Paludirex, Kalthifrons and Quinkana. And even they wouldn't stick around for much longer, with the last mekosuchines of Australia going extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.

So obviously mekosuchines experienced a drastic fall in diversity towards the end of the Miocene, clinging on for a few more million years before disappearing forever. But there's another thing that happened around this time. Modern crocodiles showed up. Contrary to popular belief, today's crocodiles of Australia are relatively recent arrivals. Freshwater crocodiles only lived there since the Pleistocene and saltwater crocodiles were likely even more recent, with both of them having evolved from different ancestors and arrived in Australia independently. But there's at least one more species of Crocodylus. The as of yet unnamed Tirari Desert Crocodile is known from remains that date to strata slightly more recent than that of Kalthifrons, displaying similar generalized anatomy. Like freshies and salties, the Tirari Crocodile arrived on its own, with phylogenetics indicating that its closest relatives were the palaeoafrican crocodiles like Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni (a giant that grew up to 8 meters long).

Crocodylus species of Australia Top left: The freshwater crocodile (Ristevski et al. 2023) Bottom left: The saltwater crocodile (Ristevski et al. 2023) Right: Stratigraphy of the Lake Eyre Basin and successions of local crocodilians (Yates and Pledge 2017)

Did Crocodylus drive Kalthifrons to extinction? Well, maybe? Yates and Pledge discuss this possibility in the description of Kalthifrons, suggesting that theres some supporting pieces of information for this hypothesis. Not only does the arrival of the Tirari crocodile match up nicely with the disappearance of Kalthifrons, but they both share very similar anatomy. And conventional wisdom suggests that two crocs of the same morphotype don't really coexist in the same habitats.

But there's also points against that which aren't as openly discussed. Namely, the lack of material. Sure we have Kalthifrons in the older Mampuwordu Sand Member and the Tirari Crocodile in the younger Pompapillina Member, but remember. We only have that one Kalthifrons individual. We further know little about their habitat preferences. Sure conventional wisdom suggests crocs with similar morphology don't coexist, but that doesn't mean they don't overlap. Some species may very well be separated by the specific habitat they prefer. Slow open water, fast moving streams. Finally, is replacement necessarily the only answer? Not really. It has been deduced that Kalthifrons died in a drought and aridification is regarded as one of the main drivers of Australian megafauna extinction, as touched on in my summary of Paludirex. Maybe that's it? Kalthifrons was driven to extinction when environmental conditions grew too harsh, with Crocodylus entering the newly opened niche. This may parallel what happened in Miocene Africa, when rainforests disappeared osteolaemine crocodiles likely gave way to Crocodylus, which was better suited to the dryer climate.

Whatever the case, Kalthifrons is one of the most recent mainland mekosuchines and thus may be critical for us to determine what happened during this part of Australia's history. So sure it might not be flashy, but it's still an important little guy.

[vashtijoy]

Hey there! First off, I wanted to thank you for all your analyses and thoughts on P5 - they've really helped deepen my appreciation of this monster of a game! Now, onto the question (why yes I did create a Tumblr just to ask this, ha) - when do you think Akiren was arrested? I'd guess late March from context clues (or a little earlier if he's from a warmer place), but a couple weeks seems like a really quick turnaround to be placed in Sojiro's care. Curious to know what your thoughts are!

Wow, thank you! That's really kind of you. Great journal name, BTW.

I don't think it will have been two weeks. IMO it will have been some time the previous year, most likely in the summer holiday. Ren is out after dark, and he and the woman are both lightly dressed. You can see green leaves on the trees in the background—this is not definitive by any means, but by September, leaves on trees in P5 tend to have faded to brown, while in March the trees tend to be pink and in blossom.

(Also, notice how built-up this area is, and how tall the buildings are. A lot of people think Ren is from somewhere like Inaba, but this scene makes it look like he's from somewhere more like a regional capital.)

Ren is what's known as a "Type 1 Juvenile" (p. 123)—he's been sentenced to probation by the family/juvenile court, for at most until his 20th birthday. After a year, he can be discharged from probation if he's behaved himself:

If the probationer has complied with their conditions and has led a sound life for at least a year, the Director of the Probation Office can permit an early discharge.

Note that "live a sound life". We see it quite often in the top right-hand corner, as "live an honest student life". And that period of a year that Sojiro keeps bringing up is important—Ren won't have been allowed to sit around waiting for the new school year; he's likely just been sentenced, and reported in short order to Leblanc.

How long was the trial process? Ohya mentions in her confidant that she looked into Ren's conviction and thought it was obviously unsafe: "I have to say though, the ruling made in your case was really odd. Some kind of deal must have gone down behind the scenes to make sure that was the end result."

So it was probably rushed through. But it's Japan—even a rushed trial is going to chew up a fair amount of time. The prosecutors have to investigate and compile reports that make them look good and not corrupt, the trial date has to be set, the judge has to read everyone's reports and make a decision (Japanese trials are often essentially conducted on paper). Then there's sentencing and appeal. Then Ren's professional probation officer in his hometown (Sojiro is a volunteer probation officer, or VPO) has to find a school that will take him and a place for him to stay and (technically) receive guidance.

Could it be seven months or so, August-ish to March? Probably easily, yeah.

why doesn't he repeat a year

So if Ren is arrested around August 2015, and started his first year of high school in April 2015, why doesn't he repeat the year?

Well, first of all, do we know Ren is 16? Could he have been in his second year in his home town? I think we would have heard about this, honestly—someone would mention that he looks too old, or Kamoshida would have mentioned that the terrible transfer student is Repeating A Year. Ren likely is the same age as the rest of his year group.

While it's almost unheard-of for children in Japanese elementary and middle schools to repeat years, it's quite common in high schools. You can repeat for not getting good enough grades, or for poor attendance. But repeating must be approved. If you're seen as having, say, a poor attitude? You're likely to be politely told to shove it, and move up with the rest of your year.

I don't think we can fairly say that post-conviction Ren is perceived as having a good attitude. He certainly is not at Shujin. I think Kobayakawa threw him into the second year not caring too much if he sank or swam.

Ren also may not have been expelled from his original school until he was convicted—which would mean, based on this timeline, that he did get most of his first year of high school.

[eliotquillon]

Just remebered that the S6 og team coming back was only supposed to be temporary, I wonder what would've happened if chase just stayed on as a surgeon, he could've still used the whole "I don't regret what I did, I don't want to leave princeton" and cameron might've stayed(or maybe not).

It specifically was the fact that he wanted to work for House again, after all these years, that was the last straw for his marriage.

agree that it’s specifically chase doubling down and staying with house that makes cameron leave the marriage—although i don’t know if that’s necessarily what ends it. their marriage ended less because cameron left, and more because chase refused to follow her; in previous aspects of their relationship cameron has pushed away and had chase follow her and everything has more or less worked out fine (chase’s insistence on reminding her he likes her after the fwb thing ends is part of why they’re even together at all!). and i think cameron did expect chase to follow her again? marriages usually have death throes for months before a divorce—look at taub and his wife, their drama drags on for YEARS before he even considers a separation—but the chameron divorce is just. immediate. cameron coming back to ppth asking why chase hasn’t signed the divorce papers yet would make sense if they’d been separated for months, but they’ve only been apart for a few weeks after she makes the snap decision to leave on her own (and cameron CAN be impulsive, sure, but she is someone who prides herself on controlling her actions and desire). it’s weird!

there are a lot of reasons why i think she came back to ppth in lockdown (i think alongside her saviour complex cameron also has a bit of a martyr thing going on and a part of her was probably quietly hoping for a blowout argument so she could rationalise about things ending and not being her fault) but imo i think a big one is that she expected him to be ready to leave and follow her now. would’ve been the best cameron win of all time: chase grew a spine (exciting!) but obligingly retracted it once she applied enough pressure and moves back to her hometown where she can serve as an emotional ‘carer’ to ‘redeem’ him from the Bad Horrible Murder He Did. cameron never would’ve had to overemphasise with a dying patient again this would’ve kept her going for years. unfortunately that’s not how things turn out at all. Lol.

anyway, back to the point (promise i had one) i genuinely don’t think chase pushes to stay in princeton if it’s not for house’s involvement/the fellowship. we’ve seen chase try to hold boundaries with house in s4 and 5: he sucks at it. he succeeds in getting house off his back professionally but keeps spare bowling shoes in his car and is ready to advise him about Women And Their Friends. i think it was always going to be all or nothing for him: princeton or chicago, house or cameron. if the dibala thing had still happened with chase working in surgery, he would’ve moved to chicago and never looked back imo. you can untangle dibala and the divorce, but i don’t think you can untangle house and the divorce. like what does chase have at ppth apart from house and cameron? his boss resents him for being one of house’s former fellows (and the weird custody dispute that comes with that). he’s always living in fear of house coming knocking and not being able to draw that boundary next time. if chase had stayed a surgeon and still killed dibala, him and cameron would’ve run off to chicago and baby trapped each other and lived toxically ever after. I just can’t see it any other way :(

[the-dirtiest-of-twenties]

ACOFAF (A Court of Fey and Flowers)

Pros: My all time favorite. Comfort media. Low mental commitment, with high serotonin reward.

Cons: None, except that I have already rewatched it at LEAST a dozen times, and maybe I should give another show a chance once in a while?

Mentopolis

Pros: SUCH a great season. Conrad and the Fix make me happy. Ultimate Found family, imo.

Cons: I feel like I need to pay attention to this one, and I'm not sure it grabs my attention enough to be able to do that?

Sophomore Year

Pros: All of them. Fucking LOVE this season. Great background noise AND I would get to re-live the FigAyda scenes? Love them!

Cons: HUGE time commitment. And yet. As soon as I start getting to my favorite episodes and the plot starts ramping up, the season is over before you know it?

Coffin Run

Pros: I mean. Come ON. Izzy is insane? Zac keeps eating paper? Jasmine gives out themed goodies that end up being important? AND I don't think I've rewatched this even a single time since it came out! That's criminal!

Cons: It's short 😓

The Unsleeping City

Pros: Goooooood season. Man, it's the intrepid heroes back at it! Every single dynamic is beautiful and priceless!

Cons: The characters are amazing, but the plot is just okay in my opinion? Idk maybe I'm just used to more of a 'mystery to unfold' rather than a sinister plot that's easy to follow from the beginning.

The Unsleeping City 2

Pros: INCREDIBLE season. New characters interacting with old! SO many happy couples! A fair bit of emotional investment, but still a really wonderful serotonin payoff in the end! The DRAGONS?????????? This season singlehandedly re-ignited my passion for storytelling! (Specifically because of Smoczmatka!) Damn, I'm almost convincing myself, here!

Cons: It's pretty long. Episodes are lengthy and it's also over zoom. Those two things put together make it harder to pay attention to.

Pirates of Leviathan

Pros: Wonderful cast brings back a small part of a previous season in a BIG way. Cheese! Myrtle! GARTHY O'BRIEN! I mean come ON!

Cons: A bit short for my liking. One of the PC's kinda gets on my nerves for several small reasons. (An opinion literally nobody shares with me, so I'll keep it to myself).

I'm SO TORN!!?!!

[Burrow's End gets an honorable mention because I just finished rewatching it like two weeks ago.]

[just-jokes]

Building off of that previous thread, IMO the most interesting interpretation of Mario canon is "all the events depicted are canon, but the games themselves may not be".

By that, I'm talking about the way a lot of the games have an element of diegetic storytelling: Super Mario Bros 3 frames itself as a stage play, Paper Mario frames itself as a storybook, Super Mario 64 has a cameraman following Mario around, The Thousand-Year Door frames itself as a stage play inside a storybook, and so on. I think that the most fun way to interpret this is that those games are depictions of popular media in the Mario universe which are, themselves, dramatized and/or sanitized versions of Mario's actual exploits.

Mario is canonically a major celebrity in his own universe; no matter how far he travels, half of everyone he meets recognize him on sight, and media depicting his adventures are likewise popular in-universe (in Mario Odyssey, you can visit a movie theater showing a screening of the original Super Mario Brothers). Even in the sports games, he's shown to have more sponsorship deals than even the most prolific IRL athletes.

So basically, here's my headcanon: when it comes to games like TTYD, all the major events actually happened. Peach was kidnapped by a crazy cult of astronauts, Mario did travel to Rogueport and all those other locales, he did befriend all those characters, and so on...

However. The real story didn't go exactly as depicted in the game. The epilogue points out that, after the adventure ended, Madame Flurrie and Doopliss went on to star in a stage production based on the adventure, and I submit that after that, someone went on to produce a best-selling illustrated novel (and/or pop-up book) based on the play. All of the "paper" bits were either added for comedic effect, or are cleaning up a messy part of the story to make it more palatable for a wider audience. Consider the black chests: in the game, they're treated as a bit of a joke, "cursing" Mario with the ability to fold himself up into a paper plane, boat, and so on, which allows him to bypass otherwise insurmountable obstacles. But what if the reality was a bit darker? What if, when the "real" Mario found the chests, the curse was a little less "ha-ha funny" and more "body horror-y"? Obviously, that would be a no-go if you want to publish a book for all ages, so it got bowdlerized into what we see now.

[fatphobiabusters]

I was a bit curious if anyone here had seen this study and their thoughts on it. The results of it seem questionable to me. Although I do agree with him that the BMI is bull.

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2023/02/23/excess-weight-obesity-more-deadly-previously-believed

Firstly health doesn't equal worth or morals, always worth saying that.

On a quick review I can't say that he's taken into the account the damage of yo yo dieting. Those who are naturally lower BMI have no reason to put their bodies through the damage of a diet over and over whereas higher BMI people are harassed into.

I can't access the whole original paper, however "The statistical analysis of nearly 18,000 people also shines a light on the pitfalls of using body mass index (BMI) to study health outcomes," 18,000? Where are these people from? what's their diet history? did the higher BMI people have surgeries for weight loss?

"Masters mined the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1988 to 2015, looking at data from 17,784 people, including 4,468 deaths.

He discovered that a full 20% of the sample characterized as “healthy” weight had been in the overweight or obese category in the decade prior. When set apart, this group had a substantially worse health profile than those in the category whose weight had been stable. "

Weight loss does damage to your body??? Also "decade prior" how did these people lose weight because 10 years is ASTOUNDING to not have regained weight. Unless of course they were permanently on their diet which is, again, DAMAGING.

"Meanwhile, 37% of those characterized as overweight and 60% of those with obese BMI had been at lower BMIs in the decade prior. Notably, those who had only recently gained weight had better health profiles." The idea that people have natural ideal weights kind of leads to this. Your weight will fluctuate as you age and if your ideal weight goes up then its healthiest at that weight.

"Contrary to previous research, the study found no significant mortality risk increases for the “underweight” category." My first thought is does this include people who qualify for a DSM 5 diagnosis for anorexia? (This means they have weight loss, yes weight loss is required by the book don't get me started) 1 in 100 girls are estimated to struggle with anorexia alone. Are these people removed from the underweight category because they recently lost weight ??? How does that make sense! DIETING CAUSES DAMAGE, EATING DISORDERS CAUSE DAMAGE.

So my impression of this is its great at further proving BMI is crap at health but unless you account for the damage dieting does to a body you cannot say these statistics exist in a vaccum. It's astounding that in 2024 we are still accepting half the picture of weight analysis and statistics. Fat bodies don't just exist, we get pressured to do damaging and terrifying things to our body, we get our health ignored for weight first treatment.

Is our health really that bad or are there these other factors preventing equality in care?

Like in Sweden they left obese patients to die during COVID. Or having treatment stop over weight gain fears.

Or the time they decided polluting water because fat people drink it was okay.

So I guess my tldr is, this isn't saying what people might think it's saying. At least not as presented in this article. This really just proves weight loss is bad imo.

-mod squirrel

[seventeenplug]

Lee Heeseung X AFAB reader (Drifting Away)

Pairing:(non idol) Lee Heeseung X (non idol) AFAB reader

Genre: angst, kinda sad imo.

Warning: Mentions of cheating

Summary: After the affair was discovered you still decided to give him a second chance, little did you know, the man who was once obsessed with you was now growing more and more distant every day.

Word Count : 2k words

Check out here -> part 2

"When did you say Heeseung would be back?" The woman, Y/N, asked the producer who stared at her confused.

"He's been back for a week now. Did he not tell you?" He questioned raising a single eyebrow, his chair turning to look at the woman who stared ahead in deep thought.

"No..." she silently mumbled.

The man in question, Heeseung, had been the woman's boyfriend for the past 3 years now. The two met in a mundane way as the girl approached the male in a bar when the two went with their respective friends.

Romance was quick to flourish and soon enough they had moved in together into a considerate sized 2 bedroom apartment.

The two got along perfectly, the two considered eachother their respective soulmate, and they made sure to let everyone know and see just how much they loved each other.

There was however visible tension when she entered.

Heeseung's best friend, Ji Eun.

The two had been friends since their childhood days, and Y/N wasn't sure why she could never be comfortable around the other female, she was a nice girl even, always pleasant and cordial.

But something was always off when they all hung out together and Y/N couldn't help but feel something stir inside of her whenever she was around, moreso when Heeseung's friend, Jake told her of their previous feelings for one another, although none ever made a move upon them.

"Y/n" the producer called out to the woman as she stared mindlessly into the empty singing cabin. Shaking her head she turned to look at the man who looked at her with pity.

"I'm fine, sorry Seungyoun. I'll get going now" grabbing your handbag, you hurried outside the studio, doing your best to keep your breathing stable as you scrolled through your contacts deciding to call Jake.

"Y/n! I didn't expect your call? Is everything okay" He laughed nervously, a small cough as he spoke your name in surprise.

"Where are you?" - another nervous laugh.

"Home, where would i be?"

"So you're back? Heeseung too?" you questioned, your voice wavering the slightest.

"Ah- no, no. He had some business to care for so he's staying longer" you nod, although it wasn't visible to him.

"Could you uhm, tell him, to call me?" you asked, you could sense his hesitanse as he paused for a while.

"Sure" he gave up with a sigh. Inside he too felt horrible for hiding it from you, someone whom he had met almost every week for the past 3 years...

But how could he tell you that the man you love isn't being faithful? And to make matters worse, was with his supposed best friend.

That very next day you decided to head to Heeseung's studio despite knowing that it would be empty, this was your first mistake, because as soon as your key entered the keyhole quick shuffling was heard, and as you made your way inside, a half naked Heeseung stood up in hurry rushing for the door.

"Y/N! You're here, why are you here?!" he questioned with a quick chuckle.

"You're... here?" you looked around, his bag was in the corner, a few papers on his desk, but what caught your eye was a phone that laid on his table. A phone that wasn't his.

"Ah yes, I got here just a few minutes ago, I was about to call you" his hand scratches the back of his neck,a shy smile on his face as he watched the way you move around his studio before finally realizing where you're headed and grabbing your hands as he stood in front of you.

"Y/N! I missed you" he pouts, big eyes staring at you fondly, a smile making its way onto your face as you forget what your intention in heading to the table was.

"I missed you too, you never answered my calls" you huff playfully slapping his arm making him fake wince.

"I'm sorry, this client was really picky so I had a hard time making the job work" he sighs, his hands leaving yours and grabbing you by the elbows pulling you closer into an embrace.

As you rest your head on his shoulder you can't help but let your eyes linger behind you, the phone lighting up without making a single noise, a message displaying at the top, and as you focused on the words, your heart dropped.

"Can I come out of the bathroom now? Why do we have to hide?"

You push the man away who looks down at you confused, eyebrows frowning as he watched your mood suddenly switch.

You stared at the phone without a word until he called your name, snapping you out of the abyss that were your thoughts you quietly looked up at him before heading for the bathroom and opening the door.

"Y/N!" The man called hurriedly trying his best to stop her, but he was too late, as his 'best friend', Ji Eun, stood behind the tall door in nothing but a white towel wrapped around her body.

The three stood stuck in their places for a while, the mistress' eyes going from Y/N to the man who looked down shamefully, but all Y/N could do was smile.

"I'll see you at home" were her last words as she calmly exited the place, Heeseung not daring to follow behind her right away.

Once at home the woman contemplated her every choice, but it was all meaningless because as soon as the man made his way home and kneeled in front of her she had already forgiven him, accepting him back after his promise to never stray again.

And he didn't as months went on, but the light in him also faded, as he became more and more focused on work, ignoring all of Y/N advances and deciding to sleep in his home office with the excuse that he had to get up early and left home even earlier.

Like this, the two kept on growing more and more distant until Y/N barged into his studio once more.

The man didn't turn to look at the woman, eyes empty of emotion staring at the screen in front of him as he wrote yet another love song about heartbreak.

"Let's go out to eat today" the woman announced loudly, eyes never leaving the side of his face.

"ok"

Y/n was the one who drove, taking them to a small but great family owned restaurant, both sitting opposite eachother, Heeseung continuously averting his eyes from the woman.

"How have you been? I barely see you these days" the woman softly spoke, her eyes watching with caution as he looks at her for a second.

"I'm sorry, I've just been busy, i'll do better" he replied nonachalantly. This didn't please the woman who now thought she had forced him to speak.

˜˜

You watched him, as he sipped his water, your hands on your lap as you sighed.

"Hee... Do you still love m-"

"Auntie! I'm here to pick up the cold noodles please" a familiar voice rung through the restaurant as the bell signaled her entrance.

As if magic, you watched as Heeseung's eyes lit up, searching around until he saw the owner of the voice, a soft smile stretching onto his features.

You watched, throughout the interaction you could feel your heart break, putting it to the side as you focused on his love filled eyes.

His eyes.

That once lit up in that same way whenever he saw you, but that now were dull of emotion.

"Ji Eun" he mumbled quietly as he watched her leave, standing up from his chair almost knocking it over and rushing outside.

But before he could follow her, you grabbed onto his hand, preventing him.

"Y/n... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I-"

"It's okay" you assured him with a smile, swallowing your emotions.

"Can we just go home? Please..." he swallowed hard, you nodded, lips tight into a line as you begin walking ahead, eyes fixated on the sun that was setting in the distance.

The car would be an issue for you to deal with tomorrow.

The two of you walked in absolute silence through the streets of Seoul, Y/N's head was filled with memories of the two of you...

'When did it come to this?' The woman thought to herself.

In Heeseung's mind however, you were gone.

As the images of Ji Eun at the restaurant replayed countless times in his.

The night darkened, clouds forming as tears begin pouring. Heeseung was quick to open his umbrella, placing himself besides Y/n, his shoulder touching yours as he tried his best to prevent the water to hit you.

The action warmed your broken heart as you placed your hand atop his, a warm feeling taking over you, ignoring the warnings sent by your head about how stupid this was.

The two of you walked in silent like this for a while, and a few minutess later the two of you had finally arrived at the street you live in. You halted your steps under a street light, your hand lifting from his.

You watched as Heeseung's steps continued, once more making it known that he didn't acknowledge your presence, likely thinking you were still beside him.

"Heeseung" you called out to him, swallowing the lump in your throat.

The man looked behind him, confused and shocked to see you there as he stared at the figure he had thought to be you ahead, instead there was nothing.

He rushed to you, cursing himself as he noticed your soaked figure standing in front of him, eyes tiredly looking at you.

"Are you okay? Do your feet hurt? We're almost there, I can carry you if you're in too much pain" he offered but you shook your head, you eyes looked at the ground as you tried to gather your thoughts. The man watching you attentively.

"Let's break up" you said, your eyes stayed fixated on the shadow of the light bulb on the floor, the rain drops blurring it as you tried your best to flush away all indices of emotion.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, stepping closer to you.

"Let's break up." you firmly repeated, eyes snapping up to meet his.

"If this is about Ji Eun, I promise... I - I haven't met her again, I broke it off, please. Y/N, it never happened again" he tried to explain, his hands tightly grasping onto your arms.

"I know"

"Then why? Why all of a sudden? I don't understand" he stared at you confused as his eyebrows expressed his confusion.

"You love her, Heeseung. I know that look. I've seen it before" you told him, a soft smile on your face as your eyes look to your hands in his, your small hands wrapping themselves around his large ones.

"I've seen it too. I too was loved by you" you simply said, it was bittersweet, but you pushed through, looking into his eyes once more.

"I want you to be happy, and all I ever wished for was for you to love and be loved. And now, I'm not the one that is loved, nor loves you. And that's okay. We're adults" you smiled.

He had hurt you, and he was very aware of it now, as he swallowed dry closing his eyes to prevent his tears from falling.

"Stop standing here and go, you deserve it, Hee" you encouraged, pushing him away from the light post, hoping he'd leave you to deal with your pain alone. You once more let go of the umbrella, although he continued to hold it above your head.

"Thank you, and I'm sorry...I did love you, you know. I will forever be grateful for all that you gave me. I hope all goes well for you" he bid his goodbye, a broken smile on his face as he stared at his now ex-lover. The woman he thought would be the one for him.

They had been wrong, as he turned to walk away leaving her alone under the light post that lit up the cold and empty road, the umbrella stopped the rain from hitting her, but not stopping it from matching the feeling inside.

She had nodded at him, a smile on her own face as she tried her best to not let her emotions flash through, keeping it in until all she could see was his faint silhouette in the distance, a choked sob finally coming out as she squatted down on the ground covering her mouth with her sweater's sleeve.

That day, the two had finally faced the truth, and the distance between them, making them drift away from one another, was already too big to try and fix it.

So they gave it up.

2,2k words,

Posted the 29th of June 2023

(I do feel like i could've given this some more backstory tbh, but it's past midnight and I work tomorrow again, I'm exhausted but I had this idea and I really wanted to write it so I hope you enjoy!!! have a good day!)

[cdelphiki]

Regarding Tim's decision to stay at the end of Life Happens, I get that on paper it was that Tim had a daughter and therefore a new first priority in life, but personally I like to think that it's also that he's grown as a person, specifically that he's grown into a person that's able to value his own wellbeing, and I like to think that that's BECAUSE of his relationship with Damian. And isn't that just wild? For a relationship to go from an I'd-do-anything-for-you kind of love to a you've-helped-me-grow-as-a-person-and-because-of-that-I-wouldn't-necessarily-do-ANYTHING-for-you kind of love??? <- God-tier sequence of events imo I love your fic so much

Sorry if this doesn't make much sense haha

Oh yeah it's most definitely because of how much Tim grew as a person! He was able to point to his daughter and say 'it's for her,' and that's not wrong or a lie, but it was definitely so much more deep than that. You're absolutely right, through his love for Damian he was able to grow as a person and start valuing himself and I tried to just brush over that fact when Bruce was reading Tim's letters from the previous 8 years in the next to last chapter. In the beginning, it was all about Damian. Tim only updated Bruce on Damian and barely mentioned himself, then in the last couple years, he was taking about himself more, his friends, family, and it showed that arc Tim had. Also in just about every chapter ("year") I had Tim and Damian ask each other if they were happy / if they still wanted to go home, and Tim's answers shifted over the years from 'im getting there (happy)' to 'my life is perfect' and from 'yes im dying to be home' to 'i promise to get _you_ home.'

Thank you! I'm so glad you picked up on the smaller little details like that. i love so much when people really dig into my stories like that ESPECIALLY when it was on purpose lmao ❤️

[hellisanhonourstudent]

Marie Levesque deserves more love

She has everything,character-wise:a cool aesthetic,cool powers,a well-defined and somewhat nuanced personality,her life is a huge tragedy,her sad backstory is well-written IMO. To me,Marie seems like a naturally driven and ambitious person,but said traits were harshly warped by life circumstances.

Marie was described as a girl who had nothing,including a family. What happened to her in childhood? How did she get orphaned? I headcanon that she was just as desperate for affection as she was for money and power,if not more(I can also see her not knowing what to do with said affection if she got it). Also,I believe Marie was quite knowlegeable about magic,both by necessity and because the subject was interesting to her. When it comes to canon,she became embittered with Hazel due to the cursed gems. Of course,Marie was awful to her daughter,but even that made me more sympathetic to her. Besides the circumstances being terrible on themselves,she didn't have the best coping skills,had a bunch of trauma from all her previous years and the jeweries were her ticket out of poverty. Mind you,that was early 20th century and Marie was a poor black woman. She didn't have 1/10th of the options women have today(or when those books were written/published). Of course,there are plenty of characters who dealt better with tragedy(including her own daughter),but her history is just as worthy being told,IMO.

On a less sad note,Marie Levesque had a huge flair for the dramatic and loved fashion. Even during her darkest times,she "made it work". Not only that,but she often used her outfits to express herself. It's canon that Hazel liked drawing and painting. She inherited her mom's "extra" streak,but it was either inwards(whereas Marie's was outwards) or put on a canvas/piece of paper. I'm on the fence on whether I HC Marie as autistic or not - and if she's,I wonder how it might affect Hazel,if she inherits said autism.

[corvuscorona]

got more Entire Coherent thoughts about LOST CORNER than I have ever had abt a kenshi yonezu album on first listen, or possibly at all. I kept thinking about that interview for spinning globe where he was talking about spending all this time looking for the Perfect Individual Piano to use for SPECIFICALLY that song. there is so much piano in this album. Each More Different Than The Last. and there are NOISES more kinds of noises than I even know what to do with; it felt like every single song I was going "oooh whatever that is right there, I like that, it sounds like ___" or my wife was. there's so much evidence of PLAYING AROUND I'm in love with it.

he's talked a few times about wanting to always move on to the Next thing & Try Stuff and the whole album is just. peak That. but the fact that it's ALSO the Most Cohesive Entire Album of his (not even going to "imo" this. even if "listening to the songs in order and going 'whoa'" hadn't convinced me, the crossfade being Like That would've) is so. ..!! you know??? it's exciting.

とまれみよ reminded me IMMEDIATELY of リンネ ( @luchiaketchum !! have you heard it yet? ). my wife said that POP SONG sounds a lot like an answer of some kind to 感電 (& thinking about it now, LOST CORNER sounds a lot like an evolution of it?). ゆめうつつ is literally just About his previous works (& I feel like it executes more skillfully on the "unfolding the song as it goes" thing he was trying to do with Paper Flower, in the musical sense). It's stupidly fun to pick these songs apart layer by layer Like Sandwich Ingredients because it really FEELS like there's one million little Thoughts and Decisions behind every "here's intrusive nonmusical sounds like the ones in Flamingo and でしょましょ again" and "I'm gonna use like 5 different distinct Voices in a row so it sounds like I'm having a conversation with Me" and "piano. harpsichord. exactly 1 synth noise in this song about rakugo. different piano. laugh. train crossing noise. yell. touching the guitar strings into the recording device" like. it's. it has. a curiosity. about it. that I like a LOT.

Also weirdly struck by how the bagpipes really do Combine with the piano in spinning globe & become more than the sum of their parts & I don't know What that sum is but it makes me hold the "sincere song for an animated movie" concept differently in my brain compared to the last time I heard him do something similar MY POINT IS THERE'S SYNTHESIS HAPPENING IN THIS THING NONSTOP FOR 20 WHOLE SONGS IN A ROW it's so chew-on-able.

YANKEE has always been my fav, tho STRAY SHEEP came close to unseating it I think, but idk. I think LOST CORNER finally (after 10 whole years!!!!) might actually Win. it has so much going on & I'm So into its personality overall. jazzy & grown-up & inquisitive & (confirmed) AMAZING for playing in the car. & I haven't even gotten into the lyrics yet almost at all !!!

[leqclerc]

fred straight up confirming that eventhough he's managed to adjust the car it's still not good for charlie and his driving style but Carlos seems to be fine with the tractor so it suits him fine, which makes sense because everytime charles suffers carlos is having the time of his life and every time the car seems good carlos struggles. Mattia Binotto is not seeing heaven and ill make sure of it, both for the car and for making the stupid choice of having two incredibly different driving styles in one team

Agreed.

I personally have a theory that Binotto knew he's close to getting the boot when the championship campaign started going south—somewhere along the way rumours started emerging that, actually, he and Elkann haven't seen eye to eye in a while and that Elkann toyed with the idea of showing him the door as early as 2021. Take that with a truck full of salt, but, y'know.

Anyway, we know that Carlos was Mattia's dream pick for replacing Seb, we know he "courted" him, held talks with him, and oversaw him putting pen to paper on his initial contract as well as the extension in early 2022—which in hindsight can be seen as him offering his seemingly preferred driver a secure future at the time while also making sure his successor's hands are tied in terms of the lineup at least until 2024. They've both openly spoken about their close relationship, how Binotto always believed in and backed Carlos wholeheartedly (even sparking rumours that the two are likely to reunite as driver and team principal in the future at some other team.)

If he sensed that he was on the way out, it makes sense that he did what he did—enforced "equal status", vocally prioritized the WCC over the WDC (at least on the surface because having no rules, no hierarchy, and next to no team orders only ensured his own drivers took points away from each other while Red Bull sailed on ahead but whatever), publicly undermined Charles even when it was obvious that the blame was on pitwall or other parts of the team, etc. And then of course, the cherry on the cake—he got to oversee (and potentially influence) the design and construction of the SF-23 back at the factory. He missed several races to do so, just a few weeks before the rumours of his imminent departure started circulating (although they were initially denied by both Elkann and Binotto, generally speaking where there's smoke there's fire and...well...we all know how that went.) Then he apparently continued to do that until his contract officially ran out, I believe on the 31st December 2022. Let's not forget that we got that quote from Sainz Sr. about how this new car is going to be suited to Carlos's strengths/be more to his liking than the previous (ahem, championship contender) car. How he got that info when he's not a team member and shouldn't have had access to high-level classified info such as......literally the details of next year's car design...

We know the man has an ego, so it's not unimaginable to think he wanted Ferrari to win with him at the helm... or not at all.

Whether Binotto made the car he genuinely believed would perform well or whether he left Ferrari with a one last fuck you Trojan Horse gift...is anyone's guess. But there's enough meat on the bone there to speculate about it imo.

[tuiyla]

(return of the s2 quinn anon) oh man ok. i think that her returning to the cheerios and even selling santana out to reclaim her spot as captain made sense. i love when she tells sue off in mattress (“i don’t want to be a member of a team where i only appear to belong, i’d rather be a member of a club that’s proud to have me like glee club”) but there’s more than one glimpse in the back 9 of her wanting the status and power she had once before back. and it makes sense for her to want to reclaim those things after everything she went through the prior year. her and sam are fine. kind of bland imo (i do not ship her w any of these men lmao) but fair enough. another example of her aiming for status with him becoming the new quarterback and gaining popularity. one thing that stuck out to me rewatching the show though is that quinn really doesn’t feel like a major player after the front 13. there’s probably more than one episode in the back 9 where she only has one or two lines of dialogue. i guess she gets more to do in 2A? there’s some interesting stuff at play there with her wanting that popularity, status, and power back. there’s definitely a contrast from the more softened quinn we had in the later half of season 1. but again, makes sense after everything she’s been through. her quitting the cheerios alongside the girls is nice. and then you hit fuinn 2.0 😭 man. she feels like the human equivalent of an obstacle for finchel in 2B. you know those two will inevitably find their way back to each other. i guess it also makes sense quinn would go back to finn once more? thinking about how her relationships with men tend to have that theme of helping her obtain or retain status. they were the picture perfect couple at one point the previous year, bound to be prom king and queen. they look perfect on paper. and god the speech she gives to rachel in original song. the future she has envisioned of her and finn being those high school sweethearts who will settle down, start a family, she’ll become a real estate agent, and rachel is destined for much bigger things. thinking about her last season tearfully telling luck after he learns of the pregnancy revelation that she really thought she had a shot of getting out of lima and now she’s resigned herself to the idea of this future for herself. the obsession with being prom queen. (an absolutely insane line is her going on about how you can get married as many times as you want but you only have one shot at your junior prom 😭 girl) and then the subsequent breakdown when she loses. that bathroom scene with rachel. finn breaks up with her and then the new york breakdown. santana and brittany offer her as much comfort as they can, encourage her to get a haircut, and that’s a wrap on the season. but she’s very clearly not okay, made even more evident the very next season. i don’t think she loved finn but i can imagine she must have felt painfully alone at the end of season 2 and that she inherently had nothing. finn back with rachel, santana and brittany have each other, it didn’t seem like her friendship with mercedes was prevalent at all throughout the year. which is a whole other tragedy. i think it could maybe be argued that she did her absolute best to repress the trauma she went through in season 1 with all of her actions the following year. rejoining the cheerios, regaining her popularity, dating sam, dating finn, wanting to be prom queen. and then it all comes crumbling down at the end. her arc that season makes some sort of sense when you type it all out and look at it from a deeper perspective than the writers themselves probably did but it’s hard to watch at times, especially 2B with cheating on sam, getting back together with finn, the prom queen fiasco. especially feeling that the finn thing in particular was just to cause some drama for him and rachel and reunite those two at the end of the season.

Well damn I'm sorry I passed the ball back to you Anon just to leave you hanging for a month. That's my bad, hope you're still around, hope you're well. Right, so season 2 Qunnie.

I view the shift from late season 1 Quin to season 2 Quinn, in terms of in-universe attitude at least, exactly like you said. As her trying to completely erase her pregnancy and everything she went through. Call it a trauma response/defense mechanism, but whatever it is it really just feels like... she resets. And that becomes a joke with Quinn as even in later seasons she seems to return to square one eyoooo Glee writers what's good. But you, I think in s2 at least it makes sense. And we see how her pretense crumbles after Prom Queen and then the breakdown in New York leading into her skank era. Skank Quinn is just the manifestation of everything she was pushing down in season 2, and she was pushing everything down. (On a Doylist level Quinn's demotion is the writers truly not knowing what to do with her once Santana takes on the Alpha Bitch role.)

I hate that she just exists to be an obstacle for Finchel, too. Fuinn 2.0 makes no sense even if we buy that Finn would be oh so popular and that appeals to Quinn. To be fair, I never bought Fuinn 1.0 either rip so there's that. I can even understand why Quinn would want to convince herself and others through Finn, fine, but why is Finn with her again? I get it man she is the most beautiful woman you've ever seen but you cannot tell me he even likes her, much less loves her. Makes no sense except that the love triangle needs to be revitalized. Bleh. We can make it work for Quinn's ch especially through things like her infamous "get it right" speech (which is so depressing btw, "god that speech" indeed) but she's clearly not taking center stage in her own story. Finchel are. Just as, I'd argue, she wasn't central even in her own pregnancy storyline.

Like you say, that's the hard part. That's what makes it hard to watch because not only is she villainized but she's so sad throughout it all. And it's not even about her! This girl is so clearly just sad and lonely but the show just does not seem to get that. Every time they explicitly tell us how miserable Quinn really is deep down they have to do a 180 and tell us that despite this she doesn't deserve sympathy, for some reason. That reason mostly being that she's our number one Finchel obstacle. Idk if a better course of action would have been keeping her together with Sam. Like you, I don't much care for them. But I guess it's better than Fuinn? Man, almost anything's better than Fuinn. (Crazy how I can see ZERO chemistry with those two because when it's bts videos of Cory and Dianna I'm like, oh! those two! so cute!)

I think the original question was what I think of Quinn's season 2 arc? Haha sorry that OG question was so long ago. But yeah I guess all of this, just forever shaking my head that the writers were never willing to center Quinn. But her season 2 stuff isn't terrible and I wish they did more with her backstabbing Santana and that rivalry. Especially because they then just quit the Cheerios halfway through the season?! And somehow, even though both of them are obsessing over their image in s2B we get not one word of how not being cheerleaders anymore negatively affected their status. And don't tell me it didn't. Anyway that's a Quinntana post for another day.

[iminsomanyfandomsitscrazy]

You’re Losing Me is so devastating especially the line “And I wouldn’t marry me either/A pathological people pleaser”, but also makes sense?? Like, in Don’t Blame Me, she says “my name is whatever you decide”, and then literally all of Paper Rings suggests that she does want to get married. Now, I didn’t think that Lavender Haze was weird when it talked about them not being married, because the points were INCREDIBLY valid - “the only kind of girl they see is a one night or a wife” because of “the 1950s shit they want from me” but it’s still just so devastating; and I feel so bad for her; losing someone who you’re drifting apart from and trying everything to make the relationship survive, but the other person isn’t really trying 😭😭😭😭😭. (Also the people pleaser line is giving off mirrorball vibes and the “you don’t really read into my melancholia” in lavender haze has a completely different meaning now).

(Also of course, when she said that she was the happiest she’d ever been we already knew she was lying because for the surprise songs she hadn’t sung any lovey-do why songs about Joe. From rep she’s only sung Gorgeous which is about having a crush on him, and from lover she’s only song DBATC which is based on Someone Great, and I Think He Knows which is about how he knows she’s falling in love. And while she’s been singing surprise songs from Midnights, they haven’t been the deeply in love songs about Joe. We did get Snow On The Beach, but that was in honor of Lana’s new album, and once again, about ~falling in love~ w/ someone at the same time as they’re falling in love w/ you, and how weird that is.

But now that we truly know what she’s going through, even though we knew they broke up bc they grew apart, is just so much more devastating!! Here she is trying to save the relationship and giving him signals, and he’s not really trying to save it. And literally every line is the most devastating. The “I wouldn’t marry me either/A pathological people pleaser/Who just wanted you to see her” — which nobody is talking about the “who wanted you to see her” part which is imo more devastating than the previous two lines!!! But I don’t even know if those lines are the most devastating!! All of them are completely heart-wrenching, and just… devastating).

***Also, it completely makes sense why this is from the vault - because the writing sessions for Midnights was most likely this time last year, and that was most likely before they started to grow apart and their relationship started to die (tho, yes, we don't know when songs like Lavender Haze or Sweet Nothing were written). Like, this song is definitely from the vault because it was written pretty recently.

THE ACTUAL AUDIO

[techtrends-today]

Key Resources for Preparing for the International Mathematics Olympiad

International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) is a world-renowned competition that tests the mathematical skills of high school students. In order to succeed in this prestigious exam, it is important to use the right resources. This article provides an overview of essential materials and tools that can help you prepare for IMO.

Online Platforms and Courses

-Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers free comprehensive courses on various levels of math from basic arithmetic to advanced calculus with video lessons, practice exercises, quizzes etc.

-Coursera and edX: These platforms offer specialized courses from top universities and institutions on Mathematical Thinking and Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy among others that develop logical reasoning skills and problem-solving techniques.

Past IMO Papers

-Previous Years’ Papers: One of the most effective ways to study for this exam is through solving previous years’ papers as it makes you familiar with their format, level of difficulty as well as question types. Furthermore, these papers can be analyzed further to get common themes or recurring problems out of them.

-Online Archives: There are websites like the official International Mathematics Olympiad site, Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) providing extensive archives of past IMOs with their solutions. They are therefore indispensable while preparing for the exams properly.

Problem-Solving Communities

-Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) Community: AoPS hosts an active community comprising mathematics enthusiasts as well as aspiring participants in IMO competitions. The forums are used to discuss problems, provide solutions and seek help from experienced people.

-Math Stack Exchange: This is another vibrant community where students and professionals discuss mathematical problems. Such communities expose you to different problem-solving techniques and approaches.

Coaching and Mentorship

-Unified Council Training Programs: Getting enrolled in structured training programs can ensure personalized guidance as well as support. Unified Council offers specialized coaching for International Mathematics Olympiad aspirants which focuses on key areas of the syllabus and problem-solving strategies.

-Personal Mentorship: A mentor who has been an IMO participant himself/herself can be very helpful. They will give advice, tips or even moral support concerning your preparation journey.

Practice and Mock Tests

-Regular Practice: Consistently practising is necessary to succeed at the IMO. Take time every day to solve problems and review materials. Use multiple sources so that you go through comprehensive preparation.

-Mock Tests: Taking mock tests under timed conditions helps one feel as if they were already in actual exam situations. This makes it easier for a student to manage their time during exams since they become familiar with what they expect in terms of timing in order to comfortably write their exams without any fears, worries or tensions. Hence, one must evaluate himself/herself after every single test so that she/he can fix some mistakes made before the ultimate examination day comes.

Conclusion

To excel in International Mathematics Olympiad, things like textbooks, online platforms, and past papers among others should be considered seriously when preparing.

Do you want to improve on your preparation for IMO? Join Unified Council’s training programs tailored specifically for IMO aspirants by visiting our website today! 

[halflingkima]

Mid-Year Book Freakout

It’s that time of year again (jfc). First up, some stats:

I’ve read a total of 57 books thus far

(36 physical, 9 ebooks, 12 audiobooks)

(~13,500 pages, ~130 hours)

I’m tracking DNFs this year, and so far I have a total of 6

I’ve read 36 novels, 13 graphic novels, 4 novellas, 2 nonfiction, and 2 short story anthologies

My most common rating so far is 4 stars, with 19 books

My average raging is 3.37 stars

I’ll tuck the questions and specifics under a cut. If I’ve read the book, I’ll link to my review. If I haven’t, I’ll link to the book’s page for a synopsis/other info. ✌️

1. Best book of 2023 so far

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

I haven’t had a lot of 5-star reads this year, but the ones I have had have been pretty impressive. I think this one wins so far because it delivered exactly what I expected and yet also sparked something special somehow. It’s got vampires, it’s got vampire-zombies, it’s got spies, it’s got complex politics and courtly rituals, it’s got polyamory and angry mobs. I loved the Bone Witch trilogy by Chupeco last year and so far this series delivers the exact same vibes aged up imo. Cannot wait for the rest of it.

2. Best sequel of 2023 so far

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

Had this pre-ordered last year and then put it off because I thought there was no way a sequel could live up to Boyfriend Material, my favorite current book. Finally bit the bullet and reread the first book for my birthday and not as good as I remembered – it’s better. Kept the momentum going and powered through the sequel – and it’s just as good. Idk what it is about these two puzzle-pieced characters (bc imo it’s one of Hall’s weaker larger ensembles) but they truly Hit. It’s likely that this duology found me at the exact right time in my own life, but we’ll put that to the test in the future 😉

3. New release at the top of the TBR

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

I’m really not too up on new releases, I kinda just see something shiny on the shelf and go “ooh!” Of course, Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang is high on my priorities list, but going through these questions reminded me of Chang-Eppig’s new debut. I’ve really not heard anything about it, but I remember the promos pitching an eastern pirate story and after Amina Al-Sirafi I am even MORE on board. Gimme.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

10 Things that Never Happened by Alexis Hall

Again, I’m not super big on new releases, but I did gasp out loud when I saw this got a cover and immediately hunt down the release date. In the Boyfriend Material/London Calling universe, following a new couple (and I believe one of the men is trans 👀). Favorite author. Favorite series by favorite author. What else is there to say.

Wait oh my god honorable mention for the previous question: Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall. Slipped my mind because I’m not really into historical romances but it just came out last month, I believe, and I wanna get my queer little claws on anything Hall writes.

5. Biggest disappointment

This is What it Sounds Like by Susan Rogers

The concept of this book was so cool to me, but it ultimately devolved into basic nonfiction sludge. The book essentially teaches terminology to explain music taste – do you like realism or more synthetic sounds? do you prefer something comfortable or innovative? what kind of rhythm is your favorite? – but it basically accomplishes that in the introduction. I wanted it to push further in some direction; give me a full-out music theory textbook, or outline home experiments for me to replicate. The majority of the book felt like a fluffed up paper with a lot of anecdotes.

6. Biggest surprise

The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente

This is a weird one because I’m doing a challenge with myself which leads to random pulls from my library shelves. So far I’ve had quite a few (pleasant) surprises from this challenge, because having heard of none of these books before, I have no expectations whatsoever. This one wins because it’s the one I loved the most. I’d heard of this author in terms of lyrical writing, and I’d read Comfort Me With Apples last year, so what I found surprising was the tone. Valente really matches the voice of comic books and it made the stories land just that much better. One of my favorite books of the year that I pulled practically out of thin air. 😅

7. Favorite new author

Shelley Parker-Chan (She Who Became the Sun)

This one’s really rough, considering I’ve only just read a lot of big names this year. Honorable mentions go to R.F. Kuang, Seanan Maguire, and Kieron Gillen – their books are absolutely on my favorites list for the full year. But Parker-Chan’s writing really hit some buttons in me. I had started with the audiobook, but had to change back to physical so I could languish in the writing and puzzle-piece the plot together as I read. The politics, the gender expression and exploration, the simultaneous moving pieces, the descriptions of both tenderness and violence, everything in that book was exquisite, and I’m really looking forward to more from them.

8. New fictional crush

Ash from Die: Fantasy Heartbreaker & Die: Split the Party

First of all: she’s hot as hell. Second, she’s got this insane power/complex feelings about it dichotomy going on. tbqh the majority of my attraction is probably due to the narrative tension of not knowing What Her Deal Is, you know? In the “real world” Ash is a 40yo depressed man with a wife and some complex feelings about his past. In the “game world” she’s a one-eyed, white-haired, silver-tongued sorceress who had a kid with a vampire. There’s some very vague bi implications in a really early issue, but since then theyve been biding their time with the reveal and I am weak and it is working on me 🙃

9. New favorite character

Jack from the Wayward Children series

My favorite character in the confines and context of their story is General Ouyang in She Who Became the Sun, but since I’ve already rambled about that, I also really liked Jack from the Wayward Children series – funnily enough, I liked her more in the first book rather than in her own story, but regardless; same character. She just feels like such a rounded and realistic character to me and she fits the universe of the series so perfectly. I love her aesthetic and her scientific curiosity (i.e. wanting to take things apart and rebuild them) and her little particularities (her germaphobia, her routines). She’s just a cool kid and I love her.

10. Book that made you cry

MEM by Bethany C. Morrow, The First Ten Years by Meg Bashwiner and Joseph Fink, The Change by Kirsten Miller

I don’t believe a book has truly made me cry yet this year. Tbqh, I’ve simply not been in the mood lol. However, I’ve read quite a few emotionally moving books, so I’m taking the chance to squeeze a few extra books in and listing the ones that I can remember getting a little misty-eyed at.

MEM was a very interesting novella, and I didn’t expect the romance at all, let alone to be so affected by it. The First Ten Years was a precious team-memoir, but having not read anything from Meg before, her writing unexpectedly spoke to me, and her take on being a women in the 2010s hit close to home. The Change was an excellent novel all around, and maybe I was just a little over-tired, but the deaths of the young women and specifically their relationships with their mothers really got to me.

11. Book that made you happy

Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Of the ones I haven’t said anything about yet, this is probably the one. It’s a weird pull but it made me happy in the most singular, unique, specific way. I haven’t written a review for it yet because it’s. Difficult to explain. The band in the book is not 1d. but it’s 1d. It’s written very specifically for girls who were 1d fans on the semi-older end of the spectrum while the band was active, who wrote/read RPF but didn’t actually believe any of the boys were dating. If that niche makes sense. Anyway. It just made me feel Extremely Seen in good, bad, AND neutral ways. Also made me laugh/scream out loud at points. Wild book.

12. Favorite book to film adaptation of the year

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is fully a cop-out, having neither read the book nor watched the series. However – it’s the only one I could think of that even came out this year. AND. the vibes look absolutely exquisite. The promos for the show actually made me wanna read the book, cause I didn’t really plan to lol

13. Most beautiful book obtained so far this year

Glitterland by Alexis Hall (re-release)

Pre-ordered this last year because I was so hyped about it being physically published but then it showed up looking like THIS. Love it. And the sequel’s coming soon with a cover by what appears to be the same artist and I love it so much. Pwetty.

14. What needs to be read by the end of the year

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna; The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid; Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese, Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Yet again taking the chance to squeeze a few extra in, but basically I gotta get these library loans taken care of lol. And I got Legends and Lattes for my birthday and I am more shocked than anyone I’ve not yet devoured it.