#kevin day: int.

[lovekindled]

care, sender takes care of receiver when they're sick drunk. andrew + kevin

he'd grown accustomed to andrew's presence by his side, such a common fixture over the last year that it was becoming increasingly difficult to conceive what their deal meant now that a new one had taken place. riko's death was supposed to mean freedom, a weight lifted off his shoulders, though kevin was so used to the lack of air that he still found it hard to breathe. with an entire bottle of vodka serving as a means of succor, the only thing he wants is to drown every single concern and focus on what actually mattered. they might've won now, but a new season was approaching and they still were a weak team. the ravens might be fractured, that didn't mean the foxes weren't either. it becomes undoubtedly clear that none of that is happening tonight, as he stumbles into his room and almost trips with a discarder pair of shoes. “ fuck. andrew, you don't — i'm fine. ” if kevin slurs his words a little bit, he's none the wiser. the same gaze that used to feel comforting and protective now only makes him feel strained, out of sorts. they'd all seen him drunk before, but this felt worse somehow, knowing how all of his teammates were celebrating the raven's defeat and riko's death while he tried to process the changes without making it seem like he cared. he didn't. “ just go back. i'll stay here. there's no need for you to look after me anymore. ” if it nearly sounds bitter, kevin would deny it. he was finally free, except dealing with emancipation had never come easily for him.

⁽  ⠀  ♡  ⠀  ⁾ ⠀  actions speak louder than words   ,   not accepting.

[seiya234]

*hits fantasy blunt* what if Henry grew up with Mabel and Dipper, that would be weird, right, anyway thank you to @soulsinshadow who inspired this and @marypsue who i'm pretty sure i texted about this once or thrice.

---------

The year after the Transcendence, Wendy’s dad got a call. Tyler had picked up the phone, gone pale, then turned to Wendy and said “Go get your Dad- now.”

Dad had never gotten in the habit of carrying a cell- the service in the forest was too spotty, even after all these years- so this meant Wendy had to get in the golf cart and start looking for him.

Tyler was still on the phone when they got back an hour later. He handed the phone to Dad without even a peck on the cheek.

Her father listened. Two minutes in he said, “Yes, of course, bring him here.” He looked at Tyler, who nodded. “Talk to my husband. He can handle the logistics.” Dad practically threw the phone at Tyler, then rushed outside. Wendy went to go follow, but Tyler gently grabbed her arm. “Honey, not right now.”

Outside, her father screamed out load, a roar that shook the windows of the house. Wendy turned to look outside the kitchen window just in time to watch her father uproot a twelve foot pine tree, throw it to  the side, before collapsing to the ground, deflated.

From behind her, finally off the phone, Tyler said. “I’ll take care of him Wendy.”

(left unspoken was ‘That isn’t your job anymore.’ Wendy appreciated it more than she ever could say.)

“Why don’t you get the spare room ready, if you please?”

“For how long?”

Tyler looked outside, at his heartbroken husband. “For good, I think.”

Two days later, Wendy’s cousin Henry came from the hospital to live with them.

It was a weird time, a limbo time.

There were two Stans now. Soos decided to leave town for a bit, to see the world and move in with Melody (though Wendy had a feeling they’d both be back). She figured out that while boys were fun to play with, really though, she liked girls. Tambry and Robbie were still going strong which she was pleasantly surprised about. She still worked at the Shack but the wind had gone out of Stan’s sails which meant the wind had gone out of the Shack’s sails and it all felt sad and diminished.

Above all, there was a Mabel and Dipper shaped hole in town. They should be in Gravity Falls- hell, even as someone as insensitive to all this weird magic shit as Wendy could feel the ache of the town, the loss sucking like a black hole.

But they would be back. She knew it.

And then there was Henry.

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

No one told her how Henry had ended up in the hospital, and Dad had actually pulled her aside to tell her not to ask. As someone who had been the deputy adult in the house for many years, Wendy was a little miffed at first to not know, but that died the day she met her cousin for the first time, all long limbs far too skinny, and hollow eyes and little round burns still healing.

(Years later, Wendy finally found out what Rita and Arnold had done, to send Henry to the hospital and them to jail.

She gave Dipper a snickers bar each, to make it look natural.)

----------

Henry was a Corduroy all right: red hair, freakishly tall, looked good in plaid.

He read. A lot. He was at the library every other day practically. It was summer vacation, but Wendy had a feeling Henry would do okay in school. He probably wouldn’t have a lot of friends, but neither would he get teased. He was surprisingly good at the house chores, slipping into dish and living room rotation seamlessly. Thankfully he wasn’t a weird fundie like Aunt Rita and Uncle Arnold- Kevin asked the first week if they needed to say grace, for Henry.

Very quietly, but very firmly, Henry said, “No.”

It was the first thing that he had said since he moved int. He proceeded to not say another word for the next eight days.

It was okay. Wendy could be patient, when she wanted to. As a child she would wait for hours, hands outstretched, until birds would finally land on her fingers and eat the seed cupped in her palms.

This was just basically a larger bird.

--------

He read. He helped Dad with the trees, even though it left him pale and shaking with exhaustion when he got back to the house. He took long walks in the woods by himself- sometimes as the mood took him because he would occasionally forget to put on his shoes before leaving. He began to speak, though still only a sentence or two- simple, polite, phrases, nothing more.

But she waited, and she waited, and final, one day as they were cleaning up after dinner, Wendy casually said, “You don’t have to go out with Dad, you know?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Out in the woods. I mean, Dad won’t say no to the help and you get a cut of the score but-“

“Wendy, I apologize for interrupting, but did you say that I get… a portion of your dad’s pay?”

She couldn’t help but start a bit. “Uh yeah? You’re out there helping, of course dad will throw you a bone. He doesn’t get paid until next week but I’m pretty sure you’ve earned at least a hundo-“

“Hundo?”

“… hundred or two hundred dollars.”

“Oh.” It was odd, for someone as big and tall as Henry, to have a voice so soft and quiet. “But… I don’t have to?”

“Nah.” Wendy was going to go on a bit more, but then she looked at Henry, looked at how pale he was.

Realized that he wasn’t shaking and sweating when he got home from lumberjacking because he was tired.

“No one is going to force you to do something you don’t want to do here, Henry,” she finally managed to say.

“The Bible says to honor thy mother and father.” Henry paused. “The brother of thy father I guess but the point still stands.”

“But do you still believe that? Like, really?”

He was deadly quiet. But finally he said, “No.”

Without warning, Henry got up and went outside- again without shoes.

But he began to talk more after that.

[ladyironsky]

Rewatching one of my favorite childhood movies, Tremors, a b horror movie starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward about underground monsters that hunt by sound, and I want to talk about a specific character.

Specifically the main female lead and love interest to Kevin Bacon’s Valentine- Rhonda Lebeck.  For a movie made in 1990, Rhonda is a surprisingly feminist portrayal of a female lead (like Laura Dern’s Ellie in Jurassic Park).

Rhonda is a student studying seismic activity in the isolated town of Perfection, Nevada and is constantly acknowledged, by every character int he movie including (and especially) the men, as the smartest person in town.  They constantly ask her opinion and respect her intelligence and never question the fact that a woman is smarter than they are.  Any time she has an idea it is never question because she is a woman and she never has to do that not-really-feminist-a-woman-must-prove-herself thing movies to this day still do.

There is one scene about halfway through the movie where Rhonda gets tangled up in barbed wire and must take off her pants in order to escape the monster dragging her into it’s mouth using said barbed wire.  The scene is in no way played as sexual, or a gratification scene for the men watching the movie.  any close up of Rhonda is shot from the waist up and we only see her bare legs in wider shots meant to showcase the monster, not her half-nakedness.  the only time we see a closeup of her bare legs is when her wounds are being tended to, it only lasts a few moments, and you can see that she has hair on her legs.  Which took me a few re-watches to notice but I feel added to the non-sexual take on her bare legs, as even to this day women in movies and tv are always shaved as smooth as dolphins.

She also dresses appropriately for the situation she’s in- hiking boots, cargo pants, long sleeved shirt.  Earlier in the movie she wears shorts that aren’t halfway up her ass.  She dresses for doing fieldwork in the middle of the desert and the filmmakers didn’t take it as an opportunity to have her parading around in short shorts and a bikini top like some movies have done to female characters in horror movies.

I just like how Rhonda is treated like a character, not just a two dimensional love interest.  The relationship between her and Valentine is also really sweet and it’s revealed in later movies, that neither character appear in, that they get married and have a daughter together (although it is implied in later movies the two have gotten divorced).

Just a solid character and one of my favorite female characters in a movie.

[xirayn]

Stonathan Week Day 2: Roommates - Slightly inspired by the video of Charlie Heaton and Joseph Quinn at an Arctic Monkeys concert together.

Steve overhearing Jonathan mention a one-night stand while playing Animal Crossing with Argyle gets him to ask the big question on his mind.

Do I Wanna Know?

written by @xirayn and @aibhlynn

Trying something new by writing screenplays rather than short stories. Feedback on this format appreciated.

INT. APARTMENT – JONATHAN’S BEDROOM – EVENING

A bedroom with a mix of modern and retro decor. It is lived in, but not cluttered. There are posters for the Arctic Monkey’s ‘Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino’ and ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ on the wall. A record player is set on a cube shelf with a milk crate of vinyl records beside a desk with dual monitors. A Nintendo Switch is set up in front of the smaller monitor. JONATHAN is leaned back in a computer chair with a gaming headset on and a controller in his hand. ANIMAL CROSSING is on the screen with characters that are obviously JONATHAN and ARGYLE fishing. JONATHAN’s character pulls up a horse mackerel.

JONATHAN

Great, another horse mackerel. They're barely even worth selling.

ARGYLE

(Through the headset)

Dude, catching the fish is not the goal.

JONATHAN

Maybe for you. I need a surgeon fish for my museum.

ARGYLE

You should have asked me, brochacho. I have, like, five of them in storage.

JONATHAN

That feels like cheating.

ARGYLE

If you say so, my dude.

On the screen, ARGYLE pulls up a moray eel. 

ARGYLE

Score!

JONATHAN’s character gets another bite. It is an anchovy.

JONATHAN

Damn it.

KEVIN, an orange pig in a blue sailor suit complete with hat, comes on screen to seemingly watch them. ARGYLE laughs. JONATHAN glowers.

JONATHAN

Stop judging me, Kevin.

ARGYLE

Dude, are you still pining over Steve?

JONATHAN

I am not, nor was I ever, pining over Steve. I have Olivia around here somewhere for Nancy.

ARGYLE

If you say so, dude. Though, if you aren't looking to knock boots with that fine specimen of a man, I'll gladly take him off your hands.

JONATHAN

You and everyone else. He's out on another date tonight. He even wore his ‘lucky jeans’ that show everything.

ARGYLE

Man, my dude, for someone who says they aren't jealous, you sure are crushing the vibe with your jealousy.

There is a pause filled by the sound of ARGYLE taking a drink. 

ARGYLE

Or is this about Eddie?

JONATHAN

What?

JONATHAN misses reeling in another fish.

JONATHAN

No. This isn't about Eddie. That was - It was just a hook-up after the concert last Saturday. And I'm not jealous or stuck on the fact I was supposed to go to that concert with Steve.

ARGYLE

My dude, your voice does not match your words. It's clear as day, you are hard for Harrington. Why did he miss the concert, anyway?

JONATHAN

A bachelorette party came into the bar when they were already slammed, so he offered to stay.

The fishing rod JONATHAN’s character is using breaks. JONATHAN puts his controller on the desk and scrubs his hand over his face.

JONATHAN

Fuck.

ARGYLE

Fuck because you banged Eddie and not Steve?

JONATHAN is quiet for a long moment, simply staring blankly at the screen. He finally heaves a sigh.

JONATHAN

(Quietly)

I don’t know. Maybe?

ARGYLE

If you could do it over again, would you pick Steve?

JONATHAN

If it wouldn’t mess up our friendship and my living situation or make my life extremely awkward?

JONATHAN hesitates before shaking his head and picking the controller back up.

JONATHAN

Yeah.

JONATHAN misses the sound of the door opening as STEVE comes home early. The LIVING SPACE of the open concept apartment is an eclectic mix that shows STEVE and JONATHAN have been sharing space for a few years. The large flat screen, a graduation gift from STEVE’s parents, is a prominent feature. There is also a record cabinet full of vinyls with a Fisher MC-4550 stereo and a bookcase with authors like Vonnegut and Gaiman. STEVE looks tired and irritated as he takes his shoes off to throw in the closet before heading to his room.

ARGYLE

You worry too much, my guy. Stop being indecisive or worrying he’ll be all weird about your fling with Eddie and get sloppy with your hot roomie.

JONATHAN

It was a drunk one-night stand, not a fling.

STEVE stops outside the partially open door, having heard JONATHAN say ‘drunk one-night stand’. He frowns, then looks guilty and decides to go get a drink from the kitchen where it will be harder to hear JONATHAN.

ARGYLE

One-night stand, fling, either way you boned the metalhead, man.

JONATHAN

I know that, flight just sounds like it was something more than sex.

ARGYLE

Fair

ARGYLE starts running his character in random patterns around JONATHAN’s character, who is doing idle animation as JONATHAN simply holds the controller.

ARGYLE

Was he at least good?

JONATHAN

He knew what he was doing.

ARGYLE

Come on, bro, give me the details of your sordid encounter with the guy across the hall. Eden will want a play by play and I have to please my goddess.

JONATHAN

My sex life is not your foreplay.

STEVE knocks over his cup when his attempt not to eavesdrop fails. Water spills over the tile as the cup clatters on the floor. The sound is loud enough that JONATHAN takes his headset off and turns his chair toward the door.

JONATHAN

Steve?

JONATHAN sets his headset on the desk and pokes his head out of his room. STEVE freezes as if he just got caught doing something wrong.

JONATHAN

How long have you been home?

STEVE

A few minutes.

STEVE grabs the cup and puts it in the sink before taking off his wet socks. He puts them on the floor after looking around to decide an acceptable spot and grabs a dish towel.

STEVE

She stood me up.

JONATHAN

That’s rough – Have you eaten yet?

STEVE

No. I came right home when I realized my date was a no show. Have you?

JONATHAN

No. I was going to warm up some leftover, but we can order a pizza. Let me just tell Argyle I’m done for the night, then I’ll clean that up while you put the order in.

STEVE

Okay. The usual from Enzo’s?

JONATHAN

Sure.

JONATHAN goes back into his room and puts the headset back on. He picks the controller up to log off.

JONATHAN

I’m done for the night. I’ll talk to you later, man.

ARGYLE

(In a teasing sing-song)

Have fun, dude.

JONATHAN goes to clean up the spill. STEVE is heading to his room in the background on the phone as he puts in his order. Once JONATHAN is done, he sits on the couch. STEVE emerges from his room shortly after in gym shorts and a tank top.

STEVE

So, did you have fun with your mystery guy?

JONATHAN

You mean the one-night stand I was talking to ARGYLE about?

STEVE

Yeah.

STEVE drops onto the couch and stares at the ceiling. JONATHAN looks at him thoughtfully

JONATHAN

I guess.

There is a long moment of silence. STEVE is obviously debating something while JONATHAN waits for his response. When STEVE finally speaks, he sounds small and keeps his eyes on the ceiling.

STEVE

Why him and not me?

This is very obviously not what JONATHAN was expecting for STEVE to say.

JONATHAN

What?

STEVE sits up enough to look at JONATHAN.

STEVE

Why him and not me? Fuck, dude, I've been trying to gauge your interest for months by wandering around shirtless in those side split shorts I wore to Pride last year.

JONATHAN

I thought that was because of the heat!

STEVE

At first, sure. Then I noticed you staring and thought maybe you were interested, so started doing it more, but you never said anything.

JONATHAN

Of course I didn't! We've been friends since high school. I'm not going to risk that for sex.

STEVE

(Quietly)

Not just sex.

JONATHAN

(Shocked)

What?

STEVE

It won't be just sex. At least, not for me.

JONATHAN

(Cautiously)

Me either.

STEVE laughs and shakes his head. JONATHAN joins him after a beat.

STEVE

Shit. We're both dumb.

JONATHAN

Yeah.

STEVE and JONATHAN look at each other with matching fond smiles. STEVE starts to move in, but JONATHAN’s smile falls and he shrinks back.

JONATHAN

It was Eddie.

STEVE stops. He doesn’t move back, though his smile is replaced by a look of confusion.

STEVE

Eddie across the hall?

JONATHAN nods.

STEVE

The same metalhead who drives you crazy by playing his music too loud?

JONATHAN

Yeah.

STEVE

When?

JONATHAN

After the concert last week. You couldn’t go, and I didn’t want to go alone, so I asked him.

STEVE sits back and rakes his fingers through his hair. He frowns.

STEVE

Yeah, okay. I can see why. Honestly, I’ve thought about it myself, I just – It kind of hurts that it wasn’t me. I’ve been pining after you for months now.

JONATHAN

It didn’t mean anything. We had a few drinks at the concert, then shared a joint after and – 

JONATHAN shrugs.

STEVE

You don’t have to explain anything. I still wish it had been me, though.

JONATHAN

Maybe next concert if you don’t cancel on me.

STEVE leans in again, his voice taking on a teasingly seductive tone as he gets as close as he can without actually invading JONATHAN’s space. Everything about his body language invites JONATHAN to close the distance between them. JONATHAN appears unfazed.

STEVE

Are you seriously going to make me wait?

JONATHAN

At least a first date.

STEVE laughs. His phone rings and he picks it up.

STEVE

Challenge accepted.

(Answers phone.)

Hello. Yep. I’ll be right down.

STEVE hangs up. He heads for the door, opening the closet and putting on some flip-flops. Before he leaves, he turns back to JONATHAN.

STEVE

How about right now? We can do dinner and a movie.

JONATHAN rolls his eyes with a fond smirk.

JONATHAN

Fine, but you have to actually pay attention to the movie, and I’m not answering any questions until after the credits.

STEVE

Deal.

There is a smutty continuation to this that I was not able to edit in time. The entire thing will be up on AO3 when I get to it.

[kmze]

I was on reddit the other day and I saw some people say that Plec had complete control over tvd s4 onward along with Dries and that's why plots like sire bond happened.I thought Plec was the sole showrunner of tvd during s3 when KW was gone even though he was credited as executive producer.In fact,I have also heard Plec and Kevin both decided to introduce the sire bond plot in s3 through Tyler because they wanted to sire Elena once she transitioned.Is there any truth to any of those claims about Plec?I don't think Plec single-handedly made all the decisions.The network was involved too.Ian had once said network shut down Bamon as early as s2 to protect the triangle.Klaus was originally gonna die in s3 which was Julie's decision but the network & KW prevented that from happening.Just so you know I'm not excusing Plec for her shitty choices like the forest flop or how Bonnie's storylines were handled.She was not a pushover but she was also definitely not in complete control of everything that happened.That's not how shows work.Your thoughts?

Hey anon, so I'm going to do my best to answer based on how I understand things but as far as what's said on Reddit lol, those people are a lost cause. People read one thing and they think that's the be all end all, and for whatever reason that sub is majority SE fans so they tend to look at KW with rose colored glasses. So please take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt just because I don't work in the film/tv industry so I don't know how much networks affect shows storylines but I do have a good idea of which showrunner was in charge each season and who was probably making the decisions. Under the cut because as usual I wrote a lot.

There were three showrunners for TVD and for the most part their order of decision making went Kevin > Julie > Dries. Kevin left after he wrote 3x01 to do the Secret Circle (the book is in the same universe as TVD but I don't think the show was). Once Kevin left to do that I don't think he was as involved in the storyline on TVD, I'm sure Julie and him kept in touch but mostly he let her steer the ship. So for 8 seasons here's how I see it:

Kevin and Julie

Kevin and Julie

Julie and Dries

Julie and Dries

Dries (but still reporting to Julie)

Julie and Dries

Dries (until Julie took over when Dries left cause she fucked everything up)

Julie (but Kevin affected the ending and possibly some of the storyline)

While I do think the decision on Klaus was a network thing I don't think the sirebond or Bamon was them. With Klaus it's the network because it's about saving a character for a spin-off, I know at some point they were going to do a Tyler/Caroline spin-off instead and they scrapped that for TO. I cannot find an article to back me up but I thought Joseph said once that they wanted to chemistry test him with Candice when they were thinking about keeping Klaus alive and that's where the KC birthday scene was born. So I think that's a mix of both, the network wanted to keep Klaus and they needed to soften him up a bit and picked Caroline for that.

The sire bond was Julie and Dries I believe, they kind of said as much here. It was done in order to move Elena onto Damon faster and since the show was always about a love triangle I don't think the network cared how it was done. I think it is possible Kevin and Julie talked about the sire bond as a way to speed up DE because I know they said they had Damon kill Jeremy in 2x01 to slow down Damon from being too heroic (which don't even get me started on RME). As for Bamon that I think was all Julie and probably Dries, because Bonnie's treatment started really going downhill in S3 after Kevin left and didn't get better until S6. I know that Kevin helped Julie plan out some of S6 so he might have been the one who rescued Bonnie and had the prison world idea. I know he made sure she wasn't killed in the finale too, I mean I am 100% of the notion that Julie and Dries hated Bonnie because they're racist (or at least internalized racism). I don't know if the network had much to do with that, not that they couldn't be racist as well I just think that was more a showrunner thing and maybe they used the networks as a scapegoat with Ian.

I have a theory about the showrunners and why the show's direction changes based on who's in charge. Basically I think each showrunner has their OSG (one-special-girl) and their decisions tend to revolve around that girl. For Kevin its Elena, that's why Elena gets all the high-cachet male attention in S1 & S2 (Stefan, Damon, Elijah, Matt). For Julie it's Caroline which is why in S3 Caroline starts getting more love interests and why I think Julie picked Caroline for Klaus' chemistry test instead of Elena (which is what Kevin would have done). I also suspect Julie wouldn't let Kevin kill or hurt Caroline's endgame to prop SE back up in the finale. Instead Caroline got Stefan AND Klaus' endgames and Elena got the chin kiss. Then there's Dries who I actually think her OSG is Katherine BUT she'll use Elena if she must but a lot of time she'll do it in spite. That's essentially why I think S5 went the way it did. Dries loves Katherine and gave her the human plot and also Stefan for a bit. Then she came up with Kathlena which ended up being a hit against SE because Stefan couldn't tell it was Katherine when before he always figured it out first.

I do agree that Julie isn't a pushover, I definitely don't love a lot of the stuff she's done and the show has ALWAYS had bad consent issues. Sometimes I think people act like the consent issues started in S4 with the sire bond but Caroline in S1 and Andie in S2 were repeatedly raped, compelled and abused by Damon and that was all under Kevin. The sire bond was just the first time Elena got that same treatment and people started to notice. Ultimately I think much of the direction of the show was Julie because she was in charge the longest, even 5&7 where she worked on other shows, she had final say. The only reason she let Kevin switch the death in S8 was he was the one who got TVD greenlit (since he was a bigger name) so she did owe him. I've also seen it speculated that since she said no to DJ on Dawson's Creek for PJ she didn't want to take another endgame away from him.

[shallowseeker]

Jack + running away

In a very elder-Winchester moment, Jack wanted to run away to fight Michael. Hotblooded and angry, Jack wanted revenge. This is what war infected Jack with. Hatred. Retribution. He doesn't just want AU Michael neutralized, he wants him punished.

TRANSCRIPT: NEW ANGLE-- Backpack over a shoulder, Jack heads for the yard entrance. SAM quickly trots over and catches up. SAM: Jack. Where you headed? JACK: Before we go, there's something I have to do-- something I promised myself I'd do. (a look to Sam) Kill Michael. SAM: Jack, you can't-- we've gotta get these people to the rift. We'll seal up Michael and leave him here. Jack turns on Sam-- can't allow that-- JACK: No, we-- I've seen what he's done, the people he's killed… he deserves to be punished. 13x22 Exodus

The sad thing is, motivation notwithstanding, maybe Jack wasn't wrong here. Maybe he could've taken on Michael and killed him, and maybe Gabriel + Lucifer + Castiel + Jack VERSUS Michael was the right play.

We've seen with AU Kevin Tran that Michael was ALWAYS interested in traversing worlds. Very likely that Michael would've moved onto another prophet to make it happen, even if Lucifer hadn't been left behind. He was an active threat to both worlds.

But family Winchester is running from the fight this time. Sam said that they'd regroup and go back to the AU Earth, but I'd bet money he never intended to go back, what with locking Michael and Lucifer behind them.

Surely, in another timeline, this pressure point between the AU hunters and Sam would come to a head, with Mary on the side of reopening the rift to save the other world.

///

TRANSCRIPT: INT. MEN OF LETTERS - JACK'S ROOM - DAY - MORNING (DAY 2) Jack zips up a backpack, slings it over his shoulder-- his jaw set. As he exits his room-- --we find a note, left on his bed. Addressed, to Dean, Cas, and Sam. The gist: Jack is going off to Hunt on his own. INT. MEN OF LETTERS - HALLWAY/INFIRMARY - MOMENTS LATER Head down, Jack moves down the hall-- prepared to run away. But as he passes an open door, he hears VOICES-- 14x03 The Scar

Thrown into a tailspin by his recent power downgrade, Jack is going to run away. Jack wants to be powerful in order to protect loved ones, whether that's his AU friends or his human family.

Jack's tendency to want to be a hero comes not just from Winchester family dynamics, but from the war on AU earth. Though it was traumatizing, the war gave his enormous power emotional context and utilitarian value. "What's the point of being a cosmic being...if I can't protect the people I love?"

Jack doesn't like being treated like a kid, and he doesn't like being seen in a vulnerable and weak state. This is a detrimental self-reliance quality that Cas and Sam both possess in spades. Cas hates being weak and Sam hates being “banished to the kids’ table.”

[tygerbug]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - James Gunn and company stick the landing with a brilliant conclusion to Marvel's only coherent stand-alone trilogy of films. It genuinely feels strange that these are Marvel movies, since from the start they've largely felt like their own thing. Sure, to get caught up on this one you'll have to watch two Avengers movies, a Thor movie and a holiday special, and maybe even the silly animated "What If?" But otherwise, this series is mostly untouched by what's happened to The Avengers, and feels like it could have been a standalone series, like the FOX X-Men films, and the Sony Spider-Man films.

The cameo roles in this series are clearly done as a favor to James Gunn rather than to Marvel. Linda Cardellini has a voice role here, despite already having a role in Marvel films elsewhere, as do Judy Greer and Tara Strong (replacing the absent Miley Cyrus). And it's not hard to imagine some earlier Marvel film having some other role for the sort of actors Gunn casts in small roles, like Nathan Fillion, Ving Rhames, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Serafinowicz, Maria Bakalova, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Lee Pace, Alexis Denisof, Kevin Bacon, Seth Green, Sylvester Stallone, Don Johnson, and so on. He has a tendency to cast older star actors like Kurt Russell who could have populated a hypothetical 90s MCU, or even David Hasselhoff who actually did.

The Guardians films, outside of their Avengers crossovers, feel like a universe unto themselves. The tone is darker, and more violent, with a focus on comedy. At exactly one point in the film, Chris Pratt's Peter Quill, AKA Starlord, says fuck. At other points in the film, actors say "screw" when they clearly mean "fuck." Lloyd Kaufman turns up in these things. Most of the film is about torturing a raccoon, and it's full of strange creatures and body horror that sometimes seems antithetical to selling Happy Meal toys. The villain, Chukwudi Iwuji, as The High Evolutionary, is nastier than MCU villains tend to be, and there's no attempt to humanize him. Which is, to be clear, great. We like a real villain.

The visual style of the film is also distinctive. No muddy greys and browns here. There's bright colors and high contrast, and lots of interesting design. It is certainly in the running for the best-looking Marvel movie, and avoids the samey visual look of some other Marvel productions.

The cast, as ever, is stacked with actors who could have carried a film like this on their own. It's easy to take this cast for granted, but these are all stars, and the movie knows it. Zoe Saldana, who has almost casually starred in a large percentage of the most succesful movies ever made. Bradley Cooper, as the voice of Rocket, a CGI character who might be the real star here. Pom Klementieff and Dave Bautista, delightful as Mantis and Drax. Karen Gillan as Nebula, bringing a steely terminator's edge to a role far away from what she did in Doctor Who. Vin Diesel as Groot, even. Elizabeth Debicki returning as Ayesha.

Oh, and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill AKA Starlord. When we meet him here, he's been drinking away his sorrows over the loss of Gamora. Pratt is a controversial figure these days, due to his apparent right-wing beliefs, and at first there seems to be something wrong with Peter int his film. His trademark charm is entirely absent, at first, and he's not as funny a character in this as he's been previously. But that charm comes back, as Pratt tries to remind Gamora and the audience why we liked Peter Quill in the first place. He's not as big an asshole as he's been at times, and is almost likeable as he finds a certain peace in himself by the film's end.

Will Poulter turns up as Adam Warlock, a cosmic Marvel hero introduced as a secondary villain here, and manages to do something amusing with the character. As with the Nova Corps in the first film, this is a pretty significant Marvel character that James Gunn is using, apparently for his own purposes rather than due to any connection to the MCU. As with the Howard the Duck cameos, it feels like Gunn is doing his own thing. At one point Starlord appeared in the MCU Avengers animated shows without the personality that Chris Pratt gave him, and it felt very strange. Starlord is a very different character here than he was as a Space Cop in the comics, as are Yondu, Mantis, Groot, and so on.

Indeed these movies have very little to do with the Guardians of the Galaxy comics as they initially launched. The films are instead based, loosely, on the Guardians team that launched in the comics in 2008. That team included Adam Warlock and Phylla-Vell, a version of Captain Marvel who technically appears here as a child. But James Gunn has successfully put his own spin on these characters. Rocket Raccoon would probably have been the most recognizable character for old-timers, along with Adam Warlock, but he was never really a headliner until now. Nor was Groot, who was once an old Jack Kirby monster in the comics, and might as well be a different character now entirely.

Mantis, powerful as a C-tier Avenger in the comics, is a less powerful but more memorable character in these. She and Dave Bautista's Drax are socially awkward in different ways, and always doing something funny or interesting. This film also finds the dignity in these characters and sees a certain tragedy in the way they underestimate one another, suggesting that even though they're a memorable onscreen team, they need to move apart in order to grow as people. These films really care about these characters in a way which isn't cliched, telegraphed or predictable.

There's a sense of history here, that the journey these characters have gone on has meant something, over the course of three films, at least four other Marvel appearances and a holiday special. A photo of Stan Lee turns up, as does the actual Michael Rooker. It does have one thing in common with the Avengers films - an assurance that this is still the Guardians of the Galaxy even with a different lineup of characters, and that some of these characters will return.

It won't be the same, though, will it? It's hard to imagine another blockbuster film letting actors like Pom Klementieff be as memorably eccentric as they are here. This trilogy genuinely feels different and special. It had its own cast of characters, some of whom we saw very little of. (Sylvester Stallone makes only brief appearances, but a long history is implied every time.) It left me wanting more, but I'm glad that we got three solid movies with this cast, and that James Gunn - who was briefly fired due to some trolls on Twitter - got to return and do it right.

[mariatesstruther]

OK! So asking here because I can't on the other and I am too old to wonder why.

BUT. I would love to hear your thoughts about Maria on the anniversaries of Kevin's birthday and passing? <3

no worries broski, i think i have asks turned off on my main blog! i prefer getting any tlou related stuff over here anyway. you’ve come to the perfect place please step into my maria-themed office ✏️👩🏾‍💼☕️

okay so i made a post about this recently asking this question to myself—how would maria react to reminders of kevin, especially heavy days like his birthday or the date of his passing? would she still be able to work??? would the rest of jackson be aware of it? would she let tommy mourn with her, or prefer to go at it alone??? many things to consider. so lets consider them all

i appreciate u asking about both those days because i feel like she’d have extremely different reactions to them. first i feel like i need to delve into maria’s relationship with kevin/motherhood before all this shit went down because it has a lot to do with how she now operates, being childless but still a mother at heart

first off, i imagine that maria definitely loved kevin and was a good mother to him. it’s just very obvious to me from the way she speaks about the town she’s raised and the way she immediately provides for ellie that she has strong parental instincts. i bet she had a relatively easy time adjusting to motherhood—i say easy not trying to imply that any formmotherhood is easy, but that her transition to it wasnt difficult. i also like to think she had her dad and kevin’s father around to support, so she wasn’t doing everything herself, and that helped immensely

on the other hand, i do think she wouldve had a hard time letting go of work, especially because we see and know how important progress and duty and productivity are to her. i imagine she would’ve hated having to miss out on meetings and case details and court dates because she’s dealing with being pregnant, then because she’s busy being a mother. she also probably a young parent, like joel (luckily @two-birds-alone-together has arlready done this maria math for me. tysm friend ily) if she’s around 27-28 when the outbreak happens, then she was quite a young mother, too, which i think has a lot to do with her still wanting her independence and career. maria definitely would’ve taken the shortest maternity leave possible, with her dad taking care of kevin a majority of the time. she maybe would’ve felt some guilt because of this, but she also knew at that time that going to work was keeping her sane. she told herself she probably wouldve been a worse mother to kevin had she always been home, thinking about being at work

in terms of kevin’s birthdays, it’s always been a personal headcanon of mine that maria would’ve missed at least one of kev’s three birthdays because she had opted to be at work instead. maybe something super important was happening, or maybe nothing especially important was happening at all: work in general is just important to maria. so i don’t know exactly which one (i’ll probably make a concrete choice in an upcoming kev-centric fic i got planned wink wink nudge nudge), but she definitely would’ve been okay with letting kevin celebrate with her father and his father without her. maybe she would’ve missed his first birthday, because she knows babies don’t remember it and it would’ve been important for her to show up for work as much as possible the first year after her maternity leave to prove she was still just as valuable of an employee as anyone else. or maybe she misses his third birthday, his last, because by that time she’s an assistant to the DA and can’t really take off work for personal stuff—as guilty as it makes her feel, she convinces herself it’ll be worth it, because she’s building a life for herself and her son to thrive in

but then september 2003 hits. and maria learns all that working wasn’t worth it at all.

i think about kevin’s death a lot. it’s interesting to me that it’s the 29th, three days after outbreak day, because that means there were three days where maria or someone close to maria must’ve been with him, trying to keep him safe. before, it was my personal hc that maria wasn’t actually there to actually witness kev’s death or know what happened for sure, because she was at work—but it wouldn’t make much sense, considering she knows he died exactly three days after the outbreak, a detail that she could’ve only known had either her or maybe her dad been there the day of. outbreak day was a normal day where everyone started off going to school and work like normal, so i imagine maria would’ve been working while kevin was maybe at daycare or with his father (who im now thinking maybe couldve chosen to separate from maria at this time???? maybe he doesnt love that she’s working so much and is thinking about divorce by the time outbreak day hits, so it’s on a day when kevin is with him) or her father. either way, three days in, he’s gone and she’s not

i do think, considering how differently maria and joel handle the death’s of their respective children, that the nature of them dying probably was extremely different circumstantially. one, we know that sarah died suddenly and brutally, in joel’s arms, not because of the cordyceps but because of some dumbfuck fucking soldier too cowardly to make a different choice. these circumstances provide a lot for joel to be mad at, are just a lot for joel to handle, and sarah was his entire life. so i understand how it consumes him the way it does

for maria, things are clearly different. she had a life outside of parenthood in a way that joel clearly didn’t, spent less years of her life devoted to parents than joel did, and i’d judge from the way she can still hold her composure when ellie mentions kevin that his death wasn’t as nearly as traumatic. maybe it wasn’t even anything violent—maybe he just got sick or got lost or what have you. or maybe it was violent, but she was able to get revenge and make peace with it??? (loveeee this idea and her “the only people that can betray us are the ones we trust” line having to do with kevin. like imagine he died because of someone she had decided to trust, and so she kills that person to finally make peace with herself and her guilt. imagine murder mommy maria 🤩). either way, to me it’s clear that maria was able to process and make peace with kev’s passing in a way that joel never could with sarah

so now onto actually answering your question 😭😭😭😭😭 finally omg

for kevin’s birthday, i imagine that maria would try to completely ignore it tbh. maybe she’d take an extra second to pause and breathe in front of their memorial the morning, or she’d maybe light a candle and blow it out for kevin late at night after tommy is too deep asleep to hear her do it. but that’s the absolute most she could bring herself to do. what’s the point of celebrating a birthday kevin doesn’t get to have? what good would it do her, to think about him turning older and living a life that doesn’t exist? maria chooses to work instead, because working is something she knows she can do without stopping to think or reflect. for jackson and it’s people, she is a machine. grief cannot consume a machine. april is prime time to start planting time for most crops in wyoming, anyway, so april 3rd is always busy, every single year. she is greatful for it. she refuses to think of the one birthday of kevin’s she’d missed working, because she knows that would break her. even without letting herself think about why, maria always feels guilty on april 3rd.

tommy and talia know kevin’s birthday too, and are maybe the only two people in jackson that have the day memorized. they know maria is usually okay to talk about kevin casually on most days, but both are especially careful to mention him around and on his birthday. one year, when maria is especially quiet on the days leaving up to april 3rd, talia brings them all breakfast and they try to subtly talk her out of going to work—after this conversation, in which maria is mostly silent besides saying “no, i’d like to work,” maria doesn’t speak to talia nor tommy for the rest of the day, dead set on avoiding even making eye contact with them. it is the last time they try anything like that

september 29th is different. first off, the entirety of jackson spends outbreak week mostly in a state of collectively mourning, everyone consumed by the memories of the people they’ve lost and how they’ve lost them. maria spends september 25th to the 28th doing everything she can for her community: comforting friends who need it, bringing plates to those who can’t manage to leave their homes, distracting naive children from the grief of their parents’. she spends the 26th, every year, taking care of tommy, who usually is stuck bedridden, crying and talking with her about sarah and joel, trying to hold him back from drinking himself sick

the day of the 29th, she shuts down. usually she spends the few days before barely eating and ignoring her body’s chronic pain signals, so by kev’s death date, her body is extremely fatigued and basically ready to give out. she always sleeps poorly the night before, tossing and turning and anxious that she’ll have nightmares—some years, she wakes up and nothing seems real. she’ll go through her whole morning routine like a zombie, vision blurry and thoughts foggy as she lifelessly space out. tommy has days like those, too, sometimes, so he knows how to deal with them. he brings out their good candles for her to smell, guides her through breathing and sings to her while she keeps a hand on the body of his guitar, letting the vibrations ground her back to what’s real. emotions wise, when she’s not derealized, she’s commonly overcome with extreme guilt over not being with him and forgetting small details of his life (“how can i do this, tommy? how can i keep living, keep working for jackson when he’s never gonna see it? i’m not even sure i remember his favorite cartoon, anymore, tommy. i know he loved cartoons, but i can’t remember which ones. how could i forget that? how could i do that to him?”) that tommy or talia have to talk her away from

outside of the sadness and the guilt, i think she’d mostly just be numb. she wouldn’t be able to take comfort in the fact that kevin was at least free from seeing all the gore and violence, because she herself has built up a place where kids can grow and thrive. i think kevin’s death date would just be an extremely overwhelming reminder that she failed to get him here, and that guilt would crush her. she would want to stay inside and away from seeing anyone, too, especially children. seeing any kid, especially a younger one, happy and thriving in jackson on september 29th would probably make her want to scream and cry and punch that kid’s parents in the face, so. she stays to herself. tommy and talia bring her food that she doesn’t eat. she sleeps fitfully sometimes, but always wakes up to the sound of kevin crying distantly in her dreams. if she can manage it, so goes out to the back patio tommy built and pets the stray cats

the next day, like always, she goes back to work. she’s got a town to run

[bowtiesnmusicals]

Here is my recap of the Huge and Huger (Never Been Kissed) episode of the podcast.

Kevin the one with the bad immune system. Kevin has strep throat. He said he should start cataloging the illnesses he has while recording the podcast. He was sick all the time on Glee. Jenna said it didn’t help that they were always being worked to the bone. They would get a doctor to give them b12 shots. Kevin said it was mostly on tour. Jenna said it sometimes happened on set and also when she was doing Waitress.

Kevin mentioned how easy it is in the US to get a steroid shot when you are feeling sick but need to perform. He said when they were in Manchester it was hard because doctors there don’t just hand out medicine like in the US. 

Jenna had to get a steroid shot before the LA tour stop. She said within 20 minutes her voice was back. 

This episode is the beginning of their run with Brad Buecker. He was an editor for the show but this was his first time directing an episode. 

The episode aired November 9, 2010. 

The #1 song was We Are Who We Are by Ke$ha (Kevin made a Mr. Figgins joke when saying her name.)

The #1 movie was Due Date.

Glee the Music The Christmas Album was released the same day the episode aired. It went platinum. It was the 4th soundtrack by the Glee cast. It was #1 on the Billboard Soundtracks chart. it peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200. Kevin said he believes this was their most successful album ever. (What about the Warblers album?)

They made the 2010 Hot List at TV Guide. The shot Glee covers. Jenna, Kevin, and Harry were on ne of the covers. Kevin said all the planning for this happens without them knowing. They are told at some point and then they are ushered int a soundstage connected to main soundstage. They had about 15 to do the cover shoot. They did multiple covers. The did a Finn and Rachel. They also did a Quinn and Puck. Kevin said it was in the middle of the work day and they didn’t even realize what was happening. They had a TV Guide party that they went to at the W on the roof. Kevin said it was messy. There was someone else that Kevin is friends with from another show and she had a little too much. They were all trying to avoid her and Amber was like you are all terrible people and walked her to her car. Kevin said you are an excellent excellent friend. They met Brandy Kevin embarrassed himself so hard. He tried to arrange for her to come to set. Kevin said he also needed to be walked out out his car because he was an embarrassment. 

This was Brad Beucker’s directing debut. 

This was also the debut of Darren Criss. We meet Blaine for the first time. 

There is some pretty heave Max Adler/Dave Karofsky storyline.

We got more of Coach Beiste/Dot Marie Jones. She received an Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy series nod for this season. This episode was submitted for that award. Kevin said Dot was excellent in this episode. Jenna said she is an angel.

This is the return of Puck after Mark got punished IRL for releasing an album. He is now back and has a gigantic storyline so punishment served. Jenna said this is where we set the precedent that usually if a cast member gets in trouble, leaves, acts out, does something they usually come back and get a huge episode. Kevin said when they allude to people getting away with things, they are not here to be gossipy, this is what they are referring to. He said Jenna and him started to think that maybe they needed to start acting crazy to get a storyline out of it. It seemed like the squeaky wheel sort of thing. They got the gold. Kevin said Puck gets a big storyline and he’s a part of it so no complaints. Jenna said she thinks its funny that Kevin said he didn’t remember the episode but he’s all over it. Kevin said he had no recollection. When he started watching he remembered it was that episode. He remembered One Love and the scene where Artie convinces Puck to let Artie rehabilitate Puck. They do a really inappropriate hand finger thing. Jenna said her husband David gave her his hands last night when they watched the episode and she said I’m not doing that.Kevin said it was Mark’s idea. The adults on set didn’t know what it meant and somehow it was kept in the show. You know teenagers. Those two scenes are all the remembers. 

He said he remembers leading up to this episode they had heard there was going to be another singing group. They heard about the Warblers but it was all sort of hush hush. They were busy filming the episode before and didn’t know what was going on. He said he thinks it was Zach that came in and said this song they are doing is really good. They crowded around and he played it for them. They were all sort of envious because it was a great great cover. He remembers thinking this is going to be huge. They were excited to see what the Warblers were going to be. They didn’t know tat all that hey would be around permanently or well forever. Kevin said it was an exciting time. They got to meet Darren. It was also fun to get to see Max Adler get to act. 

Jenna said when Darren showed up on set he was wearing his pink sunglasses and Michigan shirt. She was dating someone that went to Michigan or was from Michigan and knew Darren. She went up to Darren and said they had mutual friends. She also knew of him because he was a part of the musical theater scene. Kevin said the Harry Potter of it all. She remembers him coming to set and being like I kind of know you. Kevin said he didn’t know him at all. He just came on and felt like he had always sort of been there. He said it but also felt different because this was the start of Kurt getting a boyfriend is going to a really big deal. He said it was interesting to have someone new come on and take that responsibility because they had been living in that world and seeing how Chris was being approached publicly by fans and how much Kurt meant to people. Then to have someone come on and they were like I hope you are prepared for this, this is going ot get wild. Jenna said if there was anyone that was prepared for it, it was Darren. Kevin said he can just handle it. It all just rolls of his back. Jenna said nothing phases him. 

They went over the songs that are in this episode. Kevin said the girls smashed.Start Me Up/Livin’ On A Prayer.  He said it so good and that Jenna sounds great on it and he has issues with it but he will talk about it when they get there. Jenna said Stop In The Name Of Love/Free Your Mind was so good. Kevin said it was a weird one. Jenna said the girls loved it. Kevin said they loved Chord. Chord was still new and he remembers him stepping out for his solo and all the girls gasped and giggled with their hands on their face. There was no acting. Everyone was so enamored with Chord and he was like their baby brother or like a little puppy. Jenna said so charming and so cute. Kevin the girls melted and it was crazy to see. Jenna said they were surprised. He came out of nowhere and just fit in with the guys. She said the guys held a high standard of being themselves in these things. Cory looks like a fool dancing but he is so committed that its so cute. Everyone looked that way and Chord just fit right in with that and she was like wow he really feels comfortable here and that’s awesome. They were totally smitten. Kevin said the girls didn’t have nearly as much time with Chord at this point. The guys had done numbers with him without the girls. They were hogging him. Jenna said the whole number was just so cute and they looked great. 

A big part of this episode is that Kurt makes friends with a guy in a new glee club at a different school while he continues to deal with Karofsky bullying him at McKinley. Finn and Sam come up with an idea to use Coach Beiste as a way to cool down. She finds out and quits. Tina is also involved in that and Puck and Artie strike up an unusual friendship. 

Kevin said this episode is really crazy. He thinks that when people think of this episode all you really remember is the Warblers, Darren getting introduced, and Karofsky bullying Kurt and kissing him. That is sort of the main thing because that ramifications throughout the rest of the series. Somehow this show has the bumper as Finn and Sam talking about how they got the only two girls who won’t sleep with them. Finn was like well what he does to stop himself all the way is thinking about the mailman. We have a great callback to the beginning of the show with Finn hitting the mailman when he’s learning to drive with his mom. Finn is like look you need to find your own thing. At that moment Coach Beiste is yelling at Artie and picking a wedgie. Sam is like great I found my thing. This quickly spirals out of control because Sam uses this when he’s hooking up with Quinn and says Beiste out loud. Quinn is not happy about it. The boys tell the other boys aka Mike Chang who then tells his girlfriend Tina. Tina is like ooh wee let’s see if this is actually true and put it to the test. It’s not Mike that needs it, it’s Tina ala Sam a couple of scenes earlier closes her eyes and thinks of Beiste. Kevin said it’s like that saying close your eyes and think of England but all he could think of was close your eyes and think of Beiste. Then we get all these incredible shots of Dot Marie Jones doing these incredible things like ballet at a ballet barre and chopping meat. It’s so good. It’s very Nip/Tuck esque. Dot is an amazing and hilarious acting. Kevin said he thinks this is some of her finest work. That her and Harry just eat it up. He loves that it’s Jenna. Quinn is obviously upset about it and goes to Sue. She is like I don’t know what to do because clearly Sam is hooking up with Coach Beiste. Sue is thinking she’s been trying to get Beiste fired and tells Quinn to publicly confront him and make it loud. She does and Coach Beiste hears it and gets yelled at by Mike to stay away from his girlfriend. Will finds out and confronts the Glee club and says the boys and Mike goes and girl. Kevin said Jenna’s face is the best. It’s such an insane storyline but very high school. Kevin said it’s very inappropriate. Jenna said leave it to Tina to be the one. Kevin mentioned that she had some great costumes. Jenna said this was lead up to that moment where she thought I can’t do it anymore with the costumes. They were getting more extreme. Kevin said they looked really cool. He mentioned the first scene of Tina walking down the hallway with Kurt when he gets pushed. Jenna said are you joking about Kurt’s outfit. Kevin said they were both like fashion, fashion, fashion. This was Lou getting her moment and getting to play. Jenna said Tina and Kurt were the ones you could do that with. Beiste confronts Will about it because she trusts him. Kevin said she loves them so much together. They have a really sweet friendship. Jenna said it’s nice they have each other. They are kind of the underdogs and outsiders. When Beiste first entered the scene Sue tried to get Will to see her as a common enemy, like enemy of my enemy is my friend but really their collective enemy is Sue. Will decides to give to Beiste straight. She takes it very personally as one would. It leads her to quit. Then we get to the scene where Will is summoned by a note from Becky to go to the auditorium to meet Sue. She is celebrating and says did you notice my cannons and that she gotten her budget back. That Coach Beiste quit because of the Glee club. Then the confetti cannons explode. Kevin said she has a great line about songs that are about being ugly or whatever it is you guys do in there. Jenna said even when you hate Sue so much the scenes are so freaking funny. Kevin said he remembers them talking about shooting that scene because of the clean up.They could really only do it once because of the clean up. Jenna said you notice that in each shot of Will the confetti is a little bit different. Will tells the Glee club that Beiste quit and they are surprised. Jenna said she isn’t sure why everyone is surprised but I guess they are kids. Everyone is very upset. Finn and Sam go apologize. Will goes to find Beiste and tries to talk to her. Jenna said this scene is weird and remembers reading it and thinking do we have to. It feels like it was threading the needle to Kurt having never been kissed and Beiste having never been kissed. This was the point c to get to and all the rest was kind of getting there and it was better then this point c that happened. Kevin said it made him so uncomfortable. Jenna said it is so strange. Kevin said does she want you to be her first kiss. Sir that is pretty presumptuous. Will was opening the door for her. Kevin said the audacity of men. The whole scene he was like no no, don’t do it. He couldn’t remember but he felt like he was going to do it because of course he would and he was like no. Jenna said she was dreading it. She said it was an important scene with or without the kiss. It allowed Beiste to be vulnerable and to see the softer side of her. She is not yoru typical female coach. It was really great to see her open up more and understand her more was really great. Kevin said he thought was interesting an episode where you are introduced to two more gay characters you then have her state I’m not gay. They got to clear it up for people that not every character in this show now is going to be gay. Jenna said even though Dot is gay in real life. Kevin mentioned that Max and Darren aren’t gay so you had to balance it out. Jenna said they are actors. To get Beiste to not quit the boys perform their mash-up for her and apologize to Beiste in the choir room to try to get her to smile because she has such a good smile. They do their mash-up where the girls lost their minds or one Chord Overstreet. Jenna said she loved the performance, mash-up, and costumes. She loves boys vs girls. Cory assumed every adlib was Kevin’s. Kevin was like thats your voice when they were listening to it. He had them solo it out so they could hear that it was Cory. Cory didn’t remember doing the adlibs. Jenna said they pulled the wall out for this one and she remembers the way Brad shot it being very efficient. She said they were really really cute. 

Along with this whole never been kissed storyline with Beiste. Schue has the competition list for sectionals and that is how the Warblers are introduced. The assignment for the week is boys vs girls. Everyone is bored with that idea and Schue switches it up and decides the girls have do something the boys would normally do and the boys have to do something the girls would normally do. It added an extra challenge to the tournament. This is an attempt to appease Kurt who is getting abused left, right, and center by Karofsky. He wants to be with the girls but Will is adamant no and has this really good one on one with Kurt. Through this he decides to give the boys and girls an extra challenge. Kevin said he was so excited to watch this because even though they weren’t on Vitamin D it was still that energy. Jenna said it looked like they were on Vitamin D. Kevin said his problem with this number is that everytime Jenna sings the camera is never on her. Jenna said it happens a lot. Kevin said he was really pissed because she was really good and she doesn’t get to sing rock music very often. Kevin said he thinks it was an editing thing because it happens several times that the camera isn’t on the person singing. Jenna said she thinks Brad had to get used to that. They mentioned at some points it was switching every two lines between Jenna and Lea. She said a lot of the time you wouldn't know she sang on a lot of these songs. Kevin said what also happens is that they forget. If they only have four or five lines in a song they record it in 15 minutes and then go about their day and completely forget. 

More importantly in this storyline with the tournament is Kurt being bullied to no end by Karofsky. Kurt is really unhappy and it’s not manageable or sustainable. Kevin said it’s violent and really rough. Jenna said she was surprised that Mr. Schue was like is there anything I can do and your like uh yeah get him out of here. Kevin said get Karofsky expelled. Kurt ges to visit Dalton and has a whole new experience. He meets Blaine is also gay and out in school. Not everyone is gay at Dalton but there are more gay and out there then at Mckinley. The Glee club is cool. As Blaine says, they are rockstars. So everything that Kurt wants is represented in the Warblers and Blaine. It’s something he didn’t even know existed. We get to see him meeting another out gay person that is his age. At McKinley the boys are exactly nice or supportive of him at all. He is completely abandoned and alone. Jenna said now watching this as a viewer, Teenage Dream which became like Don’t Stop where it was played too much and run into the ground, she watched Darren do it and was like oh my god what a stunner. She was very charmed by him as Blaine. Kevin said having some distance from it he could understand it better now. He said the cover was great but When they started Don’t Stop was a very simple number but it was so charming and it worked really well. By the point they got to this number they had done Rocky Horror and Madonna and Britney and their numbers were out of control and great and big and expensive. Teenage Dream came along and it was like a reset. It’s very simple, there isn’t a lot of choreography and it’s 100% charm. He  said at the time he was confused as to why it was so popular. The cover was really good but this performance is fine. Kevin said he would have died if he was a viewer. He said he tried to consume as much gay media as possible. There was not a lot of it. Watching them run throught he hall in slow motion holding hands, he would have been obsessed with it. Jenna said she was obsessed with it watching it last night. She said this could have seemed so cheesy and corny to some viewers but she gets it. Kevin said but also that’s great. Let it be cheesy. This was on Fox at 8pm. To have corny romantic gay storyline of high schoolers. Whether it’s good, bad, or everything in between letting a whole group of people have that on a show watched by families was really special. Jenna said the Blaine storyline in this episode storyline had so much substance to it or rather the Kurt storyline. She was really appreciative of it. Having Kurt have someone in his corner other then his dad, another gay man in his corner encouraging him and supporting him. Jenna said she can’t imagine what that would have been like for someone that was closeted or the only out gay kids in their school or feeling like Kurt in any shape of form to have a Blaine or a hero in their life. It was really well done and important to have. Kevin said they are pretty opposite in their characters. Karofsky is abusing Kurt continuously this episode and when Blaine comes around Blaine says you just have to sand up to him, courage. After Kurt has been shoved for the 8 billionth time Kurt follows Karofsky into the boys locker room and called him out. He is like what the hell is your problem in this really powerful serious scene. He is really going at it and says you are not going to punch the gay out of me. Kevin said oof, that is some writing. Then Karofsky grabs Kurt’s face and kisses him. Kurt is stunned. Jenna said as are all the viewers. We find out that is Kurt’s first kiss and he immediately goes to tell Blaine. Blaine shows up at McKinley to confront Karofsky with him. Kevin said Blaine is very like Darren in this way where he is lowkey about it. I completely see through you and it’s not htat big of a deal. This is who you are, all  there are a lot of us, you are not alone. You are acting out because you don’t know what to do with it all. Karofsky is stunned silent. Then you have this really beautiful scene in the stairwell that sets up the relationship where theya re so different. Kurt admits he had never been kissed before and Blaine is like alright lets get lunch. He doesn’t play into it at all but is there for him. He doesn’t have to say all the other things because he has been through it before. We haven’t seen that yet and it’s nice to see that. It’s now shown Kurt another world and going back to McKinley is going to be difficult. Jenna said stay tuned. 

Jenna joked before we end the episode there is a huge storyline they haven’t talked about. Kevin said no it’s little. Puck comes back from his time off on the show. He went to juvie. He comes out and puts on a facade but we find out he hated it and never wants to go back. He makes Arite is community service. The probation officer later says Puck is hanging with a crip but be meant a cripple and not a gang member. Kevin said Artie needs some social help. He doesn’t know how this busking scene happened. Jenna said it was raining the day they shot the busking scene. Normally if it’s raining they would cancel the day or they would change the scene and do something interior and move the outside shoot to another day. This day was also the day they shot the outside scene with Karofsky, Kurt, and Blaine. Kevin said it was just a light drizzle. They shot when they could. It was a really simple number. There was rain on his glasses and on his head. Kevin said it isn’t a great look when you have thin hair. His favorite part of this whole storyline that Artie admits he was dating Brittany and wants to get her back. Puck is like we will go on a double date with Santana, Brittany, and myself. They are really terrible to Brittany and Santana. He said Heather and Naya were so funny. They ate it up. Kevin said he was very excited because he never got to spend much time at Breadstix. Jenna said were you now. He didn’t know the nightmare of Breadstix this was is introduction. Kevin said Artie didn’t have a lot of redeeming moments but he was thankful for the moment of him paying the bill and not running out. Then it basically all comes crumbling down because Puck was pitching to Artie that he was a macho man and nobody messed with him in juvie and it was so easy and he could go back at anytime. The probation officer calls him out and is given an ultimatium to actually find community service or go back to juvie. Artie confronts him and says you are acting in sane basically and you just have to do community service that’s fine. Artie says he will help Puck pass geometry while he does his community services. No harm no foul if this doesn’t work out. They have their inappropriate handshake and that's basically it. Kevin said he thought it was this sweet little insight into Artie desperately trying to be something else but actually getting the upper hand and being able to help someone else. He said it was fun and he had a really fun time doing it. It felt light light and fun. Mark was fun to work with. Jenna said it was a very unlikely pairing that she liked a lot. She said they were very very good together. She said Kevi’s performance was great always but Marks’ performance was very good not that she was surprised but like you don’t see a lot of Puck and ot give a bad boy some layers like that is difficult to do. He was likeable, relatable and cute. It was a very cute pairing. Kevin said Mark in real life was the bad boy or well at least comparatively to the rest of the group. Kevin said he was putting in the work. He wasn’t necessarily a big actor before this and they never knew what they were going ot get and he was always rising ot the challenge of the storyline. This episode showed that. 

That is Never Been Kissed. Jenna said she really enjoyed it. Kevin said Jenna was dreading it. Jenna said she was dreading it because she thought it was a different episode. Kevin asked if it was a night to forget. Jenna said no no not that one. She said we will talk about it when we get to that episode.

Tartie Takes 

Cringe moments/Ouchies - Puck taking Artie as his community service and calling him a crip. The handshake. All the things with Beiste maybe. Those things were redeemed. Kevin said it’s not right but it’s okay. 

Worst Dance Move - Jenna said she won’t point fingers but you have to go back and watch Teenage Dream some of those dancers were definitely trying to get camera time. Kevin said it wasn’t someone in the Warblers. 

Best Dance Move - Jenna said obviously the boys. Kevin said he disagrees the girls were crushing it. 

Best Song - Kevin said the girls mash up just because Teenage Dream is so popular. Jenna said the boys mash up.

Best Performance By A Prop - Kevin the mic stands in the girls number. Jenna said the cleaver in Beiste’s hand in the meat cutting. Anything in the dream sequences. 

Best Line - Kevin is when Santana said can I just say this is what happens when people don’t put out. If people would just put out we would have a winning football team. He also said anytime Santana or Brittany spoke. Jenna said when Mercedes said how are we going to compete against a bunch of cute old people.

Shit We Found On TikTok:

Someone made a video about there being two types of people reading books on vacation. One is reading a book about slavery and the Holocaust. Then turns to the other guy and they are reading Sorry Not Sorry by the one Naya Rivera and says I am reading about how much fun Naya Rivera had on Glee. Kevin said it’s cute and go buy the book and read it if you haven’t. He said great video and makes him want to be on vacation permanently. 

This was a big episode in Glee her-story. 

Next week is The Substitute. 

[lovekindled]

039. a cramped dressing room. / to kevin from jean (interview? yes.)

trying to recall his mother's death tends to be a difficult task, memories blurring together messily, an unconscious gap in his childhood before arriving at the nest. perhaps he can blame that on being too young, it happening so fast, the loss too abismal to recall. however it happened, kevin doubts it stirred the same reactions as riko's death : the announcement splattered on the news, fans gathering to manifest their grief, every media outlet hoping to get first impressions from his so-called inner circle.

despite enough time having passed from the foxes' last game, a new season is upon them, and the responsibility of appeasing the public falls on kevin's shoulders. it's only fitting that riko continues to haunt him after death, no time for relief when there's an even more powerful figure looming over them, and an starved multitude of fans hoping to get as much information as they can before focusing on what's actually important.

people are coming in and out of the room, stressing over his hair and clothes, seeking for his approval with eager gazes. kevin can feel himself slowly losing his grip on reality, the only thing keeping him glued to the seat are the promised bottles waiting for him once the interview is done and his itch to get back into the playfield. public appearances might seem worthless, but kevin knows better than anyone that they're a necessary evil. he's in this for life.

what he's not expecting is the empty seat next to him to be filled with another player, someone whose presence is enough to make him feel light-headed. he knows better than to feel blindsided, yet words are still tinted with surprise as he speaks. “ jean. i didn't think you'd — ” he effortlessly slips into french, almost without realizing it, too much of an habit to consider english. “ i didn't think they would make you do this. ” the trojans, although it doesn't seem like something their team would do. kevin wonders if maybe he's doing this out of his own volition, and he immediately feels ashamed of suggesting otherwise. he shakes his head a little, hoping to dismiss what just came out of his mouth. “ how's california ? ”

⁽  ⠀  ♡  ⠀  ⁾ ⠀  actions speak louder than words   ,   not accepting.

[govindhtech]

mWISE Conference 2024: See Future Of Cybersecurity

The field of cybersecurity is always changing, and using collective intelligence to remain ahead of the curve is essential. The mWISE Conference 2024 offers you the opportunity to interact with the visionary thinkers influencing the future of cybersecurity and immerse yourself in the most recent threat intelligence and Cutting-Edge Technology

mWISE Conference 2024 is a three-year-old program that was specifically created by the security community for the security community. Attendees will share information, get insight from personal experiences, and view the most recent, tried-and-true solutions that are assisting organisations in fending off significant threats throughout the two-day event, which is vendor-neutral.

On September 18–19, at mWISE in Denver, Colorado, experts from Mandiant, Google Cloud, and the larger cybersecurity community will convene.

The keynote address: Expert perspectives

Feature the most recent information from luminaries and pioneers in security on keynote stage.

Kevin Mandia

The first day of the conference begins with statements from Google Cloud strategic security advisor Kevin Mandia. The threat environment and how organisations should secure their most valuable assets will be covered tactically.

Jen Easterly

What worries the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency? CISA director Jen Easterly discusses the biggest cybersecurity issues on day two.

The growing cash cow of cyberspace

Groups and their affiliates are still being driven to increase operations and make additional investments in their businesses by the profitability of ransomware. Experts in cybercrime Brett Callow of FTI Consulting, Kimberly Goody of Mandiant, and Allan Liska of Recorded Future talk about the most recent data and trends surrounding ransomware, including a rise in aggressive extortion tactics, and how businesses may better protect themselves against and handle threats. Journalist Kim Zetter, an expert in cybersecurity and national security, will moderate the panel.

Defending against complex threats

Firsthand observations Mandiant Consulting’s CTO, Charles Carmakal, leads a mainstage conversation with seasoned business executives who have guided their companies through well-publicized cybersecurity incidents. Discover how cybersecurity leadership is changing in-depth, with insights that can be applied by professionals of all stripes.

John Hultquist

Leaders need to employ dynamic, frontline intelligence in the current threat scenario in order to anticipate changing enemies. John Hultquist, chief analyst at Mandiant Intelligence, examines the most recent front-line findings and solutions for the most pressing threats in a fireside chat.

What will they know when AI becomes intelligent?

Author and researcher David Eagleman analyses how artificial intelligence may surpass human intelligence and how google cloud might forecast it.

Large sessions: Dive deeply into the crucial cybersecurity problems of the day

Over 70 presentations covering nine tracks Cloud Security, Threat Intelligence, the Intersection of AI and Cybersecurity, Next Gen CISO, Security Engineering, Security Operations, Security Threats and Exploits are offered at this year’s mWISE Conference 2024. We’ve picked a few sessions to highlight here to pique your interest

How generative AI changes defense

Leaders in Google Cloud Security Steph Hay and Umesh Shankar explain macro trends at the nexus of security and AI and what they represent for your company using insights from talks with CISOs, the most recent Mandiant research, and Google DeepMind breakthroughs.

North Korean-backed threat actor goes from job interview to bitcoin heist

Clearing a job interview is the first step towards an insider bitcoin theft. Listen as Mandiant Senior Consultants Yi Han Ang and Sun Pu reveal a highly skilled cyber-espionage operation that was launched against a cryptocurrency corporation by a North Korean threat actor. They intend to talk about how crucial it is to put in place thorough security measures in the cloud in order to lessen the likelihood of assaults like this one.

Generative AI-era secure remote identity verification

In the age of generative AI, secure remote identity verification Science-based biometrics-as-a-service can prevent deepfake assaults by enabling dependable, simple-to-manage remote identification for employees and customers. The CEO and creator of iProov, Andrew Bud, discusses the difficulties in implementing remote identity throughout the company and offers customer best practices in this presentation.

The supply-chain attack summer taught us

In the summer of 2023, there were an unprecedented amount of supply chain attacks. Key issues like legal exposure, cyber reporting, and handling threats to company officials or their families will be covered by Erin Joe (Google Cloud Office of the CISO), Lyn Brown and Megan Brown (Wiley Rein), and Jennifer Burnside (Crisis Communications for Google Cloud Security). They will also share lessons learnt and talk about emerging trends.

Construct a low-cost, high-value quantitative risk management program

Tim Anderson and Matthew Harding of ID.me have provided a systematic guide to implementing quantitative risk management. Find out how to report and communicate risk from the boardroom to the security team room. The application and operation of quantitative program design using people, procedures, and technology will be covered.

The cloud security dilemma Unsecure use, safe cloud

Cloud service providers make significant investments in security, far more than what most businesses could accomplish on their own. But leaks and breaches in the cloud dominate the headlines. Why is that? In actuality, cloud security is a shared opportunity as much as a shared obligation. Google Cloud‘s Anton Chuvakin explores this somewhat perplexing conundrum in this session.

Opportunities for networking: Establishing your cybersecurity community

Building a network that can help you in your profession and interacting with peers to gain knowledge from their experiences are all important aspects of mWISE Conference 2024. Make the most of the many breakout sessions, social events, and networking opportunities to establish meaningful relationships.

Among these chances is a special Capture the Flag challenge where you may put your cybersecurity prowess to the test. This CTF game simulates a threat hunt using real-world information from ransom notes, the dark web, and CISA advisories. Using a new Google Threat Intelligence product, follow the clues, evaluate the evidence, and work through the puzzles to identify the flags.

On September 18–19 in Denver, Colorado, They look forward to building Google defender’s community and sharing their most recent security findings with you.

Read more on govindhtech.com

[kalanawaliyadda-animationstudies]

The New Normal - Screenplay for a 1 Minute 2D Animation

EXT. JAVID'S TOWN - MORNING The streets lie deserted under the shadow of COVID-19 lockdowns. A gentle breeze dances through the quiet town.

EXT. JAVID'S TOWN - MORNING

Restaurants and shops are closed. A hungry cat meows and runs. A siren wails in the distance.

INT. JAVID'S ROOM - MORNING

The locked-down city view through Javid's window. The siren and Javid's phone alarm blend into the background. A closeup on Javid's phone as the alarm rings. Javid wakes up and reaches for his phone on the nearby table. The table is empty except for the phone. Extreme closeup on his phone showing a COVID news alert and a Good Morning message from his girlfriend, Ashley. The screen focuses on their WhatsApp chat.

Ashley: "Good Morning, Baby. I miss you. Wanna meet you soooooon." Javid: "Good Morning, Darling."

INT. ASHLEY'S KITCHEN - MORNING

Ashley, Javid's girlfriend, receives his message. She quickly grabs her phone and opens the chat. The chat display appears as an overlay.

Ashley: "I'm gonna call you. We have a lecture now." Javid: "Miss you too. I also wanna meet you, baby. But what to do? Wait until this lockdown thing is finished." Ashley: (emoji) Javid: "I’ve just woken up. Whassup?" Ashley: "Making my breakfast. Do you want some? Hehe." Javid: (emoji) Ashley: "Now go. Get ready for the lecture." Javid: "Oooki."

INT. JAVID'S ROOM - MORNING

Javid sits on the bed, looking around. He feels lonely. Then he stands up, approaches the camera, and leaves the scene. The bathroom door opens and closes, and the tap can be heard running in the background.

INT. JAVID'S BATHROOM - MORNING

Javid looks at himself in the mirror. He has a flashback of memories.

FLASHBACK: INT. LECTURE HALL - MORNING

Javid sits in the lecture room with Ashley and some close friends. He turns his head to look at Ashley and his friend Kevin.

FLASHBACK: EXT. GROUND - DAY

Javid plays cricket. He hits a big six and the ball soars into the sky. The camera follows the ball, transitioning into the sun.

FLASHBACK: EXT. VARIOUS LOCATIONS - DAY

Javid and his friends travel through different locations: a mountain area, a traditional bridge, a beach, and Polonnaruwa. The background changes and cuts to show the travel.

FLASHBACK: EXT. PARK - EVENING

Javid and his friends hang out in a park.

INT. JAVID'S BATHROOM - MORNING

The phone rings, bringing Javid back from his flashback. He closes the tap and goes to answer the call.

INT. JAVID'S ROOM - MORNING

Javid answers a call from his mother.

Javid: "Hi Amma. Good morning." Amma (VO): "Good morning, Putha. What’s up? Did you have your breakfast?" Javid: "No, Amma. I have a Zoom meeting now. Will prepare later." Amma (VO): "You are always missing your meals, Putha. Just take them on time." Javid: "Okay, Amma." Amma (VO): "Don’t go out and always wear a mask, okay? If you feel unwell, just call me." Javid: "Mhmm. Okay, Amma." Amma (VO): "Nangi and Malli are always talking about you. They want to see you." Javid: "What to do, Amma. I can’t think when they will lift the lockdowns. I’ll come home right after the lockdowns. No worries." Amma (VO): "Okay, Putha. Here, we also have some COVID patients in the neighbourhood." Javid: "Okay, Amma. I’ll take care. Now I have to log in to the lecture. I’ll call later." Amma (VO): "Okay, Putha. Goodbye. Take care." Javid: "Bye."

The call ends. Javid turns his phone down and takes a deep breath.

FADE INTO BLACK

Text Overlay: "COVID-19 has changed us. But together, we found new ways to connect, grow, and look forward."

[nowadays-stuff]

Movie Script

"Falling for You"

Contact Information

Kevin N. Pamintuan

Metro Manila Address

Unit 621, Canary

Building, Verawood

Residences, Acacia

Estates, Taguig

Pampanga Address

Block 72 Lot 13, San

Isidro Resettlement

Magalang, Pampanga

+639530986692

kevinpamintuan995@gmail.com

CHARACTERS IN THE MOVIE SCRIPT

Jessica: A quirky bookstore owner in her late 20s, who is passionate about books and enjoys escaping to cafes to unwind.

Aiden: A charming musician in his early 30s, who is passionate about music and finds inspiration in everyday moments. He's confident and outgoing, with a warm smile that lights up the room.

These two characters form the central romantic pairing in the story, with their budding relationship unfolding against the backdrop of a cozy cafe and a charming bookstore.

FADE IN:

INT. COZY CAFE - DAY

Jessica, a quirky bookstore owner in her late 20s, sits at a table sipping on a cup of coffee. She's engrossed in a book when Aiden, a charming musician in his early 30s, enters the cafe.

AIDEN

(cheerfully)

Hey there! Mind if I join you?

Jessica looks up, slightly startled but intrigued by Aiden's warm smile.

JESSICA

(smirking)

Depends. Are you going to serenade me with your guitar?

AIDEN

(laughing)

Maybe later. Right now, I just want some company.

Jessica gestures to the empty chair opposite her.

JESSICA

Be my guest.

Aiden takes a seat, and they exchange smiles.

AIDEN

So, what's a bookworm like you doing in a place like this?

JESSICA

Just escaping the pages for a bit. What about you? Shouldn't you be off making music somewhere?

Aiden leans in, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

AIDEN

I find inspiration in unexpected places. Like cafes with beautiful bookworms.

Jessica blushes, caught off guard by Aiden's charm.

JESSICA

(flustered)

Well, in that case, you're welcome to stay.

They share a moment of comfortable silence, the beginning of a budding connection.

CUT TO:

INT. CHARMING BOOKSTORE - DAY

Jessica is rearranging books on the shelves when Aiden enters, holding a small bouquet of flowers.

AIDEN

Hey, I brought you these.

Jessica's face lights up as she takes the flowers from him.

JESSICA

Thank you, they're lovely.

Aiden grins, looking around the bookstore with admiration.

AIDEN

I can see why you love this place so much. It's like stepping into another world.

Jessica beams, touched by his words.

JESSICA

It's my little sanctuary. Want to explore?

They wander through the aisles together, their laughter echoing through the bookstore.

FADE OUT

[green-fifteen]

Perennial (hardy to zones 5 and 6)

Prompt: New Beginnings

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Pairing: Stiles & Danny

Rating: Gen

Word Count: 1.324

Summary: Stiles is a California transplant in New York who needs a friend. Danny gives him coffee.

Stiles moved out of California for college. He'd thought about it for a long time, but his mind was made up when things ended badly with Derek. Actually, maybe that's an understatement. Things with Derek ended really badly. As in, I don't want to even look at the stuff you left in my bedroom badly. So, east coast it was.

Getting into the school of his choice wasn't a great trial. He'd already been getting mail from some of the biggest names in that part of the country, he just chose the best-sounding one, paid the application fee, and wrote a trite little essay. It was easy for him. The hard part was what came after.

Because after applying, after being accepted, and after flying clear across the country, for the first time in his life Stiles found himself truly alone. The only person he knew in the whole state of New York was his roommate, who he almost never saw. Kevin had a girlfriend nearby who he stayed with most of the time.

It was hard. He went to every orientation event that first week of the semester, but even though he could be friendly and act interested and chat the ears off a crowd of people, something made him feel... different. Separate from his peers, somehow. He thought it probably had a lot to do with fighting for his life in graveyards and defeating nightmare monsters most people only see in storybooks. It was like, because he couldn't talk about the stuff that actually went on in his life, he had almost nothing to say about himself. And he certainly couldn't relate to his year group in most regards. Oh, the highlight of Jason's senior year was coming in first place in the school triathlon? That's cool, Jason. The best part of my year was when I got stabbed by a witch but didn't die. Do you want to see my scar? or What's that, Bethany? Your high school boyfriend got arrested for shoplifting? You won't believe what my ex-boyfriend has been arrested for! Not exactly the kind of thing that makes a good first impression.

So for about two weeks, Stiles went to class, then back to his dorm. He stopped by the food hall for lunch and dinner. He tried hanging out one time with another boy on his floor, but it hadn't worked out. Stiles was trying not to take it personally, but being ghosted after one gaming session was a hard hint to miss. He was beginning to consider the possibility that he might not be meant for normal people. He wasn't even meant for werewolf people, if Derek was any indication. Maybe Beacon Hills broke him, somehow.

But then, after a boring and idiotic Intro Compsci class one day, he went to a cafe.

It was called Nitro Java, but Stiles didn't know that at the time. All he knew was that he could smell coffee wafting out from the door and he still had two more classes that day. He needed a cup of coffee to hold himself together, like he was an old shoe and coffee was a shoelace. Or something. He really needed caffeine, so he followed his nose in and to the counter.

When he managed to tear his eyes away from the menu, he looked down into a very familiar pair of brown eyes.

"Danny?" he said, voice a little quiet with surprise.

Danny looked back at him like it was typical. Typical Stiles, moving to the same city as him at the same time and walking into the cafe while he was on register. He sighed and his eyes crinkled a little like he might want to smile but he didn't.

"I feel like I should be more surprised," he said. Then, "Do you know what you want to order?"

And that was that for a while. They hadn't ever been friends before, back at home. And it wasn't like Jackson had ever talked to any of them long enough for Danny to even be a possible topic of conversation. It made sense that Stiles had no idea he would be there. And it made sense why Danny had no special interest in befriending him now, either. Even their unwilling extracurricular activities (People In The Know About Weird Shit In Beacon Hills Club, Alive Chapter) hadn't made them grow any closer. They were just two guys who knew each other. Why should that change now that they were two guys who knew each other 2,000 miles from home?

But it seemed to, for Stiles. He scrolled through his contacts to see if he still had Danny's number, just to check. He was surprised at his own relief when he found it. He didn't send anything. It was just nice to know there was someone walking around campus who knew his name and had met his dad. Something about that made it easier to be lonely.

When the weather started to turn and Stiles had to buy a coat (the part of him that would always be a California Boy was appalled and dismayed), he went into Nitro Java again. The shortening days and the piling assignments made him cranky and when he was cranky, he craved caffeine. As he approached the counter, he saw Danny again, standing there behind the counter wearing a purple apron with a name tag on it.

Stiles smiled at it, hitching his backpack higher onto his shoulder to free one hand. "Daniel, huh?" He reached into his pocket to grab his wallet.

"Yes," he replied. "The manager made the name tag when I got hired. Another americano?"

"Please."

After he paid and Danny turned around to make the espresso, Stiles piped up, "So, what are you studying?"

"Computer Engineering." He didn't turn around.

"Dude! That's so cool. You could be like the next Tony Stark! You probably won't have enemies from outer space, though." He stopped talking, awkwardly pausing even though he didn't know why.

Danny snorted and poured the shot into a cup of hot water, then slid it across the counter to him. "The stuff we've seen? I'm not so sure."

Stiles grinned and wrapped both hands around the cup to warm them, breathing in the smell and the steam. "Ugh, you're right. It would be just our luck to discover aliens are real, too. What do you wanna bet they're already here?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, nothing? You don't think there could be aliens here, among us? Mingling and assimilating?"

Danny crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back onto the counter toward Stiles. "Even if there are, I don't want to put money on it. I lose either way. If I'm right, that means we'll run into aliens. And knowing our history, they'll probably want to kill us. If I'm wrong, I have to give you my money."

"This is why you're going to be the next genius billionaire philanthropist," Stiles said, laughing. "That sharp business acumen."

They smiled at each other. Stiles felt warmth in the part of his brain where he usually felt cold and strange. They looked away at the same time and Stiles cleared his throat.

"So, hey. I'm taking a Compsci class and it's kicking my ass," he said, lying. "And I still have your number. Is it okay if I text you sometimes, if I need help? Since you're basically like the Computer Avenger."

Danny quirked his lips without turning his head. "Sure," he said easily. "Philanthropist, remember?"

Stiles smiled back. Even though the leaves were falling off the trees and the chill outside bit at his ears through his new winter cap, it felt like spring where he was standing. As he breathed in deep, he thought he could smell soil and rain and growing things. He took a sip of coffee and felt his mind open up around the possibility of a new beginning.

[uncannyprompts]

INT. DUNDER MIFFLIN SCRANTON - DAY

The office is buzzing with the usual chaos. Michael is at his desk, excitedly sharing a story with the employees.

MICHAEL

...and then, out of nowhere, the horse looked at me like it understood the meaning of life.

LESLIE

(Interrupting)

Oh, Michael! You won't believe what happened to me yesterday.

MICHAEL

(Annoyed)

Leslie, let me finish my story.

LESLIE

But mine is so much more interesting.

As Leslie and Michael bicker, the camera pans to Andy who's practicing his guitar nearby.

ANDY

(Interrupting)

Hey, Michael, did you hear about the guy who stole a calendar?

JIM

(From his desk)

No, what happened?

ANDY

He got 12 months.

The office bursts into laughter, even Michael cracks a smile.

Meanwhile, Kevin is playing with a toy horse, making it gallop across his desk.

KEVIN

(Voices the horse)

Neigh, neigh! I'm the fastest horse in the wild, y'all!

Creed, in his usual mysterious way, enters the scene with a box of donuts.

CREED

(Whispering to the camera)

These donuts have special powers. They can predict the future.

PAM

(Smiling)

Hey, guys, did you see this cute cat video?

The office gathers around Pam's desk, momentarily distracted from the chaos.

Suddenly, an envelope drops onto Dwight's desk. The camera zooms in to reveal strange cryptic text written on it.

DWIGHT

(Excited)

This is a message from the Schrute ancestors! I must decipher it.

As Dwight starts decoding the message, the office returns to its usual antics. Angela scowls at the horse noises, and Oscar rolls his eyes at the donut mysticism.

MICHAEL

(To the camera)

You know, sometimes this office feels like a zoo. But at least it's my zoo.

The camera pans out as the day continues with more absurdity, laughter, and, of course, plenty of horsing around.

[captainpirateface]

"So I tool his pretty head."

Did you know Master Yoda was in the original draft of "Seven"???

Title: "Seven: A Twist of Fate"

INT. DESERTED WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Detective David Mills (played by Brad Pitt) stands in shock, his face pale and his body trembling. The box he had desperately opened now reveals an unimaginable sight: the severed head of the wise and iconic Jedi Master Yoda.

Mills drops to his knees, tears streaming down his face, as the realization of the twisted game played by John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey) sinks in. The weight of the world seems to crush him.

EXT. DESERTED ROOFTOP - DAY

Mills, still grappling with the aftermath of the horrific discovery, sits on the edge of a rooftop, contemplating the darkness that has consumed his world. Suddenly, a gentle breeze stirs, and a low, ethereal voice breaks the silence.

YODA'S VOICE

David Mills, lost you are. But surrender not to the darkness. A path, still there is, to redeem the fallen.

Mills looks around, bewildered, searching for the source of the voice. Then, a translucent apparition of Yoda, glowing softly, materializes before him.

MILLS

Yoda? Is that really you?

YODA

Manifested in the Force, I am. A message, I bring. A chance, you have, to change the course of fate.

Mills, desperate for answers, listens intently.

YODA

In John Doe's game, he sought to shatter your spirit, to make you fall into despair. But in your hands lies the power to defy his design.

Mills, fueled by a newfound determination, rises to his feet.

MILLS

What can I do? How can I stop him?

Yoda's apparition smiles kindly.

YODA

The choice is yours, David Mills. The path of vengeance or the path of justice. The darkness you face can be overcome with light.

INT. POLICE STATION - DAY

Mills, inspired by his encounter with Yoda's apparition, walks into the bustling police station with renewed purpose. He approaches his partner, Detective Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman).

MILLS

Somerset, we need to change our approach. We can't let Doe's sick games consume us. We have to focus on stopping him, bringing him to justice.

Somerset raises an eyebrow, studying Mills intently.

SOMERSET

You've found a way to rise above the darkness, haven't you?

Mills nods, determination etched on his face.

MILLS

Yes, we have to break the cycle, find another way. We can't let him win.

Somerset, after a moment of consideration, nods in agreement.

SOMERSET

Alright, Mills. Let's do it. Let's find a way to end this nightmare and prevent more innocent lives from being lost.

Together, Mills and Somerset embark on a relentless pursuit of John Doe, driven not by vengeance but by the desire to restore justice and protect the innocent.

EXT. RAIN-SOAKED CITY STREET - NIGHT

Mills and Somerset corner John Doe in a dilapidated building, the rain pouring heavily outside. A tense standoff ensues, but instead of succumbing to Doe's manipulations, Mills offers him a glimpse of redemption.

MILLS

John, this doesn't have to end in violence. There's another way. Turn yourself in, face the consequences for your actions. Let justice prevail.

Doe, caught off guard by Mills' unexpected approach, hesitates. The weight of his crimes bears down upon him.

DOE

You think redemption is possible for me?

MILLS

I believe everyone deserves a chance at redemption, no matter how dark their past. It's never too late.

Doe, visibly conflicted, slowly raises his hands in surrender.

EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY

News reporters gather outside the police station as Mills and Somerset lead John Doe in handcuffs. The rain has stopped, and a glimmer of hope shines through the clouds.

Mills, having broken the cycle of darkness, looks up at the sky, a sense of peace washing over him.

THE END