#is he or is he not Russian? like is it important to my plot? I haven’t decided

[thatsrightice]

I’ve been doing a LOT of digging on what path the Top Gun pilots would have taken prior to the events of the movie, specifically Iceman of course, but I found some information regarding the squadrons that Iceman and Maverick would have been apart of directly prior to TOPGUN.

In a preliminary script for “Top Gun”, Maverick speaks to Iceman saying, “You were in 124 with Bargamian.” In Maverick’s line, 124 refers to the VF-124 Gunfighters, a fleet replacement squadron (FRS). Iceman would have been assigned to the F-14 Tomcat and VF-124 in the selection after flight school, and Bargamian is likely a reference to the last name of a pilot Maverick had likely known well. The squadron was located in NAS Miramar, California, and in 1972 the squadron became responsible for training pilots and RIOs in the F-14A Tomcat in the Pacific. These training fleet replacement squadrons would fly out to aircraft carriers to fly day and night carrier qualifications.

In the movie, however, Iceman wears a patch for VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet. This means that he was likely reassigned to VFA-25 for deployment. What is interesting about this is that the squadron never flew the F-14 Tomcat, rather, they only flew configurations of the F/A-18 Hornet. VFA-25 was based out of NAS Lemoore, CA, and was in Carrier Air Wing CVW-14 at the time of the movie. They deployed on the USS Constellation from February 1985 to August 1985, and from September 1986 to October 1986. Their next deployment wouldn’t depart until April of 1987.

In the movie’s opening scene, Maverick and Cougar use the flight callsign ‘Ghostrider,’ the callsign for a real F-14 squadron (VF-142). In the early 1980s, VF-142 was deployed several times on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as a part of Carrier Air Wing CVW-7 flying F-14s. They deployed from April 1980 to December 1980, from January 1982 to July 1982, from April 1983 to December 1983, from May 1984 to May 1985, and from July 1985 to September 1985. Then they had an extended turnaround while the ship returned to the shipyard for an extensive overhaul and did not deploy again until 1987 with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

However, you may notice that Maverick’s patch is NOT for VF-142. The patch has VF-1 written, referring to the F-14 Tomcat fighter squadron known as the Wolfpack. The Wolfpack deployed on the USS Ranger from January 1982 to February 1982 and from April 1982 to October 1982. Then they deployed on the USS Kitty Hawk from January 1984 to August 1984 before returning to the USS Ranger from May 1986 to July 1986. They deployed again on the USS Ranger from August 1986 to October 1986 and from March 1987 to April 1987.

But this does not match the logo for the squadron, rather, the patch’s logo depicts a bird in flight. Aircraft from the NAS Miramar-based squadron VF-51 Screaming Eagles and VF-111 Sundowners were repainted in fictitious markings for the film. One could presume that the logo is meant to be a nod to the VF-51 Screaming Eagles. The Screaming Eagles flew off the USS Kitty Hawk in 1981 but transferred to the east coast following an accident that killed a deckhand from the squadron and injured an aircraft’s crew when an A-7E Corsair II from VA-22 struck one of VF-51s aircraft. They flew off of the new USS Carl Vinson from March 1983 to October 1983 as the ship traveled to its homeport in California. VF-51 is the first F-14 squadron to intercept several Soviet aircraft including an armed MiG-23. The squadron cruised with the USS Carl Vinson from 1986 to 1987.

Obviously, we know that Top Gun was filmed on the USS Enterprise, so this is another inaccuracy regarding his squadron. The USS Enterprise sailed with CVW-11 many times in the early 1980s. They deployed from September 1982 to April 1983, May 1984 to December 1984, from January 1986 to August 1986, from January 1988 to July 1988, and from September 1989 to March 1990. CVW-11 consisted of VFA-14 Tophatters, VFA-41 Black Aces, VFA-86 Sidewinders, and VFA-97 Warhawks.

Basically, none of it will paint you a clear and accurate picture. Obviously, I didn’t expect it to be accurate in terms of dates or aircraft carriers lining up and overall accuracy, but the patches and bars on their uniforms would have been nice. I’ve been trying to put together a timeline for Iceman’s career prior to TOPGUN but it’s a little hard when they don’t flesh out a character with a complete and fool proof backstory. I mean, Val Kilmer had to come up with his own headcanon in order to play his character with at least a little bit of depth.

EDIT: you can find a lot of information on different Naval squadrons using the website seaforces.org, they’ll give you info regarding their deployments and what carriers they were on and what planes they flew. Also, Wikipedia is legitimately a great starting place in terms of research :)

[hrrtshape]

PLEASE do more storytimes of ur 15 days in ur dr 😩😩 like literally talk about anything, what food did you munch on, outfits, small details of your life that anyone else would find mundane but were so important to you... yap your soul away I BEG 🙏

✶ the basics of my shift to my better cr.

◞ when i shifted : september 3rd to september 18th.

◞ my time ratio : i went to sleep in my cr at about 1 in the morning (oh, quiet !!!) and woke up around 12 am. so i'm not really sure about the time ratio. it has always been 1 hour = 1 week, but i suppose it was different. time is fake. calendars are a conspiracy. moving on.

◞ where i shifted : new york. more specifically my room !! more specifically...... my mom's penthouse in fifth ave which looked absolutely the same as my pinterest board !?!?! uh I DID check google maps to find my house, only to find out that in this reality, it's a hotel ?!?!?! so. yea. kewl.

◞ backstory stuff : so, in my better cr i am basically me. everything is the same except that like everything's amplified. like i am me, but on dolby atmos surround sound with a slight film grain, ykykykykyk? my mom has a billion dollar worth foods-company (which primarily specialised in sugar-free and sometimes gluten-free stuff). she’s like if gwyneth paltrow actually had taste, and her whole brand is “eat like a decadent queen but without the sugar crash.” my dad, who is divorced from my mom, is somehow involved in auction houses & art dealing. not in a shady way, just in a “I inherited this Monet and I suppose I should do something with it” way. he’s always at Sotheby’s, slightly overwhelmed, always one step away from getting scammed. his great-great-grandma was like...a duchess in russia, and then fled during the russian revolution. so...that's that. i live with my older brother, who is very much a VERY GOOD (and i mean very, very, very good) tech bro who parties way too much and my mom. my younger brother lives with my dad in the west village. the custody arrangement was quite literally dictated by vibe.

◞ some of my friends : as always, i scripted in lily rose depp (she isn't an actress, though). our moms were really good friends, and that's how we met. when i shifted, i did gain some memories (!!!! and they were all so kewt) that we shared. i think my favourite one was when we were 12 and walking around galeries lafayette and just trying on heels. in chanel. and dior. heels that cost more than a small car. we were 4’10 and wobbling around, but we swore we were women of the world.

oh, and the most unhinged friend situation?? blair waldorf and serena van der foocking woodsen. YEP. so my better cr WAS inspired by gossip girl, but obviously i didn't want to be stalked n all, so i didn't even bother scripting them in, but my brain did it anyways. SO. yea. i even went to blair's slumber party (but like earlier, not during this shift). it was absolutely perfect. silk sleep masks. monogrammed pajamas. a slight air of menace, because blair is blair. i respect it.

◞ about loml, coryo : soooo, i didn't get to talk to him much :( cause we were at the rivals stage of our whole....saga. but, like, flirty rivals. the type where he would look at me in class like he was plotting my downfall, and i would look back like i was considering letting him. a classic. we didn’t do much !!! sadly !!!! although he DIDDDDD put his arm around me once !!!! when i was walking to classsss.sss/s/s//!??!?!?!?!?? so. YEA. hehehehehehhehe. ALSO. watched him play basketball......which was..........definitely not an out of body experience.

more important things !!!!

◞ food : okay. very important. let’s talk snacks. the cafes in my better cr are like little jewel boxes, and they make the best hazelnut croissants known to mankind. flaky. golden. would cause riots if taken away. also, i drank so many iced matchas i swear my bloodstream was 50% soy milk. my favourite meal was this ridiculous dinner at le bernardin where my mom and i ordered like four courses and just gossiped the whole time. opulence and secrecy, baby.

talking about my mom !!! on day 7 ish we went to louis vuitton for no absolute reason, and i experienced euphoria when we walked out there with new LV handbags. no special occasion, no nothing !!! (i start rioting cause i want to be back in my dr)

◞ outfits : what i wore daily was basically........MMMM. my closet was so massive. so so so so massive. and everything, and i mean EVERYTHING from my pinterest board was there. YEA, YEA!!! cashmere cardigans, tiny skirts, knee-high socks, vintage designer. most of my weekend nights were just me changing outfits. cause. AAAAAAAAAAA !!!!!!!

◞ small details : the smell of my apartment in the morning was always coffee and expensive candles. i had a balcony, which is insane considering it’s new york, but we move. i spent most evenings perched there with a book, looking over the city like some sort of melancholic heiress.

◞ school : st. lazarus international college (i am gonna introduce this one because i swear there has never been a kewler sckewl). yeah. the most competitive, the most exclusive, the most "if you don't know someone, you simply won't get in" school in new york. my mom basically donated a library to make sure i never had to worry about a waitlist. the building looks like an old château got plucked from the french countryside and dropped onto the upper east side, except it has a state-of-the-art technology lab and a rooftop garden where people pretend to study. the halls ARE buzzing. the classrooms ARE ivy-league rigorous. the drama IS constant. the uniform IS exquisite. crisp white button-downs, navy skirts, custom blazers with embroidered crests, knee-high socks, and a distinct air of inherited wealth.

◞ classes : philosophy was my favorite. not because i actually cared about the syllabus, but because the professor was clearly going through something existential, and it was just funny to poke at his worldview with hypotheticals that made him question reality. history was a battlefield, literally, because coryo and i sat across from each other. french? easy. literature? divine. mathematics? completely unnecessary to my future, but tolerable because my notes were meticulously colour-coded.

◞ social scene : so you already know about my girl lily-rose, but there were so many more. the usual suspects: the impossibly rich, the impossibly gorgeous, and the impossibly charming. social hierarchy wasn't rigid, but it was understood. there were the future ceos, the legacy kids, the ones who summered in capri, the ones whose last names could buy small countries. my niche was effortlessly magnetic. somewhere between the literati and the scandal-makers, sipping matcha lattes while discussing nietzsche, only to abandon the conversation halfway through to plan a party. the sheer drama of it all. the only thing that mattered was that i was KEWL.

◞ parties : iconic. thrown in penthouses, brownstones, luxury hotel suites when someone’s parents were away. they started with sophisticated cocktail hours and always descended into beautifully controlled chaos. champagne in crystal coupes, whispered conversations on private terraces, someone always ending the night dramatically (usually not me, but i did have my moment.......we'll get to that later). i attended two, excluding day 12-13 when i went to athens with my friend to celebrate her birthday (it was.....very fun. believe me).

◞ moments that i'll never forget : buying my first designer bag (chloé tote), gave coryo a nosebleed (i talked about that already but you know......so...wow moment), discussed halloween with my friend group (and then shifted right before it UGH), overheard a woman complaining about the declining quality of caviar. felt like i was in a tv show. rich people are SO weird. i felt like i was in crazy rich asians.

◞ books i read during my shift (literature is important!!!) : bonjour tristesse andddddd started reading ulysses.

◞ random things that made my shift feel real : the specific way my balcony doors creaked when i opened them. the sound of a coffee being stirred at my favorite café. a pinch i gave my forearm everyday i woke up there !?!?!?

that’s the shift report, lovies. let me know what else you wanna hear, cause trust me, i could talk for hours. cause i remember EVERYTHING. not every second, but, like, every hour at least. mwah xxxxxxx and thank god for self made this method that helped me do this like yip yip hooray !?!?

[omartinyosef]

ST5 POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!!

GUYS I FOUND THIS ON REDDIT AND ACTUALLY IT'S QUITE INTERESTING

ST5 Leaks/Fleaks

Gen Plot

Season picks up briefly where we left off in 1986 before jumping into either late 1987 or early 1988. The season is contained entirely in apocalyptic Hawkins. Things with the government are shaky. Owens doesn't appear in the beginning of the season and it's unclear if he's returning, but Ellen Stinson is the new Owens. Hawkins is like a combination of the UD and Kamchatka.

Labyrinths/Mazes being important to both the supernatural plot and the interpersonal relationships. They're inherently linked.

Two songs to be featured are 'Listen to Your Heart' and 'Alone,' both of which were apparently foreshadowed in a previous conversation between Hopper and Joyce, similar to how Hopper's "I'm the puppet, you're the master" to Joyce in S3 basically foreshadowed Eddie's 'Master of Puppets' in S4.

S1 and 2 scenes being referenced are "Nancy and Mike's conversation in the bathtub" and "Hopper + Lando Calrissian"

Lots of importance in COLOR CODING and blocking from the final shot of S4, and a good chunk is told in the costuming—like passing the torch from one character to another as their arcs overlap. For example, Hopper and Will share the "am I the curse and therefore putting my loved ones at risk by being near them?" sentiment for S5, therefore their wardrobe in the final shot of S4 is similar. Joyce/Jonathan and Nancy/Mike's costuming also similar for the same reason, whereas Eleven stands out because she's the first one coming into her own this season. The white for her represents shedding of false skins.

Character duos this season will be primarily dressed in colors of blue/green and yellow/red.

There's lots of symbolism and foreshadowing for every character in S5 from the moment Will touches his neck in the last sequence of S4.

S4 focused on themes of lies and miscommunication, and everyone is going to have to work through these lies before they can defeat Vecna.

Murray and Argyle are both back. Dimitri and Yuri don't seem to be in the beginning of the season.

One thing left unresolved with the Russian plot. Something important will happen involving the machine and the green liquid from the Starcourt bunker. Reference of Dustin vowing to die with Steve when they initially discovered it.

Hopper, Joyce, Mike, Will, and El had to be away from Hawkins, otherwise Vecna wouldn't have won.

An important death that they're nervous about given the reception to Eddie (not Joyce or Jonathan—see details below).

Eleven

We'll see her unlike we've seen her before. A badass who doesn't take shit from anyone. Not a Monster, not a Hero, Jane. Think: adult El could be headed for a Charles Xavier type role.

Erica, Lucas, and El will share scenes together.

El has significant blocking and development with many characters this season.

Max, Eleven & Max

The "kaleidoscope of colors" from a script the writers posted makes a feature in both the scene where young El remembers her mother's love in order to defeat Henry in the lab, as well as the scene where El revives Max. This is significant because it's the first time we see El using her powers on someone in a non-violent way.

El was able to revive Max because of she, herself, being revived in the bunker by Brenner and Co. It's a show, don't tell moment from the writers.

Max getting Vecna'd was foreshadowed in the beginning of 2x01.

Will, Henry/Vecna, The UD

Filming was supposed to commence mid-June, but Noah and Jamie were set to begin in May due to more complicated costuming. Will is going to require heavy prosthetics at some point.

Will's character design is blocked in three stages. The more the UD bleeds into Hawkins, the more connected to it he feels. The gates being open will physically influence him, especially when he's not as mentally strong.

He's kind of like "the card up Vecna's sleeve."

It appears they want to confuse the audience about Will.

Will wrestling with his own morality

Henry/Will mirrors. Will will sympathize with Henry because, unlike El, he knows how and what Henry thinks, and he can feel him.

Vecna and Will are very similar, but the difference is Will is made stronger by love not hate. They will play into that duality.

Vecna was nerfed in S4 compared to how we see him in S5. He'll be much stronger.

At the beginning, he'll be taking a hiatus while he plans how to divide and conquer now that everyone's back together in Hawkins.

Soteria will be the key to saving Will. If they want Will to be untraceable to Henry, they'll have to insert it into his neck and it'll be painful. Vecna not having access to Will fucks up his ability to leave the UD.

Byler/Mileven Triangle

Apparently, it's complicated and up in the air as of now.

Mike dealing with guilt this season. He feels guilty/responsibility for El. He feels stuck in a loop that keeps him from a truth he's scared to face.

Will and Mike to spend a good chunk of the season together based on character designs and blocking.

Will telling El that Mike won't like being lied to comes back with the painting. During a pre-time jump scene in 5x01, while everyone's together plotting how to defeat Vecna and brainstorming how to save Max, Mike brings up the painting El commissioned for a D&D analogy. Will has to pull Mike aside and confess he lied about El commissioning the painting. Mike gets angry, because he doesn't know about Will's feelings and feels embarrassed that Will thought he was that pathetic he needed to be given a pep talk. Their own version of a "fight you can't come back from." Immediately after their fight, we get the time skip.

Mike's character motivations are unclear and seem to be kept under wraps. After the time jump, he and El won't be talking as much because he's keeping the details about Will's painting from her. She's gonna ask what's wrong between him and Will, and he lies/is very vague.

Joyce, Hopper, Jopper

Joyce feels immense guilt/responsible over Bob's death since she's the one that asked him to help in S2, which is why she pushed Hopper away at first.

Hopper has a secret from S1 that was never addressed, and it comes back to haunt him.

Joyce sustains an injury in S5 that is reminiscent of the way someone was injured in S3, but it isn't critical and she'll be okay.

Jopper are the most established couple after the time jump. Lots of bickering still, but Hopper trusts Joyce more than he ever has.

Jonathan, Nancy, Jancy

So far, does not seem like a breakup is happening.

Jonathan's still lying about the college letter and distant because of it, and Nancy thinks he's not as into the relationship and that there might be someone else. She confronts him, which leads to a talk. She's touched by the lengths he would go to try and protect her and any of their future children even from himself.

A moment where we're led to believe Jonathan dies but doesn't, like Hopper in S3.

Hopper-Byers Family

These five characters slowly unraveling their arcs together and have always been closely linked. Their perfect endings are together.

We see the family combining, especially in relation to El.

Joyce gets to witness Hopper being paternal and tender towards the boys.

Scenes with Joyce, Jonathan, and Will

Hopper being back lifts a weight off Jonathan's shoulders.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, now time to shine.

''(...) sentiment for S5, therefore their wardrobe in the final shot of S4 is similar. Joyce/Jonathan and Nancy/Mike's costuming also similar for the same reason, (...)''

Okay. How did we see Nancy in S4? Confused. Confused with the love triangle between Jonathan, her and Steve. Jonathan is her actual boyfriend. And Steve is her posible love interest again.

So, putting this in byler language: Nancy = Mike Jonathan = Eleven Will = Steve

If Mike's and Nancy's character's clothing is important at this point of the time line and that means they feel similar feelings, this could mean that byler has a chance. BUT then we read this: ''(...) He (Mike) feels stuck in a loop that keeps him from a truth he's scared to face.'' And

''Mike's character motivations are unclear and seem to be kept under wraps.''

THIS LITERALLY MEANS BYLER. FOR REAL. Like byler could be endgame. Also, remember Eleven's injury in S3? Do you remember the leak of a shoe covered in blood?

It's Joyce. ALSO YOU CAN READ THAT WE'LL HAVE SCENES BEFORE THE TIME JUMP. And here it comes. Look at this freaking hair:

Does this look more like this

or this?

The season 4 bowl cut right? So maybe this is right in some part? I dont know. But that could make sense why Will is wearing Mike's pants, because his clothes were in California by that moment. But i really do think that the pic that was leaked a few days ago is before the time jump.

Im so late with this info haha :) but i kinda think some things here make sense. Even if this is too well explained to be a leak.

[mrsparrasblog]

MAKAROV X PRICE DAUGHTER Pt. 1

I know John Price would be the best Dad on earth but please let the Plot , ploting

Part 2

Your dad loved you; you were really sure he did, just not as much as he loved Tina, your younger sibling. You were the result of a one-night stand he had when he was 16, while Tina was a love child of your dad's new wife. You liked both of them; you really did. They treated you with respect; you stayed in their house while your dad was on deployment. So you couldn't really complain; they even let you stay while you did your apprenticeship, despite that you were over 20 now and full of age, but they made it clear: finish your apprenticeship and you're gone.

Your dad didn't say anything. Well, how could he, since he was always on some kind of mission, to save the planet or world? He was like a real-life Avenger. It just hurts sometimes when he misses certain events like your ballet performance, your appendix operation, your 18th birthday, and your graduation ceremony—the best of the whole year. But who cares about that when you have no one in the crowd to cheer for you?

The worst part? He did make time for Tina. He was at her elementary school graduation, at every birthday, and at her fencing competition, claiming it's not because he likes Tina more; it's just that fencing is more interesting than ballet. You would understand that, right? You were a good, smart girl. Of course, you would understand how important his job is, right? You're not a selfish little lady, he said.

For years, you thought he despised you, maybe because you were the spitting image of your dead mother or because you had the same interests as her but not like Tina. Tina was cool; she did fencing, wanted to join the military, and even got caught smoking weed. Your dad only laughed about this, telling her he did this too when he was young.

You and your dad didn't share the same interest; you liked everything that was hyper-feminine: ballet, pink, makeup, Taylor Swift. And you were becoming a midwife instead of a cool, badass soldier. His only expression was, "Are you sure, sweetie?" Of course, you were sure, and you thought your job was even more badass than his. You helped bring babies into the world; what could be better?

One day, you noticed he did love you. In fact, it was just harder to love someone at 17 than at 30, he said. He cried while saying this, begging you on his knees to forgive him for being such a crappy dad, and of course, you did. His affection and attention were almost like a drug to you; you didn't need weed when hearing "I'm proud of you, sweetie" did so much more to you.

It wasn't a surprise when you started to sleep with older men, craving the care and affection they could provide you with. The same affection you begged your whole life for. When your stepmother found out you got intimate with 40-year-old men every weekend, she told your dad, of course, that she did. And he was furious—more than furious. Giving you a lesson about safe sex—a bit too late for that, innit? And then he told you that he was disappointed in you, and it hurt even more than the neglect you needed to endure your whole life.

You were walking through the streets of Cardiff, enjoying the sight of your hometown; it was beautiful, especially at night. Suddenly, a man bumped into you—correct: the most handsome man you've ever seen in your life. He was tall with dark hair, mesmerizing eyes, tattoos and pale skin, and he was definitely old enough to be your type. Maybe that was the fairytale love story you ever dreamed of.

"I'm sorry, sir; my eyes aren't so strong in the dark."

He kissed your hand like you were some kind of royalty and smiled with the most charming smile. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to apologize," he said with a thick, beautiful Russian accent.

"Thank you, sir."

"Call me Vlad, princess," he said, and you told him your name, to which he replied that it was the most beautiful name he ever heard.

"Let me walk you home, princess. It's dangerous for a beautiful girl like you to walk on her own," he said with a cheeky grin.

"So you're from Russia? How is it there?"

"Beautiful; the nature is stunning. I live in Moscow, and you would love the architecture."

"I bet I would love it. If I have the opportunity to travel someday, I definitely will."

"Where would you go first, princess?"

"Hm, New York or maybe Sydney. No wait, the Alps. Ah, it's hard to decide, you?"

You mumbled while walking on the sidewalk; you didn't know why, but you felt safe like never before. Not even the dogs barked at him; he had this dark presence about him, but how he talked and behaved, letting you walk further away from the sidewalk, lending you his jacket, and caressing your finger with his thumb, made you feel safe and appreciated.

"I was almost everywhere in the world, but if I could decide, I'd say Moscow."

"Doesn't count; you live there." You pointed your tongue at him and threw a giggling fit.

"And who are you to decide this?"

"Like you said, a princess."

"And what does your Highness want?"

"Hm, ice cream."

You went to an ice cream place, both of you picking out an ice cream flavor; he insisted that he pay for your £2 ice like a gentleman, and you laughed.

"You're weird; chocolate-mint ice is a disgrace."

"It is good; taste it?"

"I won't."

You smeared the ice around your plump lips. "You sure don't want a taste now," you said, hinting at a kiss. He smirked and leaned in for a kiss. His lips were gentle, but there was so much passion behind the kiss and so much longing that you immediately moaned, making a fool of yourself. After what felt like hours, you split, trying to catch your breath.

"that was-"

"Intense"

You nodded before pulling into another kiss. The 10-minute walk home took 3 hours since you stopped every second, demanding his attention, and he gave it to you so willingly. You arrived at your door.

"So this is my door."

He kissed you one last time, "Sorry Princess," and then he pulled you into him, holding something against your nose, but before you could react, you were already far gone.

You brought him to your place, Price's house, with what he wanted; he wanted to kill every three of you, make a massacre, and then leave them for Price to see. But you were confusing him; he liked your presence; sure, he was just a man, and he knew you were the type of woman he watched when beating his meat, but normally attractiveness wouldn't affect him, especially not with Price's daughter. But you were nice to him even though you didn't know he was fucking Vladimir Makarov, so his plan changed; he needed to break you or have you and then rub it under Price's face that you were his now.

[acowardinmordor]

while taking a short break from the absolutely insane deadline I'm trying to hit for this project that just got the rug pulled from under us, my brain was thinking about how much we love having Steve captured by people. Usually with Eddie bc unknown bat venom magic or whatnot.

Has anyone captured Steve and Dustin though? I'd normally jump to this post S3, where the russians have Dustin's name, and Steve is there too, but consider if it happens after S2.

Dustin is the loudest human on the planet. Says something or was recognized by someone lab-adjacent. They can't find El, but they know that this kid knows her, and look at him, its not like this child is going to be all that resilient to pressure. They grab Steve with him, as an accident more than anything else. Steve was taking Dustin to do errands, or something. Dustin took too long, Steve came to complain about the delay, Steve ends up in the back of the van too.

And these lab guys would, lets be honest, have killed Steve once they got back to their base bc what do they need this random guy for? Its the kid that knows about the girl.

However, the combination of Dustin never knowing when to shut up, Steve needing to protect Dustin, and the Lab Dudes being vaguely uncomfortable with actively hurting the kid... By the time they're back to wherever they're taken, Steve is the target, and he's actively encouraging it. He's never met El, but he has heard some stories in the last few weeks, enough to make it seem like he knows her. And hey, bonus! He can't actually tell them anything important about her because he doesn't know anything!

Dustin telling Steve to stop talking just ensures that the lab dudes think Steve has valuable information.

It's rough. Vaguely shaped like Steve and Robin with the Russians. And if he was protective of Robin? Yeah, no, there's no way he's going to let them hurt Dustin. he's only known the kid a month or so, but even when Dustin was essentially a stranger, he was down to risk his life for him.

Dustin isn't entirely left alone, but they're not really hurting him beyond incidental stuff. Kid is also smart enough to realize that he does know things they want to know, and that if he tells them, they'll find El, and have no use for Dustin or Steve at all anymore.

For the sake of a plot, lets say that there's a chance for an escape. Its been a month, they're being transported somewhere else, something something, Dustin gets out, and finds the closest cop he can, tells them to call the Hawkins PD, and put Hopper on the phone. He gets back home, and manages to tell El what to look for before Claudia wraps him in a hug and won't let him out of her sight. He can't even pretend he's upset about that btw. Yes, he's scared for Steve, but it was horrible and he's a child, and he's falling apart about it.

And again, plot armor. They're gonna find Steve. He's alive, they get him back. It's been at least another month though. Add in two weeks in a hospital, and two more weeks of recovery at Hopper's place, and... yeah, Steve's not graduating that year.

His parents, who assumed he'd run off with some money and his car since its not like he was going to get into college anyway, sorta wash their hands of him when he comes back. Its not like he can say that a group of G Men kidnapped him to find out what he knows about a little girl with psychic powers. He came back looking like a drug addict to be honest, and they can't be bothered. He's 18 already, so that's that. They're out.

Dustin would be - God. He'd be devastated by that part. Yes, by it taking so long to find Steve, by blaming himself for Steve getting taken too, for how long it will take Steve to recover, for Steve repeating his senior year, but Dustin Henderson finds out that Steve's parents were only back in Hawkins for a couple days to handle paperwork? That would be a gut punch.

I don't know how much he tells his mom, not everything about the monsters, but that the Lab was shady and they thought he and Steve knew something, and tells her that its his fault Steve got hurt, and that Steve kept him safe.

Obvs. That is now her brand new son, Steve Henderson.

And All THIS means that there's not really a fall from grace for 'king steve' He was bruised to hell at the end of Fall semester, and just didn't come back in the spring. Then there were rumors, then he was back, but not in school, and eventually, word went around that he was repeating.

By April, he's recovered enough to be applying for summer jobs. Not sure about Starcourt yet since I don't think I'm cruel enough to torture him twice, and maybe this requires a Steve With Powers situation, but all of this means that the start of the new school year creates an absolutely insane dynamic for Steve and Robin and Dustin and Eddie

[vaxxman]

Oh I'm sad to see people didn't like comic 7, I thought it was very well done.

This isn't an invitation to an argument, I just want to say my opinion because I'm seeing a lot of people criticising the last chapter.

We got a lot of answers and everything that seemed conveniently placed for plot was completely in the scope of how the previous stories have worked before. I thought it was funny that soldier lived in a cave of Australium. It's just as convenient as Medic having a deal with the devil and the mercs being unable to die. Or Grey Mann having a daughter who no one wants to punch in a fist fight. Or Sniper's parents coincidentally being involved with the sinking of New Zealand.

I think it was a very good choice to not let the mercs do anything plot driving in this chapter, because this conflict was never a conflict that could have been ended by the mercs. They wouldn't even have cared, heh. We've known that everything was carefully orchestrated by the Admin, so it could only have been resolved by those who are part of the bigger conflict. Hence Miss Pauling, the Admin and Saxton do most of the plot. Everyone else already had a lot of screen time in the previous chapters, but none of their stories were truly contributing to the actual conflict at hand, so the story can't come to an end until we actually see the person who's been pulling the threads actually come to terms with what she was doing. I'm very happy that her ultimate plan turned out to just be a pointless act of revenge, since we've all known from the start that the gravel wars are pointless. This is just one more dimension deeper into how pointless it is.

Managing to resolve the story and making sure all characters receive a happy end the way they did was more than I had hoped for comic 7. But just to summarise how I think everyone received their peace of mind across all comics:

1. Sniper: Finds out he's adopted -> figures out his step parents were his true family after all

2. Spy: Really wants to tell Scout that he's his dad -> actually manages to say the words, even if he wasn't honest with his appearance

3. Soldier: Delusional hater of commies -> marries a Russian woman and stops claiming racist things, because Zhanna as a person was more important to him than whatever he believed about Russian people. Still weird, not with less delusion but genuinely a sweet father and husband. Exaggerated and maximally silly way of how to actually change people's racist opinions in real life.

4. Scout: Upset that he can't get laid and thinks he has to be More Man -> glows up by becoming a dad who steps up and is less preoccupied with getting the girl of his dreams. His kids are what matters to him now and he becomes like his mom

5. Heavy: Worried about his family in Siberia -> his sisters show him they don't need him to protect them all the time and everyone moves to America so he can be with them. His sisters get to live freely.

6. Engineer: Is involved with the conflict since his grandpa, and is contractually unable to stop it -> tells Miss Pauling to sink all Australium in a trench so this never happens again

7. Saxton Hale: Wants to go back to the time when he was still actively doing things, gets his company stolen -> gets his company back but realises it doesn't make him happy. Leaves his company and joins Maggie again because fighting alongside her was what he's always wanted since we got glimpses of his past

8. Miss Pauling: Thinks the Administrator has a great plan that desperately needs her -> learns the plan was nothing at all and decides on the spot to end it by not giving Admin any more Australium because she realises she has been feeding into the conflict

Medic, Demoman, and Pyro never had a personal conflict to resolve. Medic had his moments to shine by sabotaging TFC and being in hell then coming back. Demoman had his arc with his liver leaving him and defeating the robots due to the alcohol in his blood. Medic scooped out parts of his brain to keep him unquestioning about his eye. Pyro is just a very simple character, and I say that with no judgement at all. Pyro is happy with arson, but also with a Dalmatian as their pet.

Everyone is still friends with each other and have their own little families. They come together to celebrate Smissmass at Scout's place. I think Saxton's last line "or do you want to live forever" was so well placed, being a nod to the meme from Expiration Date, as well as pointing out that, obviously, things have to come to an end we should embrace that ending when we see it's time.

And as always. If anyone doesn't like that any of these things, we are still free to make our own stories and reinterpret characters.

[jayviksidehoe]

Hii, I just came across your masacrik x reader post, it was AMAZINGGG! It’s so hard to find a post on him😭

anyway, I was wondering if I could request a masacrik x playful and disobedient rabbit(ish?) reader smut? Where reader constantly annoys him, only to snicker when he gets angry. So one day he puts her in her place.

Ex: she messes with his tools while he’s experimenting or knocks over important things/Stuff.

(Sorry it’s long, feel free to ignore<3)

HAII THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REQUEST. ILL DO MY BEST

Masacrik x Bunny!reader

Cw: kinky, choking, bottom masacrik later? Bunny!reader. Blood (only a bit). Mention of a dead body, smut with no plot

Msacarik calls reader Zaika as thats a russian term for bunny

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You knew what this man was capable of but you just didn't care did you? There was no fear in you. Just now, you sat in his Lab. He told you thousands of times that you're not allowed in there but at this point he gave up. You were sitting on a little table with all the tools watching what he was doing. He seemed.. mad. No irritated. Which is not a good sign at all. But you? You decided to use that to break him.

-What are you doing to that guy?-you asked, your hand landing on his head stroking his hair gently

-Zaika, stop distracting me. -he growled. At first when you started acting that way he wanted to scare you. But nothing worked so he just had to accept it. For now.

You on the other hand decided to mess with the already angry doctor more. Knocking off his tools from the table just as he wanted to reach for them. He just clicked his tounge loudly, grabbing you by your collar and slamming you onto the operating table as he kicked down the body off there first

-Ah.. masik...-

-Not a word from you. You are going to face your punishment now dear. -the smirk on his face made you shiver.

-Mmhm i hope it wont disappoint me..-you laughed.

That made Masacrik Snap one of his big hands landed on your neck, as the other one was ripping down the fabric of your skirt

You clawed at his hand for a moment but as he lets go he heard a big Yelp from you,

-You enjoyed that didn't you? Needy bitch. -he whispers unbuttoning his pants.

As he got rid of his clothes-and ripped yours apart- you got dragged by your hair to lay on your stomach with your face near his Dick as he was standing beside the operating table. You knew what to do already deepthroating the doctor which made him shiver and moan silently as he grasped your hair.

Mhm~ keep going, such a good girl for Daddy right..,? Oh fuck.. i might forgive you if this keeps up..~

The praise went straight to your crotch as you choked around his length.

Not long after he came down your throat and pulled out. You as the playful little bunny you are you pulled him by his lab coat and kissed him deeply with his cum still in your mouth. As you pulled away his eyes were wide open

-Zaika.. you're digging your own grave..

-Yeah.. but im the only one who can please you till you start crying doctor

Trying to hide the redness on his face He walked around the table to the side where your legs were hanging off grabbing you by them and switching your position so you were laying on your back. His hands keeping your legs open as he slides inside you

-A-ah~ what. Embarrassed..? -You giggled earning a harsh thrust from him

-awhh~ i love it when you're flustered..-you moaned out as his pace picked up.

The Man only scoffed digging his nails into your thighs drawing blood, but you were right. The lewdness of the whole situation. The way you were squeezing around him moaning like a bitch in heat he wanted to breed you so badly the thoughts got him red in the face and almost falling apart. His hands were shaking a bit. He was moaning- no whining as he was getting close

You bit your lip drawing blood from it. As it trickled down your chin you smiled at him

A-ah Masik.. d-dont- not insidee~

You teased him. You knew you had nothing to say but you wanted to get him going even more.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he grabbed you by the neck squeezing. His other hand played with your chest. The sudden lack of oxygen, the pleasure mixed with pain made you cum around him. But what would it be without you making it a big scene?

You moaned and whined his name scratching his hand.

He came right inside you making sure to stuff you good. After that he pulled away. With the intention the end this "session".

But just as he was about to turn away you sat up on the table and with all your might you grabbed him by his lab coat and slammed him onto the flat surface. He looked at you surprised as you sat on top of him hoovering against his crotch

-What its not like only you get to cum twice masik.. also i hope to see some tears from you-

You moaned the lust clouded over your vision you knew this wasn't gonna end well but the doctor seemed pretty...calm?

You unbuttoned his shirt and started kissing his chest. He covered his face. But he didn't push you away. So you kept going. Undoing his pants and rubbing yourself against his lenght. You made such a mess out of his clothes as the cum was dripping out. But the only thing you cared for was to see him overstimulated at this point

-Mnghh~ zaika~ you're going to regret thi- Haah~

He threw his head back as you slid him inside again. Picking up a harsh pace

Noo no-he sobbed- im still se-sensitive hngg!~

You laughed in his face. Seeing him like that made your whole fear of this man disappear.

-You cryiinn? You're acting like a whore,

He started gripping your waist to stop you from moving whining. Tears streaming down his face.

-S-shut up.. oh im bout to- fuuuck...,~

He moaned out as you stopped moving just as you felt him twitching inside you

Wha-why did you stoop...-He was trying to move his hips on his own but his legs were shaking too much

I dont know if you deserve it masik...

-Yes! Yes i do of course i do! I- please im begging you...

It was unusual of him pleading for anything so you granted his request and started moving again as he threw his head back and came crying out your name.

He was so easy to play with you found it amusing.

As you both calmed down you only heard your name. And looking at his face he seemed pretty mad about this whole situation.

Oh what have you done

/////////////////

Bro i would be shivering in my boots

[rinirinisbestu]

Hey hey it's me again, and I'm drawing Robbie in his outfits again!

Hmm let's quickly go through the plot!

The kids are having a dance day, and Stephanie and Pixel want to dance something together and choose the tango! But they both don't know how to dance it!!! So they ask Sportacus for help! But he has to refuse, afraid that he won't be able to teach them alone, and she, Rosita Justdance, comes on stage! Her brilliant plan is to ruin the rehearsal and put Sportacus out of action, but she gets too carried away by the dance, which is why Robbie quickly reveals himself! He is going to run away, but the kids and Sportacus ask him to stay and help learn the dance, and he reluctantly agrees.

I want to say that sometimes it seems to me that Sporty sees Robbie behind the disguise, I like it

As for the costume! It was… difficult… This dress appeared quite rarely and I could not understand what it was for. After listening to the definition he gives it in one episode, I almost exploded, I don’t know how it was in the original, but in the Russian dubbing he says that it’s “Pinkish” BRO IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSELY PINK! In any case, after a long time of fiddling, I still settled on my first option that this dress is for dances like tango! (My friend assumed that it was for flamenco, but there are usually long skirts and they are very important in the dance, so we abandoned this idea) I also didn’t really come up with an application for this scarf (?) hijab (?), so I didn’t draw it, but used a wig from what I understood to be the second version of this costume from the second season.

I really love Pixel, but drawing him is more like torture. For some reason, I’m not good at drawing him. And yes, Stephanie and Pixel are still kittens in love

Okay, I’ve talked a lot, I love you, I hope you liked it and you will have a good day

[taringill]

GUYS, I FINALLY WENT TO SONIC MOVIE 3!!!🎉

It's me with Amy Rose:3

This is my little brother with a Tails:3

It was yesterday, January 18th. Why is it so late? Because I live in Russia-_- The premiere in Russia took place on January 16, 2025💀 Although the premiere in the CIS is on December 26, 2024. But it was the Russian Sonic fans who were unlucky...

Why is the premiere so late in Russia? Because our distributors wanted to make room for our domestic films, so that Russian films would earn a lot of money, and not foreign ones. And they chose the New Year holidays because it is a very profitable period. Yes, it looks pathetic😂 That's how uncompetitive Russian cinema is. Instead of making normal films, they take the place of foreign films🤡 If you've been wondering why I haven't posted anything about the movie for a long time, then here's why...

In short, I LIKED IT!❤️ I was experiencing different emotions and didn't notice how quickly time flew by😭 There were cringe moments and jokes that needed to be cut out... I like that the film has a constant plot and epic! Literally the first 5-7 minutes and there are chases, fights, actions and a plot! There are few unnecessary moments compared to the previous parts. In short, a well-deserved 8/10🫶 At the moment, in my opinion, it's the best movie in this franchise! ABSOLUTE CINEMA!🙌

Sonic movie (2020) - 6/10

Sonic movie 2 (2022) - 7/10

Sonic movie 3 (2024) - 8/10

IT'S JUST MY OPINION!🙏

Today, on January 19th, I watched the movie because I couldn't hold back. But I watched the original movie for Keanu Reeves as Shadow and IT'S PERFECT!

And also😃 Next to my brother and me was a girl, about my age, with a medium-sized stuffed Sonic:3 We looked at each other and laughed. It's funny and fun😅 Sonic fans think the same way😌 At the beginning of the movie, everyone and we both admired Shadow, and when the song "Leave and Learn" started at the end of the movie, she and I were in awe of shock. She took her Sonic and moved his arms as if he were dancing😁 It is very cute🥹 It was funny to watch her violent reactions😂 God, my dear, I understand how you feel🫂 And coincidentally, we sat down together:)) This is clearly fate!😭

My brother said to me, "Do you see, Vika? We are not alone"😂 It was a lot of fun! I will remember this day for a long time and I really want it back!🥲❤️‍🩹

For me, this trip to the movie is really important! Why? It was with the first movie that my acquaintance and immersion in the Sonic franchise began, and I liked the movie so much that I wanted to go to every new movie. And I thought that nothing would stop me, but a war broke out, followed by sanctions😞 I watched the movie at home in poor quality... The Russian dubbing of the film was shown in Kazakhstan. I was so upset then😭 It's only the second movie, and I couldn't go. I prayed that this would not happen with the third film. And I showed the greatest willpower in my life!💪 After the world premiere, I waited a MONTH for the Russian premiere so that the first viewing would be in the cinema. I'm also a fan of going to the cinema😃 I avoided everything related to the film as much as possible. The only spoilers I got against my will were the post-credits scene where Amy and Metal Sonic appeared. And if I was expecting Amy, then I was shocked by the appearance of Metal Sonic!😧 Personally, I didn't expect it...🫣

My younger brother and I will definitely go to Sonic 4 in the spring of 2027😄 I hope nothing's bothering us, PLEASE...😭🙏 When part 4 comes out, my brother will be 12 years old, and I'll be... 19, almost 20🥲

Thanks for reading!<3 Wait for more posts on Sonic movie 3.

[salvadorbonaparte]

2024 in Films - Part III

I watched a lot of stuff again, some even for grad school.

August

Lola Rennt (1998) - banger soundtrack and editing

Vertigo (1958) - the most boring of the Hitchcock films I've seen so far

A League of Their Own (1992) - makes me want to watch baseball

White Men Can't Jump (1992) - did not expect jeopardy to be so important in this film, also loved the fashion

The Fall Guy (2024) - my mum loves the original series so we had to watch this and I had an amazing time

Blinded by the Light (2019) - the dialogue is strange at times but a banger soundtrack (obviously) and some amazing editing, very uplifting and I watched this on my flight to the US btw

Good Will Hunting (1997) - I watched this during my first week in Massachusetts before starting grad school here

Alien3 (1992) - this film says so much about gender, actually

Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears (1973) - taking lots of liberties with Texan history and also surprising homoerotic subtext

September

Causeway (2022) - a film that I originally only found meh but then kept thinking about all the time

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - equally blood libel as the og with an added bonus of cycle of violence, might write an essay about this

Sleepaway Camp (1983) - another horror film that says so much about gender and I could write an entire essay about it

My Best Fiend (1999) - Werner Herzog must be studied under a microscope

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) - not as good as I saw the tv glow imo but asking some important questions about online communities and reality

Jacob the Liar (1974) - the film felt a little too empty but I also don't want to say something negative because I am still angry about a bad review I saw

Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson (2024) - absolutely transformed the way I think about stand up comedy

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - the old lie dulce et decorum est pro patria mori

The Shock (1923) - as ableist and racist as you expect from the 20s but with a great performance from Lon Chaney

Trap (2024) - I actually really enjoyed this, even though I was waiting for an even crazier plot twist

Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (2014) - a documentary that nearly made me cry

Hudson Hawk (1991) - technically a rewatch but I need to speak my truth and it's that I like this film

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - I have so many issues that this would take an entire post or even conference paper

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966) - had me in stitches half the time, I love a good cold war comedy

The Bone Collector (1999) - spooky!

Monkey Shines (1988) - also horror and gender but also silly

Death in Venice (1971) - boring :/

October

UPSIDEdown (2013) - I watched this one twice, once with the director, also had lunch and coffee with him, I had an issue at first with how child protection service is portrayed but that part is apparently real, also he cast a neurodivergent kid, which is awesome

The Master (2012) - I love when men are also poorly trained attack dogs, also can you imagine sending that guy to the cult from Midsommar? Also still haunted by Philip Seymour Hoffman

Like Stars on Earth (2007) - neurodivergent kids need neurodivergent role models!!!

The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) - I have so much to say about this tbh

Farewell Disco (1990) - at first I found this kinda boring but then I was also enchanted by the inclusion of Sorbian culture

The Kangaroo Conspiracy (2022) - just read the books

November

Srikanth (2024) - fairly standard biopic, meanders a bit but solid soundtrack and performance

Innocent Witness (2019) - this one impressed me so much I recommended it to multiple people, also I'm an autistic person who is besties with my lawyer so bonus points for that, I could talk a lot about this too

Hunt (2022) - Probably less confusing if you know more about Korean history, fun plot twist and imo some homoerotic tension

Scarlett Innocence (2014) - tbh I didn't even watch the whole thing because I don't go for erotic thrillers, I just watched the scenes where Jung Woo Sung is a poor little meow meow

Inseperable Bros (2019) - some dialogue was a bit awkward but that might have been the translation, I like that this was about interabled platonic relationships

Remember You (2016) - the first plot twist is predictable as hell but the second one hit me in the face like a brick

The Childe (2023) - Kim Seon-ho has the range (creepy and babygirl) (covered in blood and coughing up blood)

The Good The Bad The Weird (2008) - not only the best western I've ever seen but also one of the best films I've seen this year at all

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002) - very unsatisfying, but in a good way

As We Were Dreaming (2015) - the German answer to banlieu films, a film about the reunification of Germany from a different perspective than you're used to, despite living decades later and in the west I feel like I know these characters

Transit (2018) - the anti Casablanca, a double exposed picture of past and present, a Kafkaesque limbo of bureaucracy and loss of identity

Berlin Alexanderplatz (2020) - long, confusing, too smart for me and I still couldn't stop watching it. There's something very queer about this film too.

Wicked (2024) - I haven't seen the musical but went to see the film with my friend (and her family) and physically went 👀 to her every time something gay happened. I'm sorry I doubted you Ariana Grande.

December

Fly Me to the Moon (2024) - I watched this on a terrible transatlantic red eye flight and it entertained me. Unique concept but predictable execution

Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow (2015) - shout out to the Jewish biker guy handing out free puppies

Round and Round (2023) - Actually a really fun Hallmark holiday film?? And a nice twist on the time loop genre??

Wicked Little Letters (2023) - Very fun to watch on new years eve while tipsy

[graysmiles-world]

Steddie Fake Dating Part 3

Part One, Part Two

Steve chewed slowly on a banana he grabbed from his bag, pacing back and forth as he listened to Dustin’s recording. A type of music played in the background, something ringing at the back of his mind from the melody. 

“What do you think?” Dustin asked, clicking the recording off and settling his hands on his lap. 

“It sounded familiar,” Steve said, eating the last chunk of his banana and speaking through a full mouth.

“What?” 

“The music,” he explained, wiping his mouth free of any stray fruit that may have escaped. “The music right there at the end.” He didn’t know how he knew it, but he definitely had heard it before. 

“Why are you listening to the music, Steve?” Dustin asked, exasperated. “Listen to the Russian! We’re translating Russian!” 

“I’m trying to listen to the Russian, but there’s music-”

Robin burst through the door, eyes darting between the two. “Alright, babysitting time is over. You need to get in there.”

Steve backed away from her, something that he could ignore with Dustin and the Russian rising back up in his chest. The banana he had just finished threatened to make another appearance, only this one considerably more disgusting and accompanied by an embarrassing confession that threatened to ruin his life. 

Robin spotted the whiteboard that they covered in Russian letters and their English counterparts. “My board!” she exclaimed. “That was important information, shitbirds.” Yeah, right. Like her tally of every time Steve tripped and spilled a customer’s ice cream was important information. 

Dustin seemed to agree. “I guarantee you, what we’re doing is way more important than your data.” 

Steve nodded, tossing his banana peel on the table and crossing his arms, standing slightly behind Dustin like he was protecting the kid rather than it being the other way around.

“And how do you know these Russians are up to no good, anyways?” She asked. Dustin looked up at Steve with a quiet accusation in his eyes, mouthing Did you tell her?

Steve shook his head, just as surprised by the fact that she knew as he was. It wasn’t me, he mouthed back.

“Hello, I can hear you,” Robin interrupted. “Actually, I can hear everything. You are both extremely loud.” Dustin and Steve only stared at her, not really knowing what to say. “You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you’re trying to translate, but you haven’t figured out a word because you didn’t realize Russians use an entirely different alphabet. Sound about right?”

She was entirely and completely right. They all stared at each other briefly before Robin lunged for the tape recorder. In a fit of swiftness, Steve grabbed it before she could get her grubby little hands on it. 

“Whoa! What do you think you’re doing?” Steve asked. He clutched the tape recorder in a white-knuckled grip, the pounding of his heart having nothing to do with the Russians or the translation but everything to do with Robin being in there, so close to him. 

“I wanna hear it.” 

“Why?” Steve and Dustin both asked.

“‘Cause maybe I can help. I’m fluent in four languages, you know,” Robin said.

“Russian?” Dustin asked. 

Robin gave a small grin before speaking. “Ou-yay are-yay umb-day.” 

A hysterical giggle burst out of Steve, excitement with apprehensive boiling in his stomach. 

“Holy shit!” Dustin exclaimed. 

Robin cut him off, “That’s Pig Latin, dingus. But I can speak Spanish, French, and Latin, and I’ve been in band for 12 years.” Robin’s gaze met his, and Steve looked away. “My ears are little geniuses, trust me.”

Dustin looked up at Steve, who shrugged. He heard Robin talk to him. “It’s your turn to sling ice cream, my turn to translate.” 

Steve shrugged, taking the out. He let the tape recorder fall to the table, ignoring Dustin’s screech. He knew that Robin had no idea why Steve was acting so insane, but he wondered if she noticed how strange he’d been acting the past few days. He sent one last glance towards Dustin before leaving to the front, letting his mind numb with ice cream slinging.  

Over the next hour or so, he heard Robin and Dustin winding and rewinding certain parts of the tape, Robin slowly figuring out words. He checked on them once or twice but didn’t like being pulled out of his little bubble of taking the order, scooping the ice cream, ringing it up. He turned around to Max and El approaching. He scooped them their orders: strawberry for Max and vanilla with sprinkles for El. 

“Are you even allowed to be here?” he questioned, only to be met with the side glances the two made at each other before they giggled once more and scurried away. Steve just watched them leave with a raised brow. 

Sure, he could hypothetically call Hopper - there was a landline in the back, after all - but Steve did wayyy worse at their age. He was sure that running around a mall was, like, the least dangerous thing to do as a kid.

It wasn’t until the end of the day that it started picking up speed. All three of them, Steve, Robin, and Dustin, walked through the empty mall - out to the main doors. The neon lights of various signs shined across the tile floors, casting strange shadows around them. Steve hung back as Robin and Dustin chatted more about possible translations. They walked past Sam Goody, and Steve swallowed the lump in his throat that appeared almost hourly at this point. 

Steve had gotten Eddie an LP of Dio’s The Last in Line for their four-month anniversary there. It was after he got his first paycheck from Scoops Ahoy! and wanted to do something nice for his boyfriend. Eddie gasped when gifted it, jumping in Steve’s arms and causing him to fall back onto Eddie’s bed. 

It was a happy memory, tinged blue by everything that happened. Steve tore his gaze away from the storefront, eyes drifting to the Indiana Flyer that always played while he was working, kids lining up to ride it. He paused, digging through his pockets for a quarter, the melody from before coming back to the forefront of his mind. 

“What are you doing?” he heard Robin ask from behind him.

“It’s a quarter, I need-” he started, looking over to Robin and Dustin. “Do you have a quarter?”

They made their way over to him, Robin already making fun of him. Thankfully, Dustin tossed him a quarter, and he could shove it in the slot. He perched next to the bouncing horse, ears open for the music. 

“Do you need help getting up, Little Stevie?” Robin asked, but Steve shushed her and Dustin’s chuckles from the little quip. 

“Would you two just shut up and listen?” he asked, gesturing to the ride. Slowly, they began to understand. Dustin first. He whispered a “Holy shit” and set down his backpack to grab the tape recorder. He clicked play, letting the recording play out in the empty mall. Robin’s expression slowly gained an expression of understanding. 

“I don’t understand,” Robin said. 

“It’s the music,” Dustin explained. “It’s the exact same song on the recording.” 

“Maybe they have horses like this in Russia,” Robin proposed. 

“Indiana Flyer?” Steve questioned. “I don’t think so. This code didn’t come from Russia,” he looked up at the other two. “It came from here.” 

Steve looked over the plant, binoculars covering his eyes as he searched the food court for anyone suspicious or Russian-looking.

“Do you see anything?” Dustin asked from beside him. 

“I guess I don’t totally know what I’m looking for,” Steve admitted. 

“Evil Russians,” Dustin told him - like that was all there was to it. 

“Yeah, exactly. I don’t know what an Evil Russian looks like.” He swung his gaze and binoculars to the balcony as Dustin went on about blonds, earpieces, and duffle bags. Mark Lewinsky and Anna Jacob were talking against the railing, Anna brushing aside a bit of Mark’s hair. 

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” he murmured. 

“What?” Dustin pressed. Steve shook his head.

“Nothing, just Anna Jacobs talking with that meathead Mark Lewinsky.” He didn’t want to go into details about why it upset him. Why Mark has someone to care for him and brush the hair out of his eyes caused something heavy to lodge in his chest. It wasn’t the time or the place, and even if it were - Steve wouldn’t have wanted to anyway. 

“Dude, you’re the worst spy in history, did you know that?” Dustin grabbed the binoculars from Steve’s eyes, putting them over his own eyes. Steve was able to get the strap off from around his neck before it strangled him.

“I don’t get why you’re looking at girls. You have the perfect one in front of you.” Dustin said. Steve looked away from the food court, thumbing at his shorts. 

“Seriously, if you say Robin again-”

“Robin,” Dustin said. Steve bit on the inside of his cheek, wondering when it’ll start to scar from chewing on it when thinking about Eddie. Maybe that’ll be good, a physical reminder for his future. 

“No,” he snapped. “Stop.”

“Robin, Robin, Robin,” Dustin repeated, sounding much like the preteen he really was.

“She’s not my type,” Steve murmured. “She’s not in the realm of what my type is.” His type wasn’t Robin. His type was her boyfriend. 

“What’s your type, not awesome?” Dustin asked. God, Dustin would have loved Eddie if they met. Steve knew it. 

Goddammit, he needed to stop thinking about him. It wasn’t doing him any good, but there wasn’t anything but this Russian thing to distract him - a thing that Robin is now a large part of. He wondered when he’d be able to be free of Eddie Munson, or if he’d be forever marked by his hands. 

“What’s up with you, dude?” Dustin asked.

The two of them were sitting atop the stopped elevator, the long stretch of tunnel above them. Erica and Robin roamed about below, and Steve could hear their occasional comments and boxes being moved.

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, avoiding his gaze. The little twerp was perceptive, and he’s seen his heartbroken expression before. And this definitely wasn’t the place to do it.

“You look, like, so lost all the time,” Dustin said. “You’re a completely different person from when I left for camp.” 

“Well, a lot can change in a month,” Steve said, fiddling with his shorts. They were a little dirty from the adventure they’d already been on, and he knew that they’d definitely need a deep clean whenever he got back home. 

“Did you have a summer fling go sour or something?” Dustin asked, getting a little too close to the truth. 

“Something like that,” Steve told him, done with the conversation. He stood up, pulling up the trapdoor and climbing back down before Dustin broke open his chest and analyzed him. 

Robin and Erica were on separate sides of the elevator. Erica looked through her backpack, and Robin searched through the various boxes - presumingly for something to get them out of this mess. Steve wandered over to a little free space between two shelves, pressing his back against the metal wall and curling his arms around his knees. He fell asleep like that, body contorted to find some sort of comfort. 

[justaneedle]

Hey again! I saw a post about you being expelled from school? Gosh, hope you can figure things out and you can finish your education. Times are hard so I hope you have a good support group.

Speaking of support, is there a PJO character you would pick as Luke's romantic partner in a better world without Kronos? You can change their age too since there are not many kids around Luke's age. If not, what kind of female OC could you see Luke being with?

Okay, first of all, thank you for your words, that's really important to hear ❣️

It's going to be a bit messy, but: since we're talking about it, I'm finally ready to express some thoughts about a ship like Bianca di Angelo/Luke Castellan (yeah, it's really a thing, and my two favorite examples are in Russian), because Bianca (as well as Lee Fletcher, Jason (TTC), Silena Beauregard and others, aka every character except the main ones and some others like Nico, Rachel, Thalia and Zoe, who as characters are also inferior, but at least one step ahead) — the basis of the OC right in the universe. They are effectively either devoid of personality at all, or they have just a few strokes instead of the normal motivation and personality.

How interesting it would be if di Angelo sibs had been dragged out of the hotel earlier. Perhaps even separating them in the process (for example, leaving Nico there, but pulling Bianca out), which would give her the opportunity to become independent from her younger brother, but also force her to wade through hardships in the world of the gods, which would eventually make her think that Nico, even if trapped, alone, but at least safe; and for Nico, it's still the same line with the loss of his sister, only more logical. But I'm just talking about how age-up can be logically and interestingly integrated directly into the plot in this case.

So here I will move on to the more interesting part for me — how the dynamics of Luke and Bianca can work. In this case, these are both reflections on the canonical character and the part with OC, since it's based on how I read her few appearances and how I see opportunities for building her character:

• Parallels with Thalia, which would be especially interesting if we consider the time period after she becomes a tree; add points to the fact that Bianca has a connection with the dead.

One of them connected with the sky, while other with the (U)nderworld. Both of them are daughters of the Big Three, older sisters who somehow left their younger brothers, their fathers are more supportive of them than of their sons, both are effectively useless in the universe and even wasted in the same way in the same book — the Hunters of Artemis (ew). Bonus points to the fact that Hermes is a messenger of the gods and under Zeus, and at the same time the psychopomp, a guide of souls to Hades. But whatever.

Obvious similarities and differences will play a role in the opportunity for Luke to reconsider his relationship with Thalia, perhaps identify mistakes that he would not like to repeat, plus it would sucker punch, possibly activating even more unhealthy coping mechanisms that need to be sorted out.

• The opportunity for equality between them. It's something that Luke has never experienced in his life, even while traveling with Thalia, because she was always pulling him along. In the case of Bianca, she would not have sought to lead, because it would have resembled this deep responsibility for Nico (we're setting aside the fact that there are no real prerequisites for this in the book itself, since this is almost the only component of her character and motivation in the canon), but the option of simply following also seems wrong, because she was trying to find something more suitable for her.

• By and large, Luke needs a strong, stable, but not codependent relationship. A relationship where he would be seen as a partner, not a very convenient tool that has no right to his aspirations (literally, the relationship of Thalia and Annabeth to him).

[lafiametta]

I saw a review of Anora that angered me so much I actually screamed at my laptop lol -I've just blocked them now. But so many people on social media (as in people who rushed to be the first to post a review instead of actually thinking about the movie) completely missed the point of what the movie is because they're too focused on what THEY wanted it to be. A lot of people presumed it was a character study about sex work, and that's not what is actually is. The main charcter is a sex worker, there's a difference. While her being a sex worker is important to the film in how Ani is treated by others, the overall plot could work if she was lets say a waitress instead. But people keep saying it's a failure at something it was never trying to be, instead of readjusting their expectations and judging the film for what it is.

This person said the usual 'we know nothing about Anora's desire or thoughts, flat character, male gaze' and it makes me want to pull my hair out. Confession time: that's what I wrote on Reddit when I hadn't watched the film, just read the Wiki summary (it took a while to be released here). I wanted to get ahead and be 'cool'. Then I actually watched the film and was humbled. So many times I read a SM 'review' and think 'they didn't actually watch it' because they spout off the same BS I did. There are so much small details and nuances that you can only get from watching it. And honestly anyone who says Ani is a flat character is a straight up moron, just because we don't know her childhood bff doesnt make her flat ffs.

It's one thing to just not like a film (Sean Baker has said many times his films aren't for everyone, this film just got a LOT more attention than his other film since it won the Palme D'Or) but it's telling that the discourse got more annoying on Twitter when it hit digital and became more accessible. Sorry for ranting lol, had to get it off my chest.

Totally fine, rant away! I don't really do Twitter, so I'm not aware of all the discourse there around the movie, either before or after the digital release. That's probably for the best, as I also tend to get irritated with what I think are bad or unformulated takes. (I also didn't go into this movie with much prep, aside from reading a review in a magazine and going, “Oh, Sean Baker! I loved Tangerine, so this will probably be fun.”)

But, yeah, I think that whoever is saying that Ani is a flat character whose motivations we know nothing about didn't watch the same movie that I did. The girl spends the entire movie strenuously defending and going after what she wants and I'd argue that much of that is propelled by acts of deliberate self-fashioning.

Even her name is a way to define herself (American Ani vs. Russian Anora), and once she marries Ivan, that identity becomes one she wraps herself in again and again as a powerful and protective shield (“I'm Ani,” she introduces herself to Igor. “I'm Ivan's wife”). Notice how she resists when others try to define her as something worthless and dirty (“some prostitute,” “shlyukha,” “disgusting hooker”). I mean, it's reasonable under any circumstances for someone to be aggrieved at being denigrated like that, but for Ani, it's even more important to not let anyone tell her who she is.

(Interestingly enough, for the little that he speaks, Igor is similarly engaged in some clear acts of self-definition, mostly by explaining what he's not: not a gopnik, not a drug-dealer, not a rapist.)

I also think it's telling that the movie never depicts stripping or sex work as inherently degrading; it mostly just looks like another job (albeit one that takes a lot of work) and the only people using it as an insult are those that aren't part of it.

But you're right: the movie is about a sex worker, even though it's not necessarily about sex work. I think it's really about self-creation and fighting for the dream of that creation. That's what makes it more of a universal story, and why Ani is a character who we root for and want to see come out on top, even though as the movie progresses it becomes more and more clear that she's not going to get the fairytale ending she hoped for. What she does get at the end is a singular (and raw) moment of self-recognition and vulnerability, but whether or not that's something she ever really wanted is probably a topic for another post.

[soviet-supersoldier]

So, the new Ultimate Wolverine comic that came out this week has given us a little bit of Omega Red along with Colossus and Magik. It's not much, far less than I expected, the comic and its structure and basic plot reminding me a great deal of the plot for Wolverine Revenge, and not in a very positive way. We're only given the most basic of information to set things up, and very little clues are given to us about the Triad that Omega Red, Colossus, and Magik make up.

All we learn about their background is provided here. Nothing that explains how they came to power. Nothing that explains why Omega Red, who is not related to the Rasputins in any way whatsoever, is with them. How did they meet? How did this all get established? We aren't told. Omega Red is just kinda... there. Hanging with the Rasputins for some reason. We have no way of knowing how and why they get along with each other and split power three ways like this. It was something that I was hoping would get explained. But it didn't. The Russian mutants are all working together for unexplained reasons and are evil because the plot demands they should be. Someone has to be the villain, after all, why not them? It's just accepted as the reality of the world, and we're not supposed to question it. But, since I'm reading this story for Omega Red primarily, I'm questioning it. My blog is about following Arkady’s character, after all. Not Logan’s. I'm interested in how his story fits into all of this and in this new world. And so far, I'm left rather disappointed by how little has been revealed.

Perhaps this will get explained in an upcoming issue, but I do doubt it. This story seems much more interested in establishing things in the present day, not the background, and characters that are predestined to die won't get time wasted on fleshing them out. This is a Wolverine comic, after all, and there's only 12 issues. I don't see much for worldbuilding that will happen here beyond the basics to serve Logan’s story. If this comic subverts my expectations in that regard, I will be surprised. After being burned one too many times by Wolverine comics (and especially with what they end up doing here in the story to Kurt), I'm keeping my expectations low.

Back to Omega Red, we see him with the others here talking about Logan. This is the only dialogue Arkady has in this issue. The most noteworthy part is with Arkady saying, "I like him," with regards to Logan. I assume he likes him due to his ferocity and ability to survive. Logan likely reminds him a lot of himself.

There is one other thing that I do want to note here that I don't think anyone else noticed, but I'm going to talk about it. When the doctor begins to talk about what Logan survived before he was brought here, Arkady comments, "Impressive," to which Colossus asks if he is jealous. I think this is an important piece of dialogue as it establishes something about Arkady’s healing abilities in this universe: it's not as strong as Logan's. Just from the dialogue, we can guess that Arkady is much like his 616 counterpart and can take a lot of damage. But, apparently, this universe has the dynamic between Omega Red and Logan shifted a bit because Logan is the stronger one here, not Arkady. His healing factor is being established to be better than Arkady’s. Does his overall age have something to do with it? Once again, we don't know. We're working with scraps here.

We get a couple other panels of Arkady, showcasing the Constrictor-style tentacles that he had in the previous Ultimate Universe, which I've personally never been a fan of. Are they organic ones like that previous universe had? Again, not sure, but if he does, that again is setting him up as weaker than Logan in this story. Logan can actually, realistically, cut through them without breaking immersion in this story. Omega Red in this universe is being set up to be very killable. I do at least have to appreciate the work done to establish that. Unlike what Wolverine Revenge did.

And that's it for Arkady, just more panels of him standing with Colossus and Magik looking menacing and evil. As I said before, I doubt any of them will get much depth, they're being set up as the big bads Logan has to kill. They are going to be dead by the end of this 12-issue run. I've seen it before, and I will be very surprised if this story subverts my expectations and actually does something different with its premise.

Instead, I expect it to run in similar fashion to the plot structure of Wolverine Revenge. We've seen the basics of it already: 1. Establish a dystopian world where bad things happen for everyone. 2. Kill an established character quickly to drive stakes and provide Logan angst and motive (Wolverine Revenge did this with Captain America, and Ultimate Wolverine did it here with Kurt). 3. Revenge. Everyone dies except for Logan, and he goes off to whatever comes next for his character.

So, if you are coming into this story for Logan, you will be highly entertained. It's dark, tragic, and somewhat reminiscent of the Weapon X-style of stories. If you are going to be picking up this story because you heard your favorite would be appearing: beware. They already killed Kurt to drive the plot. The writers are not pulling their punches and will likely kill plenty more beloved characters to tell their story. Gambit and Kitty are set to appear in this story next. I highly doubt they will live ( I would love to be proven wrong, but again, I've seen this plot before). This is a Wolverine story first and foremost. It is dark, tragic, and filled with horror. People will die as they're not protected by the status they have in 616. And if you are a fan of any member of the Triad, Omega Red, Colossus, and/or Magik, my heart goes out to you if you expected more and better for your favorites. But as the villains of a Wolverine Revenge-style story, they won't live. This series is a tragic tale. There will be no happy endings here. Unless something changes in this basic story structure I'm not expecting, this will not end well for anyone. Wolverine will have his revenge.

[stick-ball]

What would make for easier life for Neil? Living on the run with his mother(canon) or staying in Nest for few years ?

Okay listen, im sorry, but Neil's level of woobification is the sole and only reason i cannot respond to this in depth without retching blood. The only way the girlies will get me is over my dead body. So, instead I offer you this:

To cite a classic, Neil is gonna be fine either way. The kind of spirit he has will prevail what life throws at him, he's got the nerve and sheer determination to limit his focus at will, to imitate and conquer. Both paths will be dark, but neither will be stronger than his spirit.

Because his true and sole horror is Nathan.

So, instead of crying over the delusional, sociopathic, murderous psycho (can you feel the love?) that is Neil Abram Josten, I want to consider what would change for others if he ended up at the Nest.

Andrew- that ship would probably never set sail, so there's that. I am not gonna go all teary eyed over this bcs the last thing I wish on Andrew is the Nest tbh.

Jean - would have a partner, he wouldn't be the cast aside to both the Ravens and the Sons of Exy at once. That would mean more nerve, less suicidal thoughts.

Kevin - is more likely to end up dead than with a broken hand but that's bcs he's not important to the plot anymore in this scenario. Alternative is if he ends up maimed and running to daddy he most likely ends up in a relationship with Andrew instead, but it does not last because they are eachother's destructive tendencies.

Riko - oh this is my favourite can of worms. Because of Neil's uncontrollable attitude problem and ultimate daddy issues Riko would have a someone to butt heads with instead of slap around. Think what that would do to him. Neil gets so much extra angst points for the fact he is a first born son. He's like an amplifier and balm to Riko's issues at once. Does that mean he has a chance to be better? Does it mean he is worse? Thats a game of russian roulette! I love even the odds end up in this scenario though!

Nathan and Mary - more likely than not Nathaniel ends up an orphan sooner rather than later. I would say more but I think your imagination will paint a similiar picture.

The Foxes - well, Seth is alive, I think that's a happy ending?

[gophergal]

I know fuck all about tf2 except for character names. Most I got is you and a few other mutuals posts, and they're 10/10. How does the game..... work exactly? Like is there plot? Is it first person shooter sort of thing? Is there a tf1?

I could google it but that's not nearly as fun

OH BOY GET READY FOR THE B I G R AM B L E

WHAT THE FUCK IS TF2?

It's a team based first person shooter published by Valve (of portal and half life fame) in 2007 with nine classes to choose from, each with strengths countered by other classes (for example, the Spy is often a counter against the Sniper and Engineer. Respectively, by picking off the Sniper with a quick, stealthy backstab or by destroying the Engineer's machines). The game has been free to play since 2009 (i think. grain of salt please), and has a healthy playerbase to this day, aside from the bots. But not every tf2 fan actually plays the game. I play sometimes, but mostly just rotate the characters in my brain like a microwave burrito.

It is ALSO, however, a multimedia franchise. Aside from the game, which shows off worldbuilding and characterization through the environment and character dialogue (as well as the update announcement flyers on the official blog), there are also animated shorts and comics created by Valve that further flesh out the world and characters of TF2. Frankly, I think you should give the Meet The Team shorts a go if nothing else. They're iconic. It's hard to pick favorites, but I'm partial to Meet the Medic (obviously), Meet the Engineer (which I can quote verbatim), and Meet the Sniper.

Broadly, the world and aesthetics of TF2 are based on 60's/70's cold war thrillers and spy movies. Think James Bond and the Manchurian Candidate. These impeccable vibes are then wrapped neatly in a cartoony artstyle that wasn't common at the time (and arguably still isn't. I'm pretending that fortnight doesnt exist, as is custom). On a related note, the soundtrack FUCKS SEVERELY. Like. They just DO. They have influence from Jazz, Funk, and miltary marching songs, with more specific influences for individual characters (ex: country western for engineer, polka for medic, and bagpipes for demoman)

An important thing to note is that every class is a play on some stereotype from the movies that inspired the vibes:

Heavy Weapons Guy is a husky ruskie and a man of few words, but he has hidden depths. He's a family man, most importantly, and has been supporting and protecting his mother and younger sisters since his father was killed when he was a teenager. He has a close bond with the Medic and speaks highly of the Engineer ("Engineer is credit to team!"). In a debatably canon piece of dialogue from TellTale's Poker Night At The Inventory, he is revealed to have a PhD in Russian Literature.

Engineer is a texan with 11 PhDs in hard science. He exudes southern hospitality and seems like the most sane man on the team. He also takes great joy in the death and destruction his weapons cause, and ALSO helps the Medic in performing deeply unethical experiments that go against the laws of nature for curiosity sake. He's the third in a line of engineers, btw, and his grandfather basically conquered death. Which isn't super relevant, but I feel is a good lead in to some of the wackier elements of this world I would like to mention.

And every character is like this to some degree. Some more so than others- Soldier is basically just "how american can a man be before it starts impacting his mental health" and Pyro is unknown in terms of nationality, gender, and background

TF2 has a plot by the way! Yes, there is a reason for these many dudes in funny hats to be fighting. They are fighting over gravel. Yeah. So, these two brothers are fighting over land willed to them by their father (who died in the 1890's) which is largely useless aside from having a lot of gravel. Their names are Redmond and Blutarch Mann, and they're the ceos of their own corporations. Reliable Excavation & Demolitions (RED) and Builder's League United (BLU) respectively. They each hired mercenaries to fight a proxy war for them with the goal of owning it all. All the while, a third party, The Administrator, has been playing both sides of the Gravel War to keep it going as long as possible. Why? It's a mystery...

RAPID FIRE TF2 WORLDBUILDING BULLSHITTERY BE UPON YE:

(most of this is just stupid shit that was made up for Pure Random Funny HaHa and has very little bearing on the plot, but tells you a LOT about the tone of the franchise)

Rocket Jumping (that is, shooting a rocket propelled grenade at your feet and crouch-jumping at the same time to launch yourself into the air) was a technique pioneered by Shakespearicles, the STRONGEST POET TO EVER LIVE. He also invented the concept of a Second Floor in a building

Btw, stairs were not invented when the second floor was invented. I want you to take a wild guess how people got to the second floor before stairs were invented. (hint: it involves explosives)

Stairs were invented by Abraham Lincoln. He died due to rocket jumping up said stairs which caused him to accelerate rapidly into a wall. He was also the first Pyro in the 1890s.

New Zealand sank below the ocean sometime in the 40's. By which I mean it was intentionally sank because a Jor-el knockoff believed that the world was ending and that going underwater was the only way to save the nation.

CisMpreg exists. This fact is Medic's fault.

OK But What About Team Fortress 1?

So, its. Not complicated but it's not exactly simple. Quick answer, the original TF game has nothing to do with TF2. Team Fortress was originally a mod for the game Quake and has the same basic gameplay premise as it's successors (team based FPS with 9 classes) and quite a few maps have actually been remade for TF2. It was released in 1996, so, as TF2 was taking A Very Long Time to complete, Valve released a sort of... updated version that was meant to hold fans over. It uses the half life 2 engine, I believe, and was released in 1999. It is called Team Fortress Classic and it's only a LITTLE confusing to research I swear.

TFC takes place in the same universe as TF2, but in the 1930's instead of the 60's. Ignore the scifi/modern looking tech. Don't worry about it. This has no bearing on TFC, really, because it was only confirmed in one of the comics released in 2014. The TFC team matters to the comic plot, but is otherwise kinda just. there. Like, they only exist in the Mann Co No More story line and otherwise just exist.

Fun fact: TFC (the game) was updated to change the ingame class models to more accurately represent the appearance given to them in the comics.

For example, look at the glow up given to the TFC Medic! (original on the left, updated on the right)

In Conclusion:

I will be surprised anyone actually reads all of this, but that is my rambling summary of what in the fuck TF2 is. To be fair, the game is richly detailed but also kinda sparse at the same time. Its all vibes and interpretation my dude. Honestly I think what has made TF2 so popular and long lasting (lore wise) is related to what early FNAF games had going on