#mckenna brand

[loserdudes]

The Teammate Game with Boston Pride captains Jillian Dempsey, McKenna Brand, and Kaleigh Fratkin

[gryz]

I MISS THEM

[taintandviolent]

the sexual tension between me and my unused AHS usernames

[hope-ur-ok]

I keep thinking about changing my icon and header but I a) don't know what I'd change it to, b) would have to spend time making a new set, and c) think that no one would recognize me on their dash cause I've had this icon and header for like almost 3 years now

[normalgoalie]

THIRTEEN SECONDS

[butchmarner]

Who is the gayest PWHL Team?🌈

(Based on my extensive and unprofessional research of players' instagrams lol)

Minnesota: 3 confirmed

Michela Cava- dating teammate Emma Greco

Emma Greco- dating teammate Michela Cava

Liz Schepers- dating Ohio State teammate Michaela Boyle

Toronto: 7 confirmed

Brittany Howard

Carly Jackson

Allie Monroe

Jess Jones

Hannah Miller

Kristen Cambell- dating Team Canada softball player Emma Entzminger

Erica Howe

Ottawa: 7 confirmed

Brianne Jenner- (C) Married w/ 2 kids to Hayleigh Cudmore, her former teammate in Calgary

Emily Clark

Emerance Maschmeyer- married to Team Canada goalie Genevieve Lacasse

Ashton Bell

Malia Schneider

Zoe Boyd- either gay or really really really good at lesbian thirst traps and a queerbait of an instagram

Amanda Boulier

Boston: 7 confirmed

Hilary Knight- (C) dating speed skater Brittany Bowe (sorry Freddy Anderson)

Shiann Darkangelo- dating Montreal's Elaine Chuli

Jamie Lee Rattray

Samantha Isbell- exes with New York's Jill Saulnier

Taylor Wenczkowski

Amanda Pelkey- married to Finnish Olympian Venla Hovi

Erin Brown- dating New York's Savannah Norcross

New York: 9 confirmed

Micah Zandee-Hart (C)

Madison Packer- married to former teammate Anya Packer

Jade Downey-Landry

Jill Saulnier- exes with Boston's Sam Isbell

Chloe Aurard- dating basketball player Ella Bushee

Savannah Norcross- dating Boston's Erin Brown

Olivia Zafuto- dating former Boston Pride teammate McKenna Brand

Elizabeth Giguere- married

Johanna Fallman

Montreal: 9 confirmed

Marie-Philip Poulin- (C) engaged to teammate Laura Stacey

Laura Stacey- engaged to teammate Marie-Philip Poulin

Elaine Chuli- dating Boston's Shiann Darkangelo

Sarah Bujold

Erin Ambrose

Leah Lum

Mélodie Daoust- has a son with ex-wife, currently dating retired Team Canada player Hannah Bunton

Cath Dubois

Brigitte Laganiere

Notable mentions to 4/6 captains in this league being gay 🌈

(thank you @lesbianracecars for helping me in my extensive research)

[highschoolluver]

ALPHA! HQ BOYS x MANAGER! READER

ALPHA! HQ first years and their scents.

Pairings: Tobio Kageyama/reader, Shoyo Hinata/reader, Kai Tsukishima/reader, and Tadashi Yamaguchi/reader.

Warnings: None.

ALPHA! TOBIO KAGEYAMA 

Keynotes: Gunpowder, Rice, Authentic Matcha Powder, and Sea Salt.

Songs: Congratulations by Mac Miller, Infrunami by Steve Lacy, and Thinkin Bout You by Frank Ocean.

The first thing everyone seemed to notice about Kageyama was the intensity of his scent: especially during his middle school years. Alongside his short temper and inability to socialize, Kageyama’s scent made him all the more unpopular. 

His scent was weirdly engulfing to you which separated him from other alphas who usually had subdued scents with hints of strong notes like musk or sandalwood. Oddly enough, it didn’t turn you away from him.

When you first met him, the first thing you noticed was the sheer smell of gunpowder, which after speaking to Yachi and meeting the team, you figured out that it was coming from Kageyama. He was Beautiful, entirely a sight for your sore eyes. You didn’t hesitate to take up a position as a manager, and of course, didn’t hesitate to get closer to Tobio Kageyama.

In fact, if anything, it added to his allure. What interested you the most was that once you got over the smell of weaponry, the rest of his scent was oddly comforting.

In his calmer moments, the gunpowder's overall potency is replaced by notes like warm white rice and chunky sea salt. 

Despite the common characterization of Kageyama being arrogant and rude, Kageyama, at his heart, is simply a boy with a passion for the sport he’s loved for years. He misses social cues, can’t seem to be able to study properly, can’t seem to pass a math test but can calculate where and how hard he should hit a volleyball to score a point, and can’t easily communicate his emotions without yelling. These moments are when you can really make out the gentle details of the rest of his scent. When it's just you and Kageyama, not the great king of the court or the arrogant setter from Karasuno High School, you can smell the thoughtful picking of the brand of the powder, the careful measurements of hot water, and the brisk whisking needed to make a cup of matcha alongside a warm bowl of arroz con leche. It’s in these moments that Tobio Kageyama can’t deny his feelings for you.

ALPHA! SHŌYŌ HINATA

Keynotes: Carrot, Osmanthus, Waffle Cone, and Gasoline.

Songs: Oye Mi Amor by Maná, Brazil by Delcan Mckenna, You Look So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer.

Miyagi prefecture is known for many things but mainly, it’s known for its festivals. More specifically, It’s the famous Tanabata summer festival. That day in mid july was when you first smelled him: His scent alone had nearly stopped you in your tracks. There, among the sea of alphas who smelled like amber, was a soothing yet very pungent smell. Commonly, flowery, sweet, and vegetable-like scents usually belonged to omegas and some betas. This scent was floral with a strong note of osmanthus and warm sugar, however, the sheer intensity could only have belonged to an Alpha. When you looked in the direction of the aroma, you could only see the crowd and faintly smell the lingering scent of lighter fluid.

You never managed to forget the scent, afterall, it was so unique that it nearly drove you insane the rest of the summer. School started back up and one of your friends, Yachi, managed to get herself a position as one of the managers of the Karasuno volleyball team. Yachi eventually, through the fact that she begged and pleaded with you nearly every day to become a manager, convinced you to become a manager as well. The day that you first went into the gym was the day you met that alpha with the odd scent all those months ago.

The immediate smell of Gasoline filled your nose as you stopped dead in your tracks. There he was; you knew in your soul that it was the man that had fascinated you back in July. His brown eyes landed on your figure as he stood there before you. There was a shift in his scent, the bitter notes of carrot and gasoline were gone as they were replaced by something much sweeter: Instead, honeyed apricots and sugary waffle cones filled the air. 

He had noticed you back then too, back in July when the sun was setting and the only thing he could make out was your love-struck eyes. 

ALPHA! KEI TSUKISHIMA

Keynotes: Oatmilk, Hot Iron, Leather, and Papaya.

Songs: Sweet by Cigarettes After Sex, Playground Love by Air and Gordon Tracks, Religion by Lana Del Rey.

Someone once told you that Papaya was the fruit of love. They said that if someone were to eat the papaya’s fruit and its seeds before they kissed someone, then the two were promised eternal love. That was back before you learned that Papaya seeds were extremely toxic and that the flesh was barely sweet. 

You and Tsukishima had never really talked, even before high school. He always kept to himself and when he didn’t, he was extremely snarky and sassy, which made you want to talk to him even less. Despite his rude character, he never really treated you like that. Ever since Elementary school, Tsukishima had never once insured you. Instead, he either went along with what you said or stayed silent. His eyes always seemed to lock onto yours, even as children, which led Yachi and Kiyoko to speculate about what Tsukishima thought about you.

Yachi always reminds you of what happened that day when she talks about the two of you. Karasuno and Nekoma had a sparring match on a cool September day. After the practice match, the two teams had run out of water bottles which had prompted Coach Ukai to send you out to a nearby grocery for more. Despite it being somewhat light out, Ukai still sent an Alpha to accompany you, and that's how Kei Tsukishima joined you.

His scent, which was extremely intimidating with heavy notes of brown leather and hot metal, lingered in the air as he looked down at you. You had never realized just how tall he was compared to you, how much space he took up despite being so anti-social, and just how attractive he was under the streetlight. Usually, you would just politely ignore him but, under the early stars and cool 7:00 P.M. air, you couldn’t look away. His eyes, once so disinterested and dismissive, were full of passion and animalistic desire. You couldn’t bear to look away as Tsukishima suggested that the two of you deserved something sweet: a “reward” in his words for being such a “good manager” and for working “so hard”. 

In the end, he was the one who cut up the papaya he had bought for the two of you. He brought some of its flesh and seeds to his soft lips. The scent of ripe papaya and sweet oat milk wafted in the clean air as the taste of the fruit and its seeds lingered on your lips and in your mouth.

ALPHA! TADASHI YAMAGUCHI

Keynotes: Seawater, Ironed Laundry, Banana Leaf, and Cotton.

Songs: And I Love Her by Santo & Johnny, Oh My Angel by Bertha Tilman, and Contigo by Los Panchos.

You had always had a bit of a crush on Yamaguchi. Which, embarrassingly enough, was the entire reason why you had become a manager of the team. 

You always looked at him from a distance, never truly crossing the invisible line between the two of you. Because of this, you were able to realize a few things about him: He was extremely awkward around all girls, when he tanned he seemed to get even more freckles, his hair never was too long or too short, he always seemed to follow Kei Tsukishima, and he wasn’t like another alpha you had ever met. 

His scent wasn’t proactive or strong, it was somewhat faint that you initially mistook him for a beta. It was calm and so comforting that you couldn’t help but gravitate towards him. He smelled like the Pacific Ocean and sweet banana leaves, like long days on the sandy beaches of the Miyagi prefecture.  He smelled like some distant home, one where you’ll come back to after a long day in some bustling city, probably Tokyo, and relax in this small comfort. You’d come back to the aroma of warm clothes and cotton and greet your husband, Yamaguchi just doesn't know it yet but the two of you are already married, and he’d kiss you ever so gently. He’d kiss you just to kiss you because that’s exactly the type of man and alpha Tadashi Yamaguchi is.

In his presence, you felt safe. Yamaguchi, by no means, was the strongest, toughest, or scariest alpha you had met. But there was something in those awkward conversations, the vulnerability was intimate and of young love. Things like when he stuttered your name while helping you with something, when his knee would touch yours but neither one of you pulled away, or when he would look at you with such gentleness that it stunned you. There was no lust, no animatic desire, and no malice in those puppy eyes. There was only love, pure love, love that everyone grows up with.

You had spent such a long time yearning for Tadashi Yamaguchi that you had lost sight that he had started to look at you the same way.

AUTHOR NOTES: T’was fun to write ngl but let know if you enjoyed and if you want more!!!! tysmm for reading

[londonfoginacup]

not the same anon and i’ve already asked this to someone else without an answer. i’ve never been to a show in the usa but it feels to me like there’s a different atmosphere in general over there so this comes from genuine curiosity: why do you feel like you have to bring a rainbow flag to a concert? let’s forget about louis for a second, just think of a random concert. you said you’ve gotten bad looks for bringing one but also you (and others) claim that flags in concerts are meant to feel people safe. do you not feel safe if you don’t bring a flag? do you not enjoy a concert if you don’t bring one/see one? what’s the need to bring flags? i promise this comes from curiosity because in all the years i’ve attended music shows and festivals, i’ve never felt like bringing the flags i own, but again, i’m not from the usa and i’m not well versed into tumblr queer culture.

Hi anon. I will take this as a good faith question, although your phrase “I’ve asked this to someone else without an answer” is something I suggest you do not include when asking things in future, because it implies you’re upset or blaming that other person for not responding. People have many reasons to not respond, some of which are simply time or time of day or spoons! We are all simply trying our best out here.

Now onto your question— I think that what’s missing here is fandom history. You said “forget about Louis for a second”, but actually what we need to do is look back at One Direction’s history.

I’ve written this out and tried to shorten it a number of times now, but the long and the short of it is that while the band was active, especially 2013-2014, the way that One Direction the Brand and Management handled rumors about Louis and Harry was to create a rift between “respectful fans” and “everyone else”. And the “everyone else” was people who thought Louis and Harry were in a relationship, yes, but it was also simply queer fans. Because those circles often overlap, OR because other fans would see that they were queer and put them in the same category.

Rainbow Direction was a movement made by fans in order to feel safe at One Direction shows specifically, because it was one direction shows specifically that people did not feel comfortable at, but desperately WANTED to feel comfortable at, because this band and these boys brought them comfort, spoke words in their songs that connected to their queer experience, etc.

I would not say that it’s USA specific so much that it’s 1D specific. I don’t… believe (I could be wrong) that I’ve brought a flag to a non-1D (or 1D adjacent) show, although I HAVE seen flags at those shows, like Declan McKenna I feel like I saw a flag or two there, for instance.

But honestly anon, when I bring a flag, it is not to make myself feel safe. It’s so that someone else who is queer can see that flag and know that I am a safe person. Likewise, when I see someone else with a flag, I know that I feel safe with them. It’s a way of saying you’re not alone.

Now, it might be helpful to know that I have attended EVERY 1D/Harry/Louis/Niall concert (but one) with @lululawrence . It’s her flags that I wear. She is the best sort of person you could ever hope to attend a concert with, but that’s beside the point. My point is that the one show that I remember the most dirty looks and feeling the most uncomfortable was the one Harry show we attended in… 2021? The end of the 2021. Harry’s fan base grew EXPONENTIALLY over the pandemic. That night, we saw maybe two flags in the pit and none anywhere else. There were more people dressed as bananas than people with flags. Sus and I had the bi and ace flags, and honestly anon, I started to want to hide it. The people around us gave us looks, I heard them talking about us although I tried not to listen. I wasnt afraid for our safety, but I was viscerally aware that the people around us didn’t understand the flags and didn’t want us there.

And I had been there in Nashville at the Ryman, when every flag had been confiscated and the security had been terribly mean and Harry had had to pull out his own and set it on stage at one point when the lights went down. That had been upsetting but we had all been on the same page, the fans and Harry, that the flags were important. Post-2020, that show was different. I felt like a creature on display for people to gawk at.

So when you talk about tumblr queer culture, I don’t actually know how much this extends past 1D/Louis/Harry. But in the beginning of 2023, when Sus and I went to the first concert we had booked (we had… four or five that year), and noticed how few flags there were, the two of us were specifically worried about concerts feeling the way that one in 2021 did. That’s why we did spent the next few months sending flags to every North America Louis show (and don’t get me wrong, I’d have done his other legs if I had the money to get them flags too. But all those flags in the NorthAmerica shows? A few friends whom I ADORE helped but mostly that was almost entirely out of my own personal budget). Because we wanted to make sure that everyone felt the safety of being able to spot a flag in the crowd and know that whoever was holding it was not someone who would reject them for their gender/sexuality.

Sure, another option is that no one brings flags and we all just sit and enjoy the music. That’s really fine. But I think for our fandom in particular it’s a bit of history, of being loudly rejected during the 1D days and then surging our support for one another for the solo tours.

And tbh yeah. Okay. America is scary and people are mean and i know so so SO many people who are ONLY out online or at shows like these. I want them to know im there with them.

So, I don’t know if I answered your question well. @takemehomefromnarnia or @lululawrence or any number of other people could probably answer it better.

[evenmyhivemindisempty]

I need your headcanons on how the Boyd Boys would react in the situation that they got a baby in their care.No one knows where it came from,doesn't need to be theirs,but they're stuck with a baby now. Good luck to them 👍 (with love from anon who got hit with sudden baby fever for the first time in his 20s)

Haha good luck with that baby fever, anon!! I’ve heard when it hits it hits *hard*

Steve Murphy: This one is easy, because we know exactly how Steve Murphy responds! He adopts that baby ASAP, and proceeds to be a dutiful (if maybe not exactly excited) dad!

Donald Pierce: He’d hold it awkwardly, possibly at an arms length from himself, squinting as it gurgled like it’s an engine making funky noises he’s trying to decipher. As soon as it started crying he’d hand it right over to Gabby. Pierce isn’t crazy about babies! He doesn’t find them interesting! They don’t have anything to say, and they don’t do anything fun! They just cry loudly, eat, and poop! (There is, however, a moment when he’s watching Gabby murmur lullabies and gently rock it to the sleep, that he just feels *so* inexplicably tender.)

Cap Hatfield: He finds babies ADORABLE, if faintly perplexing. He tries his best to make sure it’s comfortable, maybe whittles a little rattler for it, but ultimately he’s passing it off to the first relative he sees that knows more about childrearing than he does. But he’ll absolutely be popping in to help!

Clement Mansell: Ooh I feel like this is SO dependent on his mood at the time. 90% of the time Clement is immediately dropping that kid off at the nearest fire station, but if he’s in kind of a wistful, melancholy state, thinking about his dad or his legacy?? Yeah, he’s keeping that kid. I feel like having a kid *could* actually make Clement a better person too, if it makes him kind of reflect on what he wants for his kid (and the ways that’s different than what he got growing up), but he’s also 100% gonna use his adorable little baby to distract marks while he robs them blind.

The Corinthian: Aw man, the Corinthian is actually *great* with babies. (Baby Daniel!!) I don’t think he’d hang on to it if he didn’t have to though - unless for some reason he got insta-attached - but if it maybe reminded him of Orpheus (who I HC Corinthian sometimes babysat) or something, he’d be such a devoted dad! Based solely on the vibes I got from how he interacted with Jed, I can see the Corinthian having a bit of a double-life: sure, there’s moments where he acts *off*, or says something weird, but overall he’s giving his kid the standard all-American life, complete with a trampoline in the backyard and a golden retriever. He makes his kid and his kid’s friends sandwiches when they hang out at the house after school. Maybe he seduces their hot dads. Maybe he does some serial killing on the side! But he’ll also be there at every soccer game and ballet rehearsal.

Eli Klaber: Klaber finds kids adorable, but doesn’t really know what to do with them. He’d try his best though! He’d read parenting books and attend classes (probably surrounded by brand-new mothers slightly perplexed by his presence). I feel like he’d be the dad that tries to bring his kid *everywhere* (including to work!) and the first day of daycare he absolutely cries a little.

Ty Shaw: Ty immediately integrates the baby into the family! This is a Shaw baby now! He’s good with kids; after basically being a dad for three kids already, he’s old hat at this! He finds it so cute too, and he’s definitely the obnoxious parent that takes a million pictures of their kid and then insists on showing them *all* to everyone he meets.

Quinn McKenna: The thing is, Quinn actually *is* good with kids, and he does like them, but he’s not good at being around them for too long. He can’t really do fatherhood for very long without getting a little distant and needing space. I think if he *has* to take care of this kid, he’ll do it and he’ll do a thorough and competent job, but he’s gonna be burnt out quick, and maybe not always the most emotionally available parent. It’s better for him (and the kid, frankly) if he can find someone else to be the full-time parent, and he can act as an uncle figure.

[abusivelittlebunny]

The way this man can never act normal with his slutty slutty mouth

Boyd Holbrook The Predator Dir: Shane Black

[ettiqu-rtz]

Matthew’s mom in We Object to Fear doesn’t get enough attention from the “in love with Jess McKenna” community. They won’t object to a brand new friend??? Adorable. Incredible. You’re smart and prose-cute.

[loserdudes]

Rapid Fire Questions with Boston Pride captains Jillian Dempsey, Kaleigh Fratkin, McKenna Brand

[castlebyersafterdark]

i think sometimes byler feels distantly easy to worry about because of how cool and aloof finn used to be like 5 years ago. cos we've seen so little cast interviews (seriously what was s4 press, covid or not???? why was there so little???) but he's not the same man! its been years! and yeah he looks so cool and collected in his photoshoots but thats soooo stylised and not real life.

and watching ghostbusters press again, especially the friends test interview with mckenna, you just realise how truly awkward this boy is haha. he's such a nerd, and his insecurity is so so clear. there's a bit where she says she doesnt remember exactly meeting him the first time, and he's like 'i guess i do have a forgettable face' and he's also so so flattered when she says she likes his comedy bits. he's clearly not thinking very much of himself at all. and escaping into acting he's admitted to, too. and i just think it IS easy to mix him with mike because they look so similar - noah even said he does it ... but...

i think being a person off camera is one thing. i think acting is another. but being yourself on camera (aka interviews) is a whole different thing, so sure, maybe it's not the real finn either. but he just seems like such an awkward boy and its not giving 'pr brand' either, cos it's not something that hollywood would specifically hire. it's not a brandable ironic kind of awkwardness, like jesse eisenberg. its just... weirdo little finn.

he's so so so lovely. and if i think of this version of him, not only does it seem VERY likely that this man is gay af - not even bi, just deeply uncomfortable with himself and closeted - but in general just someone who is not the cool guy we saw years ago. if sometimes byler didnt seem possible because of finn, or even foah, i dont think so anymore. i think he is someone who absolutely would have had many many personal conversations with noah in their own time, about the work and life. and even someone who needed comfort from him, too.

there's a bit of resistance to a mike who cries and needs will's comfort because people take it to extremes. but if in s5 we see MIKE breakdown and will consoles HIM??? oh yes, it could be so perfect. imagine mike tucked into will's neck, sobbing, resisting it, trying not to, but will just holds him. its a side we havent seen. and ofc will is still baby, but this softness between them is only going to grow, and i think mike needs to let down his walls STAT.

this post blended finn -> mike but yeah, i need to stop thinking of 2019 interviews when i think of how finn would approach mike and remember he is a soft boi who wears waffle sweaters and flops his wrist sometimes and flirts with paul rudd and absolutely is going to be a blushing mess when he and noah are asked about mike and will's chemistry and how they approached such an intimate storyline.

Passing along an excellent read 😁😁 about our boy!! Love a good personality dissection. And this hits all the marks, thank you for thinking and writing and sharing.

[peachfuzz-nygma]

jerking it to camerlengo patrick mckenna branding himself

[sugarcoated-lame]

spotify daylist 🎶

rules: Go to Spotify, search for your daylist, and share the unhinged title of the playlist and 5 songs from the playlist (since it’s got recommended tracks in there I’ll let y’all pick).

Thank you so much for the tag, @ryebecca !! 🥰🧡💕

title: lonely dark academia evening (very on brand for me lol)

• Canyon Moon - Harry Styles

• Supercut - Lorde

• Make Me Your Queen - Declan McKenna

• Kyoto - Phoebe Bridgers

• I Always Knew - The Vaccines

no pressure tags: @sebsxphia @sunlightmurdock @just-in-case-iloveyou @hangmanssunnies @joelsgreys @emeraldmoth @pascalpvnk @joels-shitty-puns @rhettabbotts @wkndwlff @roosterbruiser @undrthelights @sio-ina-bottle @ilovepedro @seresinsbrat and leaving the tags open for anyone else who wants to do this 💗💕

[rampents]

| zendaya & she/her | Welcome to the crossroads, CATIE CATCHER. Another lost soul that stumbled across a fallen tree in their path. They appear to be 25 years old, but it’s hard to tell. The town bares no resemblance to LOS ANGELES, are you sure we can trust them? Seeing as they ended up here because, SHE WENT TRAVELLING TO GET AWAY. They definitely weren’t looking to end up here. Now they’ll have to rely on being CONFIDENT to survive. Hopefully their HOTHEADED doesn’t get in the way of that. I guess if we’re going to pass the time tonight, might as well request THE PHANTOM BUZZ by DECLAN MCKENNA. Oh, and one more thing, your new role here will be STORE CLERK. We’ll be sending out welcoming party over to the MOTEL. Welcome to Oblitus, the only thing you have to remember, when the sun sets– don’t open the door.

Born into Hollywood, Catie’s life was orchestrated by her parents: her father, an unsuccessful actor, thrust her into the spotlight, seeing her as his last chance at fame.Her mother, a well-known director, supported this to appease her father, grateful that it stopped his endless complaints about his career.From a young age, Catie learned to mask her feelings; any resistance to her parents' plans led to her father calling her ungrateful, forcing her to perform a “perfect daughter” act.

As Catie got older, her anger grew sharper. She tried to push it down, and it came out in other ways: outbursts on set, arguments with fellow cast members, and eventually, an attitude problem that branded her as “difficult.” When directors or producers gave her orders that felt too controlling, she’d snap. Despite her struggles, Catie became a recognisable child actress, starring in several TV shows and movies. However, by the age of 20, she could no longer endure the demands of her career and decided to disappear from the industry.

She fled to London, wanting a fresh start. Catie dabbled in teaching an acting class, but her lack of passion (and talent for that matter) for the craft rendered her ineffective as a teacher. She also tried her hand at writing, producing a debut book that fictionalised her childhood in the industry. She attempted painting, but her works lacked depth. She ventured into photography, only to find her skills were mediocre at best. Graphic design, jewellery making, and even a brief stint as a musician followed, but none of these pursuits worked out. Each new venture would start with excitement, but as soon as things got tough or she faced criticism, her frustration would turn to rage, and she’d quit before she could "fail."

Defeated, embarrassed, Catie relocated to Manchester, hoping to carve out a more conventional life away from her past. While the book garnered some attention, it wasn’t actually all that good and she stopped doing that too.

In Manchester, it seemed manageable for a while, but with her father back in her life, her old triggers flared up. His attempts to control her life, combined with his sense of entitlement to her inheritance, stoked her anger again, yet she couldn’t bring herself to confront him outright. Instead, Catie’s anger came out in bursts: shouting at strangers, smashing dishes, leaving situations abruptly. Her impulse to keep running—to leave her anger and the people triggering it behind—was strong. She decided to take off travelling. Despite her first trip being to Brazil, she finds herself in a deceptively American town. Welcome to Oblitus!

- how did they find the tree that led them here? what were they doing?

Catie was drifting from town to town with no particular plan. After a few weeks in Brazil, she booked a budget bus ticket to a coastal town. Somewhere along the route, the bus took a detour. While most passengers seemed unbothered, Catie grew restless. The landscape felt disorientingly wrong—dense forests pressing in on both sides of the road, with no sign of towns or rest stops. After hours on this unfamiliar route, the bus finally halted at a strange wooded clearing. They’d stopped to help someone change a flat tire. Impatient and wanting to stretch her legs, Catie wandered off into the trees.

She spotted an enormous old oak tree, its roots coiled and twisted, partially rising from the earth as though inviting her to step closer. She reached out, touching the bark—and suddenly felt a rush, almost like a sharp tug. She stumbled forward, losing her footing. When she straightened and looked around, the forest seemed different—too quiet, too dense. She looked back for the bus, but it was gone, replaced by eerie silence.

- describe your character’s first day/night in town? 

Catie's first day in the town is surreal, unsettling. When she first stepped out of the trees and into the heart of the town, it was too unbelievably quiet. The buildings look worn, faded, as if they hadn’t been touched for years. As she wanders the streets, Catie feels like she‘s walking through the set of an abandoned movie.

She eventually comes across a group of people gathered in what looked like a town centre. Relieved to see anyone, she approaches, half-expecting them to recognize her from her old acting days. Instead, the townsfolk just exchanged wary glances. She asks the way out of town but is met with, ‘There is no way out.’

She laughs, assuming they’re trying to scare her. But as the day wears on, the reality begins to sink in. She wanders the roads, trying to find a path back to the tree where she had first arrived, but each attempt leads her back into the town. Frustrated and confused, her anger starts to bubble up. She confronts a few people, demanding answers, but they just look at her with pity and fear.