#living vicariously through this party of freaks

[solmesia]

they want that fruit carnally

1 & 2

[gulfiya007]

It was clear from the get-go that Nicola was going to be held to a different standard. Not that I care about age.

I do not partake in this infantilization of grown-ups and the stupid excuses of frontal lobe development. Even if the brain development stages are scientifically established, this shouldn’t be treated and exploited in the extreme manner that it is. Humans develop and evolve their whole life, and, whether they want it or not, there comes a time when one should simply assume a responsibility for their own life and the ones around them.

Somehow, Alexander the Great was mature enough to conquer at 18, or Napoleon to command armies by 24 and become a general by 26. Jane Austen was freaking 21 when she wrote Pride and Prejudice. Mary Shelley published Frankenstein at 20. Let’s not play this dumb game that’s so popular with Gen zedders.

For me, if parties in a couple are 18 and above, the age difference could be over 80 years for all I care. What kind of dynamics and reasoning go into relationships with age differences are so unique for each couple that I never make judgements, especially if I don’t know the people involved.

Whether Nicola is dating that 24 year old or he’s just a friend (I have no idea to either effect), she’s within her full rights to do as she pleases. However, I was not the least bit surprised that half of her “fans” (i.e. the lukola shipper sort) are happy for her happiness and understanding, what with the self-insertion and projection underlying the sentiment. Somehow this generosity is not applied to Luke. I suspect that, if there is a confirmation of some no name, over 40, plain looking, SO for Nic, 95% of her newly found fans will drop off like flies. Unless he's a hot guy of course, similar to Luke, with some public profile, then maybe they'll linger a little longer, cause Nic is a self-insert for a reason for those who live vicariously through her.

At the other extreme, there are those who, hostage to their own virtue signaling inanities, will turn against her, if that relationship with the 24 year old is confirmed. Which is stupid too. And unfair towards her.

Both ways, it’s IRL shipping that is the common denominator for both kinds of fan behavior.

And then there’s Luke, the one variable that’s truly desired in this fandom and so wished to remain in the equation. For this reason, he will never escape the oscillation of being the darling of the shipping fandom and the punching bag for its unfulfilled fantasies. And his actual loved ones will always remain the target.

[tylercircuit]

The Curtain Call: performance and ‘reality’ on the Renaissance English stage and in the cinematic works of David Lynch

Attached is a link to my most recent blog post on the works of David Lynch, including Twin Peaks.

The Curtain Call: performance and ‘reality’ on the Renaissance English stage and in the cinematic works of David Lynch

The News Circuit

The Elizabethan (1558-1603) English theatre had a tradition called a 'jig' or an 'aftergame' in which, after the performance of a full-length play of any genre (but especially tragedy), a clown would perform. It's not considered an epilogue in that these plays usually don't contain any of the characters from the play spectators came to see, it's its own comic drama, like a palate cleanser. Some playwrights like Ben Jonson referenced these comic dramas in a metanarrative way.

Jonson's Volpone features a performing group of 'freaks' including a dwarf named Nano, who is asked (not seriously) to perform a jig for the protagonist. This reminds me of the Arm's jig in the Black Lodge and the metanarrative nature of the setting, the fact he's surrounded by red curtains and observed by a spectator (Coop).

This article is about stage performance and its parallels with reality, about Bakhtin and the carnivalesque, and the relationship between those concepts and the works of David Lynch.

Here's an excerpt:

Like Shakespeare’s Tempest, the works of David Lynch seem, whether through the actions or dialogue or the setting in which they take place or both, to be conscious of their performative nature. As a writer-director he appears interested in the concept of performance-within-performance, a metanarrative indication that the film is aware of its own performance, its fiction. Performance and spectatorship are principal to Lynch. In Twin Peaks, the Black Lodge is shrouded by tall red drapes identical to stage curtains. The only respite for Eraserhead’s protagonist is observing or being on stage with the Lady in the Radiator. Frank Booth’s victim in Blue Velvet is a professional singer at a nightclub; it’s her fame and stage presence which leads to her trouble with Frank in the first place. Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, to different ends, are commentaries on the Hollywood filmmaking industry, and heavily feature scenes of sets and performance. Laura Palmer’s perfect schoolgirl life is performative. She performs to convince her family and friends she does not take drugs; she does not lead a second life in which she has fetishistic orgies with grown adults and know of a ring of groomed and trafficked teenage girls in and around Eastern Washington.

[...]

The world of Twin Peaks is upside-down, a mirror world. In it, Lynch and Frost have created an inverse world typical of the early modern era of English theatre. Shakespeare and his contemporaries created satirical worlds in their comedies in which their contemporary Elizabethan/Jacobean value system is reversed or altered. Social order is deconstructed by the early modern satirist and reorganised, offering spectators a mirror reality. In a Mark Fisher-esque, capitalist realist way, this type of spectatorship is purgative. It gives spectators a chance to revel in activities considered immoral and live vicariously through characters who might, for example, fool other characters that they are the opposite sex by dressing as such, or flirt with characters of the same sex, or decry God and Christianity, or party too hard and sin too much. It’s a Bacchanalian tradition, evocative of the Roman festival Saturnalia in which, for a single day, slaves pretended to be masters and masters slaves. It’s a catharsis and, almost paradoxically, reinforces ‘the rules’. In abandoning the rules on stage or in carnival, revellers can return to the real world cleansed of their antisocial desires, like Fisher suggests returning to the real world after observing a performance of revolution satisfies the urge to revolt. Bakhtin calls the literary equivalent of this, your Shakespeares and your Lynches, the carnival mode.

[...]

Bakhtin’s carnival symbolises the dismantling of structure and control. Normative order is replaced by strange and arguably immoral phenomena, contrary to the moral foundations of real contemporary society. Performance in Lynch’s work is symbolic of the abandonment of social order. Laura Palmer’s homecoming queen performance is offset by her other performance, the drug-abusing femme fatale type – in reality, she is neither.

Laura rejects order. She rejects the moral value system imposed on her. For Laura, so long as she is in control, even (or especially) if the act she is in control of is self-destructive, she is comfortable. Performance is her strength. Manipulation of both sides is her strength. She can manipulate her mother and her teachers and the pretty boys at school, and she can manipulate Jacques and Leo and the statutory rapists and child sex traffickers and paedophile truck drivers, and she can exercise some form of control over Bob.

Performance in the Black Lodge is the visual representation that this spiritual world exists outside of the rules of reality, it is through the looking glass, forget what you thought you knew.

[...]

For Lynch, all realities are performative, all performance is reality. What is real and what is performed roll into one. Social order is rejected and no one thing is truth: there are multiple truths, multiple realities, multiple potential reorganisations of the dismantled concept of contemporary social order.

[lonelyasawhisper]

Unpopular opinion: I think one of the reasons why Freddie is always stated as bisexual is because some people and the media love to play on that biphobic stereotype that bi people are naturally promiscuous and would fuck anyone and everyone just because they are attracted to more than one gender. 

In MY opinion, some people get mad when you correct them saying he’s gay because that ruins their perception of seeing Freddie as the very promiscuous sex freak who did it with everyone (an idea which he himself joked about and played with for his public persona) and gives them pause from snickering at and being entertained by that bisexual-sex-addict-circus-act spectacle biphobes like to mock bi people for. The media does it because that confirms what people like to think when they think about Freddie in relation to his sex life, and sex and promiscuity are easy sensational clickbait topics. 

I mean, I’ve even seen some fans get a kick out of the thought that Freddie fucked everyone he met and had a super wild sex life - it’s the same with how people get obsessed with that New Orleans party and the whole “rock ‘n’ roll” lifestyle. Except for the rest of the band, people (I mean straight men) like to project their fantasies onto them and sort of live vicariously through those stories of having hundreds of strippers and naked girls at a party. For Freddie, there’s a biphobic element because he’s queer and it’s not said in a way that’s like “good for him, I want that too”, it’s more like “he led such a life of debauchery LOL let’s all laugh at it together because that’s so outrageous and typical of bisexual people they’re so wild!” Freddie’s life still serves as a freak show to some people. I mean even the TV host in that one week later interview encapsulated how lots of people view(ed) Freddie - “ a decadent, wild, bisexual, irresponsible lover”. If you suggest that Freddie was not bisexual, that facade does not stand as strong. 

Bi people should not be seen like that, but unfortunately it’s still a harmful stereotype a lot of people run to when they think of bisexuality. And of course, nothing wrong with being sex positive. But the way people see Freddie as this crazy sex freak and fixate on that idea and nothing else is Not Good.  The way they talk about his personal life imo is not a celebration of his life or sexuality, rather it’s seeing him as a freak exhibition to laugh at and about, to gossip with other people about because of how OuTRAGeOuS and LiCenTioUs he was. I think this, combined with their insistence that he’s bisexual, at the very least partly are rooted in biphobia (and homophobia because that erases his sexuality and suggests the “gold star gay” route is the only valid way to be gay). 

(Some part of me thinks this also relates in a way to how some people complained that the biopic is too sanitized. I’m not saying that it isn’t, or that the biopic being R-rated and showing more of Freddie’s sex life would be inherently bad. But from what I’ve observed, a lot of people’s grievance with the biopic is “I came to see the Queen/Freddie biopic to see some crazy sex and debauchery, and I did not get that. How could a film about Freddie Mercury be PG-13? The man did everything with everyone! Where are the orgies and sex parties? [cue something about little people and cocaine]”. They want to practically watch porn at this point, because sex, especially queer sex, is shocking and scandalous and outrageous, not because they want an accurate LGBT+ representation and a generally good representation of Freddie's life. It’s seeing Freddie’s sex life as a spectacle, and the public perception of him being bisexual and the biphobic idea that all bisexual people are promiscuous sex addicts are all mixed up in that.)

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Demeter

Have I been using this series to vicariously punish Belphie for the events of Season 1? I cannot confirm nor deny that statement.

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter

Lucifer

Didn't think too much of the "human" when they popped out of the portal. Sure they had a straw hat and a huge basket full of produce but it wasn’t like they were… Wait… No… Were they…?

Oh no. Oh nonononono, this is not good…!!

Demeter is notoriously doting and protective of her children (see her freakout and breakdown after Hades abducted of Persephone as proof) and they've pretty much done the EXACT. SAME. THING. here!!

It was a mad scramble by him and Diavolo to contact and appease their godly Mother Bear before she came roaring down to Devildom herself to turn them all into barley. Thankfully, Zeus must have intervened at some point because though she was indeed PISSED, she didn't threaten to barge in… yet.

She made one thing very clear. Bend so much as a single hair on her precious child's head and there would be WAR…

The MC received a 24 hour security detail after that. Just Mammon wasn't going to cut it, he needed NO chances. It was a full rotation of Mammon, him and Beel for the entirety of their stay (Asmo and Levi both threw hissy fits at the prospect of babysitting, Satan couldn’t be trusted not to kill them just to irritate him, and Belphie was out for… obvious reasons).

In some ways, it wasn’t so bad. The MC was a very mild sort of person, rather even tempered. He’d dare say they were pleasant, mostly content to just tend to their gardens and be out in the moonlight…

But the problem was, he just could not convince them to stay OUT of nature. Including the forests, which were full of hellish beasts fully intent on gnawing their flesh from their bones… and their specialty was plants, not animals, sooo…

Their habit of sneaking out to wander the woods got so bad that he very nearly considered pulling a Belphie 2 and locking them in the basement for their own good. But Devil knows what damage their mother would do if she found out…

At least they make for pleasant company… And Diavolo seems to like them quite a bit himself so the mortal gets a pass from him. Now if they’d only consider their own safety for a change…

Mammon

They make him a KILLING.

Like, no seriously. Their produce is insane!! He’s never tasted food so good, especially stuff that’s come fresh from the ground! It only took a few berries for Mammon to throw on a straw hat himself and start harvesting! He’s a farmer now, baby!!

Weeellll not quite. He’s still absolutely only in it for the money, but anything he brings to a farmer’s market goes so fast that he can hardly care about the labor! He’s never made this much Grimm in his life!! And it’s totally legit for a change!

He bought himself another car, paid off half of his debt, and even got Levi back that 2 or 3 grand he leant him centuries ago. Really, Mammon’s living his best life and it’s all thanks to MC!

It’s a good thing his blatant grifting doesn’t hurt his relationship with them at all, in fact they seem to enjoy having his help regardless. They bring him drinks on hot days or invite him on picnics and stuff, it’s… it’s really sweet. They’re very nice to him and he appreciates it…

But… COULD YA JUST STAY PUT ALREADY???

It drives him INSANE that they won’t stay out of dangerous places!! After he started caring about them for more than just a meal ticket it only got even worse!!

He’s not usually one for monitoring someone’s every move (that kind of control freak behavior is more a Lucifer thing) but he eventually had to set up familiars around the House just to keep them from sneaking out at night...

What was so interesting out there anyway?? There wasn’t any kind of plant that he could bring them himself! They didn’t have any need to be out there!! 

They’d keep telling him they’d be fine but it’s not like he’s going to actually buy that. They were too… nice to be dangerous or anything so why would he believe them?

No more running off, MC! Please, he’s beggin’ ya!!

Leviathan 

Wait, gardening? Like, being outdoors and stuff? Ew. No thanks, he’ll pass.

That was more or less his first reaction when they showed up and it never really got much better than that…

He admits that they’re friendly and it’s not like he dislikes them or anything, but their thing so far from his thing that they just don’t have a lot in common… you know?

For starters, they get So. Antsy. when they’re inside for too long! He tried to invite them to a marathon once, but they could hardly keep still and kept looking around like they were searching for a window… He said, “to jump out of.” They insisted just for some fresh air, but he didn’t buy it...

They’re nice enough to listen to his rants, but they’re barely ever inside for him to do so and like HELL is he going to leave his room and stand around out there for that long. Ranting is at least a one to two hour engagement! What if he gets hot out there? And have you SEEN Devildom bees?? Hell no!!

He has, however, asked them on multiple occasions to reproduce flowers he’s seen in different anime, especially ones that have a very unique look and they’ve done some real wonders with that!

He can now claim to be the only person to ever own a Ruby-Jade Vine plant, straight from the pages of TSL when it was used to brew tea for the Lord of Lechery during his brief illness and-is anyone even still listening anymore?

The point is, it’s a flower so rare it was imaginary but now HE has it!... or had it for about a week until his utter incompetence of all things plant killed it…

He begged the MC for another but they were out of the plants they needed to make it and would have to go back to the human world to find more… He’s still mourning his loss… Poor Henry 4.0…

Satan

Well… He’s called this MC “salt of the Earth” and he does truly mean it. Take of that what you will.

He doesn’t get much in the way of intellectual conversation out of this mortal UNLESS he’s talking about plants, farming, or botany… Interesting topics and complex in their own right to be sure, but that’s pretty much their wheelhouse and they like it there.

That being said, the feats that they can perform are genuinely mind-blowing! They are the ONLY person he has ever met who can cultivate the Devildom’s own ultra-rare Phantom Orchid, a plant only blooms when it reaches a perfect state of undeath (i.e. both taken care of and neglected just enough so that it's only barely alive. The balance is so tricky to master that one hasn’t bloomed down there for centuries!)

There’s also something just genuinely relaxing about watching them work or helping them in the gardens… More so than he’d ever expected from such a simple activity.

He admits that he’s taken quite a few strolls through the flower-filled courtyard of the Demon Lord’s Castle just to admire its beauty... But anything that they can grow just blows all of that out of the water!

They even taught him several magic botanical techniques so now he can grow some pretty mad plants himself. Lucifer never expected to find that giant Venus Flytrap in his closet, but one was there regardless. 😏

Just… out of curiosity one day, he asked the MC if they could make him a new kind of catnip. Not for any nefarious reason! You know… just for research purposes…

The nip they made was so effective that the House grounds were FILLED with nipped-up cats for a whole month! He was in Heaven!! (and Lucifer practically wiped those plants from existence so he couldn’t get any more… asshole...)

That must have inspired them because they apparently made a demons-only version that they told him about WELL after the fact. Had he known, he probably would have burned the stuff on principle... Do you know how dangerous demon-nip could be to them? Experiment responsibly, MC!

Asmodeus 

Ehhhh, gardening SOUNDS like one of those things that should be super Devilgram-able, but then you realize how sweaty and dirty you get in the process and it’s a huge turn off… Sorry MC.

When they first came down to the Devildom, he thought two things: 1) Such a sweet little flower child, as adorable as they were, would never survive; and 2) even if they could, he would never ever see eye-to-eye with them on the “wonders” of getting all up in the dirt.

Well, he was right about 2, but certainly not 1. Personally, he thinks his brothers worry about them too much, they ARE still a demigod.

At one point he saw a pack of hellhounds almost trample one of their vegetable gardens and they lost it. Word to the wise, never try to take on a child of Demeter in their own garden. Those hounds were wrapped up in rose vines before they could even yelp...

Yeah, the MC would be fine.

That being said, while everybody else clamors over their produce, he thinks that their flowers are really where it’s at!

Taking just five minutes in one of their gardens is something else... He’s never seen blossoms as healthy and immaculate in all the Devildom before! Their beauty could (almost) rivals his own! What they do isn’t just a hobby, it’s an art.

He’s taken multiple pictures with their blossoms and they go viral every time. It’s so rare to actually see gorgeous, petal-filled flowers in the Devildom, most of the native plants are of the man-eating variety.

His only complaint about this MC is that they seem to feel much more at home in work clothes and dirt than they do in any sort of party-look he tries to give them… Cute as they are, they can afford to gussy up sometimes can’t they? Mud and grass stains don’t make for a good look, sorry.

Beelzebub 

Beel gardens and the MC gardens as well. Add on that they seem to be able to grow all manner of fruits and veggies and he likes this one. A lot.

They had just finished apple-picking when the portal nabbed them so they had a massive basket of apples at the time. Naturally, Beel more or less stole the thing on sight, but the apples inside were so juicy and good that he almost shook them down for more on the spot!

Imagine his surprise when they, half pleadingly, explained to him that if he got them some seeds they could just grow more… and it wouldn’t even take that long.

To be clear, the formula he saw was this: Get seeds > bring seeds to mortal > mortal grows seeds > mortal makes endless supply of food….

Congratulations MC, you’ve now earned the sixthborn’s eternal loyalty after a grand total of… two minutes. He didn’t even know their name, but he was willing to take a bullet for them (provided he got more of those apples).

The next several months were spent with Beel attached to them to the hip in some way, but honestly? It was just so wholesome anyway…

If he’s helping in the garden, he never complains. He does most of the heavy lifting and actually likes being out there with them (unlike others...)

Many afternoons were spent sitting under fruit trees and talking. Sometimes, they go to the trouble of preparing a picnic or something but it would always inevitably end with Beel plucking the whole tree clean of whatever ripe (or unripe) fruit he can get his hands on with a smile. 

The MC never minded though. That’s just another excuse to grow more, right?

His only problem was when the MC would sneak out to the forest… especially when they get too antsy and just go alone. 

He HATES it when they do that! How is he supposed to keep them safe if they just wander off?? He knows that they have a special connection to nature and all, but it isn’t safe…

He’s flown in and scooped them back up to the House on numerous occasions and his “talking tos” get sterner after every rescue... Please stay put, MC! He’d have so many reasons to be sad if you were eaten… 😔

Belphegor 

Okay, he was looking for a capable, if not gullible, human. Not a shoeless flower hippy!

He honestly wasn't expecting much out of this one... Damn their little heart because they did genuinely believed his lies, it’s just that they weren't… well… They were really good at gardening.

… And it grew kind of hard to keep hating them whenever they'd show up just to give him fresh berries or a bouquet to see him smile… He may claim that his heart is made of nightmares and orphan tears, but who doesn’t enjoy being given a batch of flowers? 

Damn their sweetness too… Right to here.

When it came time to kill them he had a heavier heart than he thought he would, but kind of saw it like putting down the sacrificial lamb. Gotta be done to reach better goals... Stiff upper lip and all that.

Unfortunately for him, they had taken to carrying packets of demon-nip with them as a self-defense measure…

He wasn’t exactly sure what he expected when they shouted “Get nipped!” at him mid-attack, but it wasn’t a face full of some smelly herb! Like, really smelly…! Actually, that smelt kind of good… Hold on.

Turns out murderous rage really doesn’t last long after you get what is effectively ultra-strong catnip thrown in your face. They ended up having to go and tell Lucifer what happened themselves because Belphie was way too blissed out on the floor to do anything... They were legitimately worried they might have fried his brain...

He’s told the effects of the demon-nip lasted three days. He doesn’t know, because he hardly remembers any of it... They described him as like he was high on “weed” and “ecstasy” at the same time but he doesn’t know what either of those are either so it wasn’t helpful…

Truthfully, they were so nice to him while he was recovering that he couldn’t even be mad afterwards so all's well that ends well? Either way, he’s sleeping under their orchard trees from now on. It’s peaceful out there...

They burnt all that nip though. It’s some strong stuff...

[trblhyuns]

imagine us. (pt.1 and we were eating)

pairing// hyunjin-reader main  &&lil chan-reader for a little

tws// use of drugs and alcohol, suggestive scenes, hyunjin can be a dick sometimes and it hurts

— lighthearted

prologue / masterlist / pt.2

pt.1 wc: 1989

his cologne caught my nose. it smells just like the one i had got for my little brother this past christmas. when my brother wore it it smelt nice, and i liked the undernotes but on him, it just smelt weird. but now i could smell the same undertone and it was pleasingly sweet, but mostly smelled like dude. not like locker room dude but like shaves his face with a straight razor, changes his own oil, shops at nordstrom rack dude. my brother said he wanted it because he saw it in some pickup artist video saying that it was the best scent to get girls. i wonder if he got it because of that video too. not saying that if i smelled it on my brother that i would find him attractive too. ew. i know that scents change depending on the person who is wearing them. but the smell, or more likely the aura radiating off this guy is making my head turn.

i can only catch a glimpse of the head of hair on this guy. blonde and long. like the barbies i used to play with my elementary school when i would spend the night. i want to see more of him. his smell is luring me in. i feel like a dog looking for a treat that it hid months ago.

"why do you keep looking at the booth behind you" jisung looks into me, using scissors to cut the sizzling pork belly into small pieces. i fold into myself watching the pieces fall onto the round charcoal grill between us. "you're so weird." he shakes his head before going back to grilling the meat.

"okay try to see past all the smell of the expensive meat, which i am paying for, may remind you before you call me weird. but you smell that?" he looks at me while squinting his eyes, slowly he puts down the tongs and scissors. his fingers stroke his chin and within a few moments his features scrunch up.

"yeah i smell that. oh my god."

"really? i thought i was crazy." relief falls over me. i'm not the only one who can smell it.

"yeah it smells so fucking bad, it's like there is a y/n here stinking the whole restaurant up. yeah, i don't think i can eat anymore" he drops his hands on the table. my eyes droop. i look up at him from hooded lids, trying to put on the most deadpan face i can.

"yeah, i think you're paying now buddy."

"but y/n~~~ i was like um just playing, but for real it smells like dude. you know when you come to the studio with me and the middle schoolers leave because the youth classes end. yeah, yeah. like when the youth classes end. onions and axe." i chuckle at his response before grabbing a piece of the now grilled pork belly off the grill and putting it on my plate. i can not express how excited i am to eat this pork belly. it distracts me enough from what we were talking about before, and as i am ready to bring the food up to my mouth i am soon more distracted by the sound of the tall man scooting out from the booth behind me, napkin clad in hand making his way over to the buffet, probably to get more sides.

"jisung do you need more sides?"

"no, i need more front."

"what?" i looked at him puzzled trying to figure out what he means.

"i need to see the front of that guy who smells like onions and axe, was that what you were trying to look at in the booth behind you. because i'm going to let you know right now, just by looking at the back of onion and axe guy you have no chance."

i stare at him again.

"bitch what the fuck." jisung puts his hand up to his forehead, which i just flicked. "again, i was just joking gotdamn. if you want to talk to him this is your chance i guess. i want more radish now be nice and go get me some since you just flicked me." i roll my eyes still staring while my eyes close into a tight glare shooting at him. i look over at the buffet, and he is nowhere to be seen. usually, by now i would have kicked jisung under the table for being so mean, but he was right. this was a good time to go see what this guy was all about. and, i want to smell him. as appetizing as this porkbelly smells, and how much i was craving to eat it, he smells more delicious. but jisung's words play in my head again onions and axe. it makes me chuckle.

i get up and make my way towards the buffet. it's the dinner rush, and since this was the only good bbq spot in the town at the moment, i have to dodge busy servers, and the sound of conversations, and maybe even a fighting couple pass by me as i make my way over.

trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, i try to look around me taking in the surroundings of the restaurant, but trying to spot the full head of blonde hair. i put the plastic gloves over my hands, grabbing a plate from under the food, and then mindlessly— and may i add very slowly— put things onto the plate. i see him a bit of the way over just staring at the meat fridge. the blonde hair pulls me in and i'm about to make my move before i feel a sting on my face. quickly i wipe my hand over my face trying to scratch before i realize i now have the residue of whatever was on my gloves, but what's even worse i don't have my mask on. the blood rushes to my face as i quickly make my way back to the booth where jisung is waiting for me.

"dude you didn't even get any radish." he looks at me, looking like he is trying to hold back his laughter as he throws a napkin at my face.

"do you think he saw me, oh my god, what if he did, he probably thinks i'm some freak anti-masker trying to spread my germs to everyone."

"i mean i would." jisung retorts at me.

"you're such a dick" i throw my crumpled-up napkin back at him.

"yeah but who begged me to come out to eat with her, and who made me cancel my studio time just because little y/n can't grill food by herself, and can't stand the thought of eating out alone." his pout becomes deeper with each word he says, and his voice becomes squeaker at the same rate.

"yeah but who gets to eat for free?" i imitate him. this makes him purse his lips, a playful look on his face as he goes back to eating the sides i brought back from the buffet. he looks around before eyeing the direction of the buffet.

"yoooo YOOOOOOOO y/n y/n y/n. i know that guy." he has a surprised look on his face, but not hiding the fact that he is a little excited. like a little lab dog. i open my eyes wide, ready to hear how i can get closer to him. "i've seen him at the studio before. you know that guy chan i have been trying to get you to bang so i can live vicariously through you, yeah i think he is friends with him."

"first of all, i don't know why you keep trying to live vicariously through me. especially since the situation is me having sex with chan. because you are like. straight. but maybe i should hit up chan now haha." i play with the straw that's sitting in my water cup while jisung pulls out his phone, scrolling through. he looked so focused, a look i only see when he is trying to mix a new track, or while he stares at himself in the mirror while dancing. i wait there for a while, distributing the rest of the cooked meat between us. before i can start to eat jisung shoves his phone in my face.

"okay i got his snapchat and apparently he is here with this girl as you can see by the story i am showing you right now." that was quick, but expected from jisung.

i take his phone out of his hands, holding it closer to my face so i can read the caption better. remembering that they are in the booth behind us, i remember to lower my voice before i speak.

"okay first of all who comes to a bbq place and orders off the kitchen menu. and do you think they are dating, like is the emoji meant to be about her or the food, and do you think she is eating the food he is grilling, or do you think she is the type to eat salads on dates to seem more feminine." i start to ramble, obviously jealous over a girl i don't know over a guy i don't know. things have been dry for me lately. school has taken over my life. occasionally i will go out to the club, or the rare party, but being friends with jisung who doesn't get out as much as he used to, i just have never have an excuse to go out and meet more people. this is the action and drama i need in my life right now.

"okay, first of all, y/n you said a lot, and it is a lot to unpack. and i don't know if you know her and have some grudge or sum, but i think you are just reading too much into it." and he's right. i have only seen this guy's face like once, and maybe got a good whiff of him, but i feel like i'm going crazy for no reason. oh my god, i am so deprived of any interaction with anyone.

"let's just forget about it and get the bill. he has a girl so my window has closed." jisung nods in approval and goes to finishing his food. we continue to make small talk and joke around. the server comes to the table black book in hand. i put my card in and wait for him to come back with the reciept.

"wait y/n your tipping too right."

"oh my god jisung, just how broke are you?"

"i'm not broke i'm just trying to save up for these nice ass headphones and i just wanted to ask you to break our little you pay and i tip streak so i can keep a little extra cash so i can hear porn in HD audio."

"okay, okay, just stop talking, gosh. what is up with you today." the server comes back and i scribble in the tip and total before looking at jisung signaling to him to get up.

"nothin.'' he smiles at me as he scoots out from the booth grabbing his bag. "so now that you know that pretty guy isn't available will you FINALLY hit up chan. he has been asking about you." we are walking out of the restaurant now. standing out on the side walk beside the main road. there is traffic tonight downtown, like always. the older people are making their way out of the restaurants, and closing their tabs at bars. the bouncers are going to come out soon, ready to take only the obviously fake ids, and i can imagine a few hours from now the barely dressed girls on the backs of guys they met dancing stumbling down the concrete, or the older college kids playing pool instead of getting wasted.

"i guess now i will."

[drspencr]

dating matthew would include...

a/n: hi hi here’s a little short hc because i haven’t posted anything in a while :) but other than that my requests are open rn and i don’t have a lot to do nowaday!!

content warning: mentions of an age gap

masterlist

definitely keeping your relationship a secret for a while

spotted out in public in the early stages in the relationship

but everybody attacked you guys even when no one confirmed anything

especially getting on your guys asses for the substantial age gap

so ever since then, you two kept it on the downlow until everyone forgot about it

BUT two years later matthew finally convinced you to go public

you posted a nice picture of him sitting across from you and captioned it “happy anniversary, my love”

and matthew posted a pic of you just waking up and captioned it “i can’t believe i get to wake up to this every morning ❤️”

when you finally look at your notifications and see the photo he posted you completely freak

“matthew you chose the worst photo of me!!!”

“oh please, you’re beautiful”

the fans finally accepting you two as a couple

all of them coming to terms with your guys relationship and having to live vicariously through you

horsing around everywhere you go

he’s probably the kind of person to play tag at target

super! fun! dates!

picnic dates

water park dates

disneyland dates

bubble bath dates

but as playful the casual dates are, he seriously knows how to wine and dine

sneaking into abandoned places for fun and clinging onto his arm the whole time

“matthew can we please get out of here? this place is giving me the creeps”

“you don’t want to say hi to the ghosts? they’re really nice once you get to know them”

“matthew!”

“im kidding, im kidding”

color coordinated outfits

he insists

(tons of) naked mirror selfies

like getting out of the shower and putting your leg on his hips

or simply just standing in front of the mirror and hugging each other, skin to skin

he’ll probably be obsessed with your body and thinks it’s the most beautiful thing in the world

taking pictures, kissing and touching every inch of your skin, etc

it’s no doubt that he’s very intimate

calls you the step mom/dad of rumple buttercup

it was his way of saying that you’re somewhat of a family

CALLING EACH OTHER BUTTERCUP

and actually having a conversation about naming your first child rumple

kissing his forehead every chance you get

sometimes he gets insecure and thinks that he’s too touchy

so he’ll just stare at you from afar

probably looking up from his drawing every 30 seconds because he wants to hold you so badly

and you can feel him staring so you just open your arms and he just sheepishly walks over to you, sits down on your lap, and cuddles his head into your neck like a koala

buying him weird patterned socks to add to his collection!

it always brings a smile to his face no matter what it is

tickle fights

all the time

but you always end up winning and he always ends up on the floor with you on top of him

and he tries to ask you to stop but he can’t because he’s laughing too much

staying up because matthew literally doesn’t sleep until 4 am

but he realizes how much of a toll it’s putting on you so he starts going to sleep at a reasonable time

for your sake

watching binging criminal minds

matthew claiming that you probably like reid more than you like him

although, you were never going to admit that to his face jk

“you know that’s not true, baby. i love you and not the character you play, okay?”

“okay”

“but spencer reid still deserves better, fuck the cm writers”

“y/n!!”

“it’s true, don’t deny it”

letting you paint his nails

as long as it matched with the socks he was wearing that day

probably the hottest, wildest sex

like constantly experimenting and seeing what works best

and the aftercare? WHEW

he cooks you breakfast the morning after :)

matthew sneaking you onto set so you can watch him do his thing

also because he misses you

and when he has nothing to do and you’re not with him, he draws you from memory with flowers and hearts all around your face

“hey buttercup, how was work?”

“i drew you again”

“so a slow day, huh?”

dinners with his parents!

and it’s great because you and his mom get along so well and he loves seeing his two favorite people enjoying each other’s company

taking walks

like old couples

you would go in the morning, still in your pajamas probably

and just walk around the neighborhood talking about random shit and pointing out the chalk art on the sidewalk

he always has a new magic trick to show you and never runs out of cheesy jokes

sometimes he would pretend to be offended when you call him “grandpa” or “old man”

but other times, he would use his age as an excuse to get out of things

“matthew, do you want to eat dinner with me and my friend?”

“which friend?”

“bethany”

“oh uh,, i– my back hurts, yknow, old joints and all. maybe next time?”

you knowing damn well he just doesn’t want to see bethany

being friends with the whole cast (yk despite the drama and everything)

and going to all the cm parties

being friends with all of matthews friends honestly

another reason for him to love you so much

matthew wanting to propose for a long time but gets nervous and wants to wait for the right moment

he takes the ring with him everywhere he goes just in case

one day you’re just talking and laughing and he asks you out of nowhere

and takes the ring from his pocket like nothing

being matthew’s forever and having the most fulfilling married life 🥰

taglist:

@timey-wimey-lovi @harrys-creature @spencer-reid-in-a-pool @redbullchick @etherealsxnder @httpnxtt @blushingspencer @groovyreid @plazathehag @anditsdoctor @spenciereiddd @danandphilfan6 @estate-euphoric @yoongi-holland @la-vie-en-amour1

[medicus-mortem]

@akaishinju​ asked: It's... definitely a very bad idea. An awful one, but Ace can't help but look at that stoic face of Law’s while he finishes another large glass of alcohol. Too bad, the idea wouldn't leave his mind now. With a devilish smirk, he slides himself closer to Law. "Hey, Moron... Don't you ever smile or change that freaking deadpan face?" He snarls, a hiccup leaving his throat. He rolls his arm around the raven-haired shoulder, and leans against him, his index poking his cheek... and gently moving over it. Ace is trying to draw with the ashes of his fire power, a smile on Law's face.

Unprompted

   Law watches his crew as they enjoy the revelry at this pub. Drinking, dancing, laughter, all of it filling the air with a wonderful noise. He leans back into his seat, content to just observe their joy. He’s never been one to get properly involved in these sort of things, preferring to watch the party from the sidelines and live vicariously through the joy of his family. He doesn’t really enjoy losing himself to this sort of thing. Instead he sits in the dark and drinks his whiskey. He’s content this way.

   Ice clinks in his glass as he brings it to his lips, taking another sip. A hum, pleased despite how stoic his features are. Dark countenance not necessarily a sign of his emotional state, yet one individual decides it is. A heavy sigh slips past Law’s lips as Ace slides into the chair beside him, pulling it so close that their bodies brush against each other. A closing of eyes, a realisation that the younger pirate is drunk and clearly a touchy one.

   He grunts when an arm gets draped over his shoulders, tugging him closer to Ace’s naturally warm side. Liquid sloshes out of Law’s glass, his eyes opening as a sneer takes over his face. Then comes that finger to his cheek, one that grows hotter with every motion against his skin, until it become unbearable.

    “Fuck! Stop!” Law hisses, shoving Ace off him. He scowls, hand rising to rub at the smarting cheek. What the hell was he trying to do? “Burning my damn cheek off definitely won’t bring a smile to my face, asshole!”

[enixamyram]

So I watched "Let's Kill Ward's Wife" and honestly, I am very upset with it. It started out funny enough - not belly buster but I giggled at a moment or two. But then it just became really disturbing right to the end, completely out of nowhere. To the point where it was actually making me feel a little sick and I'm getting more worked up the more I think about it.

Warning: Gory/off putting details bellow.

The whole plot is that Ward has the worst wife. She's a selfish bitch, mean to everyone, including her husband and has a lot of unhealthy ideas and ways of dealing with and talking to her own infant son. After an accident at a party, one of Ward's friends (Tom) essentially takes advantage of the moment and basically finishes her off. He tells everyone immediately and with the help of their other friend (David), they plan how to get away with her murder by hiding the body together as a group.

It is obviously a dark comedy. It's one of those stories where it's not meant to be taken seriously and in a way, we get to live vicariously through the characters, getting to get back at the assholes we have to deal with in the world in a very exaggerated way. And I think it kind of worked because everyone was so comically chill about the whole thing. They were all very light hearted about it, making Ward's shocked faces kind of funny at their thoughtless comments before he eventually jumped on the band wagon with them.

In the end, obviously none of it was meant to be serious or taken seriously. And it worked that way. It was over the top and ridiculously unrealistic.

But then, right near the very end of the film, one of the guys (Ronnie) has a complete break down over it, freaking out, crying, demanding to know why Tom did it and so on.

At this point, Tom, David and Ronnie have all gathered to disfigure the face for fear of it being found and identified. And this is when it gets very twisted and uncomfortably gross. Remember, part of the fun for this type of film was how unrealistic everyone was acting. Only now it's suddenly very realistic with a guy sobbing because he points out that just because she's a bitch doesn't mean she deserved to die and he can't do it anymore.

Then it gets worse. Because while David was originally going to disfigure her himself, Tom suddenly demands that Ronnie do it. He doesn't trust Ronnie not to turn him in (preaching about how he has a family like suddenly we're meant to feel sorry for him?) and demands Ronnie become involved by disfiguring her face himself. Ronnie, still freaking out, begs them not to make him do this before he gives in, does the deed and once again breaks down.

At the end, Ronnie tells Tom that he owes him before walking away. Tom, then back to being light hearted, questions the owning him part before he and David cheerfully resume burying the body parts.

And just like that, it's chill again? Except it's not. Because that scene was really disturbingly off putting and any humour it might have held is lost. From that point, I just wanted them to get caught because of how utterly disgusted I felt, watching them essentially threaten a man who was supposed to be their friend into committing an act that left him broken inside.

They don't even address or fix it. Again this is right at the end of the film. All we get is Tom having a happy sex life, David reuniting with his ex, Ward being fine, and Ronnie clearly falling apart but he goes to meet with a hot blonde he spoke to at the beginning of the film so... What? I suppose it's okay? He's getting laid so the trauma he suffered by his own friends is all fixed?

I'm honestly so upset I sat through this film. It should have stayed stupidly unrealistic and chill. Instead it throws in this very random and very disturbing scene of a man realistically falling apart while his friends treat him like crap, and then... I don't even know. The end isn't even played for comedy. It's just like a random wrap up to show they're all living their lives like nothing even happened.

It's gross and I desperately wish I never wasted my time with it.

[steves-on-a-plane]

Midnight in the City

Words: 1487 Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader Summary: Reader was in New York for her Bachelorette party when she gets a call from her Fiancé saying that things are over between them. Heartbroken and distraught, she starts walking back to her hotel alone only to get turned around and lost. When she tries to seek shelter in a nearby bodega, she bumps into a certain billionaire unexpectedly. It’s almost laughable how quickly things can chance in a New York minute. Author’s Note: Y’all ever start to write a fic thinking it will be one thing and then it turns into a whole new beast? That’s how this fic came alive.

It was late at night much later than you’d planned on being out. It was also cold. There was frost on the windows of the shops and bars you past. You shivered, regretting that you left your coat back at the hotel. There was a delicate silver tiara in your hair. The teeth of the Tiara’s comb felt like they were digging into your skull. You tugged the thing off, no longer caring has nicely its gemstones sparkled under the New York City lights.

Your toes were wedged into a pair of high heels and you knew your feet would be covered in blisters by morning. You should have worn something more comfortable like your sister had suggested, but you’d wanted to look your best that night. It was supposed to be your Bachelorette party after all. Tired from a long day, your feet and heart both aching and your continued ambling down the street until you came upon a bodega.

You stepped inside, shielding your eyes from the store’s florescent lighting, you stumbled inside. You were relieved to find the place toasty warm. At least comparing to the dropping temperature outside. You had a pounding headache and you knew the best cure for that would be water and maybe some food. You slowly made your way over to a selection of fridges where several bottle water brands were displayed.

“I don’t want to sound rude here, but are you, okay?” You looked to your right startled. You had thought you were the only patron in the shop.

“Where the hell did you come from?” You gasped. You glanced at your smart watch to check the time, only to realize its battery had died. Most of the man’s face was covered by a pair of sunglasses with red tinted lenses. But he smiled at you. It was a crooked mischievous smile. He wore a simple red zip up hoodie, and a pair of jeans. Only his shoes seemed out of place. They looked like some type of designer boots but you couldn’t identify the manufacturer.  

“I’m sorry,” He apologized, pushing his hood back. “It’s just that you look like you need help. You’re not from around here are you?”

“I ah…” You bit your lip not sure how to answer. This man could be dangerous and if he knew you were from out of town and no one was expecting you home any time soon, that could put you in even more risk.

“I’m gonna take that as a yes. A real New Yorker would have told me to mind my own damn business by now.” The man laughed.  “So, a tiara?” He pointed to the nearly forgotten accessory still gripped between your fingers. “What are we celebrating? Birthday or wedding?”

“Wedding.” You struggled to say the word you’d been so happy to exclaim the weeks leading up to tonight.

“You don’t seem very happy about it.” He tilted his head to the side, waiting for an explanation.

“It’s been canceled.” You explained. Your throat felt dry. You wished you hadn’t drank so much.

“Canceled? The man frowned. “Well that’s no fun. Can I ask what happened?”

“My fiancé…ex.” You reminded yourself. “Sent his mother to my bachelorette to tell me that he wasn’t coming to the wedding tomorrow. He took the day to think things over and just didn’t see a future with me. When I called to ask him if this was some kind of joke, he sent my calls to voicemail. I called him twenty-three times.”

You didn’t know why you were telling this stranger any of this. You didn’t know him. He could have been a serial killer. Maybe it was just nice to have someone to talk to about it. Someone was just going to listen to what you had to say before working themselves up. You needed time to process what had happened. Still there was a quiet thought in the back of your mind that you knew this man from somewhere.

“I told my friends I was going back to the hotel.” You continued. “I decided I’d walk, enjoy the fresh air, you know? But somehow I got turned around and well, here I am.”

“Here you are.” The man nodded. His cellphone began to ring. The man pulled his phone out and looked at the caller ID. “I’m sorry, I have to take this, just give me one second. What do you want Rogers? Yes, I remembered to get you your disgusting black licorice, even though I’ve told you a hundred times only old people eat licorice. What does Barton want? I can hear him yelling in the background. Circus peanuts? The gross orange things? God, who raised you people? Okay, okay, I got it. I’ll get everything. Listen, I’m in the middle of something, I’ll call you back.” The man ended his call and looked back at you.

“Sounds like you have an exciting party to get back to yourself.” You observed.

“Hardly.” The man rolled his eyes. He bent down and picked up a shopping basket by his feet. “It’s movie night and it was my turn to pay for the snacks. Of course, it’s sort of always my turn to pay for the snacks.”

“What time is it?” You asked him. “It has to be past midnight, and you’re only starting a movie night now?”

“Well we just got back from a week-long trip in Russia.” The man told you casually. “When you account for jag lag and losing a day from time zone changes, we were all just exhausted. I only woke up twenty minutes ago. I’d probably still be sleeping if they hadn’t woke me up and sent me out in the cold for snacks.”

“New York is very different from where I live.” You shook your head in disbelief.

“I bet there’s a whole new world I could show you.” The man smirked. “I’m Tony, by the way.” He introduced himself at last.

“Hi, Tony I’m [Y/N].” You told him. “Can I ask what exactly it is that you do? You mentioned that your friends make you pay for things a lot.”

“Seriously?” The man put his basket back on the floor. “You don’t know who I am?” He tugged his sunglasses off and waited for you to recognize him.

“No I’m sorry…” You shook your head.

“This has literally never happened to me.” He said, seemingly in total shock. “I mean it. Never.”  

“I’m sorry!” You apologized again. “I don’t know many actors, have you been in any movies recently?”

“An actor?” Tony gasped. “I’m Tony Stark!” He pointed at himself. “I’m freaking Iron Man.”

“Oh!” You giggled. “I guess you do look a little bit like him.”

“I don’t look like him, I am him!” He exclaimed. “This is outrageous!” He started patting himself down, looking for his wallet. “I left…I left my wallet in the car.” He sighed.

“It’s okay.” You tried not to laugh. “I believe you, I believe you.”

“No, you don’t.” He teased. “I can tell by your tone. I’ll prove it to you. Come to movie night with me, as my guest. You can pick out any snack you want as long as it’s not black licorice. You can be my guest tonight.”

“Would that be alright?” You asked. You couldn’t believe that you were seriously considering his offer.

“Well I own the building.” He shrugged. “Thant means I can pretty much do whatever I want.”

“Uh, okay. Let me just call my friends to let them know where I am.” You pulled out your phone and initiated a video call with your best friend, Rachel.

“Oh my god [Y/N]! Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick about you!” She said when she answered the call. “Did you get lost? Do you need someone to come pick you up?”

“I got a little turned around.” You confessed. “But I made a new friend.” You turned to camera so that Rachel could see Tony. He was pretending to browse the drink fridges once again.

“Is that Tony Stark?” She gasped.

“Uh, yeah.” You nodded awkwardly. “How did you recognize him?”

“Everyone knows who he is!” Rachel laughed. “That’s who you ditched us for? I totally understand! Have fun, but not too much fun if you know what I mean!” Rachel wagged her eyebrows suggestively at you.

“Gross! I barely know him!” You hissed back.

“Whatever, have a little fun!” Rachel laughed. “Seriously, you deserve it. I gotta go, your sister is trying to get the bartender’s number. She’s told her no six times. I don’t think there’s going to be a seventh. Gotta go, love you, bye!”

“Who’s that?” Tony asked, walking back towards you. “I like her!”

“My best friend, she’s married.” You explained. “So she tries to live vicariously through me. Now what’s all this anti-licorice propaganda I heard you going on about earlier?”

[dovebuffy92]

https://www.fanbolt.com/114634/atypical-season-4-review-whos-the-protagonist/

Spoilers Below

In Atypical Season Four, created by Robia Rashid, Sam Gardner (Keir Gilchrist), who’s on the Autism spectrum, takes a back seat to most of the supporting characters.

Sam’s younger sister Casey Gardner (Brigette Lundy-Paine), wrestles with anxiety during her last year of high school while emotionally supporting her girlfriend, Izzie Taylor (Fivel Stewart). Their father, Doug Gardner (Michael Rapaport), loses his best friend and tries to live vicariously through his daughter Casey’s high school running career. Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) struggles with letting Sam chase his dreams and figuring out how to care for her estranged mother, who has dementia. While Sam’s adventure of finding a way to Antarctica to draw penguins is fascinating, it sometimes seems like a vehicle for other characters’ growth.

Casey suffers a mental breakdown from all the pressure and uncertainty she deals with in the final season. She starts off trying to juggle difficult classes at Clayton Prep, competitive running, being a loving girlfriend to Izzie, and figuring out her sexuality. Casey is usually the easy-going snide Gardner child. Now she faces anxiety for the first time. Brigette Lundy-Paine does an incredible job physically expressing a panic attack in the episode” Channel Cut.” Casey works so hard in competitive racing to earn a scholarship so she can move far away from Connecticut.

When Casey receives a letter of interest from UCLA, the pressure freaks her out. Everybody else is so happy about the prospect of her making the UCLA track team. A significant contrast to Casey’s apprehension. Izzie beaming, mentions how Casey is living the dream. Sadly, that will mean leaving Izzie behind since she didn’t receive a letter of interest from UCLA. Doug says that Casey needs to continue to hit” the pedal to the medal,” which revs up the stress.

She can barely keep her head above water, worrying about school, running, and Izzie, especially since the runner is over-scheduled. There’s a cut to Casey looking down at her fingers that are all bloody from being chewed. Her whole body shakes as she wraps band-aids around all her fingers in the bathroom.

This season, Lundy-Paine steps up their game performing as Casey, making her feel more like the protagonist than Sam. Atypical is a coming-of-age story. Since Sam is now a fully settled adult, Casey, who’s still growing up, becomes the story’s center.

In the previous seasons, Sam dealt with personal and relatable issues. For example, in the first season, Sam wanted a girlfriend, or last season, he adjusted to life at Denton University. By the start of season four, Sam has come to age, making the premise of the show obsolete. Sam lives in his apartment with his best friend, Zahid. He has a sweet relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Paige.

After the second episode, He is fully adjusted to college life. This season Sam’s storyline feels more like a checklist than an emotional arc. Sam spends his time trying to acquire everything he needs to draw penguins in Antarctica. Sam throws a party to keep his brain active. He learns how to put up a tent, raises money for the trip by selling pet artwork, and climatizes to below-freezing temperatures.

The main problem I have with the fourth season of Atypical is that Sam feels more like a tool for other characters’ storylines instead of the driving force. The other character’s story arcs are emotionally based, while Sam’s storyline is more mission-focused. For example, Doug faces grief and his mortality after losing his best friend Chuck right after he retired. So Sam finding his way to Antarctica seems like more of a triumph for Doug.

The first few episodes contain scenes of Doug spending time with his paramedic partner and best friend, Chuck. All Chuck can talk about is his starter for sourdough and upcoming retirement. He plans to travel around the world with his wife Donna, then eventually open a sourdough bakery. Meanwhile, Doug can’t bare take one vacation. He has fifty-four days saved up. The only thing Chuck will miss about work is spending time with his best friend. Shortly after Chuck’s retirement party, he dies from a heart attack. None of his dreams will ever come true.

At first, Doug is in total denial, refusing even to admit that they were best friends. Doug nixes the idea of teaching Sam how to build a tent because he wants to bury himself in work. Then work forces Doug to grief when Donna thinks Chuck would like him to have the sourdough starter. After Sam yells at him for not helping out, Doug freaks out. Afterward, Doug admits how upset he is about Chuck’s death to his wife, Elsa. He finally teaches Sam how to build a tent. Doug supports Sam in his desire to travel to Antarctica. The father now knows how short life is. Doug never ventured out into the wide world. He believes Sam can do anything.

At the end of the series, Doug ends up using those fifty-four vacations days to travel to Antarctica with Sam. Coming with his son to Antarctica represents Doug properly grieving and finally embracing life.

Watch Atypical Season Four on Netflix! Season Four is a mixed ending to the series, but it’s still worth watching if you have seen the rest of Atypical.

[sabtalkshockey]

being back on campus is weird ngl. i’m very grateful i can be back but i can’t deny that it’s weird after the year and a half we’ve had. one of my classes is personal defense for women and that’s always a good thing to know. i’m also taking intro to criminology as an elective because ive always been interested in that sort of thing. the rest are geneds. my school has a ridiculous amount of geneds. my major which is history has a 36 credit requirement to complete the program, but in order to graduate i need 123 credits overall, some of those are elective spaces but most are geneds.

i went to my first college party which only took me being a 3rd semester junior to do so lol. it was hosted by the girls ultimate frisbee club which i did join. i also joined a mental health/wellness club and signed up for for info for a sorority. i’m taking to a sister on instagram about the sorority, but i don’t know if i’ll go thru all the way and get initiated (i kinda hope i do tho but we’ll see) but i’m putting myself out there which is actually pretty hard for me. autism + anxiety + being a shy introvert in general doesn’t make meeting new people and making friends easy.

my apartment is pretty much all set. ive got what i need for right now, but you never know. sometimes you don’t realize you need something until you need it. i would like to get more decor for my walls because they’re looking a little bare. i do have “bold and brash” from spongebob framed on a wall and of course my hockey jerseys, and a light up marquee letter “B”, i also have hockey funko pops on my windowsill and coffee table, but i want it to be more “homey” and “me” instead of just an apartment i live in yknow. but i have tons of time to do that. i also started watching the golden girls. still on season one but i love those gals.

i also got a job at an ice cream shop. they just opened their philly location last week, i had my online interview yesterday, and i was offered the job today! i feel like my life is coming all together. obviously not everything is perfect and i still have issues to work thru but i really feel like things are generally going well. so that’s been what’s up with me. i feel like the days go by so quickly. - 🍭

i'm living for this update! the whole gened classes makes me want to cry for you. that's a lot of classes to take. i wasn't able to go back to school this semester so i'm living vicariously through you, so when i say i'm living for updates and i want every piece of information you can give me, i mean it. make friends babe! making friends is so important when you’re in college. i say that but when i was in college i probably only made like one friend and i don’t really even talk to her anymore. join clubs and do what makes you happy! also, that self defense class sounds awesome and i need to go to one too. i think that should be a requirement on every college campus.

you're apartment will come together don't worry!! home decor is so expensive! make sure to decorate it how you like it. in my room i literally have like 6 letter "S" because my name is Sabrina. when people come over they like to play i-spy with my letters.

a job at an ice cream shop!? i freaking love ice cream!! i'm so happy for you and seriously, i love this update so freaking much! isn't your birthday coming up soon? i have nothing but good vibes that you're semester is going to be amazing!

[science-lings]

do you have any headcanons about Peter's birthday (and Tony trying to figure out what he wants)

Okay, so Peter’s birthdays come in phases. before he knew that Tony cared, before the snap, and after the snap. 

before he knew that Tony cared, his birthdays weren’t anything too special. He and May would go to a slightly nicer restaurant and he would hang out with ned for a few hours and open the three presents he tended to get, usually involving star wars or legos or something he can use. He just happened to have a lab day on his birthday, and he almost invited ned but didn’t know if it would be cool with Mr. Stark. He offhandedly mentioned that it was his birthday and Tony kind of freaks out internally because he knew that he should’ve known and he would’ve wanted time to prepare. He didn’t have good birthdays growing up so he kind of lived vicariously through Peter in that way. besides, he really likes seeing the kid happy, even this early on in their relationship. I mean come on, this is the guy that hinted at their father-son relationship less than two months in of knowing each other, he's fucking attached by now. So he slipped away while Peter was really into a project and anxiously told Pepper who told him to hang out with Peter while she figured something out. Turns out she bought a cake and invited Ned over and the day turned out pretty fun and Ned got to show off his coding abilities to Tony and even got to take a look at one of Tony’s AI’s coding and totally geeked out about it. It ended up being a fun impromptu party.

the birthday after that was way different because Tony was able to plan. queue Happy driving the party of May, Peter, and Ned to the Avengers Compound, which had been cleared out for the day and turned into an extravagant birthday venue with spider-man themed decorations and even a custom spider-man cake. Ned didn’t shut up about it for months. The Vision stopped by, as Tony convinced him that birthday parties were a human thing that he was required to experience. Over the span of the day, Tony gave Peter things, things that he bought, things that he made, some completely ridiculous like a twin-sized iron man themed bed with glowing eyes and some that took months to make and perfect like the pair of lightsabers that were “not powerful enough to sever limbs May!” They would change color and length depending on the setting and even had a fingerprint scanner so only he could activate them. Little did may know that they did, in fact, have a kill mode, you never know when a kid will get in a real lightsaber battle and luck favors the prepared. May showed Tony some old pictures of Peter on her phone, including a few at the Stark Expo, skewing the conversation even further. 

After the snap, Peter’s birthday became one of the saddest days of the year for Tony. Every year he would disappear off of the face of the earth for a day and he would listen to recordings from Karen and videos from the Baby Monitor Protocol. He had boxes of Peter’s stuff from the Parkers house piled up in the basement of the lake house and one day of the year he would make himself look through it. A plastic iron man mask and little matching gloves, Star Wars lego sets that he had helped morgan put back together after they had been destroyed when the alien space ship first arrived on earth. old birthday presents and school notebooks. little post-it notes with the developing formula of the web-fluid. It was his way of mourning and remembering, even if it hurt. He eventually used the day to tell stories to Morgan about her invisible brother that she may never meet. She wanted to meet him though. And she would. For a price. 

[loveafterthefact]

Love After the Fact Chapter 57: Wasting Time with a New Friend

Lotor makes some new friends. Together, they discover that word of Lance and Keith's union has reached video game developers in the worst, best way.

Featuring Leakira in the role of comic relief (Not to offend Leakira fans, this is meant to be a fun, happy place. I just thought it might be funny little detail) XD

First  Previous  Next

Lotor finds them sleeping in a hallway. A much-needed distraction.

More specifically, it’s an adolescent Olkari with orange feelers, dressed in green and white garb stained with red dust. They’re incredibly small, even for a smaller species. Pretty adorable, like a wolf cub.

So obviously he nudges them with his foot.

“Can I help you?” the kit growls, amber eyes glaring up at him.

“You’re sleeping in a hallway.”

“And? What’s your point?”

“... You know what? I’m not really sure.”

With a groan, the kit sits up, tugging on their feelers. “So what are you up to, Mr. Prince?”

“Oh not much. Wandering around, looking for trouble.” He’s actually looking for a distraction, but that’s almost the same thing as trouble.

“Trouble, huh?” The Olkari smirks. “I’m Pidge. Lance’s resident tech genius and vent crawler- I mean spy.”

“Ah-haha, I see. You’re one of his ‘associates’.” Lotor grins, helps Pidge to their feet.

“Yes. Working for Lance usually involves some level of trouble. What are the princes up to today, anyway?”

“Lance is with Allura. She’s having a hard morning. Keith is with Thace, our emergency medic and reproductive specialist.”

“Oh, really? Making sure his junk works?”

“That’s the idea. Why?”

“It’d be awesome to have some dirt on Keith. He’s just so perfect.” Pidge skips down the hallway, a curious prince following behind them. “The worst thing he’s done is drink a bit too much, find his happy place at a party, and get really snuggly with Lance.”

Following Pidge into what should have been an old, empty storeroom, Lotor’s eyes widen in surprise. The typically ignored room is set up with monitors and a work table covered with Balmeran crystals and a few other tools.

“Where did you get some of these tools?” he asks, eyeing a choice laser of Galra design.

“I crawled through the tunnels underneath the actual labs and stole them. I’m welcome in the labs, of course. I just don’t want to share my work with them. The field of science is rife with thieves.”

“You found the tunnels already?” Lotor stares. There are tunnels all under the mountain, his ancestors making the massive peak into an insect hive. There are escape tunnels and hidden caches and underground pools and even a forge made of volcanic glass that he discovered as a small boy.

He still likes to go down there on the rare occasion he can find the time. Someday, he’ll take his children down there, and tell them all about the stories carved into the ancient walls.

“Yep! Anyway, let’s see if I can hack into Thace’s equipment. And by that I mean give me like, thirty ticks because I can definitely do it.” While Pidge types away on their computer, Lotor sits himself on the floor, eyeing a faint square cut into the stone. Most people don’t notice, don’t know to look for the fine edges carved into the floor. “Ooh… Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” Lotor asks. “Is Keith okay?”

“You really care for him, don’t you?” Amber eyes smile at him, intuitive.

“Of course I do! He’s my cousin! And my friend!” And he has more than his fair share of health problems. Lotor himself was not a healthy kit, so he understands the worries that his cousin might have.

“Aw-w. You’re just a big ol’ sweetheart, aren’t ya?” Pidge turns back to their computer. “What’s interesting is that Keith is… surprisingly healthy. His weight and body mass index are good… Thace is optimistic about a successful pregnancy.”

“Why is that interesting?” Lotor scratches his head, frowning a little.

“Because our boys requested contraceptives, probably due to health concerns.”

“Miscarriage risks are higher for him. That’s partially due to his sex, and partially due to his condition. Do you think they’ll use contraceptives?”

“Pfft. No. They’re young, they’re stupid, and they both want pups. I doubt Lance can keep it in his pants.”

“What about Keith?”

“He’s shy.” Pidge shrugs like that explains everything. It kind of does. Keith’s priorities are probably more of the cuddling variety than the ‘aggressive hugging’ variety. “Can I have some of your blood?”

“Hm? Uh… How much blood?”

“I dunno. A few vials? Maybe I’ll swab your cheek too? It might help with my experiments.”

“And what might those be?”

“I’m trying to invent Altean-friendly prosthetics. It’s not going well. Alteans are stupid inside and out.” Pidge gathers their tools to stick him, and Lotor stares. This tiny little Olkari is far more than they appear. “Who do you think will kill Lance for getting Keith pregnant? Krolia or Shiro?”

But they're young, still playful and carefree.

“Hm… My money’s on Krolia. Or the creepy friend.”

“Adam? Oh, he’s softer than he looks. More likely he’ll live vicariously through their children and terrorize anyone who tries to mess with them.” Pidge sticks a swab in his cheek as they fill a second vial with his blood. “Your fangs are adorable.”

“Thanks?” Lotor regards them. “So you do science, you do people… What don’t you do?”

“Relationships.” Pidge cleans the crook of his arm, bandaging the spot where they bled him. “And genders. Those are for more primitive individuals.”

Lotor laughs. “More highly evolved, are you?”

“Exactly. Unlike Alteans. Stupid, scaley assholes with stupid, cranky cells.”

“I don’t get it. What exactly is the problem?” Lotor peers over Pidge’s shoulder as they examine his cells under their microscope.

“Not sure, but Alteans have some odd properties that make their biology incompatible with metal, coral, bone, wood, and other prosthetic materials. When used, the Altean’s cells refuse to accept the forgein material, even if it’s biocompatible. Hence, their cells are stupid.”

“So it would seem. How are my cells?”

“Hm… I'll have to run some of my own, secret tests. I may try to culture your skin cells to figure out how it all works.”

“Have at it. Can I interest you in a secret?”

“Always!” The young Olkari’s eyes shine, eager to learn. To know. A person after his own heart.

“Most of Altea’s technology is rediscovered. Thousands of decaphoebs ago, there was what’s known as The Forgetting. The Altean’s powers were quite suddenly drastically altered, and their society descended into chaos. Much of their technology was lost, then rediscovered within the last few milophoebs.”

“No fucking way!”

“Way. This includes their lauded Teludav technology.”

“Those fakers! How have I not heard of this?”

“I know! It’s their best kept secret. Also, beneath Mount Sil’brana is a petrified forest.”

“Oh, that’s so cool!” Pidge makes a note on their datapad. “I wonder… I don’t know if I could interface with that or not. Probably not, since it’s no longer organic, but then again perhaps I could reach the echo?”

“Echo?”

“All organic life leaves behind an echo. Sometimes, I can reach that echo. I’d be great at solving murders!”

“Well, if ever I am murdered, do find my killer. I’m sure my wife would appreciate it.”

“Unless she did the murdering,” Pidge snickers.

“Some days, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. She’d say it’s my fault, but…”

“Pregnancy.”

“Yeah. How do you think Keith will be when he gets pregnant?”

“He’s relatively mild-mannered as long as Lance keeps him happy, so either unbelievably psychotic or unbearably sweet.”

“He is really sweet. I honestly didn’t expect it when he first arrived. Lance is a little… He’s reserved, but also high-strung at the same time?”

“He definitely can be. But he can also be very playful. Those two are either quiet and reserved together, or cutting up and goofing off together. But Lance is the high-strung one, for sure. Keith just wants to know whose head to crack open. Lance wants to know every single little detail about everything.”

“So he’s a control freak.”

“Little bit, yeah. We’ve all got our thing.” Pidge smiles. “But Lance gave me a home when mine was lost. He had no reason to do that. He didn’t know what I was capable of.”

“I had assumed you were on Altea for research?” Lotor's curious, but won't push.

“No. Though I do enjoy research. For example, I have the new Phantasm Killbot game. I just got to the first visual novel part where they introduce the characters and their little side plots and all. Wanna help me out? For research?” The Olkari holds up a controller.

“Yeah alright. Anything for research.” Lotor takes the controller, waits for the character introduction screen. He’s played this game before. “Player one… Leandro.”

“Player Two… Akira.”

The screen loads.

“Uh… That’s… Interesting. Is that- Does that look like Lance to you?” It really does, at least to Lotor. The only difference is that ‘Leandro’ has brown hair and his scales are a very pale blue.

“Wow, that’s weird. Okay. Let’s see where this goes- Oh my fuck, this is going to be good.”

Lotor can’t help but agree, staring at a screen of a smirking ‘Leandro’ lounging with a wide-eyed Galra presumably named ‘Akira’. The Galra has purple hair and golden irises, dressed in what might loosely be referred to as clothing.

It’s exceptionally weird, even weirder given that Akira is the name of Keith’s father, Lotor’s uncle.

“I cannot wait to tell my cousin about this,” Lotor breathes, coming to the realization of exactly what’s before him.

“Yes! We have to! Right now!” Pidge stands, tugs on his arm.

“Well, let’s not be too hasty.” Lotor stares at the screen, that mischievous part of his brain clicking and whirring. “I mean, we have to do our research, right?”

“You know…” Pidge taps their chin. “You might be onto something.”

“I mean it’s just courtesy, right? Making sure we can give them all the information we possibly can?”

“You’re absolutely right. Okay, so you get first choice for dialogue and it looks like Not-Keith has a prompt for us.”

“Oh, gods. Okay, I am so sorry, Keith… Let’s see, here.”

…

Akira: We can’t keep meeting like this. What if people find out?

Leandro: I’m a prince, my sweet. I do what I want.

Akira: But you could be killed!

Leandro: You’re worth dying for.

Leandro: It’s my fault, anyway. I just couldn’t resist you.

Akira: It’s not your fault. I let you have me.

Leandro: You should let me have you again.

Akira: Please… I need it…

*Kiss Passionately*

Leandro: Oh, my sweet. You’re in season!

Akira: Make love to me, and I will give you a son.

…

“I feel dirty,” Lotor mutters. “This is what’s passing for entertainment right now?”

“It’s so bad! I love it!” Pidge snickers.

“Lance is going to be mortified.”

“No, he won’t.” The two new friends turn to see Adam leaning in the doorway, smirking.

“And why, pray tell, is that?” Lotor asks, one eyebrow almost reaching his hairline.

“Lance is bigger than that. He’ll be filled with a sense of… well-being.”

“Oh, gross! Adam!” Pidge chucks a wrench at the Altean’s head, the trio laughing as he dodges, then retrieves it for them. “I don’t want to hear about my friend’s dick!”

“Am I wrong?”

“No, and I hate it.” Pidge drags Adam to the floor, sits in his lap. “Okay, you can help us. What should Leandro say next? ‘A daughter would be fine’ or ‘Honor me with the gift of your flesh’?”

“Who the quiznak wrote this?” Adam mutters. “And we want ‘Honor me with the gift of your flesh.’”

“I don’t know, but I will find out. And kill them,” Lotor mutters.

“Easy on the instincts, Mr. Prince.” Pidge continues to the next cut scene.

“It’s nothing to do with instincts! I just hate that I had to read that!” Lotor sighs. “At least that cut scene is over. Now we have… Brothers, Sven and Kuron? Lots of new characters for this one.”

Adam blinks, gaping at the screen. “What. The fuck-”

...

Allura sighs, running a hand through her loose curls. It's been a rough morning, one that doesn't promise to get easier. A howling chorus of laughter cuts through her stressed thoughts. Cracking open a storeroom, she spies her husband, Adam, and Pidge laughing away at a video game.

"I wOuLd DiE fOr AkIrA," Pidge mocks, cackling.

"Leandro, please!" Lotor laughs, cutting through a false simper as he pretends to swoon. "I couldn't live without you!"

"That's such a toxic sentiment, honestly." Adam shakes his head, but his eyes are glittering bright.

Shaking her head, Allura leans in the doorway, settling a hand on her slightly protruding stomach. Life is never perfect, not for anyone. But seeing her husband playing around and having fun with their friends -his new friends- suggests that everything might still turn out alright. Or at least, not as awful as it sometimes seems.

[bordeleaubeau]

when i first looked into the drama i was not understanding who we were stanning but after i am so!! shook!! TEAM ALEX ALL THE WAY!! anon making banana bread- i’m living vicariously through you making it because i eat that like its my freaking job!! i hope the rain leaves soon sis:( -tea anon

we stan alex🥳🥳 i forgot to ask!! how did your moms best friends little party go? i hope you had fun!!

[tellywoodtrash]

Sanjivani - Weeks 7 + 8

Overall Plot

Sid and Ishani are about 10 minutes away from hardcore Love. And literally every single person knows and is rooting for it (including the security guards at Sanjivani/Ishani’s apartment complex!!!!!), except the two idiots themselves. Shashank is still dealing with the fallout of the thing with Juhi and the admin issues stemming from their unresolved issues, but small mercies, his relationship with Anjali seems to be looking up. Nurse Philo's daughter Jessica has been admitted mere days before her wedding and found to have a terminal illness and it's heartbreaking as fuck.

The Medical Stuff

Lol, does Ishani's "sickness" count? She's pretty convinced that she's dying of something serious, the way she was charting her symptoms and kept getting diagnostic test after diagnostic test, so I think it should. Glad she's finally gotten a diagnosis and the prognosis looks promising! Other than that, Nandini got operated on successfully by the Shashank-Juhi team, and the only active case we have is Jessica's Stage IV cancer. But I think that's going to focus more on the emotional side of things (getting her the dream wedding she wants), since it's at such an advanced stage that it wouldn't respond to treatment anyway.

The Acting

Thank the lord above, they have started giving Surbhi comedy to do, which is where she really shines as an actor. Namit is most excellent at heart eyes, and his crying has improved from the first few weeks; dialogue delivery still needs to be more polished though. Jason and Kunal are being used effectively by giving them hilarious, snarky scenes while they drill some sense into Ishani/Sid. Robin is still pretty much in the background other than to pop up and deliver the occasional wisecrack. Very sad to see Rashmi go, she'd really won my heart as Asha. The seniors got to ease up on the angsty scenes these weeks and I'm grateful for that; it's nice to see them loosen up a bit and smile and joke around. Special mention to Vedika Bhandari as Jessica, who's just ridiculously adorable and sooooooo likable, that I already am having trouble at the thought of letting her character go.

The Characters

Sid: MY DUDES, I DID NOT EXPECT TO FALL THIS HARD FOR SIDDHANT FUCKING MATHUR, BUT WELP, HERE WE ARE. I honestly cannot believe that this boy exists on Tellywood. Where to even start with him in these two weeks? How much younger than his years he seems when he was imploring his mom to stay to meet Shashank; his heart eyes when he wakes up to see Ishani first thing next morning (after waiting to see her the whole night!!!); his bashfulness at all the love he's getting from the whole hospital staff; his good-natured humoring of Ishani's weird behaviour... He's just so unassuming and Soft. I can't really recall seeing this lovable a male lead in tellywood in forever (all I can think of is Hussain K. characters in the early 2000s, in Krishna Arjun and Kumkum and all.) But by no means is Sid a pushover who tolerates any kind of BS. He rightfully rips Rishabh to shreds when he tries to discredit his relationship with Ishani, and understandably calls Ishani out on her nonsense when she's evading her duties, but in a decent way. There is some against-the-wall-caging (because Tellywood), but in a non-threatening manner; he maintains an appropriate distance, does not touch her, and while he does talk in a raised voice due to frustration, never does it veer into yelling that feels dangerous, and he repeatedly asks her if he said or did anything that's making her uncomfortable to be around him. I found it a little strange that he was so vehemently in denial of his feelings for Ishani in last week's episodes, because he seemed to readily accept after his conversation with Guddu Mama (“Halwa banaa ke leke jaaoon? Usko achcha lagega?" with the most hopeful smile; calling Ishani a "bohut hi pyaari si princess" to her face and specifying that he specifically made the halwa for her "pyaaaaar se", being open to the idea of marrying Ishani when Nurse Philo/Jessica jokingly suggest it....) but I guess it would be pretty incongruous for him to instantly fall hard for Ishani AND recognize it, with his past as a "player". So I like that they brought in one of his flings to contrast how different his feelings for Ishani are compared to the other girls he's dated; and subsequently how he's processing his many emotions about the situation. Most of all, I love that his feelings for Ishani don't hamper him from doing his job right; instead they just make him more sensitive to understanding her and making her feel good in any capacity that he can. He came all the way over to her house to apologize for making her cry, AND MADE HER PARATHAS!!!!!!! He slept over, but respectfully all scooched up on her tiny couch! What a goddamn Good Boi. Also, him crying over Jessica's diagnosis? Heart-fucking-breaking. We should all be so lucky to find a doctor who cares about his patients THIS much.

Ishani (or lol as Guddu Mama calls her, "Pareshaani"): I really was expecting the absolute worst with this "Ishani has Loveria" track. And it did not start out well; almost 3 whole episodes were just her puerile lovesick imagination waale music videos and that goddamn CGI titli and I was just like jfc whyyyyyyyyyy. BUT THEN!!!!!!! They finally started showing us the funny side of Ishani, and it's succeeded in making the character lovably kooky, instead of just unpleasant to be around. Her panic attack in the bathroom where she legit thinks she's having a stroke and tries to literally shake off the crush, making all the first year residents repeatedly do ECGs on her, her awkwardness around Sid, the rant where she bemoans falling in love with Sid of all people, her child-like crying to Asha when Sid finally gives her a dressing down for acting idiotic ("Mujhe ITNA daanta! ITNAAAA! Aur unprofessional bhi bola! *violently stabbing finger in the air* UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!"); all of it was just hilarious as fuck. We're finally seeing the endearing side of Ishani's addled personality. I'm also very glad she got the much-required wakeup call from Sid/Asha, that she's being very unprofessional by running away from her duties, and hopefully from here on, she'll be learn to focus on her job, even with Sid's distracting presence. She's also made quite a bit of progress when it comes to her germophobia; but realistically: it's only with Sid (and Asha) - the two people she's really close to; she's still seen being touch-averse with the rest, but slowly getting better; letting children touch her, offering to shake hands with Jessica and Jignesh, etc.

Asha & Aman: I'm super bummed that Rashmi is being replaced as Asha, because she was honestly so good in the role; cheerful and hilarious in most of her scenes, gentle and sensitive with Ishani, helping her out as much as she can with this inconvenient crush... It's not an easy role, with the accent and all. I hope this new actress is as competent as Rashmi, who always highlighted the humour but without making the accent the punchline; it was always the things she said and how she chooses to word it. It's an important distinction, to not make the regional background into a caricature.

Aman is Aman as usual, lol; vicariously getting kicks thanks to the shenanigans of everyone around. Also, to my surprise, Aman and Asha live together! They offer up their place for a party for Sid; when Ishani freaks out that the cake he ordered isn't Sid's favt. flavour, Aman just shrugs "Meri Asha ko butterscotch pasand hai." I still don't really know what his equation with Asha is, but whatever it is, I love it. Asha's a self-sufficient girl, but it's obvious that Aman feels really protective of her and wants to see her happy always. I really hope the new actress maintains this ambiguous chemistry with Robin too, till the writers decide what direction they wanna take this relationship in.

Dialogue of the Week: Asha [walking in on Ishani holding a sleeping Sid's hand]: Abbe! Humaare saamne toh badi "garma"phobic bani ghoomti hai, ab dekho Dr. Sid ke saath kaise touchy-wouchy ho rahi hai!!!!!!!!!!!

Rishabh: Fucking asshole. He Tried, but he's no match for the razor sharp wit of Sid, or Asha's jugaadu skills to relieve an overworked Ishani. Chal dafa ho, be! Manhoos kahinka.

Neil: He's really really enjoying Sid and Ishani's crushes on each other, taking the mick out of both of them at any given opportunity. I truly lmao-ed when he was seriously examining Ishani for an illness on her insistence and then eye-rollingly dismisses her with "Kuch nahi hua hai tumhe." Cutest snark bean.

Rahil: MY ACTUAL FAVE. Lmao, if Ishani’s got her little purple titli, then Rahil is Sid’s grownass plaid-shirt-wearing TITLA, who appears outta nowhere to serve up piping hot sass at his confused dumbassery. His acerbic, plain-speak snark seems to be the only language Sid understands (as opposed to the first years' gleeful teasing, or the good-natured ribbing of elders like Shashank and Philo and Guddu Mama), and him having to exasperatedly explain things to his boss-who-is-also-his-bff is just hilarious. I relish every single scene he appears in to the max! Also props to him for giving us the gem "same level ke ajeeb" as the OTP tag for SidIsha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shashank: A much better fortnight for Dr. Shashank! Two of his idiot babies are very obviously in love (that scene of Ishani showing him her reports and describing the butterfly through pantomime though, lmao) and now his relationship with Anjali is defrosting (the exchange about the surgeon she was interested in and how he wants grandkids from her??? The cutest!!!!) Things still remain frosty with Juhi though, and I don't understand why he won't just address the issue and clarify things in a straightforward manner, instead of dragging it out like this and making it awkward with his COS/mentee. Anyway, good on him for getting that win on Vardhan, but I feel like he needs to stop being so damn stubborn on his issues without giving reasons. It’s not helping matters around here, personally or professionally.

Juhi: Literally the classiest female professional on TV??????? She hasn't stopped holding Shashank accountable for how he sabotaged her career, but I love that she has sorted it out enough to work with him, but also engages in minor acts of pettiness like gleefully scraping his car with hers, cheekily grinning and apologizing saying she needed to get out some of the angst before they operated on a patient together. For what it's worth, I was fully on her side during the argument with Shashank about the machines for the hospital; it sounded like a good deal, but of course, she should have had the foresight to know Vardhan would try to do some kinda fuckery. She’s right in not really trusting Shashank anymore, but needs to be a little more prudent with how she proceeds while making decisions for Sanjivani. In a way, it’s really sad how she doesn’t really have any allies at her level. Shashank was the only one she could really rely on, and he went and blew that relationship up, and now she’s kinda adrift in the organization. I hope Shashank does good by her and repairs the relationship.

Anjali: Phew, finally a good break for Anjali. I'm ecstatic. She's realized that Vardhan's manipulating her and broken free of his gaslighting nonsense. She's much smarter than both Shashank and Vardhan thought she was and yes sis, play them both!!!!!!! She got her COS post, but also isn't playing by Vardhan's rules. Ultimate winner! But does she also have some romantic feelz for V? Coz that last scene between them had very intimate vibes, from the way she walked into his office and knew where the booze was, to her pouring him a glass and casually lounging against the wall like a wife/girlfriend would. She wasn't even really fazed when he grabbed her; either she's a hella strong woman who cannot be trifled with, or she's familiar with this side of him. I really hope it's the former coz she deserves someone who's a grown up version of Sid (*cough* Atul Joshi *cough*) who's super good and healthy for her, not this deceitful fuckwad.

Vardhan: What is his deal? No honestly, does he have some kinda personal stake in saving Sanjivani from financial ruin? It seems so, with how overwrought and devastated he seemed at Shashank exposing the machine waala scam. Also, the way he manhandled Anjali? Unforgivable. Die in a fire, scum.

Rahul: Still haven't seen him but apparently he's hiding in that secret room in the luxury ward? What the everloving experimental fuck is he doing with pregnant women who look to be unable to afford medical care? Nothing ethical, that's for sure. I have a feeling this will maybe tie up to Ishani's parents waala plot, but for the meanwhile, jfc, just reveal yourself man, coz this shit is getting scary as fuck the longer you go unseen.

Overall Rating: 5/5