#that carmy is a youngest sibling

[ochrogasting]

“also… i hate litter”

[strideofpride]

Imagine being Tina The Bear and making a mid career pivot into the horrific world of restaurant work solely because the owner is charming and then that guy kills himself and you’re stuck working for his bratty brother who has to think about all of his traumas before he cooks every single day

[saltnsugarbear]

KNOCK KNOCK congratulations on your celebration!!

“This is wrong.” “So wrong.” While continuing to pull at each others clothes, mind fogged with nothing but lust and arousal. With Carmy perhaps 🧎🏼‍♀️ forbidden romance of some sort

this got soooo far away from me ummm

word count: 2.1k, it got so far from me guys

content warnings: MDNI!!! afab reader genitalia, unprotected sex, mentioned drinking, mentions of the walk-in incident

side note: i finally get to clock in on my "what if reader was claires sibling" bullshit, which no identifiers are mentioned so they could be adopted, but we're a bit messy lmao

You've always had a thing for Carmen Berzatto.

The boy down the street. The youngest of the three bears.

However you spent more time with Nat, dragged into her orbit on the volleyball court. She was peeking over your shoulder one day, looking at the shot you had gotten of the rival girls on the field. After that you two became attached at the hip until she graduated. Even afterwards you still kept in contact while going through your separate schools.

Nat was there when you walked across the stage. Seeing you and Carmy walk across the stage that afternoon left Natalie in tears in the crowd, clapping as loud as she could when they called your name.

Being friends with Nat and related to Claire left you little room to entertain your crush though. Being in the same year as both of them was enough to make you hit your head on the desk everytime they stared longingly at each other. It made you want to tear your hair out.

Claire wasn't very good at keeping a diary, leaving it out on her bed or desk. Wide open for anyone to read.

That's how you knew about her crush on Carmen. The way she talked about him, made him out to be this mythical shy guy who couldn't speak up for himself. (Mostly she complained about school but didn't you all?)

So high school yielded no action for you. Instead pining from afar, lingering in rooms when Sugar sparingly invited you to her house.

Richie always seemed to be around that house, entering or leaving or hearing him from inside the house. You had seen from your own front lawn how Richie and Mikey liked to dog on Carmy, arm slung around his shoulder and laughing loudly as Carmen's ears and face flushed. Sometimes Nat was there, shoving at Richie's arm as he tried to boost to her something he and Mikey had done.

So being in Carmy's orbit was enough until he went off to New York and Copenhagan and you never saw him again.

Not until Claire texted you saying she had run into Carmy at the grocery store.

Hearing the ups and downs of Claire and Carmy's relationship almost daily was grueling. Their adventures and scheming and spending the night at his house finally.

But it got you back in contact with Sugar, which was nice. You got to catch up with her on her grieving and her life with Pete and her expected baby.

Claire and Sugar invited you to friend's and family night at his restaurant. An exclusive time at the newest fine dining in Chicago. It was obvious you would go, invited not once but twice it basically played into your lap.

That's how you ended up watching Claire walk out of The Bear's kitchen with tears in her eyes. Richie is quick to trade places with her as you watch her walk out of the front door, the two Faks tailing behind her.

The screaming on Richie's side of the door is messy and loud. You can't even hear Carmy through the door.

Sugar keeps you around for support and clean up as the hardware man takes out the door. The sound of the saw is loud as you wipe down counters and return dishes to cabinets.

Carmy makes his presence sparing when he gets out of the walk-in, beelining for the back door. After a few minutes Sugar comes to find you.

"Hey.." She leans against the counter, watching you scrub at a particularly annoying spot.

"Hmm?" You hum, glancing at her quickly.

"You're good to leave... I... I'm sorry about... All of tonight, I didn't think..." Natalie trails off.

"Didn't think Carmy would break up with my sister?" You ask dryly. Natalie huffs next to you, ducking her head forward and leaning her forehead against your shoulder.

"Yeah... It's... I'm sorry.." Natalie sighs as you bring an arm around her. "I appreciate you..."

You hum softly, resting your cheek against the top of her head. "S'okay.."

"Nat?" It's Pete. Calling from the dining area before his head peeks in. Both of you turn to face him where he stands in the doorway holding Sugar's coat.

"Thank you, again.." Nat sighs, placing a quick kiss to your temple before letting go of you and heading towards Pete.

Natalie leaving means your in the kitchen mostly by yourself, save for the hardware guy.

He's not your problem so you head for the back door, collecting one of the coats from where it hangs and tugging it on before walking outside.

You find Carmy leaning against his car, cigarette between his lips and jacket unbuttoned, showing you the white tee that hugs his chest tight. He's built muscle since the last time you saw him... Back in high school.

"Hey..." You call softly to him, crossing your arms over your chest as you walk towards him cautiously.

"Hmm.." Carmy hums as he exhales, removing the cigarette from his lips before he turns to you. "Oh shit.."

His response makes you huff, smiling at him softly.

"You grew up." He says it as an observation but it makes your cheeks flush.

"So did you.." You tell him, tilting your head to the side. Carmy shrugs at this, sliding down his car to make room for you next to him.

"Gonna yell at me, too?" He asks, bringing the stick back to his mouth and inhaling.

"No..." You tell him, sliding onto the edge of the hood. "You've been yelled at enough tonight, let you have a break."

Carmy shakes his head before offering you his cigarette. You take it graciously, having only ever smoked a few times.

"Didn't know Sugar still kept you around..." He says casually, watching as you bring the cigarette to your lips and inhale shortly.

You hum around the filter before handing it back to him.

"Not so much anymore.. Both too busy for it.." You shrug. "Kind of hid away after you left. Didn't hear from her too often until um... Until Mikey.."

"Oh.." Carmy says and you sigh. "Didn't know that um.. that she-"

"S'okay," you tell him. "You didn't know.. Partially my fault, phone works both ways. Since you're unaware of that."

Carmy scoffs, shaking his head at you again and making you chuckle.

"Sorry I didn't uh... I didn't see you at her table..." He doesn't have to say who's table. He was so enraptured with her and it wasn't anything new. But this time it looked like a tainted enrapture, one that was going to drive him mad.

"Nothing new.." You mutter, tucking your burrowed coat in close.

"What does that mean?" Carmy snickers, looking at you sideways. You shrug, softly tapping your heel against the car.

"Just that.... Well just that you never really paid attention to me whenever she was around.." You twist your fingers around a loose string hanging from your hood. "So like... It wasn't a surprise you didn't notice me.."

You don't know why you're saying all of this. Maybe it's the wine they so readily supplied, making you loose lipped. Carmy's looking at you absolutely bewildered.

"What-"

"It's really not that big of deal, Carmy. Did it when we were in school too, not a big thing.." You brush him off, waving your hand at him like you can physically clear it from the board.

"But-"

"Doesn't matter," you cut him off. "Doesn't matter, doesn’t matter. Doesn't-"

You press a finger to his lips when he trys to speak up again. "Matter."

Carmy huffs against your finger when you're done.

"Done?" Carmy asks you while you study him. When you're sure that he's not going to try talking again, you remove your finger from his lips.

You watch as Carmy let's his cigarette fall, snuffing it out when he turns to face his body towards yours. You both stare at each other for a moment, glancing over every little feature that might have changed.

Somewhere between your impromptu staring contest and your back hitting Carmy's front door, someone had made the move. Maybe it was Carmy who brought his hand to cradle your jaw and closed the gap. Maybe you had pushed off the hood of the car and pushed Carmy up against the car door.

What ever it was had you up against Carmy's door, breathing heavily as he fumbles for his keys. Carmy fumbles with his keys, swearing softly as he pushes his hips harder against yours. You whine as the lock finally clicks, door pushing open behind you as Carmy leads you.

As soon as the doors closed Carmy is reconnecting your lips, guiding you back, back, back until your lower back hits a rough edge. The force surprises a groan out of you, welcoming Carmy to explore your mouth. Carmy's hands are firm as they climb upwards, resting and squeezing softly at your chest. He's quick to tangle his fingers in your shirt, tugging it up and breaking the kiss to lift it over your head and leaving you in just your under clothes. The way he whines when he can finally get his hands on you is intoxicating, driving your hands to grab at his waistband.

Carmy's own fingers snake down to pop the button of your pants, tugging down your zipper with ease.

"This is wrong.." Carmy pants against your lips, hooking his thumbs in your waistband of your pants and underwear and shoving them down your thighs.

"So wrong..." You say, tugging his belt out of the buckle and undoing his button and zipper.

"We should stop..." Carmy betrays his words, helping you push down his pants and stepping out of them to push up against you. His erection is painfully obvious as he grinds against you.

"Definitely," you agree, pushing yourself up onto his counter. You kick your pants off, letting them fall to the floor at Carmy's feet. Carmy groans into your skin, pressing kisses to your neck as his hands knead at your thighs.

"You should.... Should go.." He whispers against your collarbone as his hands slide just out of reach of your core. You can't fight the whine you let out at his teasing touch, grabbing his wrist to coax him closer.

"Uh-huh.." You nod, closing your eyes as the pads of his fingers swipe between your folds. Carmy's breathing is heavy as he prods at your entrance, resting his forehead against your shoulder.

When he finally pushes in, you can feel his sharp inhale against your skin. His reaction causes you to open your eyes, looking down and following his gaze. Carmy is watching the way his middle and ring fingers stretch you open, pushing until he's to the knuckles. You whine softly as Carmy curls his fingers up against your inner walls, grinding the heel of his hand against your clit causing you to buck up to his hold. He starts with shallow thrusts, driving his fingers deep and yours into his curls.

"Need.... Need now, Carm..." You whine, bucking up into his motions. Carmen groans softly, pressing a kiss to your shoulder. The hand not in his hair, slips fingers into the waistband of his boxers, tugging down at the elastic. He groans softly, starting to trail kisses up along your neck again.

"Please, Carm.." You whisper as he slowly starts slipping his fingers out of you, making you pout at the loss. His hands are quick to take over for yours, shoving off his boxers and letting his length spring free.

"Sure 'bout this?" He whispers against your cheek, nipping softly along your jaw.

"Uh-huh.." You nod, scooting your hips closer to the edge of the counter and feeling the warmth of him against your thigh. "Y're so warm, Carmy..."

The twitch he gives you in response to your whine makes you grin, capturing his lips quickly. "Please?"

Carmen is easy to persuade, bringing your knees to his sides and nudging his head up against your entrance. The first push makes you inhale sharply, just the tip much thicker than his two fingers. Carmy groans next to your ear, hands holding your hips tight.

"S'warm... Tight..." Carmy grunts, pushing a little deeper at his own words. You nod anyways, not registering his words but your body does. Carmy whines when he feels your walls clenching around him, bringing one of his hands to guide your face to him and kissing you deeply.

With you distracted Carmy is able to push until his hips are flush with yours, making you both groan.

"Gonna make you feel s'good.." Carmy promises.

And he does.

[voidsuites]

WINTER BOT RELEASE !!! (12/6/24) ⌢⠀ ❄️ .ᐟ

art and patrick ・゜゜・．black friday busts. after the two of them were unsuccessful in snagging an extremely-discounted flat-screen for their room in the frat house, art and patrick have yet to stop reminding you of that fact with all of their moping and whining. however, you've managed to get your hands on one— only god knows the lengths you went through to get it— and you're all-too-happy to make both boys' christmas even more special than they'd expected. if only they knew how to reward your kindness and sacrifice...

michael berzatto ・゜゜・．a bear-able holiday. christmas is here once again, carmy's finally home from copenhagen, and mikey's taking it upon himself to play mediator between him and you because heaven forbid his two youngest siblings get along for one night... even if he's still a bit annoyed at carmy for leaving. he's the eldest and the man of the house; someone's gotta make sure their whole christmas dinner doesn't fall apart before food even reaches the dinner table.

richie jerimovich ・゜゜・．precious cargo. it's practically common knowledge that spending the holidays at with the berzattos is bound to end in disarray— donna alone's a ticking time bomb, and there's always someone running their mouth that leads to arguments and fights— but richie's on high alert now that he and you are expecting and you're due within the next few months. he'd almost stuck arould to help mikey calm down after his altercation with lee, but donna driving her sedan through the living room wall changed all of that. he can't have you stressed; not if it means risking baby eva and your health.

steve harrington ・゜゜・．sweater weather. it's finally snowing outside, hawkins is decorated from top-to-bottom with decorations, and steve's taken it upon himself to steal you away for the day to see all the lights... if he can manage to wrangle you away from dustin first). but of course you're quick to freeze, and that just won't do. if it takes him loaning you a sweater and holding your hands the entire time to keep them warm, then that's just what he's going to have to do (and he'd do it happily).

got a request? go ahead and leave em here :) THANK YOU GUYS SO SO MUCH FOR FOR 6K! so ready for christmas, cold weather, fall quarter ending... the holidays never cease to be magical and i really do love this time of year. always thinking of what i'm grateful for and for all of the wonderful people in my life. so mushy (i know) but i just can't help it! lol enjoy these bots... need to get started on my gladiator ii ones ASAP those men have been living rent-free in my head for too long. love u guys sm!!!!!

FYI: this is a part 1 of my winter release; hoping to do a post for steve and for bruce soon! also c.ai shadowbanned my bruce wayne/selina kyle bots so i am going to try and troubleshoot that in the coming days. thank you so much for being patient with me guys i really appreciate it :)

[carmenberzattosgf]

i'm so sorry to psychoanalyze and brain dump in ur inbox but i've been thinking about how carmy maybe falls into bdsm bc he's always been so out of control in his life being the youngest sibling and working in stressful kitchens and always being an underling. and like he craves boundaries and rules and control bc he lacks that in all other places of his life so his only way to relax is through consensual dominance with a partner and i don't have an end to this just wanted to share. also congrats on 100 followers!!!!

omg pls don’t apologize for brain dumping in my ask box-

I SOOOO agree with this. Like oh my god he would love the rules of it all. To have someone, you, truly listen to him? To his every instruction?

I think you would be the one to bring it up to him. He’s SO hesitant at first. Just the whole idea of it makes him nervous. But once you both have the first scene- he flips a switch.

The fact that you’ll let him use you however he wants just makes him go crazy. It seriously brings out the dominant in him. It also gives him so much confidence because Carmy knows only he can make you feel this way.

I also think that he would love experimenting on pleasure with pain. Being able to “let out” his anger on you through spanking is something he cannot get enough of. But! What he truly likes about it is that you get off on it too. The way you get so wet from his hands spanking you? Oh my god he’s a goner. He would tease you for it, too. “Look how wet you’re getting. All this just from some spankings? I haven’t even put my cock in you yet and you’re soaked.”

He also likes the trust aspect in BDSM. You trust him and he trusts you. Please don’t get me started on stuff like subspace- he fucking LOVES getting you to a place like that just because he knows how much trust it takes for that to even happen.

I think what he loves most about BDSM though is the aftercare! He is such a fucking sweetheart. He’ll draw you a warm bath, get you water, bring you a meal he cooks himself. If you can’t walk he’ll carry you. Oh and he’ll just adore your face with kisses, telling you how much he loves you and thanking you for trusting him so deeply

Anon I can assure you more stuff involving dom carmy is on the horizon for my blog. There’s literally already a spanking and overstim post in my drafts. It’s one of my favorite things to write about because the dynamic is just so- AHH. And like I’ve said I think Carmy would be such a good dom

[ago0112]

The Bear, The Bard, and Hamlet

Christopher Storer pulls from so many media types, music, movies, opera, theater, and it's beautiful. He is on point with Alfred Hitchcock in telling stories visually.

Like others have mentioned @gingergofastboatsmojito @thoughtfulchaos773 @currymanganese he pulls from the Bard, William Shakespeare. Fairest Creatures and Midsummers Night's Dream.

Another is Hamlet. Long story short, Hamlet's uncle kills his dad, marries his mom, and he goes, rightfully so, a bit mental with wanting revenge. (Yes, yes, yes, it's far more poetic than that. Worry pas, I get it. My dad is a retired English Lit professor.)

So, how does this relate to The Bear? Well, Mikey is definitely the stand in dad for Carmy and Nat. But, take it a step further. Their dad, seemingly, vanished, left them. Their "uncles," Lee and Jimmy, are connected with unsavory types. *cough *cough the mob. Mikey, Donna, and Jimmy say he wasn't good with the business. This has me wondering if, like with his son's, he went looking for a loan that he either couldn't, didn't, or wouldn't pay back. Not that Jimmy or Lee killed him, but they know what happened to him. And I feel that they also had something to do with Mikey's death. Again, not that they did it, but they know more than they are letting on. Jimmy feels so guilty this season. And felt so guilty to give Mikey the money in the first place. Where is that guilt coming from?

So, back to it. Carmy is Hamlet (Hamlet is driven by revenge. Carmy is driven by a need to prove himself for attention and acceptance. And kinda revenge, too.) Mikey is King Hamlet (king Hamlet is Hamlet's father. Mikey is the stand in dad to the bear siblings). Claudius is Uncle Lee (fucking asshole abusive prick. And I know there's more to Mikey's death and Lee had a part to play.) Donna is Gertude (Hamlet's relationship with his mother was strained and she was also poisoned. Carmy's relationship with Donna is messed up and her drinking also isn't good for her.) Ophelia is Claire (She gets burned by Hamlet. Not literally. Which does happen to Claire. No matter how I might feel about her.) Jimmy is Polonius ( "He is the chief counsellor of the play's ultimate villain". Jimmy is in businesss with Lee. And Polonius is supposed to be a busy body. Which, let's face it, Jimmy is.) Fak and Teddy are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (I want more space for them lol.)

Let's add the other Shakespeare plays in here, too, so we can get a good idea of the whole complete story of the Bear.

I also love that Richie is Puck. His fucking dream weave, people.

The rest of the Faks are The mechanicals.

Syd is like Cordelia. (King Lear's youngest daughter. Yes, I know, another play but still relevant. She refuses to wax poetically about the love of her father in public just to get some land. He refuses her and makes her life hard... Syd's not signing the agreement and is not really enjoying this version of Carmy.) She's honest, true, and brave. Puts up with a lot of shit.

I'd like to go back to two characters though. Dum and Dummer, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern or Neil and Teddy Fak.

In Hamlet

"They are two old school friends of Hamlet, and they come to visit him after his father's death, though it turns out that they are called to Denmark by King Claudius and Queen Gertrude to spy on Hamlet. They represent corruption and deceit in the play, and their existence and actions are full of irony."

Wait, what was that last part again?

"They represent corruption and deceit in the play, and their existence and actions are full of irony."

Hamlet ends up killing them, lol.

I don't think Carmy will. But it's definitely going to be interesting. Oh, Ophelia goes mad (because of Hamlet) and drowns herself...I don't want that for Claire. Hopefully, she moves on. Clearly they aren't good for each other.

Also, Richie, I want more of your dream weave. Lord, what fools these mortals be, am I right? Come on Robin Goodfellow, show us the goods.

[noellawrites]

Baby Bear - Richie Jerimovich x Berzatto!reader

summary: as the youngest Berzatto sibling, you know you’re screwed when you find out you’re pregnant with Richie’s baby.

warnings: pregnancy, grooming mention & abortion mention.

Nothing, nothing could’ve prepared you for two pink lines on that goddamn test. Your hand trembled lightly as you placed the piece of plastic on the dirty bathroom counter.

Your stomach dropped. How the hell were you supposed to tell Richie? And what would you say to your siblings? You were screwed.

You showed up early for your shift at The Beef in order to take the test, which you’d nervously purchased earlier from the local bodega. You thought it was just a few missed periods due to stress, the restaurant, stuff with Mikey. You never actually thought you could be pregnant.

Carmy and Sugar would kill Richie. And all three of them would kill you. Mikey would probably crawl out of his grave next, just so he could beat Richie up for knocking up his kid sister.

As the youngest Berzatto, you’d worked in The Beef from the ripe age of twelve. You washed dishes and waited tables for Mikey, your favorite sibling and oldest brother. Now, in your early 20’s, you worked as The Beef’s primary bookkeeper and waitress.

There had always been something between you and Richie, and your friendship became more after you turned eighteen. You were attracted to him, but waited to make your move until you were old enough to consciously do so. You ate every meal together, treated his daughter like your own, laughed at his dumb jokes and never got bored of each other. Plus the sex was gentle, loving and passionate.

But more than that, you were each other’s shoulder to lean on. You cried in each other’s arms once you’d gotten the news about Mikey and you ran The Beef together until Carmy got back from New York.

You and Richie had managed to keep your relationship a secret for the four years since you’d started seeing each other, but you had a feeling that you wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret for much longer.

Because now, you were pregnant with Richie Jerimovich’s baby.

—

“Congratulations Miss Berzatto, you’re about eight weeks along. Here are the printed pictures for you to take home. Would you like to discuss your options?” the nurse chirped. She was young, not much older than you, with a short blonde bob and bright purple scrubs.

“How much does an abortion cost?” you asked, already knowing what Richie would tell you. He was already a deadbeat father to one kid, why make it two?

“It depends on your insurance, but—"

"I don't have insurance, I'm just a waitress," you interrupted.

"In that case, it'll be around five-hundred dollars for the abortion pill if you visit Planned Parenthood. They're the cheapest in the city. You can only take the pill up to ten weeks, though," she explained, handing over a bunch of pamphlets with the sonogram pictures on top.

You stared down at the pictures as tears formed in your eyes. That was inside you, right now, a little tiny baby made from you and Richie. You could hardly believe it.

—

"You're— what the fuck? I didn't even know you were seeing anyone (y/n), jesus christ! How could you be so irresponsible?" Carmy yelled.

You were sitting in the office, leaned back in the chair as you stared at your brother. You knew he wasn't going to take the news well, but he was in disbelief. He ran his hand through his hair while contemplating his next words.

"You keepin' it?"

"I don't know yet, I still have to talk to—"

"Who's the dad?" Carmy seethed.

You couldn't do it. You just couldn't tell your brother that you'd been fucking Richie. He'd kill him before you'd get the chance to tell him.

"I can't—“

"Yes you can, just—just tell me, okay? I'm your brother, we'll figure this out, it'll be fine," he promised, crouching down and meeting your eyes.

"It's Richie," you gulped.

Carmy's face twisted into an expression of pure rage. He stood up, unable to look you in the eye.

"Carmy wait—" you gasped, but he had already thrown the office door open.

"Where is that asshole? Where the fuck is Richie?" Carmy yelled, storming through the kitchen.

"Carmy wait, stop!" you begged, pulling on your brother's sleeve. It was no use, he was on a mission.

Sydney and Tina looked up with confusion as Carmy turned the corner with you right behind him.

"And I told him, 'that's what we're doing today!' But he didn't fuckin' listen, so we're stuck on the turnpike when— hey, 'cuz," Richie laughed, noticing Carmy while in the middle of telling Ebra a story.

He glanced at you quickly, noticing your wide eyes and nervous expression.

"What the fuck, Richie?!" Carmy screamed, lunging at your not-so-secret boyfriend.

"Carmy!" you yelled as the two of them fell to the ground and tussled.

"You knocked up my little sister, fuckin' asshole pervert!"

"What the fuck? I didn't knock (y/n) up!" Richie said, landing a slap across your brother's cheek.

"How long'd you spend groomin' her, huh? She could be your fucking daughter!" Carmy growled as he grabbed at Richie's neck.

Marcus and Sydney rushed over, attempting to pull them apart.

"Quit it, you two!" Sydney yelled, restraining Carmy.

In the midst of the chaos, you noticed Fak sliding a five-dollar bill into Ebra's palm. You rolled your eyes. They'd been betting on you and Richie? Figures.

"I, um, I have some news," you began. The room was silent and all eyes were turned to you.

"I'm pregnant, and it's Richie's. Richie, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean for you to find out this way. And Carmy, I know how this looks but I really, really love Richie. And everyone else, I'm really sorry for this disruption," you explained with a sympathetic expression.

You glanced hesitantly at Richie, who had his hand clamped over his mouth and eyes wide open. Everyone else returned to their stations quietly, and Carmy kicked the metal table leg before returning to the office.

"Congrats, mija!" Tina smiled, patting your shoulder.

"Thanks, T," you said, giving her a small smile.

"So?" Richie asked. He walked closer and pulled you into a hug.

"It's true, you knocked me up," you laughed.

"You wanna keep it?"

You pulled away. "That depends. You wanna step up and be a father?"

"I do, babe. I think we can do this, for real. I'll talk to Tiff, maybe we can have Eva over more. She'd love a little sister or brother," Richie said, giving you a reassuring smile.

"I'd really like that, Richie."

[beauspot]

The Berzatto Siblings

TW: Discussions of abuse and drug use

So rewatching Fishes I finally came to understand how each child plays a role in an abusive family. I already knew this but rewatching this it became so clear cut to me.

Mikey is the most like their mother and it makes sense he’s been with her the longest because he’s the oldest and because he was the oldest he didn’t have the luxury of relying on his other siblings who are considerably younger than he is (mikey was 44 when he passed away and i think sugar is in her 30s i believe since we don’t have confirmed ages).

That means for a good chunk of his childhood development he had to handle his moms shit alone. That’s why Mikey is the protector. It makes sense that she relies on him more than the others because he was the first and Mikey is so clearly her favorite because he let’s her do whatever she wants. He’s also the only one who can calm Donna down if Donna can be calm.

Understandably because that was probably the only way he could survive. All that being said Mikey never had a chance. Of course he turned to drugs it’s probably the only way he could escape. And he didn’t have anyone the way Sugar had him and Carmy had both of them.

Sugar is placed in a weird position as the middle child and only girl. She learned to placate her mother at a young age and became a nurturer. She spoke to her mother softly and tried to make sure she was ok because if she wasn’t ok then nobody was ok.

This in turn was also how she treated her brothers. Nat is constantly trying to make sure the people in her life are ok so much so that she barely has any time to think of herself. It’s why Pete is so good for her because he doesn’t expect that of her. He cares for her.

Since she’s the second child she has some separation and support from her brother that Mikey didn’t have, but it obviously didn’t save her from her mothers issues. Sugar still has some faith in their mother’s love for them even though she’s been neglected the most out of all of her siblings. Likely due to the fact that her mother was jealous of her.

Carmy was the youngest, the baby which means out of all of the fucked up people in his life he had the greatest support system. Since his siblings were there Carmy wasn’t taking on the brunt of his mothers anger on his own. I believe this is partly why Carmy dissociates more than his siblings.

Growing up I used to dissociate a lot, but as I got older it became more of a danger to myself than a safe retreat so it just sort of started to happen less. I think that’s why we don’t really see Mikey dissociate. Mikey can’t dissociate. His mother gets upset and drives cars through their house the only thing he could be was hypervigilant and constantly on attention. And also why Sugar does it less than Carmy.

Which is just so sad, but because of this Carmy was able to do the one thing his siblings couldn’t. He escaped. Carmy left and he has (as of right now) severed contact with his mother completely. With the help of his brother, turning him away so he wouldn’t get stuck and his sister, who pushed him to get help.

I feel so sorry for each of them because they were dealt a shit hand and are trying to make the best of it.

[kpopgirlbtssvt]

Someone please write this omg

Imagine Carmy and Sugar’s younger sister being kind of the opposite of her family, she’s super quiet while they’re super loud, they’re more outgoing where she’s more introverted, etc. poor girl kind of feels like the odd one out, Donna probably pointing it out and making her youngest daughter cry before her older siblings yell at her (mainly Carmy yelling lol, while sugar is level headed)

[thrileikur]

you know what? maybe it is a detriment to the rummaging values that season 1 tried to seep in to the watchers that the carmy richie freezer argument was when the show really started to tip over. it is melodramatic even if my overall opinion on it hasnt changed.

but one thing i dont think thatll budge for me is richies side of the whole story. like, carmy had sent him to stage to ever to get some formal experience and it did way more for richie than i think either had expected, since not too long in the show we see him at his lowest point and brushing off the idea that he would be anything without the beef, and it was all being taken away from him because the rest of the staff wanted a true change of pace. i dont think we like the richie arc because of how differently it flipped his values on high end dining just because of carmy, it was the fact that it wasnt late for him to do better at his old age of 45 which is what im trying to get across here. so when they started arguing like in season 1 in a much higher stakes environment (basically without facing each other), he was doing it because carmy wasnt practicing what he was preaching to him at the start.

i think him being so unadulterated in the scene, with his remarks his old impotent patriarchal-like character couldnt replicate earlier on in the series had to have been caused by his lifelong frustration with him for having more of a ordered reaction to incidents he couldnt afford to have because how he was brought up. carmy is the youngest of three siblings which mustve put him in some place growing up that richie couldnt since we wouldve known if richie even has one by now (probably not). that makes me think, even though carmy was chewed out and became the one thing he wasnt enthusiastic at all to become, at least he had become a different person who inadvertently knew how to bring together people once upon a time, to which in richie's eyes, if he was able to do it in an environment no one would naturally want to work at, even carmy, then maybe, just maybe he'd look up for once and have some fucking self-awareness of the situation hed put everyone he thinks he cares about in. the donna comparison was very shittily delivered when you give it context but like richie said, someone had to tell him, and he was dry out of options at that point

does this make sense? its very stream of consciousness and is almost a direct reaction to some of things about season 3 ive been seeing lately, but i just cant let the argument scene in s2e10 be caught in the crossfire with people saying that it was the start of the fall of the series or whatever. imo it was written exactly how it shouldve been within the timeline of things

[mxmajor]

Didn't you tell me to be the guy? "I didn't tell you to be an asshole."- Uncle Jimmy

And for Carmy, those are one in the same. And because the show has been so tight on his perspective as the protag, many viewers have joined on the perspective of seeing everyone but Carmy as an asshole even when they aren't (except NY Chef/David Fields, fuck that guy).

In previous seasons we see more of Carmy's interiority (his memories, his ideas, his intrusive thoughts, his vulnerable moments at the thing), but marginally, we are made aware of how his behavior is impacting those around him.

in season 3 , we get a nice long introspective opener in 3x01 that visually lays out the experiences, memories, and thought process carmy's attempting to synthesize into success to overcorrect after friends and family.

He also does all of this alone.

In the following episodes we see more of the real time misunderstandings and failed efforts to establish and reinforce bonds with ppl not immediately in carmy's kin circle.

At first glance, the faks are doing a lot screentime wise, but I think their presence and the window guys, and even Tina's story highlight the lack of reliability that could happen in Carmy's perspective in addition to how spot on he is abt what is fucked up around the beef/berzatto family.

They show us an affection, and familiarity, and warmth with each other in their sophomoric antics and bonds with each other. All of it looks unprofessional and silly, esp when richie is trying to do so many random things not to thwart Carmy but save some of the atmosphere that makes people want to be there. But we see that ppl in other BOH kitchens have that, which Richie knowss. Cause he's experienced it at the Beef and Ever, even if not all the time with the berzatto siblings.

But I feel vindicated abt the old posts I made abt Carmy being an asshole, not because I think he's bad or I want to see him fail, but because I think he can eventually be aware of himself in a positive way and maybe be better in season 4. but he has to own his shit.

Carmy's genius and youngest child syndrome can passively slide him into a role where he is just accepted as complicated and misunderstood. Carmy is Carmy, no one tells him no really. Syd and Richie are the ones that give him the most pushback (which he desperately needs to listen to). But he got nearly a million dollars to do as he wanted off of love and guilt.

he goes inside himself to figure things out, and waits to be noticed dand interpreted but does not assertive in way that helps him engage. He doesn't see clearly that the success, magic, and joy is in the shared experience (with his siblings, coworkers, supervisor, dating) because he has been in that odd man out role and believes he doesn't belong.

So many people think this is his dream and passion but he literally never says that. Most of his relationships happens through projections he doesn't really clear up because he is so focused on the negative projects he assumes ppl will know about him because of his family and past.

He also tends to make things about himself that are not about him. When it is his familiars, it explodes into something, When it is Sydney or the computer it deflates and gets redirected because no one is coming for him like he anxiously/insecurely believes they are.

Carmy: Is that a shot? Computer: I don't understand. Carmy: Are you giving me shit for not calling people back? Ep. 5, Children, 23:33

Why the hell would the Computer (who is a great organizational professional, i need to look into credentialing like his) take time in a serious meeting to take a dig at Carmy????

Sometimes it seems like he only has genuine convos with Syd & Marcus but I think that is because he sees/projects parts of his chef self in them. Moreso Marcus now than Syd, he doesn't want them to experience and make the same mistakes.

I wish he would have asked the chef's he worked under for advice (on camera, in script) but you know, Carmy does not talk, and we wouldn't have a show if he did everything right all of the time.

I think NY chef just eating "the yeah I did the fucked up stuff on purpose, you're welcome" turned everything on its side in Carmy's brain. But I also think he took that exchange well in comparison to his spirals in the past two season finales.

all the core islands and structures in his head he built and rebuilt around being a successful chef topple. Sitting with all of those actual chefs and listening to them are their kitchen experiences foils his belief that people only gain success through being assholes.

SN: Uncle Jimmy, how is Carmy supposed to know what being the man looks like in a non-asshole way if he never got to work with his brother and didn't have consistent male figures growing up? But also, nobody knows how fcked up NY Chef is outside of the industry so how would cicero know either.

Carmy needs to socialize outside of his immediate family that he grew up around. And actually fucking talk to people. Not just stare and say very heavy one liners related to his inner monologue that are narrowly connected to the present topic.

heeey @currymanganese here is a post with initial thoughtsss

[buffyfan145]

Really enjoying the Von Erich family's podcasts and learning so much more about the family and stories Kevin tells. 😀 First though, for the fellow AEW fans it seems even more likely Ross and Marshall have signed. Last night during live Q&A with their dad Kevin they mentioned they have something to announce for July 20th, which happens to be the kickoff of AEW's Texas Residency for "Collison" and ROH. Also when Dustin Rhodes was on last week he even said how glad he was the boys are with them now at AEW. So seems likely we'll be getting lots of news with them this summer. 😏

Now onto the movie it's very interesting to hear the family's comments on it. For myself I only knew the basics of their story so I loved the movie, and that seems to be the divide between if you knew the true story or not and if you liked the movie or not, and if you can judge the movie as a fictional movie on it's own.

Overall they are supportive of it and of the cast. They feel the actors did a great job with what they had, but are unhappy with how inaccurate some of it is, especially dealing with Kerry, Fritz, Doris, and Pam. None of them were accurate.

They've extended invitations to the cast/crew to be on the podcast and hoping they do. Kevin and Zac apparently text each other all the time so we'll see.

They wish they could've been involved to help develop the script.

They do feel Zac, Harris, and Stanley did the best and Kevin, David, and Mike were portrayed correctly, as well as all the wrestling scenes being so realistic. The sibling bond between all the brothers was right, especially between Kevin and David as irl they were pretty much like twins and inseparable.

To them Holt nailed Fritz' look and voice, but again he wasn't as villain like as the movie made him and some of how he was, was actually Fritz' father they called Baba/Meaner Fritz. They also left out Fritz' uncle Ross (who Kevin named his son after) who raised Fritz for the first ten years of his life till Fritz' dad came back, and they were much closer than Fritz and his dad.

They also said Chris is in the movie and it's Jeremy's character. They praised Jeremy's acting but that wasn't Kerry's personality at all but Chris's. Chris wanted to be so much like his brothers but he was short and had health problems. Also took Mike's death the hardest, which Kerry's daughter Hollie pointed out that is very similar to Jeremy's character Carmy on "The Bear". So they feel Chris and Kerry were mashed up for the movie but what we saw was really Chris living out Kerry's life.

Kerry's daughters and ex-wife were really upset with how his story was portrayed as it wasn't correct. The only things that were was about the Olympics, getting into wrestling after that, winning the title in honor of David, and the motorcycle accident. Kerry's real personality was the funny, light-hearted one, and was also a photographer. He also deeply loved his girls and his wife. His addictions were left out of the movie too and that's really what drove him to end his life. They also think another actor should've played him and possibly an actual wrestler, with Jeremy playing Chris.

Also Kevin and Pam went to school together but didn't date till he left college from that football injury and moved home. They actually reconnected at a Willie Nelson concert. LOL

They do think too the other wives, girlfriends, and daughters should've been in it. Ross and Marshall are actually the youngest of the grandchildren, and there were 5 girls before them. The family dynamics changed too once the granddaughters were born and all the men became much more doting on the girls. David also was alive for the first 3 years of Kevin's daughter Kristen's life so he did get to be an uncle.

They also wanted to see more of the brothers traveling to other countries and wrestling there. Kevin and David actually both first went to Japan in the late 70s too as a tag team.

Kevin, Kerry, and David also faced each other in the ring once when The Freebirds didn't show up one night at WCCW. This would've been so fun to see and Kevin said they had a great time actually fighting each other.

They do have interest in making a miniseries in the future to tell their story accurately besides Kevin writing a memoir. However, these things take years so it would be a whole new cast/crew, but I likely will watch too if it happens.

[incubum]

thinking about you being the youngest berzatto sibling, richie basically knowing you since you were born, and him always seeing you as this annoying kid who gets in the way of everything he and mikey do, until you get old enough to move away for school and you just don't come back, for months, which become years.

when you finally come back, you're like a whole new person, you're chill as hell and you've matured a lot since you left to be on your own and it takes him completely by surprise. basically you two get really close and he falls for you like crazy.

bonus points for a fight between carmy and richie once carmy finds out there's something going on between you two.

[blackjack-15]

finishing up ep 4 --

return of the love scene lighting while marcus is making the cake. they're really not subtle with how any shot is framed, which as a lighting/set direction geek i appreciate

i keep calling pete paul gosh dangit this is what i get for pirating without subs...the feds were right

pete's very slurred speech about him following carmy's career and how sugar did too? so cute. carmy has no idea how to handle praise that's directly tied to him rather than tied to his cooking directly and it's a little heartbreaking. it's not just that he doesn't have the language to express himself, he doesn't have the ability to receive it from others -- we're hitting another repression and abuse flag right there

"we spilled a whole bottle of xanax in it?" "...are they dead?" "no, just sleepin" "keep up the good work" hilarious outcome, i'm giggling like a schoolgirl carmy's relief is Palpable

"i can't be in [the Beef] five minutes before i start thinking about dark shit" "that's prolly why i like it so much" carmy i love you baby you have Got to not self-flagellate, the world does it enough to you

cicero's dream about carmy's father is another great example of the bear's ability to have a stripped down, simple scene full of dialogue with a present, dark undertone. carmy's "what happened to the kid" is so sweet and soft -- i wonder if, like a lot of youngest children, carmy has a soft spot for/always wanted a little sibling. his sadness at hearing the kid in the dream sat there waving as his father is palpable

syd learning that being rougher, not more hesitant, with tina being the way forward is wonderful, and a hugely important lesson for bother her and the viewers. people are like ingredients -- they each need to be treated in individual ways in order to bring out the best in them

"thank you jeff. chef." THERE WE GO TINA YES GIRL

"love you, bear" "love you" WE GOT AN I LOVE YOU FROM CARMY HUZZAH not quite an un-asked for i love you but close enough. he's like a skittish deer combined with a raging asshole (deer with boxing gloves for antlers?) -- you gotta let him come to you or you're gonna regret it

carmy trying to hide his laughter at pete being zonked is really cute

"sorry, pete" i'm calling it now end of S3 pete/carmy bromance bring it in

syd watching carmy in the restaurant before marcus comes in with cake....the crumbs are Delicious thank you

super solid episode all the way around -- i think ep3 had higher highs? but way lower lows, while ep4 is good all the way through

let's keep truckin halfway through s1, so the Problems are gonna start cascading p soon, methinks...

[mskinkyafro]

More FX The Bear talk but I’m on 2x05 and this is going to be my take on mainly on Sydney’s character which ties into the dynamic and ship for her and Carmy.

Includes Spoilers up into 2x05

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I absolutely adore Sydney, I love her dry humor and sarcasm. Her toughness, drive, passion, and ambition but also it’s also her Achilles heel at the same time along with her impatience and inability to take criticism personally. I think Sydney’s impatience and idolatry of Carmy is another problem along with her passive aggression.

And what I mean by idolatry is she views Carmy as ticket to help catapult her into the success and dream she’s been trying to chase. Which clearly he can bc of his experience, mentorship, and talent and ultimately he believes in her and allowing her the space to essentially be an equal in his business. But that’s the key, maybe I missed something in S1 but at the end of the day, The Bear is HIS business rather than an official partnership/co-owned restaurant of Sydney.

Also the pedestal point I’m referring to whether or not it’s obvious or in a typical manner is that Syd holds onto and sometimes when alone with him mainly talks to Carmy more so about what he accomplished before/his past (which is something she is aiming to be like) even though Camry tries to gently educate her that it’s not as shining as she imagines it.

She views him as the Great and youngest chef of America, THE Carmern Berzatto vs the at times, irritating lil bitch Carmy. 😂 I feel like he’s Carmy to her when he’s he’s acting like an asshole. But still there’s this standard that she holds him to where I think she fails to see that’s not quite who he is.

But I feel like she doesn’t give room for Carmy to exist as the flawed, grieving and at times emotional unfit person he is.

Like in episode 2 or whichever when they open Mikey’s locker she’s so insensitive to the gravity of that moment for not just the crew who worked under Mikey but his siblings especially Carmy. And that’s something hopefully as I get further into S2 she’s called out for or learns to give him that space.

Syd expects ALOT out of Carmy and I think is naive to the weight on his shoulder and how stretch he is trying to fix up the problems left behind by Mieky and doing right by them all. And so to be upset over small things like, not being told about needing walls taking down when they have a limited time crunch. Or even though working on the menu and needing the second pair of eyes or advice to work through the creative drought she’s experiencing while cooking, it’s obvious that Carmy needs an outlet and time away from being constantly bombarded and surrounded by the restaurant 24/7 and his guilt and trauma outside of it plus the constant cluster fuck of playing peacemaker from Sugar to Fak To Richie to even Syd.

Also on the flip, because Carmy trusts Syd and “typically” doesn’t have to worry about her fucking things up, but even keeping her in the midst of mess that needs him isn’t good either nor healthy. Also her being a black woman it holds even extra subtext of shelving Syd into a superwoman and/or wearing a cape to save others is tiring and wears thin on her. Which once again, so far we see Carmy doing that. I’m episode 5 even though it was a much needed, let your hair down moment.

It’s his restaurant and bc they said every second count he shouldn’t have let such shit get out of hand especially when there’s no time to let it go unresolved. Then you through in Sydney’s habit to shutdown and be passive aggressive rather than explain why she’s upset and vocalize what she needs Carmy to do better.

So the unhealthy anchor Carmy has Sydney in this restaurant especially when they aren’t on the same page like they should be especially when once again, Sydney doesn’t have a real ownership into this (correct me if I’m wrong) but then also the lack of grace Syd gives to Carmy to function outside of eating, drinking , pissing, and sleeping The Bear is unhealthy also.

And until they both resolve the way they utilize one another and subconsciously and consciously view one another outside the mural respect and commonality of lovers of food and being creative in that manner, a potential romance between them won’t work or be sustainable.

But I’m trying to maybe keep hope and fingers cross that this can develop into a tastefully done slowburn that’s nurtured and supported by letting the art of this show take its form and not writers being dead set on an original plan 😭

Hopefully this made sense 😂

[heardchef]

I think it’s sweet that Carmy is concerned with how his crew is feeling. I’m referring specifically to when Marcus blew the fuse. He could’ve had a meltdown like in episode 7 but instead took the time to check on Marcus and make him feel better about it. Even the act of squatting on the ground to get on his level physically shows a lot of care. He had the same care for Sydney when he brought her food and she called him out for leaving and was listening to her so intently. Carmy doesn’t listen a lot but when he does he shows a lot of empathy and understanding. I love that about him. I hope we get to see more of the softer side of Carmy in season 2! PS: LOVE reading your character and scene analysis. Super interesting and insightful!

yes! he does try. i love the stories carmy tells marcus so much because there's always a bit of vulnerability in them. they're not really stories of success, they're peaks behind the veneer of award-winning chef, carmen berzatto and how he struggled in the kitchen too.

also, carmy giving sydney that plate lives rent free in my head. it's like a peace offering. i think it's interesting how she doesn't eat it though, like how carmy rejects her offer of family in e1, but that's somethin' else entirely.

i hope we see more soft carmy too! also while we're at it i need more moments of carmy exuding youngest sibling energy. and thank you sm! <3