#junior the egomaniac

[juniortrooper69]

Observe it

#truth #quotes #historical wisdom #life wisdom #advice #motivating quotes #inspiring quotes #Dr J #junior the egomaniac #junior the son #doctor J #juniortrooper69 #junior grimes #j grimes #writers of tumblr #artist #truth quotes #important quotes #famous quote #famousquotes #beautiful quote

[creativecuteness]

Total Slaughter Island (Rescue Rangers) Prologue

I did promise I would post each week and here's the beginning of my brand shiny new Fanfic based on Evaeee-ry's horror AU I used to love Total Drama as a kid and in a way I feel like I'm writing a love letter. Anyway, enjoy the Prologue and let me know you're thoughts.

The fresh ocean breeze left a salty taste in her mouth and nostrils as the bow rocked to and fro. She stared at her reflection in the clear blue water with purpose. With the cloudless sky, orbiting seagulls, and cool breeze, it was a perfect summer day. Perfect for swimming, fishing, and cold creamy treats, but it wasn’t perfect in fact; to her, the last thirty days couldn’t have been more stressful.

She glanced at her associate out of the corner of her eye. The sun always had a way of hitting his handsome features just right—his short black hair, subtle beard, and brown eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a teal green one over it, dark shoes, and brown khakis. his sorry excuse for a signature outfit.

To many, Christopher McLean was the Canadian equivalent of a Hollywood icon; he has appeared in countless movies, was a host for several radio shows, podcasts, and reality TV shows (put a pin in for that last one), and he was handsome to boot, especially when the light hits him just right. But to her, it wasn’t endearing as much as it was annoying.

Dakota Natalie (age 16) knew full well that Chris’s nice guy act was nothing more than that. His quote-on-quote acts of selflessness were just a way to paint himself as a humble, chivalrous, not your average celebrity kind of guy. But below the surface, the countless fangirls and mutual respect were the many ways he stroked his own ego. In actuality, Chris was an egomaniac, narcissistic, and overall insufferable. Any brave fool who tried to call him out on it would be fired on the spot and taken to court for ludicrous charges. Only a fool would work for Chirs, and sadly, Dakota, their captain who was manning the boat, and two junior high schoolers were those fools.

She turned herself fully to get a better look at Chris as he smoked his cigarette. He truly had no care in the world, and that just added to the young girl’s disgust. How could he be so nonchalant about this? Were his staff and actors just that disposable to him? Or maybe he was starting to feel an ounce of regret and couldn’t risk showing that vulnerability. Dakota liked to think it was the second option, but the logical side of her knew what was going on in his twisted brain.

Chris lowred his cigarette and puffed out smoke, all of which hit the brunette square in the face, making her start hacking as she fanned the air as the smoke stung her eyes and lungs.

“Ugh, yet another reason why I shouldn’t start smoking." She prayed that the repulsive stench wouldn’t linger on her clothes. A brown-skinned girl with purple hair in a braid handed her some water, which she gladly drank. Once her coughing fit ended, she gave Chis the best death glare she could muster.

“Watch where you’re blowing that stuff. Are you trying to kill me too?" She spat, a small part of her wanting to throw the TV host overboard.

“Hey, I gave you a warning, but you were so lost in my beauty, I guess you didn’t hear me.” He remarked teasingly. Even in her observation, she didn’t see his lips moving once he hadn’t said anything to her, and he knew she knew that. Barely anything gets past her.

“Pfft as if.” She scuffed, crossing her arms and leaning back on the railing. “I’m just seeing if you regret leaving twenty-one teenagers on a deserted island while you left to save your own hide.”

Chris’s features softened for once, letting his ego deflate as he gave his assistant an affectionate pat on the head. She had the urge to push it away, but moments like this were rare and far between, so she let it slide. (Just this once.)

“Look, as much as I hate admitting my wrongdoings, you have a point.” He sighed, taking another drag from his cigarette, this time blowing in the direction of the wind (and out of her face). “I shouldn’t have left those kids on the island with a crazy killer.” He spoke, “It’s just seeing Ezekiel’s head and severed body parts I panicked. I didn’t know what to do; what was I supposed to do?”

“Uh, bring them with you!” She snapped, banging her fist on the metal railing, startling their other two helpers, who were playing Go Fish using a barrel as a makeshift table. "Call the authorities and let them handle the rest! But no, you had to selfishly leave, giving those kids no way out, all of which could be dead thanks to you. How do we tell their parents?! They’ll sue you from here to Timbuktu; your reputation will be ruined, and you have yourself to blame for this, McLean!" She yelled, giving him another hateful glare.

Chris had to hand it to her; just like Hearther, her looks could kill, and it left him regretting waiting this long to rescue them.

A Hispanic teenager with short brown hair watched the scene unfold. He thanked his lucky stars that he wasn’t chosen for the show. As Chris and Dakota argued back and forth on the morality of their situation, he eyed the purple-haired girl and motioned for her to invite Dakota to play with them.

She nodded in understanding, not wanting this short-term alliance to be the end of them before their search even began. “Hey Dakota!” She spoke, waving to her, “Why don’t you play with us? We need a third player to even the playing ground.”

Dakota thought for a moment, giving a small glance at Chris, wondering if he had any final words on their conversation, but figured it’d be better to just end it now.

"Fine, deal me in.” She agreed, not giving the former host a second glance as she joined the two acquaintances, her expression still stormy, which showed since she didn’t bother to make small talk; the only time she spoke was to ask for a card. Chris would never admit it out loud, but he hated seeing her like this; Dakota’s dad was an old friend of his. Back before Chris was a big-time movie star, he got his start as a radio host. Dakota’s father worked in audiovisual and kept the sound in check and made sure the equipment stayed in perfect condition. It wasn’t long before Chris had himself a small fan base and was asked to audition for a variety of different roles. (His voice and charisma made him very likeable.) It wasn’t until years later that he reconnected with his old friend and offered him a job in the studio; he had a pet project he was secretly working on and wanted the best AV man on board. Plus, hearing he had a wife and daughter was intriguing; he guessed it wouldn’t be bad to have one of them on board too.

It wasn’t long before he met Dakota and took a minor liking to her; she was sweet, patient, and didn’t talk too much, which Chris minded at first, expecting to be bombarded with questions and the story of his life. Only to have that come crashing down when she stated she had never heard of him. Those words felt like a punch to the gut, and he took it personally. If it wasn’t for his busy schedule and reputation, he’d take her to the screening room and show her his filmography. But he had work to do, and being full of yourself doesn’t make for a good first impression, so he let the remark slide, reasoned his work in America wasn’t as popular as it was in his home country, and gave the family the tour, making a mental note to get Dakota familiar with his acting career when he had the time.

It wasn’t long before he developed a sort of uncle/niece, father/daughter relationship with her. For once, Chris’s ego didn’t get the better of him, and he enjoyed the downtime with the Natalie family; he even gave Dakota an internship, which she seemed to enjoy for the most part. He was on top of the world, and nothing was going to stop him. He was going to achieve his life goal of creating and hosting his own reality TV show, and for the moment, it seemed it would come true. Then he had to go and screw it up; in hindsight, he should have prioritized the players safety over ratings and drama. They only gave a brief overview of the filming location and didn’t even explore the whole island, but in his defense, no one pointed out strange happenings, human-shaped shadows, or anything of the nature. They didn’t know a psycho even lurked in the forest. So, naturally, they thought it was safe. Oh, how wrong they were, and now twenty-two minors could be dead, and a crazed murderer was still at large. And it was all his fault; he never should have left them and swept Ezekiel Miller’s death under the rug. He had more than enough money to pay whatever price his parents would have demanded for losing their son. Heck, he has enough money to pay all the legal fees those angry parents would’ve thrown his way.

And yet he left them anyway; his stupid pride and fear of a ruined reputation were what kept him from loading the campers onto his boat and calling authorities. And as if he didn’t feel bad enough, his favorite person can barely look at him. He showed Dakota his true colors, and now their entire relationship has fallen apart. (But little did he know he'd been showing the cracks even before then.)

McLean looked at his secret fiancée, Chef Hatchet. (It wasn’t easy being a bisexual man in this day and age; yet another act of cowardice Chris can add to his growing list.) They both looked at each other with saddened eyes. Hatchet knew how much Dakota’s distance hurt him behind his ego and selfishness. He was a human being with a heart of gold that was corrupted by his growing fame. Chef always knew his lover wasn’t the biggest fan of kids but hoped bonding with one would have Chis finally agree to adopt some with him. When he got out of the war, Chef worked as a daycare attendant and loved those little munchkins and their mischievous nature; Sure, they were a headache and gave him war flashbacks. Yet leaving them left him longing for kids of his own. He expected the longing to last a year or two before moving on, but it never did. Instead, it was replaced with a desire to raise a few with the love of his life.

Chris wasn’t a bad person by any means, but he sure as hell wasn’t a good one either. And yet that’s why Chef loved him; he too had a twisted mind and some deep, dark secrets he never wanted to get out.

If Chis was Dakota’s second father, slash uncle, Hatchet was her third, and he loved that kindhearted teen with all his heart (something he didn’t know he was capable of). Chef mouthed the words, “Give her time; she’ll come back around.” And they pretended their daughter from another mother, and father was going through a rebellious phase and returned his focus on getting them to the island before nightfall.

Chris just nodded, looking at his assistant, who barely said a word as she watched the two helpers. Who tagged along to widen their search.

“Yeah, things will return to normal eventually. All I need to do is save a few kids, show the world I’m not at fault, and everything will be right in the world again.” He thought he was pretty sure of himself. Though no amount of lying could prevent the elephant in the room, assuming the killer claimed more victims, that amount of trauma and worry is enough to fluff up anyone’s mind. Even if therapy is provided, who’s to say the trauma will become too much and someone could turn to unhealthy coping methods or commit suicide? Heck, for all Chris knew, they lost all hope and already did, making this rescue null and void.

“Face it, McLean.” A part of his brain spoke, “Nothing will ever be the same, and you know it. This act of cowardice will forever haunt you and the campers. So, stop playing hero, kiss your career and Dakota goodbye, and enjoy your last days of freedom. Because prison is the only place you’ll be going.”

And for once, Chris listened to the little voice in his head and kept his head down, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his heart and feeling of dread as Camp Wawanakwa slowly filled the horizon.

#Total Slaughter Island (Rescue Rangers) Prologue #dakota natalie OC #chris mclean #chef hatchet #sierra td #td alejandro #more character will be tagged as the story goes on #I gave Chris way more humanity than I expected but oh well makes him a more complex character #Next chapter comes out next Friday

[russilton]

last anon was on point. I mean we all love Lewis for how he is, the same way we love our cunty George, but we have to recognise he sometimes talks out of his ass and IS mr pettiness personified, so seeing the Nando hat thing backfire is hilarious, because he prob forgot that Nando is as petty if not worse than him. Also, re: George being a v talented driver, I'm seeing people finally starting to wake up and also warm up to the concept. Took one year of busting his ass but we're getting there.

The thing is, Lewis doesn’t get to be petty, because he’s Lewis. He speaks, he’s arrogant, he doesn’t speak and he’s dramatic. He doesn’t conceded? Egomaniac. He apologises? He’s an idiot who should have known better.

I encourage George being cunty on his behalf because Lewis knows better than anyone he will always be judged by a different standard than the rest of the grid, and it kills me. But he’s a better man than me, so when he does act like a funny bitch I have his back. What he did with Alo was funny and a pretty tame response, and it didn’t backfire THAT much, Alonso had to walk back his comments, as he should have when it happened.

I’ve known George would drive the ass off a Mercedes since 2020, and frankly looking at his junior career and work at Williams in hindsight it isn’t a shock. He has the hard worn skill to drive at the top of the grid, and almost more importantly, the leadership drive to hold it there, which is something checo, norris and frankly even leclerc struggle with. If he keeps up this form, we’ve got a monster of a driver on our hands, and I really think he will.

#asks #anonymous

[kiingocreative]

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Evan Hansen was depressed, suicidal, and had a broken arm…

Here's why you still hate him.

Dear Evan Hansen premiered this week. And much to no one’s surprise, it was met with scathing criticisms, ridicule, and downright vitriol. I have scoured the internet and have been unable to find an entirely, or even remotely positive review of this movie. It currently holds a 31% on rotten tomatoes and I have a feeling that number will continue to fall as it continues to play in theaters across the country.

Many have hypothesized as to why the movie seemed to strike a bitter chord. Was it the ill-placed, and frankly far too lengthy musical numbers? The almost always cookie cutter dialogue? Ben Platt’s desperate attempt at playing a character ten years his junior? Maybe. Probably. And Absolutely!

In all honesty all these reasons are viable suspects to movie murder. But one reason stands out and above the rest. And it needs to be sad. Evan Hansen is simply an egomaniacal, self-serving, sociopathic douche pickle of a human. And I mean that in the best possible way.

Dear Evan Hansen attempts to employ one of the hardest protagonists’ archetypes, the anti-hero. This archetype sets apart from the rest because it takes a person that has little or no character traits we’d normally associate with a hero and attempts to make them likeable or sympathetic enough that we still want to watch them along their journey, and maybe even find ourselves rooting for their victory. Let’s consider Olivia Pope from Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal. She fixes elections, destroys families, even has an affair with married men, and yet we love her. We want to watch her. And we want to root for her. Or Maleficent. This character curses a baby to spite a jilting love. And yet, when the king (her former love) falls to his brutal death and she gets back her wings, we celebrate her victory.

Like myself, many audience members found themselves sticking up their noses and wagging their fingers at Evan as he moves through his anti-hero’s journey. And without spoiling anything, we found ourselves disapproving of his actions, and worse hoping his journey would not meet a happy end. Everything he does leaves us with the sting of judgement. And even his one final (and only) act of valor isn’t enough to redeem him. I won’t spoil the ending, just know it won’t pay off the way it should.

So, what makes us root for Olivia & Maleficent yet, not for Evan? All protagonists fall in the same archetype, yet the formers will be revered by cinematic historians, and the last will probably become a footnote. Here’s why!

Evan lacks three essential characteristics that make an anti-hero likeable, relatable, and even at times admirable. His actions, motivations, and reasoning are almost always fatally flawed. Let’s now discuss how to begin with his actions.

Throughout this film, Evan Hansen makes a series of deliberate, and to my way of thinking deplorable actions. This is common with anti-heroes. They’re not “good people”. And they’re almost always doing things that might make us raise an eyebrow or two. Take Olivia Pope. Her job is to manage crises for her clients. Control situations and minimize exposure of wrongdoings by any means necessary. If you’re familiar with the seven-season series you’ll know this meant dealing with Russian mob bosses, foreign war lords, and even republicans. (Just kidding.) Yet, and still all the things she did usually had a selfless reason. Most of the time she was doing what she was doing to help someone. A family whose child was kidnapped or an abused wife seeking asylum for herself and her children, for example. Not only are her actions selfless, but we are made to believe she can only help her clients by doing these terrible things and dealing with these terrible people. This ties in with motivations and reasoning as well, but for now, let us keep them all separate.

Evan Hansen does terrible things for no reason but to further his own agenda of making friends. From faking friendships with suicide victims to worming his way into a grieving family’s lives, he makes choice after choice with almost no regard to how his actions will affect others. This might be fine if he lacked an understanding of what impact his actions may have, but he seems to know throughout the film. His understanding is evident by the way he continues to pile on lie after lie each time his back is against the wall, only finally coming clean when there are no more lies left to tell. This should serve as a cautionary tale to all writers. If your protagonist must be despicable, it must be for a good reason. Not, only to boost your social agenda.

Now, let’s talk of motivations. One thing that can make or break your protagonist are their motivations. Think of motivations as why characters do something. Motivations must be clear as they help establish empathy. Even if they don’t agree with their actions, and when dealing with anti-heroes we usually won’t, a relatable motivation will help them forgive a misstep or two. Think of Maleficent. Her initial action of cursing young Aurora is despicable, but we as an audience forgive her and root for her. Why? Because she tries to correct that action in a series of attempts at thwarting, and an ultimate goal of reversing her own curse. What motivated this change of heart? She fell in love with “Beasty”, her affectionate nickname for Aurora. Love is a great motivator. And one we can all identify with. The power of love, and more importantly the strength and endurance of prevailing love wins almost always.

Let’s now look at Evan Hansen’s motivations. While one could argue his motivations were as erratic as his mental state, I think it very clear what Evan’s motivation was. He wanted “friends”. Which is really to say he wanted to be adored, and beloved; popular. I don’t think Evan does one friendly thing throughout this film, so I tend to discount wanting friendship as a viable motivation for his misdeeds. But, when he realized he could abuse a misunderstanding to advance his agenda to become more popular at school, he takes it. And never seems to feel regret for the damage he causes.

Now, granted, Evan is a 17-year-old boy. And as such, prone to making mistakes. We all remember 17! But even his youth didn’t save him in the eyes of film critics. Because Evans' actions don’t seem to be that of a youthful and unintelligent boy. Quite the opposite. Evan slithers his way through this story protecting and defending this new image he has made for himself. He creates a chain of fake emails, devises (on the spot & in song) a complete and whole relationships between himself and Connor, the young man who committed suicide. He even expertly manipulates people who begin to suggest he might not be telling the truth. There is no clear motivation for this. The only thing we are sure of, is that Evan wants “friends”. And he’s willing to do whatever it takes, it seems, to get them.

I feel it appropriate to note that an argument could be made to suggest that these missteps were the fault of his social anxiety & mental illness. This is also a great time to pivot into the logic of Evan’s actions. The logos, as Aristotle might call them. The movie makes a point of stating pretty early on (the first scene actually) that Evan struggles with his mental health and thus takes medication. Three different medications to be exact. An argument could be made that his mental state or even the medication he was taking may have been the cause of his actions; that he was out of control. But, I don’t think it would be wise or factually sound to suggest that mental health or mental health medication would cause someone to do the things that Evan does. There is already enough of a stigma regarding mental health, we don’t need movies to suggest there is no hope for us. And yes, I said US!

No, it seems more logical to me that Evan did what he did because it served his own agenda. His motivation for what he did was that it got him what he wanted. A BIG NO! Villains serve their own agendas. And though the anti-hero may seem villainous or maybe even be a villain in another store (Joker; Maleficent) it’s only a façade. Anti-heroes are really sheep in wolves’ clothing. At their core, they often do have a heart of gold. Their actions, good or bad, must be serving something other than themselves. Or, at least primarily.

Every good anti-hero should have some level of selfishness. But imagine if Maleficent wanted to keep Beasty alive to be her devoted servant a motivation of love would not ring true. It would confuse and maybe even upset the audience that Maleficent might pretend to love her while also forcing her to work from sunup to sundown. Same with Olivia Pope. If she only stole the election that granted Fitz the presidency so that she could fast track a piece of legislation she would be proving herself to be manipulative and self-indulgent. She was doing it, again, because she LOVED Fitz. And we loved her for it! We’re all hopeless romantics. And it’s about time we start admitting it.

Let us now speak of reasoning. While it may be connected to motivations, I believe reasoning serves a different purpose. It suggests a rationale. A thought process. Why do characters think doing this will get them what they want? It is how we understand the mental state of the protagonist. It helps us calculate whether they are thinking clearly. Do their actions seem like something they would normally do? If yes, we accept them easily. If not, we find ourselves wondering about them. If it happens consistently enough though that wonder quickly turns to doubt, doubt to frustration, and ultimately frustration to indifference. My problem with Evan Hansen is there seems to be no reasoning at all. I can’t find a single solitary justification as to why he feels lying to these innocent people is something he MUST do. Characters, especially protagonists, are always doing what they must. When Mr. Incredible winces before he makes impact with that fast-moving train (Incredibles) it’s because he knows it’s going to hurt. Yet, he also knows if he doesn’t do it, something even worse is going to happen.

What was the “something worse” for Evan? What bad thing was he avoiding by not telling Connor’s parents he never really knew their son? That he and Connor, and only spoke to him once; the day he passed? And Connor signing his cast was a sarcastic act. I’m sure you can guess the answer. He would have gone back to being exactly like he was. And he couldn’t have that. When he gets that Call to Adventure, second stage of twelve in the hero’s journey, we learn all we need to know about him. That he will do anything to get what he wants.

Evan, without a doubt, is one of the most poorly drawn anti-heroes. His unlikability up there with Marie-Antoinette. Only, instead of being founded upon rumors of rumors, it’s founded on his deliberate actions, selfish motivations, and unclear reasoning. Evan Hansen seems more to be the villain of this story than the hero. Which begs the question I shall leave you with, was he the villain all along?

#writingtips #screenwriting #creative writing #writers on tumblr #writers #writing #writerblr #writing advice #writing community #writing resources

[rainbowdelicsunshine]

predictions for the season finale?

A gigantic Chucky army will start taking over the whole town, starting with a massacre at the Frankenstein showing and killing/possessing/recruiting from there, thus creating a kill-haven called ChuckyTown and from there he'll start to "expand" his cult and try to take over the world in his own lil fucked up way. I mean Chucky is a giant egomaniac how could he NOT want an entire town of his own and take over the world?

Andy will sadly die and this will show the end of his arch as a character and tie his story's loose ends, but he's gonna die in the most badass, epic way possible, a final boy like him deserves the best death in the series dont @ me!

Kyle will take Andy's place as the supreme possessed doll killer and she'll be a mother figure to the Team Kill Chucky kids (I mean who doesn't love the idea of Mother Figure!Kyle)

Sadly for Junior he is to the point of no return from the minute he killed his father, I expect Junior to be completely on Chucky's side even if he discovers the truth behind his mom's death, he's not gonna give a shit at that point cuz, well, he has Chucky now and he's been the best thing that happened to him in Junior's life since Jake moved in

There will be both a face off between Jake and Junior and Jake and Chucky, two very badass fights

This is gonna be weird, but I want Chucky to win this time around in some way or another, thus kicking off the second season that way, maybe even moving on to a new group of kids Chucky wants to fuck with. I think it would be a awesome subversion for the villain to win since it would continue with what Cult's ending did

I'm not sure who'll die this time everyone's pretty much free reign and no mercy will be spared, though I have a feeling Jake and Devon will def make it to be survivors at the end

I want there to be a parallel of the scene where Chucky's dad Peter died with Doll!Chucky walking in on Nica!Chucky (or even Nica somehow taking an opportunity to take down Tiff) killing Tiffany in the same way the intruder killed Peter and I just want Chucky to go absolutely APESHIT on Nica/Nica!Chucky

CHUCKY CLONE INTERACTIONS PLS AND HAVE THEM BE FUNNY TOO

Maybe more stuff with Chucky and sexuality n gender stuff? It would be very lovely

MORE LOOKS INTO CHUCKY'S PSYCHE/MIND, MAYBE EVEN A PSYCHEDELIC DREAM SQUENCE???

CHUCKY ANGST WE NEED THAT!!

And more singing Chucky too!

Also I WANT GLEN AND GLENDA TO SHOW UP SOMEHOW

I really hope these are interesting to you guys, it may not be what everyone else would want, but eh, I have my desires too!

Anyways, please read and enjoy friends, and tell me your thoughts on them!!

#🌈 fozz's posts #🌈 fozz chit chats #chucky #chucky series spoilers #answered ask

[donnerpartyofone]

The other day when I was posting my latest round of slutty pictures, I had this brief egomaniacal fantasy about what if I set up a wishlist for people to buy me hot clothes, which makes absolutely no sense because a) I'm not doing that kind of traffic OR offering anything in return for extra stuff, and b) so few things reliably fit my highly irregular form that all clothes are a total crap shoot anyway. But besides all that drama, the only thing I REALLY want is this radically overpriced original Gore Shriek tee shirt from a Grailed (whatever that is) seller in "Asia". I once saw one of these in person in Junior High, which is totally unthinkable if you understand where I'm from, where there was narry a punk or metalhead or goth or whatever else for miles around. I remember like a 14 year old wearing this shirt at school with the most anti-social graphic on it, and feeling scared and jealous all at once. If only I had had it in me to make friends with whoever that was, I wonder what his parents' deal was. Gore Shriek was an original, old school horror zine from a micropublisher who had their own store in nearby Albany, NY that I went in exactly once as a little kid. I occasionally managed to strong arm my parents into taking us to a comic shop even if we weren't going to buy anything, and they surely had no idea what we would find inside Fantaco. I actually remember seeing a copy of Wrapped In Plastic on the shelves, even though I had only the vaguest sense of who Laura Palmer was; I'm sure there was nothing age-appropriate in the whole place, and I marveled at their self-published horror content. I have been forcing myself not to spend my dwindling savings on this dumb shirt, and I thought writing this post might help me exorcize the relevant demon, but I'm afraid it's having the opposite effect...

[enthusiasticsobrietyabuse]

Bob Meehan - The Advocate, Newark, O., Sunday April 21, 1985

"Your unborn child has as much chance of getting a drug problem as getting chicken pox. Walk into junior high school today and half the kids there are getting loaded. I am not accepting that behavior!"

Edging forward on the couch, Bob Meehan underscores the message by grasping your arm and boring in with his eyes. He delivers his words with the same passion he says he once has for shooting heroin. He demands your attention.

"These kids were primed by Cheech and Chong. By age 10 they were primed to smoke a joint as you were to drive a car."

He finishes in crescendo, with a clenched-fist flourish: "They (pause) caaAAN't (pause) wait!"

Drug addict, thief, ex-convict, conman extraordinaire, drug-abuse counselor and now author, Meehan, 42, says he is all of these. He fancies himself as equal parts Elmer Gantry, Mother Theresa and P.T. Barnum.

He has been praised as a hip and gifted teacher whose lesson rings true to drug-plagued kids because he has "been where they are."

But Meehan has also been criticized as an egomaniac out for money, power and glory; a slick operator perpetrating the ultimate con job on desperate and vulnerable families by replacing drug dependency with a dependency on him and his group.

Meehan, who "shot dope for 10 years and banged on the penitentiary door until they let me in," lacks academic credentials. He proudly proclaims his diploma from the school of hard knocks.

Meehan is the founder of Freeway, a self-help drug abuse program that holds meetings in community centers throughout San Diego County, and of SLIC Ranch, his "Sober Live-In Center" in the remote foothills near Lake Wohlford.

Even his toughest critics concede that he is highly successful at getting kids off drugs. They say it is his powerful personality and absolute influence that they fear.

"There is no way a person coming down off of this is not going to lean on someone," said Meehan in the living room of SLIC Ranch. "You've removed their best friend - the chemical. It has worked for them every time.

A con is one who can manipulate, who is charismatic as hell - I don't take credit for that, you're born with it. I'm also bald and ugly," said the wispy-haired Meehan, who chain-smoked and drank coffee from a 16-ounce tumbler throughout the rapid-speak interview.

"But the real con is how I get them off of me and the group and into themselves, into whatever God is to them," said Meehan, who based the Freeway and SLIC Ranch programs on the "12 Steps" of Alcoholics Anonymous that seek to restore self-esteem and sobriety through a relationship with a "higher power."

A half dozen years ago in Houston, Meehan created a successful drug rehabilitation program through moxie, fast talk and innate ability to get through to kids on their own level.

Carol Burnett's daughter, Carrie, was Meehan's prize pupil and the famous comedian toured the talk-show circuit with the wiry and naturally wired Meehan, singing his praises.

Tim Conway, Burnett's old TV sidekick, has had two of his five sons treated for drug problems by Meehan. Conway and Meehan appeared together on a TV show to plug Freeway and the ranch.

Sister Mary Vincent, a San Diego marriage and family counselor, knew Bob Meehan when she was also working with troubled youths in Houston. She referred drug abusers to Meehan's group in Texas and continued to do so after she coincidentally moved to San Diego.

"I referred people to Bob because I saw the effectiveness of his program in Houston," said the Roman Catholic nun known as "Sister Vince." "But a little over a year ago, I began hearing stories from parents going through nightmares and afraid to speak out because of the power Bob and Freeway held over their children.

There is a cultish situation. Bob is a slippery eel and he has many people conned," she said. "To me, it's truly frightening."

Meehan was "removed" in January 1980 from his $50,000 per year consulting job in Houston after newsman Dan Rather pointed out a conflict of interest (Meehan's salary was paid by the hospital to which he was recommending patients from his Palmer Drug Abuse Program) on CBS's 60 Minutes program.

There also was complaints from his flock of former substance abusers that Meehan's idea of a cure was to shift their dependence from drugs to him and his self-help program.

Meehan's group in Texas was described by some former members as cult-like in its demand for total allegiance and its distain for more than cursory contact with the outside world. "We're led to believe that we can't make it without the program," one of Meehan's former followers told 60 Minutes.

Meehan folded the operation in his native Texas and settled in San Diego about four years ago. He quickly established a drug-abuse program at the now-defunct Centre City Hospital and the self-help network Freeway, which is thriving.

For more than two years, he has operated SLIC Ranch in a sprawling 4,000-square-foot hilltop ranch on 10 acres.

Meehan insists that the Freeway program and SLIC Ranch are entirely separate entities. "If I'm at one Freeway meeting a month anymore, that's a big deal," he said. "Freeway does its thing and we do ours."

Freeway is a group of more than 500 recovering teenage drug abusers, including most of the 150-plus graduates of SLIC Ranch. They meet several times a week to talk about their drug problems under the guidance of young counselors - former abusers themselves.

Freeway is one of several self-help groups parents may turn to for help when a child is abusing drugs. When the problem is deemed particularly severe, Freeway refers the child to SLIC Ranch for an intensive 30-day program.

While the child is undergoing treatment at the ranch, the parents are indoctrinated into the Freeway program through a series of meetings for newcomers (Freeway is non-profit, but donations are strongly encouraged). While at SLIC Ranch, the child spends evenings traveling to Freeway meetings and inevitably becomes deeply involved with the group, along with his parents.

At the end of the 30 days, the child usually will leave SLIC Ranch and take up residence at the home of a "Freeway family," one whose child is sober, thanks to the group, and whose parents are true believers in Meehan and his method.

Even if the newly sober child returns home after a few weeks with the Freeway family, according to Meehan, he generally will not return to school for a time and will disassociate himself from classmates and old friends in favor of his new Freeway friend.

#bob meehan #clint stonebraker #the insight program #freeway #san diego #breaking code silence #troubled teen industry #tti #troubled teen #rehab #rehabilitation #cult #cult leader #cults #true crime #the pathway program #the cornerstone program #the crossroads program #the full circle program #pdap #iseeyousurvivor #meehan #enthusiastic sobriety #sobriety #enthusiastic sobriety abuse #recovery #sober #survivor

[lycanomancy]

The DeLeon Dad Debate

Based on this ask I sent this person. 

Q: Is Typhon abusive?

My personal answer: Yes. Was he meant to be? 

No way in hell. 

Typhon DeLeon is compared to Jack by some people. Here’s the thing: Jack was meant to be A: the bad guy, and B: an abusive father. Typhon? I don’t think so. 

The parells between Jack and Typhon are in the third link, so I’m skipping them. Besides, they aren’t what I’m really complaining about. I am complaining about the entire DeLeon brood. Except Troy and Leda, because they are not the players in this game. 

I recommend reading Border-Spam’s response/analysis first, because it provides more context and insight. 

The two characters I’m going in on for existing are Tyreen and Typhon. These two are the primary problems in the DeLeon lore, because the only detailed explanations for what happened comes from them. We do get Troy’s take on things on Eden-6, but he doesn’t really go in depth or beyond “Yeah, we had a hard childhood and dad didn’t make it any better.” Troy isn’t lying, unlike either Ty or Typhon could be, because he literally has no reason to. He also has no reason to be telling the player what he does - he seems like he’s venting there, after having a fight with Tyreen. 

Now, before I really get into this, abuse is the practice of hurting your children, in any way, shape or form, regardless of your actual feelings towards them. It isn’t always physical, and more importantly, an abusive parent can still feel love toward their kid. Keyword: feel love, not actually love. Typhon was an abusive parent who felt love towards his kids. I think he was supposed to, anyway.

The DeLeon Debate has two sides: Tyreen’s side, and Typhon’s. 

Typhon is implied to have doted on Tyreen multiple times, and admits that he was a terrible father. Typhon calls the Twins monsters not for Ty’s powers, but their actions. Typhon’s side is that he was a clueless father trying his best, but ultimately failing despite his best efforts and intentions. 

Tyreen is, in contradictory, implied to have been ignored in favor of taking care of Troy. It’s also canon (not in the actual game, screw you Randy) that Typhon refused to touch her after Leda’s death. Tyreen’s suspected ordeal is that, because of her distance from her father, she turned cold and out of touch with her own humanity. 

Against Typhon, we have him physically and probably emotionally neglecting his child, possibly hating or fearing her after Leda’s fridging. Border-Spam pointed out that both of the Twins believe that Typhon saw Tyreen as a monster, which hints that something happened that instilled that belief. Probably the “No hug for you” thing. Also, TYPHON LITERALLY CALLS THEM MONSTERS IN GAME. Just a thought. Troy apparently wasn’t spared either, saying that Typhon thought he was a freak - and the little amount of concern when he learns of his son’s death supports this. 

Against Tyreen, we have...

Nothing to do with her relationship with her father. A lot against her as a person, but in regard to who was the problem in the family? Everything points to Typhon. 

So, we sided with and hero-ified an abuser. 

Remember Borderlands 2? When the bad guy was abusive to his daughter and it was like, the real reason you had to kill him? Like, everything else he had done didn’t matter, he had to die because he was an abusive dad? 

I don’t even know how to explain or justify or figure out how the hell this happened. I don’t know what went through the writing team’s head. I can’t tell you what they tried ot do - I can only tell you what they messed up.

They tried to make every single character sympathetic. 

Example: Katagawa is, arguably, the better-written villain in BL3, just because he’s entertaining and consistent as a character. However, this is one of the examples of the writers trying to make everything angsty. 

His name. His name is Junior Katagawa, or reversed, whichever way. We never learn what the ‘junior’ part is. This is because the writers wanted to make him look and feel insignificant. Tyreen mocks him during that quest on Skywell by calling him Junior. They tried to take his individuality away from him by making him a pawn of his father and the company. 

The bar code on his neck. The thing with that was to demonstrate how little Maliwan cared about it’s employees. But Katagawa isn’t an employee, he’s the head of Mergers and the next in line to inherit the company. It’s another attempt at devaluing him as a person. 

Finally, we have the fact that, apparently, Katagawa has so little ability in friendship that the entire Atlas-Maliwan war was because he wanted to be friends with Rhys, and befriending him by force was the only way how. 

That’s all fine and dandy, but did we need that? Why couldn’t he have just been a spoiled Daddy’s Money baby? He already is in game, because none of the things I listed are actually mentioned or are barely hinted at. What was the point? 

Sympathy. Sympathy was the point. 

Ava? No one likes her, but you’re supposed to because ~her parents died~ and you need to feel sympathy for her. 

What they did with Typhon and Tyreen, was that they started by making Ty’s Sympathy Points based of of an abusive, negligent father. You could kinda get her if you thought about it. Jack was implied to be abused, too. 

Tyreen could have been brushed off as just lying to you, but when Troy comes in and confirms it without any drama or flair, just quiet, awkward, and shy? Their backstory is an abused one and you can’t argue against it. 

Then Typhon comes in. 

When Typhon comes in, the writers have to undo and reverse all the damage against his name and parenting skills. Someone realized they can’t make an alleged abusive father look like a good guy, so they make him admit he was bad and hope for the best. They tried so, so hard to give Typhon Sympathy points that they ended with a merry-go-round of He-Said-She-Said where neither Typhon nor Tyreen come out sympathetic. Tyreen comes out a manipulative brat who abused her brother, and Typhon as an abusive, pig-headed egomaniac, and you can’t find anything likable about either. 

I think Typhon was meant to be a bad father - I don’t think he was meant to be abusive. My bet is that the writers went overboard trying to make the Twins sympathetic, and when they added Typhon to the story, realized that they couldn’t make the player side with an abuser and get away without scathing criticism. 

#borderlands 3 #troy calypso #typhon deleon #tyreen calypso #tyreen the siren #long post #i think typhon ended up abusive #unintentionally #then they just had to roll with it #and rolled right off a sheer cliff

[juniortrooper69]

“When you suffer YET you keep going, THAT IS WHEN THE ENEMY SHALL PANIC” -Junior The Egomaniac

[csykora]

hey i was reading your post about evgeny kusnetsov and alexander semin (the friendship necklace one) and i got into hockey somewhat recently but i've heard/read some things about sasha and i was wondering if you could give me a rundown/what your perspective is? you mentioned cultural assimilation, but also social class, ethnic identity, ability, neurodiversity, and trauma and i was really curious what exactly you were talking about??

First, that’s cool you’re getting into hockey! How’s that going? I hope you’re having fun. Second…thanks for making me reread my old writing as we come up on the New Year ;)

That was one of my very first posts, and I think it reads like it—I definitely wasn’t much of a sports writer back then, and (I don’t think) I tell stories quite the same way now.

I don’t think some of those words I used mean much, except that I was angry. So I’d like to spell out what made, makes, me angry. The first half of this is stuff I’ve said before, more organized, with jokes. The second half is not fun, but it’s also something I think NHL fans have a duty to think about. So I want to try to talk about Lokomotiv.

Sasha Semin is the star and captain of a quite good, more fun KHL team. Today he was named to the All-Star team, actually. KHL All-Stars is a magical place where the players sing acoustic covers and routinely set things on fire, so hopefully they’ll let him bring his sword.

(I love the KHL)

Before that, he was the cool big brother of a generation of Russian stars. In the early 2000s the first post-Soviet young players were coming of age and working out what post-Soviet, now-Russian style hockey was going to be. In that moment we got two spectacular players: Sasha from Siberia, and Sasha from Moscow.

The Soviet style of play was supposed to be egalitarian—players skated the opposition sick and pass-pass-passed, always giving it to a teammate instead of taking chances, until whoever happened to have it had a sure shot. The Alexanders grew up in that style, and they grew up fuck-off strong. They started feeding off all their teammates’ passes and beginning to gun down goalies with one of two shots: Alex Ovechkin had the one-timer, and Alex Semin had the best wristshot in the game.

Did you watch Vegas’ magic season? Pull some clips of Wild Bill Karlsson. Imagine if he had upper body strength but was just as light on his feet. That’s how inexplicably electric young Semin was.

His and then Ovi’s performances at World Juniors were so explosive they convinced American businesses to risk money on something new. Semin was oldest, and the Capitals kind of sucked, so they got him first. Then a few years later they still sucked, so they got Ovi too. Then the two of them got Nicklas Backstrom and matching line promise necklaces and played really good hockey together for a number of years.

(If anyone would like 3,000 more nicer words about the above subjects, @ me)

A couple things shaped what happened after that:

▪ Semin’s unique wrister, twisted to be almost as hard as a slapper, is like spending every night downing jägerbombs with a shot of carpal tunnel. He seems to have chronic wrist and hand problems from inflammation, with apparent flare-ups that sometimes got rest and sometimes didn’t. So that’s a factor—not the only, but a—in why he had periods of poor shooting.

▪ Either because he never really went to school or just because he’s wired that way, Semin seems to suck at math.

▪ Ovi’s hot stick and the Sid Incident (Sidcident?): 

In their first interview together, Ovi described him and Sid as “partners”, and Sid asked for Ovi’s shirt. But over the first few years the League swung from branding them as buddies to making money off a rivalry, and Don Cherry started a string of bitter conflicts with Ovi.

Local journalists who knew him wrote about seeing Ovi flinch in interviews. They described him starting to hesitate, pale, tired, doubling back over answers to make sure they were watertight. We now know from Tatyana Ovechina that he was spending a lot of nights on the phone back home with her, asking if he was letting everybody down.

Sasha, who’s basically that guy on twitter who found kittens in his sock drawer and adopted them all, but with little brothers, got protective. He told Russian media that he thought Sid was a good player, but not his favorite, and said that the way the League was pushing media attention could make someone a ‘star’ even if they weren’t that good. The phrase he used means “dead wood”, or boring, useless person. The grammar he used means something like “even if he were (ie, he isn’t)”.

I think this was objectively very funny. And I still hold that anyone saying the level of exposure Sid endured was good for him or anyone sounds like the stage parents on Toddlers & Tiaras.)

But people get protective of their person, and most won’t stop for a grammar lesson before deciding what they think something meant. There was a media blitz, mostly accusing Sasha of wanting the attention Sid got, which made sense, if you didn’t know Russian or two things about him—that he’s best friends with Alex Ovechkin, and that he’d only just started to practice English with local reporters after several years. If he were an egomaniac, he was bad at it.

From his reaction it seems like he hadn’t thought his comment was that wild, and wasn’t prepared for the backlash. Next time he talked to local reporters, he brought the translator back. Asked routine questions he’d been getting for a couple years, he flinched and turned to them to rehearse every word of his answer. Asked what was up with the translator, he said “I just don’t want to say the wrong thing.”

Although teammates like Mike Knuble, Jeff Schultz, Backstrom and Ovechkin kept talking about his personable, joking side, and we’d see it plenty in practice, he started insisting to reporters that he didn’t know English and that he was boring anyway, claiming “I’m just an ordinary person, just like everybody else. The only difference is I’m out there on the ice and that’s it. I’d just rather talk about hockey.”

–> Without math or English, Semin’s career depended on his agent, Mark Gandler.

Try not to depend on Mark Gandler.

As the Globe and Mail put it, “to many Canadian hockey fans, Mark Gandler is nothing less than the Prince of Darkness.”

Mark Gandler’s business was based on presenting himself as a friendly face to young Russian athletes, and pissing of NHL franchises. I’m pro-pissing off the NHL in general; my problem with Gandler is that if he was sincerely trying to get the best deal for him clients, he was bad at it..

When anyone talks about something Semin decided, they’re talking about what Gandler decided for him. Semin was honest with the media that he had no fucking clue what Gandler was asking for in negotiations. The Caps and Gandler couldn’t agree on anything, so while Ovechkin was locked down for life, Semin was only ever signed to one and two year bridge contracts, constantly up, his performance a constant subject of discussion and every wobble obvious.

Note: the following is the bit where I got angry and A. asked why the hell I was looking at photos of this and told me to go lie on the floor and do my butterfly exercises for a while.

One year Semin’s game really sucked. It didn’t help that Ovechkin was sucking too—they both got benched, Coach got fired, and still the Capitals just kind of sucked. Around the league, Russian stars were mostly fizzling. That was the 2011-2012 season. 

On September 7, 2011, the airplane carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, coaching staff, and four youth players had overrun the runway, struck a signal tower, crashed, and caught fire moments after takeoff. Every member of the team onboard was killed.

I can’t understand, so certainly can’t explain, how that day changed the community. I’m not trying to speculate too much on anyone’s personal situation, but to point out how much more profound it was than just some other league’s trivia.

I don’t think there’s a mainstream North American parallel for the hockey community in Eastern Europe. Players are raised in a small number of hockey schools, often at that time in dormitories like the one where Semin lived in Chelyabinsk. While young North Americans are quite strictly separated by age, the Russians are growing up with older and younger kids from the same school all around them. Older teens are encouraged to mentor younger ones—Kuznetsov’s attachment to Semin is endearing, but not really so weird. Stanislav Yarushin is several years older than Sasha, and he befriended him, and then down to Kuz. In a community like that, any one person is intimately connected to the others.

From the coaches to the rookies, someone from three generations across nine nations was killed in the disaster. Each of them was connected not only to their peers, but to players older and younger than them, and to the city that raised them. Every Russian, Czech, and Slovak in the NHL lost at least one person they knew deeply.

Just that spring, Kuznetsov won gold at World Juniors with a little clique of friends. Vladimir Tarasenko, Artemi Panarin, and Dmitry Orlov are stars now, and two of the others are dead.

Kuznetsov is the one draped in the flag. #14, with the awesome hair, smiling, is Danylo Sobchenko. #12, reaching up towards the cup, is Yuri Urychev. Urychev had been injured, and supposed to stay home the day of the disaster, but he asked to be allowed to fly with them, so he could cheer for his friends.

Tarasenko himself was born in Yaroslavl, and his father played for Lokomotiv; he knew even more of the team, and if he’d taken a hometown offer instead of signing with Sibir, he would have died that day too.

The thing about a loss like this is that it keeps budding with new losses. It hadn’t been a problem with the plane, or a freak accident. Over the following month a miserable investigation revealed that the airline had fudged documents, and the pilots just didn’t know what they were doing. So as well as losing friends, the younger players lost any trust that people in authority were going to keep them safe in the future.

After the disaster, Ovechkin, Semin, and Malkin had to hold their phones waiting while Alexander Galimov (a friend from nationals) was found with burns over 80% of his body, stabilized, transported, placed in a medically-induced coma and ventilated. He finally died five days later. The day he died Tarasenko and Kuznetsov and all the others got back on their own planes and kept playing, so the NHLers just had to keeping waiting up for them, too. Now Tarasenko and Kuznetsov have little brothers on those planes. They’re better fucking planes now, because the disaster changed Russian law, but they’re still not great.

In a grim way, Semin and Ovechkin were lucky, because they had each other. At the time almost no NHL team had as many Eastern Europeans as the Caps, meaning almost all the others were alone.

Of course it just wasn’t possible for the North American public to grieve with them the way that Europe did, but how quickly it was boxed away and forgotten as a factor in players’ lives just…sucks.

You don’t just grieve somebody when you lose them; people who aren’t sure what to say will say it fades with time, but what it really does is rise and fall in waves. You grieve them when you lose them, and again when you’re as old as they were and realize how insufficient it really was, and again, when you’re older than they’ll ever be, when you’re old enough to see children their age. Like injuring your wrist, you can get back to work, but never back to exactly what you were before. 

Five years later, when Tarasenko scored his 100th goal, he dedicated it to Sobchenko and Urychev. 

Most of a decade later, Alex Ovechkin wears the Lokomotiv crest on his chest protector, over his heart.

So if we know all that, we can start to imagine why they sucked at hockey.

Actually, after a slow start to the season, Sasha sucked the least of all the Capitals. Always a stronger possession player than Ovechkin, Sasha actually recovered after the Caps brought in Dale Hunter, who ripped up the Goals First, Goals Always game plan and tried to make Ovi play defense. Sasha ended the season with the best possession metrics on the team (yes, including Nicke Backstrom). 

His goal-scoring didn’t recover, but that was because Coach Dale was basically treating him like Ovi’s security blanket, putting him on the second line with Mojo so Ovi couldn’t cuddle him until Ovi backchecked. Mojo (this is a Science fact) is not Nicke Backstrom.

The reason the Capitals traded Semin is they desperately needed to trade someone to make up for the team’s collective failures that year, he could be traded due to his shitty contracts, and he was worth trading. 

I’m not actually angry the Caps traded Semin. It made sense. I am mad the Habs did, because it was one of many decisions made by Marc Bergevin coughing up a heavily-gelled hairball on a depth chart, but hey.

Sports is hard. I don’t mean that teams should keep players who aren’t playing the way that team needs them to out of sympathy. I mean that it’s possible to say that Semin or Ovechkin sometimes play badly without saying they don’t care. It’s possible to name a practical problem without making it a moral one.

Because when we see someone not doing what we want, and we make it moral, we say, “well gosh, I can’t imagine a reason why they aren’t jazzed to do what I want right now, so there can’t be a reason, they just suck,” we’re always wrong, because we miss shit!

In 2011, the common complaint that Russian players “don’t seem to care” went from boring to breathtakingly cruel. 

It’s a collective failure of empathy, where a lot of us didn’t even know that empathy’s needed. How many NHL fans don’t know Lokomotiv existed? If we don’t even know what weight another person’s carrying, we can’t possibly judge them rightly! 

The athletes we’re watching aren’t just cartoon characters for American consumption, who always act and react in easily-readable ways. They’re people with beliefs, behaviors, and problems which might be meaningfully different from what we’re personally familiar with and really hard to sympathize with.  

But when we see someone struggling to do what we want them to, we have to wonder why, and look around to learn more about moments like this, and then offer empathy. I believe that if we have information, most people use it to be kind. So we really fucking need historical information.

I’m back on the floor and don’t have a closer, so here’s a picture of a cat with big mitts like Sasha. His name is Peppers.

[sycrx]

                               hello again it’s your backyard eldritch horror cel here                                      with the poisonous hellfire that is Barty Jr.

(  cis male  |  he/him  |  jordan connor  )    ——    isn’t that  BARTEMIUS “BARTY” CROUCH JUNIOR ?  yeah that is them,  sitting there at the  HUFFLEPUFF  table with those other  SEVENTH  years.  when sybill looks into that crystal ball of hers,  she sees   ceramic venetian masks;  crafted bedheads;  the fleeting feeling of emptiness;  angelic faces with demonic thoughts;  bitten cheeks;  burning pages of coded texts;  immaculate silk ties and stupidly wide grins.  anyway i’ve heard they’re pretty  ROGUISH,  INSINCERE,  and   GUILEFUL.   apparently they’re a  VENIT TEMPESTAS and  PUREBLOOD  but i’m sure that’s not related.   ——   [ cel : akdt : 22 : she/her ]

𝑰.       𝐻𝐼𝑆𝑇𝑂𝑅𝑌           »                though   never   dubbed   ‘ deviant ’    /    here   lies   a   renegade  :    craving  &  hungry ,    caged .    deadly   /   half - dead ,   but   he’s   never   unleashed .

          see :   (  alice  )  for further crouch information  /  bg           tw ;   manipulation ,  psychopathic tendencies

barty jr.  is  mr. crouch’s first and only son ;  and it’s a fact that’s let him sleep easy at night for as long as he can remember.  he was a favourite early on and all he had to do was the very bare minimum to keep that title,  watering the soil here and there and watching it grow without struggle.  it was never a question of  if  for him,  the way it was with his sister  —  but of  when .  he knows alice would be a greater challenge to surpass in the face of his father had they been identical ;  but they aren’t,  and that was the end of that for him.

growing up,  the idea of justice was cemented in barty’s mind in a way he could barely understand.  his father would be sceptical of his endless questions on  ‘ why ? ’   while his mother easily brushed it off as how selfish children could be.  when rebutting alice as a prime example of understanding,  it didn’t take long for barty to catch on to the safety of matching an  accepted  standard over his own.  a mere  watering  of security.

in fact,  bartemius snr has actually always been quite suspicious of barty,  and hasn’t been nearly as easily won over as henrika.  he’d been there for when barty was nothing but a sulky,  quiet kid who seemed to transform overnight.  ironically enough,  his play to the opposite side of the spectrum even has him coming off  too  soft at times,  something unfavourable to law enforcement.  still,  despite this,  barty has managed to play his cards right,  and still received that ministry seat over the much safer choice of his sister.

barty always had a very  calculated  relationship with his siblings.  to come off kind and open enough to seem like he was  trying  without ever pushing the bar for it to actually make them  close .  and with their parents  —  it was easy.  a little reminder of the favouritism to alice and her disdain was clear enough to make his distance understandable.  an inclusion of his mother and she’d be shooing him away from his younger sister on her own terms,  making the girl just as hesitant to reach out in turn.

    ——     plot  related   !

when alice was revealed as the founder of ‘for the light’,  barty was equal parts shocked and enraged  —  he had no idea anything was even happening behind closed doors  ( much of that thanks to alice purposefully trying to keep her siblings in the dark ),  but was moreso mad at the implication of how his not being involved could  look  on his part.  he knows only time awaits for the task of getting in as a plant  —  but with alice’s fed jealousy and the pull from his parents to stay out of it  —  he has much work to do to rid himself of a dangerous  “neutral”  status.

of course,  barty isn’t neutral,  and secretly aligns himself with the death eaters to the knowledge of very few,  aiming to prove his worth to them before taking on the role.  for now,  though he has caught the attention of voldemort himself,  he clearly isn’t to be trusted too easily by most,  thus leaving them in the dark.

𝑰𝑰.     𝐴𝑁 𝐼𝑁𝑆𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇      »                 the   crown   sits    light    /   never   fallen ,    the   weight   of   its   veil   sitting    nice    on   his   nose ,    the   glint   in   his   eye    hidden  .    behind   him   sits   history ;    and   the   front   awaits   a    feast  .

barty is,  by all accounts,  the epitome of a two-faced bastard.

he started off fully mimicking what he knew worked — and at the time that was just his sister.  but while alice bloomed into her own person,  her own mix of kindness and strength  —  barty took to the security of the former’s blanket.  he became the softer one,  the one who shone smiles and acted above and beyond in kindness for others,  who stood for fairness and could listen and see the pain in others.  because that,  what he realised,  was just it :  he felt nothing.  empathy was an entirely foreign concept for barty.  he had no struggles of his own and saw everyone else’s problems as a thing they merely had to  accept .  but being raised in the home that he was,  it was easy to  learn  what that empathy should be.  when his father would talk about raising up walls to prevent emotions from clouding your judgement,  he was making way for a game :   one that helped barty  create  those emotions to begin with.

his mind is just   constantly   reeling in a way Very typical of a crouch,  but it’s never exactly a noble thing and he’s learned to hide every inch of that in a face of  faux - joviality.

it should probably be stressed that only a   very select few   would be aware that he can be anything but  delightful .  an intelligent character that spends enough time with him might catch on to  something  —  especially if they’re a seer / legilimens or have another reason to just  “feel it”.   but know that barty   would   be weary of spending too much time with these types to begin with.  this man goes on to fool  albus dumbledore  with his manipulation.  not to mention sirius as well,  who  is still  canonically hella powerful / intelligent as a wizard and v adamant in his moral compass.  it’ll take a  lot  to suspect him,  unless he fuels the fire himself.

so essentially,  he will  come off  as a really happy,  chill dude.  the type who might be a solid quidditch player and dueller,  but he’d never hurt a fly.  he’s never lost his temper and he’s never seen taking anything too seriously.  and again,  this is all because everything he does is just  so  calculated.

𝑰𝑰𝑰.    𝑆𝑈𝑀𝑀𝐴𝑅𝑌        »

i forced mhairi to make the twins geminis rising Just for this bastard and i feel like that’s a great start to establishing his Power

he’s very much just a devil in disguise,  and though he will always act like nothing short of a pure cinnamon roll,  he’s probably plotting your downfall for stealing his quill that one time in first year.

also generally just privileged to shit,  both from being from a powerful family and being utterly babied in it.  has definitely said “i mean it's one banana what could it cost? 10 galleons?”

see his stats  here  , and some random headcanons that didn't really fit anywhere  here  if you want more for some hellish reason.

𝑰𝑽.     𝑊𝐴𝑁𝑇𝐸𝐷 𝑃𝐿𝑂𝑇𝑆      »

(  play  mates  )  ;   basically the people barty can use as his friend group.  those who are either willing to overlook the odd hint of who he really is,  whether through lack of care themselves  ( e.g. those siding neutral / venit without being so apparently evil he’d avoid them )  or just people who  are  as innocent / forgiving as barty pretends to be .

(  exes  /  prospects  ) ;   barty is  not  interested in love,  but he can keep up an act.  his relationships would likely come off as very superficial to those involved,  never rooting themselves too deep and often lasting no longer than a few months at best.  being just as strategic as everything else  —  he’d essentially go through girlfriends  ( specifically )  with the intention of finding someone who’d both help him in name and not risk asking too many questions down the line  ( and could be easy to dispose of oop ) .

(  a  taste  of  it  )  ;    these would be the people who’ve caught a glimpse of what barty’s capable of.  usually through an action affecting them directly,  though jr would be relentless in his innocent denial.

(  a  raw  look  )  ;  i can’t really see this as a thing with the characters we have so far  yet  —  but anyone who would be unwaveringly venit-leaning  /  a death eater  might  have barty reveal himself in all honesty to them ;  that is,  as a sardonic,  apathetic egomaniac.  or at the very least,  as somehow being on their side   (  to  their  potential confusion,  if y'all want some drama  )

idk sis feel inspired ?? shoot me with it

#petrificus.intro #tbt / #there he is...... the Literal Worst

[creativecuteness]

Just a little Fic I'm working on

This is a sneak peek for a fanfiction that I'm posting this Friday. Inspired by Island of the slaughter AU by @Evaee-ry on both Tumblr and Tiktok.

The fresh ocean breeze left a salty taste in her mouth and nostrils as the bow rocked to and fro. She stared at her reflection in the clear blue water with purpose, with the cloudless sky, orbiting sea gals, and cool breeze it was a perfect summer day. Perfect for swimming, fishing, and cold creamy treats but it wasn’t perfect to her in fact; the last thirty days couldn’t have been more stressful.

She glanced at her associate out of the corner of her eye. The sun always had a way of hitting his handsome features just right his short black hair, subtle beard, and brown eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a teal green one over it, dark shoes, and brown khakis. his sorry excuse for a signature outfit.

To many Christopher McLean was the Canadian equivalent of a Hollywood icon, he has appeared in countless movies, was a host for serval radio shows, podcasts, and reality tv shows (Put a pin in for that last one) And he was handsome to boot especially when the light hits him just right. But to her it wasn’t endearing as much as it was annoying.

Dakota Natalie (Age 16) knew full well that Chris’s nice guy act was nothing more than that. His quote-on-quote acts of selflessness was just a way to paint himself as a humble chivalrous not your average celebrity kind of guy. But below the surface the countless fangirls and mutual respect were the many ways he stroked his own ego. In actuality Chris was an egomaniac, narcissistic, and overall insufferable and any brave fool who tried to call him out on it would be fired on the spot and taken to court for ludicrous charges. Only a fool would work for Chirs and sadly Dakota, their captain manning the boat, and two junior high schoolers were those fools.

She turned herself fully to get a better look at Chris as he smoked his cigarette, he truly had no care in the world and that just added to the young girl’s disgust. How could he be so nonchalant about this? Were his staff and actors just that disposable to him? Or maybe he was starting to feel an ounce of regret and couldn’t risk showing that vulnerability. Dakota liked to think it was the second option but the logical side of her knew what was going on in his twisted brain.

Chris lowed his cigarette and puffed out smoke all of which hitting the brunette square in the face making her start hacking as she fanned the air as the smoke stung her eyes and lungs.

“Ugh, yet another reason why I shouldn’t start smoking.”  She prayed; the repulsive stench wouldn’t linger on her clothes. A brown skinned girl with purple hair in a braid handed her some water which she gladly drank. Once her coughing fit ended, she gave Chis the best death glare she could muster.

“Watch were you’re blowing that stuff are you trying to kill me too.” She spat, a small part of her wanting to throw the tv host overboard.

“Hey, I gave you a warning, but you were so lost in my beauty I guess you didn’t hear me.” He remarked teasingly, even in her observation she didn’t see his lips moving once he hadn’t said anything to her, and he knew she knew that. Barely anything gets past her.

“Pfft as if.” She scuffed crossing her arms and leaning back on the railing, “I’m just seeing if you regret leaving twenty-two teenagers on a deserted island while you left to save your own hide.”

Chris’s featured softened for once letting his ego deflate as he gave his assistant an affectionate pat on the head. She had the urge to push it away but moments like this were rare and far between, so she let it slide (Just this once.)

“Look, as much as I hate admitting my wrong doings you have a point.” He sighed, taking another drag from his cigarette this time blowing in the direction of the wind (And out of her face.) “I shouldn’t have left those kids on the island with a crazy killer.” He spoke, “It’s just seeing Ezekiel’s head and severed body parts I panicked. I didn’t know what to do, what was I supposed to do?”

“Uh, bring them with you!” She snapped banging her fist on the metal railing, startling their other two helpers who were playing Go Fish using a barrel as a makeshift table, “Call authorities and let them handle the rest! But no, you had to selfishly leave giving those kids no way out and all of which could be dead thanks to you. How do we tell their parents they’ll sue you from here to Timbuktu, your reputation will be ruined, and you have yourself to blame for this McLean!” She yelled, giving him another hateful glare.

Chris had to hand it to her, just like Hearther her looks could kill, and it left him regretting waiting this long to rescue them.

A Hispanic teenager with short brown hair watched the scene unfold, he thanked his lucky stars he wasn’t chosen for the show. As Chris and Dakota argued back and forth on the morality of their situation; he eyed the purple haired girl and motioned her to invite Dakota to play with them.

She nodded in understanding not wanting this short-term alliance to be the end of them before their search even began. “Hey Dakota!” She spoke waving to her, “Why don’t you play with us? We need a third player to even the playing ground.”

Dakota thought for a moment, giving a small glance at Chris wondering if he had any final words on their conversation, but figured it’d be better to just end it now. “Fine deal me in.” She agreed, not giving the former host a second glance as she joined the two acquaintances, her expression still stormy and didn’t even make small talk. The only time she did was to ask for a card.

When you realize there's another Dakota in Total Drama and need to specify this is a completely different character and by that, I mean this is my main OC. Fully chapter will be out on ao3, fanfiction.net, and Tumblr Friday February 2nd.

#fanfiction sneak peek #total drama #island of the slaughtered #total slaughter island (rescue rangers) #yes this is the best chapter title I could come up with #dakota natalie #oc's #chris mclean #chef hatchet #total drama alejandro #td alejandro #td sierra #fanfiction writer #fanfiction.net #fanfiction #ao3fic #ao3 author #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #more characters will be tagged as the story goes on #fanfics #total drama fanfiction

[princeasimdiya12]

“Get ready, wake your psyche up, Gooch！

Get ready, dig your anger up, Gooch！

Get ready, wake your psyche up, Gooch！

Get ready!” 

So this happened during the weekend on a road trip where I decided to create another AU featuring the CU cast in the world of Mob Psycho 100. But as a twist, instead of revolving around George and Harold, the story would instead focus on unlucky oddball Steve “Gooch” Yamaguchi. 

Starring

Gooch as Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama. Along with having the same hairstyle, they’re both awkward, blunt and soft spoken boys who have difficulty with reading the room or understanding social norms. They still try to be good people but often get taken advantage of by other more domineering personalities. For this AU, Gooch is gifted with incredible powers that ordinary people could only dream to have. But Gooch isn’t interested in them since most people in his life only want him because of his powers. He wants to be recognized for his other traits and talents that don’t revolve around making cars and people float into space. 

Krupp as Reigen Arataka. They’re both highly similar since they’re stingy, overreactive, self-absorbed glory hounds who often take advantage of others if it means satisfying their own personal goals. The main difference that unlike canon, Krupp will be an actual Jerk with a Heart of Gold for this AU. Over time, he learns to care about Gooch as he becomes his master by providing him genuine life lessons for him to use in his life. He also realizes that there are consequences to going too far with his selfish ways and that he won’t be as happy if he continues down the same path. He runs a spirit and consultation office where he takes on supernatural themed cases if it means bringing him cash and popularity. 

Bo as Ritsu Kageyama. Both of them are dependable, kind hearted and have a close relationship with the main protagonist. In this AU, Bo would be more like a childhood friend who grew up with Gooch and cherishes his friendship with him. However, an incident involving some bullies made Bo insecure over the fact that he wasn’t able to protect Gooch. What’s worse is that Gooch was the one who ended up saving the two of them while also discovering his psychic powers that very day.  It’s because of this that Bo is desperate to awaken his own powers so he can be the guardian he was meant to be.

Smartsy as Dimple. Along with being floating blobs of green gas, they also started out as villains who wanted to take control of people but decided to let go of their schemes and become good. His initial cult was dedicated to healthy living by eating as many beans, broccoli and apple juice as possible.

Melvin as Teruki Hanazawa. The cocky, talented rivals of their respective series. Just like Teru, Melvin starts out believing himself to be something of a god while everyone else are inferior life forms for him to boss around. It isn’t until he has a chance encounter with Gooch does he realize that he isn’t the only big fish in the little pond called life. While he’s still arrogant and sarcastic, humble is something that Melvin can never properly learn in any AU, he does show genuine respect for Gooch for his abilities and a willingness to cooperate with his social circle. Also he does end up bald during his fight with Gooch and resorts to using an 80s wig.

Jessica as Tome Kurata. While this is a weird choice because of their different social standings, I chose them based on personality types. Just like Tome, Jessica is overly dramatic, obnoxious, conceited and is prone to giving orders to other students. For this AU, while she did create the Telepathy Club to be lazy and goof off, she does have a genuine interest in alien life and wants to make contact with them. Mainly so she can share her fabulous haar secrets with the rest of the universe. And in case you’re wondering about the aliens in her haar, those aren’t decorations. Those are the real thing. But just like Tome, Jessica needs to be motivated to achieve her goal and she’ll easily obtain them if she actually puts the effort into it.

Dressy as Ichi Mezato. A junior reporter at the school and a close acquaintance of Gooch. I picked her mainly for her role rather than personality. The reason she begins to investigate Gooch is because she’s seen his powers in its fullest when he defeated Smartsy’s Health Cult which in turn resulted in a secret following of people dedicated to the mysterious savior. Dressy desires to learn more about him so she can use his information and powers to promote a new world order that inspires peace and harmony among the rest of the Earth. So in a way, she wants to create her own cult. Cult!

Erica as Shou Suzuki. Both of them are talented, athletic and tend to snark when given the opportunity. Despite their cocky attitudes, they are truly aligned with the good side and want to make things right. For the AU, Erica has been keeping tabs on the Claw organization and has been providing the heroes with information needed to help take them and her wicked godmother down. 

Nurse Offstill as Tsuchiya. I decided to go with Offstill since I wanted a female Faculty member who could work as a reformed Claw member. Offstill works with Tsuchiya since they’re both kick butt ladies who treat kids with respect and pretty cool in their own ways. Also to keep the record clear, Nurse Offstill belongs to @guilty-as-battery-charged. 

Mr. Ree as Yusuke Sakurai. They’re both serious and dedicated to their careers. Ree would be exceptionally talented when it comes to using weapons. And while he does start out as a villain, he ultimately switches to being a good guy and proves to be a reliable ally.

Mr. Meaner as Banshomaru Shinra. They both have a sorta weird friendship going on with Krupp/Reigen, especially when it comes to their banter. Both Meaner and Shinra also believe themselves to be exceptionally great at their talents but the results say otherwise as they end up becoming Butt Monkeys.

Professor Poopypants as Ishiguro. The main antagonists of their respective series who intend to conquer the world and live above everyone as superior beings. They cannot be swayed into stopping their evil agendas and refuse to accept logic. Also they’re both tiny and have violent temper tantrums.

Mister Rio as Shimazaki. I went with my OC Rio since he fits with Shimazaki as a confident, agile and dangerous threat. They’ll beat you to a pulp with a smug smile on their faces.

Ms. Anthrope as Toichiro Suzuki. Regarding personalities, Anthrope can work for Toichiro since on the surface they’re presented as calm-minded, serious and somewhat generous to those around them. (Toichiro offered to help Serizawa control his powers and Anthrope is always reaching out to Krupp as a friend). But beneath the surface, they prove to be egomaniacal and dangerous as they intend to conquer the world to satisfy their own egos. I based this on how Anthrope was super expressive and power hungry when she became Clogneta. 

Edith the Lunch Lady as Serizawa Katsuya. Just like Serizawa, Edith is an awkward but friendly person who wants to do what’s right. They have difficulty speaking up for themselves so they often mumble their words and drop the issue. For this AU, Edith was a social outcast because of her out of control powers and was afraid of hurting people. It isn’t until Ms. Anthrope arrived did she learn not only to control her powers but that she can be of use to create a better world order. But eventually she realizes how harmful and dangerous Anthrope’s agenda really is and switches sides. Once the battle is over, she decides to work at Krupp’s spirit office to use her powers for good. Also, Serizawa is considered to be Reigen’s love interest so it felt appropriate to have Edith here considering how Reigen is. *insert hubba-hubba-buububaba*

Other characters that I wanted to include were Lavator Ree as Murashi Gouda the leader of the Body Improvement Club. In this AU, Lavator would be a gym teacher instead of a student but he still leads the club with pride and goes the extra mile to ensure that Gooch is getting the right amount of training. And for George and Harold, I feel that they would share an unofficial role of being the Emi of the AU. They ended up having a rut with their comics since they feel that it doesn’t have the same heart like the old ones did. What’s worse is that they feel that maybe they’re outgrowing making comic books. But it isn’t until a chance encounter with Gooch who provides meaningful words to the boys on how their work does have meaning and they should cherish not only the talent they have but the time they spend making it together. This rekindles their spirits and the boys decide to make a comic dedicated to their new friend called “The Paranormal Heroics of the Prodigious Psycho Helmet”. And I also wanted to include someone for Tsubomi but I didn’t know which student would be fit to be Gooch’s love interest.

And that is Gooch Psycho 100. Thank you for taking the time to read all this. If you have any thoughts on this AU, or would like to share your own ideas, you’re more than welcome to like and/or reblog this with your thoughts.

#captain underpants #the epic tales of captain underpants #mob psycho 100 #cu au #mob psycho 100 au #gooch #mr. krupp #bo hweemuth #melvin sneedly #smartsy fartsy #jessica gordon #dressy killman #erica wang #nurse offstill #mr. ree #mr. meaner #professor poopypants #ms. anthrope #edith the lunch lady #cu ocs

[jurassicsunsets]

Are Trachodon, Hadrosaurus, Claosaurus, Anatosaurus and Anatotitan all the same as Edmontosaurus?

Well, that depends on who you ask. There are two widely accepted species of Edmontosaurus: The earlier, smaller, shorter-faced, crested E. regalis and the later, larger, longer-faced, so-far-crestless E. annectens.

(Image by Matt Martyniuk)

E. regalis is the type species of Edmontosaurus; E. annectens was later assigned to it.

“Anatosaurus” is a genus that was coined specifically for E. annectens when it was widely thought distinct enough to merit its own genus. This isn’t widely accepted nowadays, though it is used by some people (notably, by the creators of the videogame Saurian).

Pictured: Awkward yearbook photos, featuring “Anatotitan” in the lower right.

“Anatotitan” was thought to be a distinct animal from both Edmontosaurus species. However, more recent work has revealed that it likely just represents an older E. annectens, making it a junior synonym.

Here’s where it starts to get a little tricky. Claosaurus agilis was originally named as Hadrosaurus agilis in 1872; it was later given its own genus in 1890. Edmontosaurus annectens was originally then described as Claosaurus annectens in 1892, and then Edmontosaurus regalis was named as a new genus and species in 1917. In 1942 annectens was placed into the new genus “Anatosaurus”, where it stayed until it was moved into Edmontosaurus in 1990.

Are you with me? Good. Let’s talk about dubious taxa.

If a species can be reliably distinguished from other species, and confidently stated to be different, it’s called a diagnostic taxon. So what if it isn’t, and how did these come about?

In the early days of palaeontology, everything was new. If you found something, chances were pretty high it was like nothing ever before seen, so even the scrappiest crappiest bits of bone could have never-before-seen features that meant they could be clearly distinguished from everything else we knew of.

The key word there is “knew” - because we’ve found so much more since then, and this newer stuff is more complete. Features that once were brand new and unique were found to be present in whole swathes of animals, and so taxonomic rot set in. Taxa that were once diagnostic now were just crappy bits of bone that no one could say were unique.

So, that’s okay, right? We can just sink those into newer species. Right?

Unfortunately….not really. There’s a precedent of taxonomic priority - that the oldest name is the one that should be used. This is a good rule to have in most cases, because it prevents some devious egomaniacal upstart from coming in and naming new species to overtake old ones. But since a lot of these crappy fossils were named first….well, we can’t really sink them. Nor can we prove that these newer fossils are the same as the older ones….because the older ones are so crappy. They could be anything. They could be unique. They could be the exact same as something else. We don’t know. They’re dubious taxa.

Okay, that’s a lot of words. We’re here for pictures, damn it, let’s see the dinosaurs.

This is Trachodon. Well, it’s all we have of it. 

One thing you’ll notice very quickly is that a lot (a LOT) of these old crappy genera are used as taxonomic garbage cans. Because they’re so scrappy, you could argue that ANYTHING that looks similar to them should be inside that genus, and so new species that are described will be shoved into there - and yes, this included annectens. 

What actually was Trachodon? Well, it’s a mixture of ceratopsian and hadrosaur teeth. It’s probably something like Lambeosaurus, more specifically.

This is Thespesius. Try not to marvel at its amazingness.

Thespesius was named the same year as Trachodon (1856), and by the same dude, no less. Uh, there’s not a ton to say about this one. It was used as a dumping ground for other species - including E. annectens. It’s too scrappy to really say anything about.

What actually was it? Realistically? Edmontosaurus annectens, but you can’t prove that, and it was named first.

This is Hadrosaurus. Surprisingly un-crappy! Believe it or not, these bones were the first reason we knew that some dinosaurs walked on two legs.

Hadrosaurus was described in 1858, two years after Trachodon. It’s been considered dubious on and off throughout the years; it seems it might actually not be dubious (surprisingly). It’s another wastebasket taxon, and yes, annectens was considered a part of it at one point. 

What actually was Hadrosaurus? It was a hadrosaur (shocker!) that was probably more “primitive” than either the hollow-crested lameosaurines or the flat-headed saurolophines.

This is Claosaurus. No, not the whole thing, just the photos around the edges. The rest is just a best-guess. 

Claosaurus was named as a species of Hadrosaurus in 1872, then given its own genus in 1890. Like Hadrosaurus, it was used as a major wastebasket taxon, and like Hadrosaurus, it’s hanging out in taxonomic limbo where no one is willing to say if it’s dubious or not. The general consensus on this one seems to be “diagnostic enough”.

What actually was it? Probably a non-hadrosauid hadrosauromorph, if you can believe that.

I couldn’t find a picture of Diclonius. This isn’t Diclonius, it’s Trachodon. But it might as well be Diclonius. Imagine that picture but very slightly different.

Diclonius was named in 1876. Surprise! It’s a wastebasket taxon. Surprise! It’s dubious.

What was it really? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Eh, it was a hadrosaurid of some kind. Probably a lambeosaur. 

And there you have it! I’m sure your life was amazingly enriched by the knowledge of these obscure dubious taxa. Tell your friends all about them. Write to your representative. Buy this t-shirt and I get 0% of the profits. Make a cake with Thespesius on it. Hunt down Diclonius and send me a picture.

#for those wondering about ugrunaaluk: #eh it's probably just e. regalis but who knows

[squidproquoclarice]

Don't know what you'd think of this, but my read on Dutch is that his first concern is his own safety, and when his safety isn't a concern his talk is genuine. When everything starts going to shit his selfish nature comes to the forefront and he subconsciously ramps up the manipulation tactics. And I don't how Ch 6 Dutch would have behaved if he wasn't Post-Hosea and brain damaged.

I’m wrapping this into another Ask of “You believe Dutch never loved Arthur, John, or any of them?”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~To answer second Ask very directly, I’d say no, that Dutch never loved any of them.  But that’s due to asking “What is love?”  (Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more).  I’m saying that with the perspective that real, genuine love needs empathy, selflessness, concern for the other person first above yourself.  You can be very fond and affectionate and caring, but if you’re a narcissist who will always, always instinctively want to put yourself first, if you’ll sacrifice them for your needs, then yeah, you don’t truly love them.  You can’t.  But none of them knew it, including perhaps Dutch, because they weren’t pushed anywhere near that until 1899.  The only vague hint we have is his implied habit of going through women and treating them as somewhat dispensable.  (I do think he was fond of Annabelle, but if you dig into it, I’m going to guess at its core it’s mostly anger that something of his was taken from him.  He only talks about her in a sense of outrage that Colm killed her, not the grief for her as a person.  Contrast that to Hosea’s very real grief for Bessie.)To the first Nonny, I think you’re right.  I never would say Dutch is all a cynical act.  He does like and care about these people.  He’s taken them in when they’ve been lost souls and given them a family, and yes, there’s certainly an angle of self-interest in preying on their vulnerability–the ones he finds as kids are particularly painful–but it’s clear he also enjoys these people.  He likes them.  He’s not just seeing them as little toy soldiers who he has to fool by playing nice so he can use them.The trouble with Dutch is, as you say, when the good times are good, his better nature is there.  He can be kind, generous, funny, and it’s easier to downplay the darkest part of the reality, that he’s a silver-tongued egomaniac who’s drawn all these people together into an anarchosocialist cult with him as their godhead.  But there’s room for kindness.  There’s room for affection and pride.  There’s room for him to see Hosea as (almost) his equal and treat him and his opinion with great respect.  Though the fact that it’s very definitively the Van Der Linde Gang, not the Van Der Linde/Matthews Gang, makes it clear that Hosea may be a brother, but definitely subordinate.  There were other outlaw gangs with a more equal partnership definitely noted: the James/Younger Gang, for example, or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid getting equal billing in the Hole In The Wall Gang.  In this case, Hosea’s the quieter junior partner, and even he eventually observes how he’s fallen under Dutch’s spell.Most violently oriented cults don’t hold together for years on end.  I think there’s a reason for that.  Technically the gang’s been in existence for at least 23 (?) years, since I believe Hosea’s news article details him and Dutch breaking out of prison in Ohio in 1876.  They found Arthur in 1877.  Hosea had Bessie, and it sounds like Susan is also an OG.  But that was that for a while, until they brought John into it in 1885.  That changed things again, but I’d argue that the early days of the gang were very different.  It was a small group: Dutch, Hosea, Bessie as Team Mom, Susan leaving her role as Dutch’s lover and becoming Team Spinster Aunt, Dutch’s current lover in any given year, Arthur growing into manhood and his role as Annoyed Older Brother, and John as Little Brother.  That small core family of two kids, two dads, one mom and one aunt (though Bessie sounds to have died before the gang really exploded in size) and one revolving-door girlfriend, seems to have been a fairly set dynamic until c. 1892 or 1893.  It sounds to have been fairly stable, tight-knit, warm and affectionate.  I suspect Arthur’s anxiety settled down when he saw that he’d always be treated and respected as the eldest son, and he and John were actually pretty close until John fucked up with Abigail.  The closest that anyone came to leaving was Arthur riding off for a few days every couple of months to  go see Eliza and Isaac.  This also sounds like the best days of the gang in terms of charity—that article from the bank robbery from the mid-late 1880s that’s clearly Dutch, Hosea, and Arthur happened, and they promptly went and were handing out money to the local poor people and basically being giddy Robin Hoods.  Arthur remembers when they used to help people.  These were the good days.  So in 1892/1893 you have Dutch, Hosea, Arthur, John, Susan, and Dutch’s Current Girlfriend (though I suspect nobody counts her that much since she’s prone to changing every couple of years).  I think Bessie is dead by this point since Hosea makes it sound like it happened before most of the gang members were there. So we’ll say this gang is effectively five people, with one more loosely attached honorary member.  Suddenly the gang population explodes.  It sounds like everyone else joined in the last six years prior to RDR2, probably many in the last two to three.  From Pearson’s pic of the stagecoach likely in 1895, given Abigail holding baby Jack, they had Dutch, Hosea, Arthur, Abigail, Susan, John, Pearson, and Bill, and we know Javier was part of it, Tilly sounds to have been.  That’s ten right there, maybe more.And I think that swapped the dynamic for Dutch too.  Suddenly they’re acquiring every stray, lost soul, and orphan in their path.  He’s not just the fond patriarch of a tight-knit family, he’s got to be the leader, the prophet, the Messiah of a Goddamned movement.  And I think that exacerbates his narcissism.  He has more people to look after, and more people to hold in his sway.  His personality becomes bigger.  His rhetoric and his plans become more grandiose.  He becomes more of the fire-and-brimstone street preacher.  The gang becomes less charitable, more insular, more we take care of our own first, because they’re becoming far more dangerously visible with the need to take care of ten, fifteen, twenty people, and the more constant stream of risk and crimes that comes with it. The population explosion pretty much doomed the gang, I think, because it pushed Dutch’s narcissism to deadly levels, and forced them to start taking on bigger and riskier crimes on a more regular basis.  By 1896 the clock was probably already ticking down, and the pressure of the next few years ratcheted that up until it finally explodes in the Blackwater Massacre and everything that happens after. So to backtrack: I think the Dutch that Hosea, Bessie, Susan, Arthur, and John knew from c. 1876 to 1893 was a proto-narcissist who would have looked out for ol’ Number 1 when pressed hard, yes, but the situation and dynamic they had was a lot more forgiving and brought out Dutch’s idealism, affection, and the like rather than his worst traits.  When the gang started getting bigger, he had more people to hold there, and more risk to keep it all together, the manipulation and grooming and gaslighting ratcheted up too because things had already subtly transformed and started to turn.  You can see some of it in Chapters 1-4 with things like him insisting Arthur will betray him and telling Hosea he needs FAITH NOT DOUBTERS but yeah, it’s really Chapters 5 and 6 that show it.  Missing Hosea’s restraint and with Arthur as the son being unable to take the role of the brother, and with the likelihood of Traumatic Brain Injury/TBI to boot, there was no other way it could have ended, because those were the final nails in the coffin.  But I don’t think it was all Hosea and TBI. The seeds of everyone’s destruction were there long, long before.  I don’t think Dutch is this cynical mastermind and that everything is a deliberate act, mind.  Both those who say that Dutch changed (Sadie, Charles) and those who say he became who he always was (John, Arthur) are right.  He changed and became his true and worst self, and I’m not sure even he fully realized how much he’d been keeping at bay in a far more forgiving situation that let him be his best self.  

#dutch van der linde #arthur morgan #john marston #rdr2 #hosea matthews #thank you for coming to my red talk #Anonymous

[ambitionsource]

AMBITION Season 1 ♫ “Before the Storm” [ 1.11 ]

CREATED BY Esther (rapunzles) & Maggie (quincywillows)

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES – The sophomore stars throw their hat in the ring for the chance to attend a highly regarded performance summer program, but only three students can progress from Adams to the final audition. Lucas has a daunting decision to make.

60 Minutes (15K words) || No warnings apply.

[ ← Birds of a Feather ] [ S1 Synopsis ] [ The World Will Never Be the Same → ]

( Follow along with the music on Spotify here! )

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The halls of Adams greet us for the penultimate episode, cutting between shots of the setting we’ve come to know and love. Through windows in the doors, students rehearse in the music and dance studios. The locker hallways are pristine and decorated for the end of term. Graduation memorabilia is all around.

As the scenery shifts, the voice of Principal Hunter lectures on the importance of the school, everything that the institution stands for. Next to bulletin boards where students are welcome to jot down their summer plans to share, a display case in the atrium shows photos and mementos from the past school year. Les Mis is certainly included, as well as the winter showcase.

Jack: Adams exists to give students the chance to pursue a passion. Something important to them, so pivotal to their future endeavors and true happiness that they can’t even fathom doing anything else. It’s a silly notion, to some, but I’ve always admired that piece to it. That chance to give a young mind the power and potential to do whatever it is that they’ve always dreamed about.

Focus eases in on one advertisement on the bulletin board in particular – an informational flyer about the Kossal Summer Program, which has been referenced multiple times since the pilot. In bold lettering, the text “rising juniors only,” seems sharply emphasized.

Jack: More than anything, I try to give our students as much opportunity as possible. Getting here was the first step, and then I want to help them reach higher. Achieve further. Find access to doors and avenues that they may not have even known existed or felt capable of entering. I work hard to create that space. I work hard with all of the faculty and staff here to foster that environment, where any student can come to a safe, inclusive environment and throw their hat in the ring.

INT. AAA - JACK’S OFFICE - DAY

It becomes clear why JACK HUNTER is monologuing. He is in his disciplinary meeting with WYATT LIVINGSTON, following their deduction that he is the one running AAA Confessions.

Jack: Thus, it’s always such a shame when someone deems to take advantage of this space, and twists it into something it shouldn’t be.

Wyatt doesn’t seem all that impressed. Jack questions him on why the hell he would create a page like this, or barring that, be a part of it in the first place. Wyatt claims he didn’t make the Insta, but Jack presses the question again. Not buying it.

Wyatt dispels Jack’s rosy view of the school, claiming it’s no oasis for creativity and collaboration. It’s a cesspool of egomaniacs and cutthroat competition, and he knows it. The whole reason that the AAAC even works at all is because of the collective terrible attitude at the school. It’s a “safe environment” for them to take shots at each other and be as repulsive and reductive as they all actually are.

Jack snaps at this, claiming that’s not entirely true. He references the very targeted attack on a single student just a few days ago with Lucas, which Wyatt clearly orchestrated and was not just the full petty whimsy of the student body. Unable to fully deny this, Wyatt admits his hand in making some of the initial posts, but he didn’t orchestrate anything. If anything, the Lucas White Trash Dump Day is a perfect example of what he’s talking about – he lit a match, and the sophomore class set the whole forest on fire with it.

Wyatt: Besides, it’s not my fault that everyone hates Lucas. He does that to himself.

Jack doesn’t want to hear anymore. He doesn’t think he can face it. He moves onto discussing punishment, positing what he believes are fair consequences – expulsion, effective immediately. This finally seems to knock Wyatt off his high horse. He claims that’s bullshit considering one student can beat up another and not get kicked out, but he makes a couple of mean anonymous posts and he’s on the chopping block?

Jack argues that it’s the principle of the thing, and that every situation is different. The situation between him and Lucas was an isolated incident with bigoted implications, whereas the page has been an ongoing toxic presence at the school –

Wyatt: But I don’t deserve to get punished for it! I didn’t create the page!

Jack: Fine. Fine, if that’s the case, then tell me who did. Tell me who should take the fall for this, and we can renegotiate your involvement.

Wyatt can’t, because he doesn’t know. Nobody does. Jack takes his silence as an admission of guilt, but it’s evident that he is truly distraught about taking the consequences for it. Perhaps the severity of the punishment may be a bit too harsh…

After a beat, Jack claims that he will take some time to determine the proper punishment. Until then, Wyatt would be smart to keep his head down and enjoy his last couple weeks of sophomore year without further trouble.

Wyatt rises in a huff, storming out. Jack waits until he exits before letting his composed facade crumble, obviously overwhelmed by the chaos this whole situation has caused.

Hopefully, it’s about to come to an end. But not without some major decisions…

Cue opening titles.

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

ANGELA MOORE is at her desk in the black box classroom, fretfully flipping through the schedule of the touring spot she’s been offered. She’s cross-referencing it with her personal calendar, obviously not thrilled with how much it’s consuming of her current life.

She’s been waiting so long for an opportunity like this. It’s her dream, yet now that it’s in front of her she doesn’t know what to do with it. Angela lifts her head, gazing blankly at the empty classroom around her. Wondering what it would be like to leave it behind…

SHAWN HUNTER breaks her out of her daze, entering with coffee and a breakfast bagel. He hands it to her and she takes it gratefully. He tentatively asks if she’s made any decisions yet, to which she gives a definitive no. Still very much in the realm of indecision.

Shawn seems relieved that it’s not a guaranteed yes, but being in uncertain territory isn’t much better. But uncertain ground they’ll continue to tread…

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Ain’t It Fun” as performed by Tufts Beezlebubs || Performed by Nigel Chey, Yindra Amino, Chai Fresco, Nick Yogi, Clarissa Cruz, and Haley Fisher

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

NIGEL CHEY leads this acapella rendition, playfully rehearsing with his fellow sophomores. It’s one of the few numbers we’ve seen so far that gives due focus to the other performers in the classroom, and it gives an upbeat (if subtly ominous) musical start to the episode.

He dances around the stage with YINDRA AMINO, CHAI FRESCO, NICK YOGI, CLARISSA CRUZ, and HALEY FISHER. In keeping with the truce, most of the techies are hanging around with them and half-grooving along while working on set pieces. DYLAN ORLANDO sways with ASHER GARCIA in a bouncy waltz, the latter somewhat singing along.

DAVE WILLIAMS shows off his usual terrible dancing. Nigel sings directly to JADE BEAMON at one point, and she just about passes out. Yogi films the jam session with his A/V club camera to commemorate the end of the year.

Absolutely charmed.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

While the acapella underscores, FARKLE MINKUS is making his way through the hallway after finishing up at his locker, headphones blocking out the rest of the world. He seems a little out of it, traversing the school with less of the impatient, high-maintenance energy than he was bursting with earlier in the year. Subtle, but definitely a shift.

DARBY WINTERS and SARAH CARLSON catch up to him, startling him into conversation. As he removes his headphones, he struggles to catch up to their fast-paced questioning.

Darby: … your audition number? We want to start taking bets on whether you’re going to be able to best Maya or not in this final epic diva showdown.

Farkle: My audi – okay, slow down pixies, and start over. I can’t understand you at warp speed.

They eagerly ask him if he has decided what song he’s using for his audition. Suddenly feeling as though he’s forgotten something, he asks them what the hell they’re talking about.

Sarah: The Kossal auditions? They’re this weekend. Preliminaries are going to be all this week. [ Like he’s stupid. ] You know, the most coveted opportunity of the year?

Farkle: Oh. Oh… yeah. Yeah, I guess I forgot.

Sarah raises her eyebrows, clearly shocked. Darby breezes right past it, telling him he should really start thinking about it, although he’s likely to do amazing regardless. As they flutter away, Farkle shakes off his daze.

He honestly can’t believe he forgot about the program he’s been waiting all year to audition for. But suppose when you actually get friends and stop being all-consumed by your one passion, that’ll do it to you.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

ERIC MATTHEWS is sitting down with RILEY MATTHEWS, obviously excited about whatever information he’s about to share with her. She still has her focus set on a different matter, though, and figures that’s what the meeting is going to be about.

Riley, hopefully: You’ve figured out who is running AAAC?

Eric: … still working on that. But making progress, undoubtedly.

Riley sighs, slouching back in her seat. Eric promises her that what he has to tell her is just as exciting, another great opportunity here at the end of term. He goes on to explain that at the conclusion to each school year, Michael Jacobs and the school board fund an art gala in which all the major art magnet schools from the area come together to celebrate their achievements of the past year and share in their love of the craft.

He slides a small invitation across the table for her to look at. On the front is a fancy-looking ballroom where the event is usually held, with details and logistics on the backside.

Eric: Now, obviously Jack and I will be attending, as principal and MVP of Adams.

[ Riley glances at him, giggling at his given title for himself. ]

Eric: But we’re allowed to bring one student as a representative for our school, and we were thinking you.

Riley: [ blinking, taking a moment to realize she heard him correctly ] Me – me? You want me?

Eric: The nomination was unanimous.

Riley is evidently stunned by this. Eric goes on to explain all that she helped achieve at AAA that year, particularly how instrumental she was in bridging the divide and improving the overall quality of culture in the sophomore class. There is no one else they can think of more deserving of the opportunity. She should be proud of everything she’s accomplished this year.

The caveat, however, is that the gala conflicts with the district-wide audition evening for Kossal. So should she get chosen from the school-level auditions to progress onward, she would have to decide which one to attend. Riley claims she’s not planning on auditioning anyway.

Eric: What? Why on Earth not?

Riley: Are you – are you serious? You literally just said to me –

Eric: You know, you’re right. You’re right, shh. We’ll unpack that later.

Eric opts instead to highlight all the fun aspects to the gala that Riley should start gearing up for. She gets to dress up! There’s performances, and dancing, and great food! Oh, and she gets to bring a plus one, so she should start thinking about who she might like to bring along.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Class has assembled for the day, bustling into their seats and alive with restless end-of-term energy as Angela brings their attention to the front. She goes on to talk further about the Kossal program, how it is an intensive six-week summer camp in upstate New York where participants are deeply immersed in the art of performance. It is one of the most highly anticipated opportunities of the year for the sophomore class. The program boasts many notable alumni, and they’ve rarely had a student attend it from AAA who didn’t see success in their future.

As she describes it, it’s evident that MAYA HART and Farkle are both totally invested. ZAY BABINEAUX seems inspired too, but less openly determined than the other two divas. Everyone else is somewhere in between, indecisive about whether it’s worth it to try for it at all.

Angela continues on, explaining the catch – given it’s highly selective criteria, the audition process is staggered and competitive. It starts at the school level, where they will select three of their best students to move on to the district-wide auditions. From there, one lucky student from Adams will get to experience the program.

The techies are like… great. This week is going to be hell, isn’t it. ISADORA DE LA CRUZ exchanges a look with DYLAN ORLANDO and ASHER GARCIA, who look less than enthused. Angela dismisses them to work on their auditions or final projects, whichever they deem fit.

In the wings, Farkle pulls Maya aside. In an attempt to preserve their new and blossoming friendship, he proposes that they should help one another with their auditions. Essentially, be there to support one another rather than fall into their usual habits. Given the circumstances, it’s very unlikely that they both won’t progress to the next round, and he doesn’t want their naturally competitive instincts to come between them.

Maya is surprised and a bit hesitant towards this initiative, but she’s not going to be the one to cause trouble. Besides, as far as she can tell, Farkle does seem entirely genuine in his motivations. She agrees with a “hell yeah,” taking a pass on the drama if they can hack it.

They shake on it, agreeing they’ll be on each other’s teams.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

Zay is at his usual table, YINDRA AMINO and NIGEL CHEY occupying the other primary seats around him. They’re engaging in their typical comfortable conversation, Zay allowing them to take the brunt of it.

His focus shifts when CHARLIE GARDNER approaches with lunch in hand, coming to stand awkwardly by their table. He and Zay hold eye contact for a long moment, before Charlie asks if there’s room for him to join them. Although there’s clear tension, Yindra and Nigel don’t seem to pick up on it.

Zay claims there’s room, because he actually has to get going. He rises to leave without much more to say to Charlie. It’s clear this stings a bit, and Charlie watches him go before sliding into the seat he just vacated.

Yindra snaps him out of it when she asks whether or not he’s planning on auditioning for the Kossal program. Charlie says no, as he has a family obligation – there’s this big communal springfest dinner at his church that same night that is super important to his parents. His mother is part of the planning committee, and all that.

Nigel explains that he and Yindra were both considering it, but with only three spots and three known divas, it sort of seems like improbable odds. Charlie nods along, but he’s not really paying that much attention to their complaints. His gaze keeps lingering on the doors where Zay left.

INT. LUCAS’S APARTMENT - DAY

LUCAS FRIAR hastily makes his way from the hall to his bedroom towards the door, obviously on a mission. He has his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear, slipping on his boots.

Lucas: I’ll be there in like five minutes, you can pick me up at the usual corner. [ a beat ] No, tell Dylan he’s not coming over. [ beat ] Yes, I have the fireworks, now could you –

From the kitchen, his mother calls out for him. This is pretty unusual, so Lucas tells Asher he’ll be there in a minute before hanging up and sauntering back towards the kitchen.

INT. LUCAS’S APARTMENT - KITCHEN - DAY

Lucas pokes his head in, finding GRACE FRIAR seated at their small dining table. She’s petite, disarmingly beautiful, and looks deceptively too young to have a teenage son. She asks if he has a minute to chat about something. He starts to state that he has plans, but rather than explaining to his mother that he’s off to go set off illegal fireworks with his dumbass friends, he figures he can spare the few seconds to talk.

Lucas settles into the chair across from her, and the closer we are to her the more the cracks in her dainty exterior seem to show. There are healing bruises on her face from the events of 1.09, and once you notice them underneath the makeup, it’s hard to unsee.

She goes on to explain that through one of her friends at work, she was able to get in touch with the dean of admissions at McCullough, a private all-boys boarding school in upstate New York. Given Lucas’s excellent academic record at AAA – behavioral record aside – Grace believes that if he applied, he could totally get a spot in their elite student body for the last two years of high school. She wants to put his application in for the fall, if that’s something he might want.

Lucas, stunned: You mean… you mean like leave triple A?

Grace hurriedly explains that she knows AAA was never Lucas’s top choice as far as schooling. He never had any artistic interests, there were just no… better alternatives. But this school has excellent reviews, top rated academics. It’s in the countryside rather than the city, so maybe the fresh air could do him good. A little space. And all of its alumni go on to have successful careers as doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs – whatever Lucas decides he wants to do.

Lucas doesn’t know what to think. Never before has there been another option besides AAA, and the mere prospect of it seems impossible to fathom. Not to mention, so much has changed in the past year at the school he always claimed he hated. He doesn’t know how to answer.

Grace claims that he should take the next couple of weeks to consider it, as the application isn’t due until then anyway. It just might be a viable different route, an… escape from everything going on here. A loaded conversation to drop so suddenly…

Angela, pre-lap: How is anybody supposed to make a decision like this?

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Angela is hanging out with Eric in his office, both of them relaxing after the students have cleared out for the day. They’re sharing sodas in fancy glasses (i.e., what they’re allowed to consume on school property), and Eric is leaning back with his feet up on his desk as they muse.

Angela laments her current situation, definitely feeling torn between two worlds.

Angela: It’s like, all my life, I had one dream. This gig, this draining, paradoxical, invigorating art of performing, that was it for me. All of this from acing an audition to getting a spot on a tour or production, I mean, that was the whole plan, you know? That would fall into place, and the universe would do the rest.

Eric: I hear you, sister. Amen.

Angela: But here I am, finally steps away from the dream. It’s right in front of me. I can taste it. And… I’m holding back. I’m hesitating. How can I be hesitating now?

As Eric points out, there’s a chance her dreams have changed. She certainly has, as has he, and everyone else they know. Hell, look at how much they’ve all grown in just this school year alone.

Eric: Beginning of this year, Jack and I fought about everything.

Angela: Believe me, I remember.

Eric: You and Shawn couldn’t even look at each other, and the school was at war. Quite literally, given everything that conspired after.

Now, all things considered, they’ve found harmony. They’ve found peace, and they’re on their way to almost quelling the last remaining symbol of bad blood. They opened themselves to change, and it turned out to be exactly what they needed.

Eric: Change happens, and it’s scary. But it can be good. You shouldn’t run from it. In fact, it may behoove you to listen to what it’s trying to tell you.

Angela ruminates on this, taking a long sip of her cola. Much to think about.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - NIGHT

Zay is eating dinner with OMAR BABINEAUX and DONNA BABINEAUX, attempting to find the right time to tell them about the summer program. As Omar wraps up discussing a new development at work, Zay takes a deep breath and gears up to speak. Donna beats him to it, however, suddenly remembering an important news bulletin they meant to share with him.

His older sister Jada was selected for an exclusive study abroad program this summer. She’ll be studying fashion in Milan and Paris, so they’re planning a family vacation there as well to take advantage of the opportunity. It’s an exciting update, but definitely throws a potential wrench into Zay’s quest for Kossal.

Donna: Isn’t that exciting?

Zay: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s… I mean, dope.

Omar: What were you going to say, Zay? Looked like you had something on your mind.

Zay: Just that, uh… my grades have really turned around since fall semester. So the tutoring did actually help. That’s all.

He doesn’t push the issue further, allowing his parents to congratulate him and take back control of the conversation. Might as well be a sign… right?

INT. JACK’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Jack and Shawn are having their traditional dinner. Shawn raises his glass in a toast, cheering on Jack for catching the dumbass who was running the AAAC. Jack takes the praise, but hesitantly. After they both drink, Jack expresses his qualms about how to progress with punishment towards Wyatt.

Shawn shares no such reluctance to be brutal.

Shawn: What do you do when you catch a cold, Jackie?

Jack: Down a pint of Gatorade and hope for the best.

Shawn: [ with an eye roll ] Okay, how about a malignant mole? A tumor? Any sort of cancerous presence?

Jack: Well I’ve been lucky enough not to –

Shawn: You remove it. You cut the thing out so it’s disease can’t spread. It’s that simple.

Jack points out that some might say similar rhetoric about, say… Lucas, to which Shawn scoffs. He claims that they’re completely different situations.

Shawn: Listen, Friar is a mess all his own. I would know. But he isn’t going around using slurs towards other students, or posting increasingly vitriolic hate just to rile people up. There’s a difference.

Jack references the fact that Wyatt claims he’s not the moderator, that there’s another student running it. Shawn blows this off, stating that has to be a lie.

Shawn: [ with his mouth full ] I would know. I used to lie to get out of trouble all the time.

Jack: Once again, you continue to reassure me of your right state of mind to be teaching the youth of tomorrow…

Shawn states that Jack knows what the right decision is, he’s just wallowing in it. And if he won’t do the right thing, then he’ll just take matters into his own hands. Jack knows he’s just shooting the breeze, but he is also like don’t do anything stupid please, I have enough to deal with.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - NIGHT

That night, it’s just CORY MATTHEWS and Riley there for dinner at the apartment. In the midst of the meal, Cory congratulates her on being selected as representative, and there’s a soft moment between them reflecting on just how far she’s come in a year. He’s so, so proud of her.

She agrees that there is a lot to think about, like what she’s going to wear and who she should bring along. Cory additionally mentions the decision over which song to perform for her audition for the summer program, until Riley expresses that she isn’t planning on auditioning.

Much like Eric, Cory is totally opposed to this notion. He states that she should at least throw her hat in the ring, and it’s even more low stakes for her considering if she doesn’t make it to the district level, she has another plan already in place.

Cory: Other potential conflicts aside, you shouldn’t keep yourself from getting the chance to run the bases by never letting yourself take one swing at bat.

INT. RILEY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

This sentiment is still lingering with Riley as she gets ready for bed. She hesitates, glancing up at her moodboard to search for inspiration.

It’s drastically different than when it was first made, more intricate and decorated than ever. Lots of little details have been added, including photos of her classmates, playbills from Les Mis, and lots of other little mementos throughout the school year.

She zeroes in on one item in particular – a scrap of notebook paper. It’s the note she and Lucas were passing back in forth in 1.10, during Maya and Farkle’s rendition of “Bop to the Top.” While the majority of it is just a back and forth about how Lucas doesn’t know what the movie is and he thinks Maya and Farkle aren’t that good, the most important statement is the last.

As Riley is defending their performing abilities, he’s followed up with a very bold counterargument: “You’re better.”

It’s evident that is the reason the conversation is hanging up at all. She hangs on this, lightly smiling… wheels are beginning to turn in her head again…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Charlie shows up to the auditorium early, finding Zay on the stage exactly as he hoped he would. He’s running through what would have been his audition routine, the vaguely familiar orchestral arrangement from A Chorus Line playing on his iPhone speaker. Charlie hangs back and watches for a moment, in awe of Zay’s obvious skill as always.

Charlie: Looks pretty good.

Zay is surprised by his presence, both because he didn’t realize he was there and because he’s suddenly deeming him worth talking to again. He rushes to turn off his speaker, taking a second to catch his breath. Then he forfeits the stage, saying that he’ll get out of his way if he needs to use it. Charlie rushes to stop him, asking if he’ll give him just half a second to talk.

Zay looks wary, but he doesn’t leave. He crosses his arms, waiting for Charlie to say his piece.

Charlie: I’m sorry I’ve been acting so distant. Ghosting you, and stuff. I don’t have an excuse. I’ve just been… it’s been weird.

Zay: Bit of an understatement.

Charlie: I haven’t exactly felt like myself much, lately. [ a beat, then he laughs ] Honestly, it’s more like I don’t even know what “myself” actually is. Kind of wondering if maybe I ever did.

[ It’s really hard not to empathize with him. Zay is clearly softening. ]

Charlie: Anyway, it’s not a good reason to treat you the way I did. I can’t explain why I did what I did, but I’m genuinely sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings. And regardless of what’s going on with me, I don’t want to lose you. I mean, someone has to be able to keep up with me around here.

Zay can’t help but chuckle, earning a hopeful smile from Charlie. But the deal isn’t closed yet.

Charlie, sincerely: I understand if you can’t forgive me. I just wanted you to know.

There’s a moment of silence. Charlie may as well be holding his breath. Then, Zay sighs.

Zay: I don’t know what your so-called God has you used to, but I wouldn’t call what you did unforgivable. Or maybe I’m just a gracious deity.

Jokes aside, he’s accepting the apology. Charlie is clearly relieved, laughing in spite of himself and nodding. Zay mirrors his smile, before prodding further on what he mentioned earlier.

Zay: What did you mean by that? Not feeling like yourself?

Charlie: I don’t know. It’s like… do you remember during acoustic week, we talked about your lack of friends?

Zay: Well, I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but yes.

Charlie: It’s… I guess it’s kind of like that. What I talked about, that feeling where you feel like you’re outside yourself. Only… way worse. Like now I’m out there, and I don’t even recognize the person I’m looking at. It doesn’t feel like me anymore. Or maybe it never really was.

Zay can tell that Charlie is seriously struggling with this. Charlie goes on to explain that he was scared that things were changing, but now he doesn’t even know if that’s the case anymore. He isn’t sure if things are changing, or if he’s just becoming aware of how things already are. He can’t figure out which is worse.

Vague cryptic statements aside, Zay states that he’s there to help if he thinks he needs it. Charlie thinks on it, before agreeing that just doing something fun to get his mind off everything might be exactly what he needs.

Charlie: And, well, you’ve always been the expert on that front.

Zay: This we know. I’ll see what I can do.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Riley catches Isadora in the hall, asking if she’s seen Lucas. After she suggests checking the usual places, Riley follows up by asking whether or not Isadora is planning on auditioning for the summer program. Her derisive laugh is enough of a response.

Isadora: Are you kidding me? I’m not trying to insert myself into that bloodbath. Farkle, Maya, and Zay can take it, I’m not aiming to scrap in the last two weeks of school.

A valid analysis of the situation. Even still, Riley makes her focus on her as she states that she truly believes Isadora is good enough to earn herself a spot on her own merit. Then she flutters off, Isadora unable to hold back the ghost of a smile at the touching sentiment.

INT. AAA - PRACTICE ROOM - DAY

Maya and Farkle are in the same practice room where they met for tutoring in 1.03, running through some scales together with the latter on piano. They’re interrupted when KATY HART shows up, nervously poking her head in and clearly not sure if she’s in the right place. Maya eagerly leaps forward to greet her, hugging her and guiding her into the space.

Farkle is surprised, Maya quickly catching them both up to speed. She explains that her mother had never seen the inside of the school before, so she was able to work something out with Jack so that she could come by for lunch and stick around to see her audition. Katy expresses awe over how state-of-the-art the facilities are, Maya walking her through everything in their current room. Farkle watches them, obviously touched by their tight-knit relationship.

As Maya goes into further detail about what their practicing for and the summer program, Katy grows anxious again. She’s uncertain about the financial aspect of it. Farkle jumps in, helpfully stating that the summer program is all-expenses paid. That’s partially why their audition process is so thorough – they want to make sure only the most deserving and talented students are mixing and mingling at this shindig.

Good news, for the Harts at least. Katy brightens again, eagerly requesting to hear a little bit of what they’ve been working on. Maya claims that she’ll get to see the full audition in just a bit, but she pleads for a sneak preview. Farkle raises his eyebrows, wiggling his fingers over the keys to show he’s ready.

Maya relents, gesturing her mother towards the chairs to settle in and listen. Then she exchanges a look with Farkle, nodding to count each other in. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then, as Farkle hits the first chord…

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Listen” as performed by Glee Cast  || Performed by Maya Hart

Maya kicks off this brassy display of her vocal talent, true evidence to how hard she’s worked all year. “The Wizard and I” was impressive, but this is a whole new level of ambition. It’s raw with emotion, even more so given the fact that her mother is there to witness. She smiles at her as she sings, obviously one of her greatest sources of inspiration.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

As the performance continues, it shifts to Maya center stage performing for Angela, Shawn, Jack, and Eric. A large crop of her classmates are there to cheer her on as well – Farkle, Zay, Charlie, Riley, Isadora, Darby, Sarah, etc. How nice it is, seeing the divas show up to support one another rather than tear each other down…

As she finishes, her classmates burst into resounding applause. Angela, grinning, thanks her. Katy wipes a couple of tears. Maya can’t stop smiling, nodding gratefully with the spotlight shining all around her.

EXT. AAA - LUNCH COURTYARD - DAY

Lucas and Isadora are at lunch, the latter rattling off what she thinks her summer plans are going to be with this short film idea that came to her during first period. She’s already got storyboards going in a notebook.

Lucas isn’t listening. He’s distracted, watching the other goobs in his techie crew throw food at each other and crack up and live their generally silly existences. Isadora realizes he’s a million miles away and snaps him out of it, asking him if he heard a word she said.

Lucas: Please. Of course I did.

Isadora: Right. So what was I thinking was going to be the climactic plot twist that makes the entire short and dare I say rivals Alfred Hitchcock?

Lucas: You know I don’t understand that reference.

Isadora, bluntly: You really should. Well?

Lucas: … okay. Okay! I wasn’t listening. You caught me, congratulations. You’re Sherlock of the month.

Isadora makes an offhand comment about how she doesn’t see why she bothers to open her mouth, but Lucas is already zoning out again. It’s clear that the decision of McCullough is all he can think about, so he ventures the topic – albeit vaguely – with his most trusted source.

Lucas: Can I ask you a question?

Isadora: Was that not just a question?

Lucas, deadpan: You’re fucking hilarious, seriously.

Isadora: [ with a smirk ] I know. Anyway, go on.

Lucas finds a way of twisting the decision to leave into a thinly veiled alternative scenario, almost like… a scientific hypothetical. Something she would inherently understand.

Isadora: You realize that most often supposed “hypotheticals” are in fact very real situations that one is simply posing as a hypothetical –

He waves her off, going with the ruse anyway. He lays it all down before asking for her advice as to how she would proceed to make the most effective choice. She plainly states that she would make a list of pros and cons to each outcome. From there, it’s far simpler to deduce the best method moving forward.

Lucas absorbs this, nodding along and thanking her. Then she continues on with her film sketch, but he’s already checked out again. Already mentally crafting his list…

INT. AAA - GIRLS DRESSING ROOM - DAY

Sarah and Darby are in the dressing room with Chai, hanging out before class resumes. As Darby touches up her makeup, the three of them discuss whether or not they’re auditioning. Sarah complains it’s not really worth trying either way, and Chai concurs. But she blithely states she wasn’t planning on auditioning anyway. In fact, she won’t be returning next year, either.

Darby: [ whipping around and smearing mascara on her cheek ] Oh my God, WHY?

Chai: Relax, Darbs. It’s not goodbye forever. I was able to work out a study abroad sort of situation with Principal Hunter given that I’ll be spending the year in London.

Sarah: London? Where the hell did that come from?

Chai: Well, papa’s still attempting to win over me and mom after getting caught with his pants down with the secretary in our parlor –

Darby, sadly: It’s always the parlor… I’m so glad we don’t have one.

Chai: So he’s paying for me to spend the year across the pond. And it’s like what, am I gonna say no? I can hate his guts and spend his money, thank you very much. I’ll be studying the dramatic arts in the birthplace of Shakespeare, Andrew Lloyd Webber, wandering the West End…

Certainly a not-too-shabby alternative to AAA for a year, that’s for sure. Their conversation is interrupted as Riley enters to drop her things, Darby cheerfully posing the same question to her. Despite her former hesitation, Riley admits that she’s been considering it more and more. Sarah scoffs, asking her if she thinks she stands a chance against the divas. Riley shrugs and states that even if she doesn’t, that’s not a good enough reason to sit it out entirely.  

Chai applauds her confidence, but manages to underhandedly point out that it will give her yet another opportunity to publicly fumble like she did all the time at the start of the year. Sarah laughs along and Darby can’t help but giggle, although her expression is more apologetic.

Riley takes the hit, wishing all of them well with their own endeavors and keeping her chin up before heading out to the auditorium. Chai watches her go, but the expression on her face isn’t resentment. In some ways, it seems closer to envy.

Darby: Hm. Maybe I’ll audition, too.

Sarah: Yeah, uh-huh. I’ll believe it when I see it.

INT. AAA - TEACHER’S LOUNGE - DAY

Jack manages to catch Angela in the teacher’s lounge, brewing a thermos of coffee before she’s due back in the auditorium. He requests a moment to chat with her if she can spare it, which she happily does. The two of them settle in at a round table.

Jack poses the Wyatt problem, giving as much context as possible before asking Angela what she would do in his shoes. He notes the perspective he’s already gotten from Shawn. Angela grants that she isn’t surprised at all that he had that response, but is reluctant to provide her own.

Angela: I don’t know if you want to ask me. I can hardly make my own choices.

Jack: I just want to know your thoughts. Honestly.

Angela hesitates. She explains that she knows what Wyatt did was irrevocably wrong, from the despicable words to Isadora all the way through to the involvement with the confessions page and his targeted derision towards Lucas. It’s bullying in all its varied forms, and it shouldn’t be tolerated. Even still… she expresses hesitation at ousting him so harshly and hastily.

When Jack prods further, Angela points out that Wyatt is still one of her students. He’s making dozens of poor choices, she can concede that, and he deserves to be punished. But she’s also seen him in his brighter moments, instances of participation and camaraderie and learning. That exists in him just as much as the nastiness. As Jack has said himself, it’s never simply black and white, especially with adolescents who have so much growing to do.

For Angela, it just seems a little cruel to kick him out with so little time left in the school year. But she’s a softie, she claims, so what does she know? Maybe that’s not the best advice. Especially if he intends to leave an impression to deter others from exhibiting the same behavior. Jack thanks her regardless, insisting that her feedback was helpful.

Jack, softly: If you do decide to leave us this year as well, you will be sorely missed. I can promise you that.

Ouchie. Angela nods, suddenly a little more somber than before as Jack leaves her to it.

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY

Charlie is out with Zay, the two of them walking side by side as they make their way through the streets while keeping up a conversation. Zay refuses to tell him where they’re headed. Charlie is nervous, but also clearly excited. Invigorated with that infectious energy he gets from being around Zay Babineaux.

Zay declares they’ve made it, turning the corner. Curious, Charlie jogs to keep up.

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DANCE LOT - DAY

Zay has dragged them to a back alley park, the empty lot transforming into a break dance spot in the after school hours. A group of a couple dozen or so students is assembled, both older and younger than them. It’s sort of an impromptu crew, coming here after school to jam and challenge each other and just groove together. Most of them are also quite similar to Zay in displaying confidence in their unique sense of style – and come off pretty distinctly queer.

Charlie is more than intimated. He states he can’t do this before whipping around and trying to leave, but Zay grabs his shoulders and pulls him back. He braces him, going on to explain that as long as they’ve been friends – hell, even just classmates – Charlie has always seemed most centered when he’s dancing. These people, they’re the exact same, in fact they’re the experts at using it for self-expression. Zay is positive Charlie has never experienced dancing with freedom quite like this.

There’s a moment where it seems like maybe he’s being convinced… but no. He’s still scared. He tries to run again but is thwarted when one of the older, more respected members of the crew greets Zay and calls them over. Nowhere to hide, Charlie sheepishly follows Zay as he bounces over to greet his acquaintance.

Zay eagerly introduces Charlie, nudging him into standing straighter and not shying away from the moment. The assembled dancers sort of swarm and welcome him warmly, asking him what kind of dancing he’s into and if he thinks he can keep up. After a little bit of banter, let the dancing jam session begin!

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Step Up” as performed by Samantha Jade  || Instrumental

Yes, it’s the title track from Step Up. Yes, this entire sequence sort of feels like it’s ripped straight out of a Step Up movie. But that’s all part of the fun, and watching the teenagers all groove together and encourage each other is engaging to watch. The dancing is fresh, enthusiastic, clearly important to every single one of the kids assembled there.

Charlie is no exception. It takes a little while him to loosen up, the other dancers showing him new moves or helping him get comfortable. But true to Zay’s word, once he relaxes it’s like he transforms – he’s a completely different person. In his element, grounded, alive.

When the bridge hits (“And when the symphony plays, I feel my feet / Lifting from underneath”), focus zeroes in on just Zay and Charlie. In an instant they’re pulled together, and suddenly they’re dancing more with one another than we’ve seen thus far. Sure, they’ve done duets before, but never have they experimented with a dance that really includes the other.

But it’s good. Really good. And it seems pretty natural for the both of them to work out. As the bridge descends back into the chorus, they blend back with the rest of the crew and end out the jam session. Afterwards, the crew applauds, pulling Charlie into the group and giving him pats on the back. A new source of family, maybe…

His smile is impressively bright. Zay mirrors it. It’s impossible not to.

INT. AAA - SHAWN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Angela and Shawn are at his apartment, having just finished up watching a movie. Well, sort of watching a movie, sort of on the road to Netflix and chilling.

After breaking a kiss, Angela tentatively broaches the topic of what will happen for the two of them if she decides to go on tour. Shawn bristles a bit, claiming that she’s decided then. She disputes this, stating that she’s far from having decided anything in an attempt to keep the situation from imploding. But Shawn has already pulled away, getting to his feet and busying himself by turning off the TV and hitting the lights.

Angela: Shawn, would you listen to me? I haven’t made a choice. I’m just… I’m trying to figure out my plan.

Shawn: You can’t make plans until after you’ve made the decision! [ off her expression ] You’re avoiding it because you don’t want to choose. You want there to be an easy out, but there’s not. You have to decide.

After a little more back and forth, Shawn points out that this is starting to feel eerily like the conversations they had right before the last time things ended badly between them. Angela frowns, stating that it’s different this time. They’re different.

But Shawn has already been emotionally spooked. He asks if he can be alone for a bit, retreating to the bedroom and leaving her alone to stew in it. Angela groans, flopping back on the couch and covering her face.

Weird, how not making a decision can almost make things worse…

INT. CHUBBIE’S DINER - NIGHT

Charlie and Zay are getting a late dinner at Chubbie’s, a credit in part to Charlie’s growth considering plenty of people can see them there who know them. But they’re friends, after all, so what does he have to hide? Just dancing pals.

He thanks Zay for taking him to the lot, stating that while he’s not entirely upright again, he does feel better. Zay is happy to have helped. When the two of them reach for the plate of fries at the same time, there’s a moment where their hands brush together and that tension returns between them again. Zay glances at Charlie, who is staring at their hands.

Then, Charlie proceeds for the fry as normal. Not commenting on the moment, but not immediately shying away from it either.

As he pops the fry into his mouth, he asks Zay what his plan for the summer program is. The number he was working on in the auditorium seemed pretty legit. Zay shrugs it off, claiming he’s not doing the audition. Charlie nearly chokes on his fries.

Zay: Jesus, man. [ sliding his water across the table in case he needs it ] If you survived the scary dancing pit, don’t let a stray potato take you out.

Charlie: What do you mean you’re not auditioning?

Zay: It’s no biggie. My family has this whole summer plan already, and I don’t want to mess with it. Not to mention the Farkle and Maya of it all, who knows what they might do if someone presents even a shred of competition –

Charlie, incredulously: I can’t believe I’m hearing this right now. You need to audition. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you’re too good to pass it up.

Zay: Um, could say the same to you.

Charlie: Yeah, thanks, but I’ve got enough going on internally without adding a stressful audition into the mix. Think you can admit to that.

Zay: Yes, you certainly are a bit of a basketcase at the moment…

Case in point, Zay needs to do this. Charlie won’t hear anything else, and he’s sure his family will understand. He at least needs to try. Zay contemplates this – the notion of actually giving it a shot as well as Charlie getting fired up on his behalf – before eating another fry.

INT. AAA - BOYS DRESSING ROOM - DAY

Farkle is gearing up for his audition, doing vocal warm-ups and mouth stretches in the mirror. Yogi and Dave are also present, shooting the breeze and poking fun at Farkle’s pre-show rituals. Dave shares that he heard Riley might be auditioning too, which freaks out Farkle. He wasn’t expecting more than the three of them to audition, and suddenly the calm of this whole situation feels precarious.

Maya pokes her head in, checking for Farkle and telling him they’re ready. Yogi and Dave tell him to break a leg, but he ignores them as he marches out of the dressing room.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Farkle and Maya make their way into the wings, the spotlight gleaming on stage and waiting for him. He stands apprehensively in the shadow of the curtains, suddenly prickling with stage fright he’s never really experienced before.

Maya gives him a bracing pat on the shoulder, pulling him out of his own head. She jostles him a bit, giving him a smirk and assuring him that he’s got this.

Wow, how nice it is to have friends instead of adversaries. Farkle nods, exhaling through his lips and regaining his performance mojo.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Not the Boy Next Door” as performed by Glee Cast  || Performed by Farkle Minkus

The instrumental precedes him, setting us up for a jaunty, energetic solo as Farkle marches his way onto the stage. It’s an enthusiastic and skillful performance, delivering all of the star power and talent that he’s been serving since “Man About Town” but leaner, looser, more an expression of heart rather than a strangled declaration of perfectionism.

More than anything, it’s clear he’s having fun, which can’t be said for every performance he’s given over the course of the year. He totally loses himself in the number, spurred on by the encouraging cheers from his classmates who came out to see him – notably Maya and Riley, amongst scattered other performers.

He’s out of breath when he belts out the final note, but boy, did he make an impression. Angela thanks him proudly, the rest of the judges smiling as well.

INT. AAA - TECHNICIAN’S BOOTH - DAY

Lucas is alone in the booth, in his usual chair. He’s got his pros and cons list in a small notebook, tapping his pen against it as he contemplates it. Presently, there’s a couple more cons than pros.

He raises his gaze to look at the booth around him. Much like the moment that gripped Angela in the black box, Lucas becomes acutely aware of the fact that he may never be back in this space after the school year is done. It’s oddly surreal. His pen starts tapping faster out of instinct.

He’s broken out of his fugue when Riley pops in, knocking lightly before stepping inside.

Riley: I hope I’m not intruding.

Lucas: No, uh, no. It’s fine. You’re fine. What’s up?

Riley can tell he’s not quite himself, but she chooses to brush past it for now. She’s a bit nervous herself, given what she’s there to talk to him about. After a bit of beating around the bush – a pointed eyebrow raises from Lucas to make it evident he knows she’s beating around the bush – Riley works up the courage to ask him to be her date to the Jacobs gala.

Before he can respond, she launches into a frantic ramble explaining exactly what it is and what he’d be expected to do. Lucas does his best to absorb her words at warp speed, obviously stunned she considered to ask him at all.

Riley: [ following her breathless explanation ] Essentially, it’s just a fanciful folly for the arts, but apparently I’m good enough to represent. And I’m supposed to bring a plus one, and I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I just keep… I figured it might be nice to have a technician there as well. I couldn’t think of another person better suited for the job.

Lucas: … wow.

Lucas, still slow from the shock, admits that he’s flattered. And he concurs that her reasoning makes sense, bringing a technician along and all that. Riley nods along, chewing her lip and twisting her fingers together.

Lucas: But uh… no.

Riley: No. [ blinking ] No?

Ouch. Lucas presses his lips together, managing a shake of his head. Suddenly, the booth feels a million times more claustrophobic. As Riley tries to digest this turn of events, Lucas scrambles to provide an explanation of his own.

Lucas: Again, I really appreciate you considering me. But it seems like a pretty important thing for the school, or whatever, and a whole glamorous to-do. I just think that there’s a lot riding on you, here, and you should present yourself accordingly. Pick someone more… fitting to the role.

Riley: [ timidly ] What if I think you fit the role?

Well, hard to argue with that. Yet somehow, Lucas finds a way, still declining the invitation although with less certainty the second time around.

Riley is stung, stumbling out a few assurances of “cool” and “sure.” Lucas is apologetic, seemingly genuinely so, but at present Riley just needs to escape. She makes an excuse and darts out of there, Lucas watching her go. There’s a moment where it looks like he might go after her, but it passes without action.

Instead, Lucas sighs and pulls his notebook back onto his lap. He stares at his lists, grabbing his pen and adding Riley to the bottom of it. It’s in the middle of the page, not clear at all which column she falls under.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - NIGHT

As Donna prepares for dinner and Omar chats with her from the table with his work, Zay barrels into the room and declares that he has something to tell them. He doesn’t give them the chance to react as he claims he wants to audition for the Kossal summer program, rattling off what it is and why he wants to do it. He states that he wants to go on the summer trip and this may not even work out, but the chance feels too important to ignore and really important to him.

When he finishes, he’s out of breath. He stares at his parents, wide-eyed, waiting for their reaction. Unsurprisingly they are more than supportive, telling him to go for it and show everyone at that school why he is the best they’ve got. The rest, they’ll figure out later. Zay exhales in relief and hugs his mom, earning a laugh from her.

INT. BABINEAUX HOME - ZAY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Zay retreats to his bedroom, obviously in far better spirits than earlier in the week. He crafts a message to Charlie, before deciding that’s not enough. He pulls up his contact, dialing his number instead.

INT. GARDNER HOME - CHARLIE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Charlie sees Zay light up his phone, grabbing it and escaping out to his balcony. He answers on the fourth ring, not keeping him hanging.

Zay tells him what his parents said, and that he’s going to audition. Charlie congratulates him, claiming that he knew it would all work out.

Zay: How is it when I always think I’ve got the one-up on you, you repay the favor before I even realize it?

Charlie, charmed: Well, I have to be the expert at something in this relationship.

Zay hangs on his acknowledgement of their friendship as a “relationship,” before pushing past it. He repeats the sentiment that his parents said about proving that he is the best AAA has, and Charlie seconds it without hesitation.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “The Music and the Mirror” as performed by A Chorus Line Original Cast || Performed by Zay Babineaux

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Starting from the opening piano tinkles, focus is solely with Zay on the stage. As much an honorary diva as he is, he’s more so a team player than anything else, so this ownership of center stage feels long overdue.

And boy, is it worth the wait. Zay absolutely destroys the classic triple-threat number, singing the hell out of it and then proceeding to dance the hell out of it. It’s four minutes dedicated to giving the star our undisputed attention, and it feels more earned than words can describe.

As the dance unfolds in the second half, focus cuts to some of the friends who have come to see him audition. Nearly the entire class is there considering how popular he is, all in awe of his dancing ability as they should be. Charlie looks prouder than ever. Riley is basically jumping out of her seat from excitement. That’s her first friend!

The judges are deeply impressed, and seemingly grateful at their current three auditionees there’s not actually a decision to make. Farkle seems less relieved, starting to get a little bit antsy as they applaud Zay and he gives a confident bow.

INT. LAW OFFICE - DAY

Riley visits her mother at work, distinctly out of place in the high intensity and strait-laced setting of the law office with her thrift store tee and flare jeans and propensity for knocking things over. It’s a relief when TOPANGA LAWRENCE emerges from her office and happily gestures her in, freeing her from the scrutinizing gaze of her colleagues at the front.

INT. TOPANGA’S OFFICE - DAY

Topanga and Riley catch up as they settle in, Riley primly sitting in the large leather chair opposite her mother’s desk. When prompted on how school is going, Riley offhandedly explains all of the stuff going on at school with things winding down to summer. When Topanga gets wind of the summer program, she comments what a wonderful opportunity that sounds like and questions whether Riley is going to audition.

Riley admits that she was thinking about it, but has sort of decided she’s not going to. Topanga totally turns the usual argument on its head, wondering why Riley would ever hesitate when she’s so gifted but more so curious as to why she’d neglect such a great opportunity when they’re certainly forking over a chunk of change for her to attend the school in the first place. A fair point, but not the most empathetic approach.

It’s encouragement in its most aggravating form. Rather than motivating Riley it almost completely turns her off to the whole thing. Although she states she’ll continue to consider it, her expression makes that statement difficult to buy. Tough day for Miss Matthews…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Class is assembled before first bell, discussing all the auditionees so far and how nothing has been much of a surprise. Wyatt is cleverly keeping his mouth shut giving he’s on probation, but somehow his classmates manage to pull some commentary out of him.

When he says something harsh towards Zay’s performance Charlie starts to refute but Lucas beats him to it, firing back with a dig at Wyatt that makes most of the assorted group chuckle but also wince. Pissed at being ridiculed by him once again, Wyatt serves up a harsh reality check of his own.

Wyatt: At least we know if there was a competition for which one of them to get rid of, there’d be a unanimous decision across the board.

The message is clear enough. Isadora jumps in and tells Wyatt to fuck off, but Lucas is less reactive. In fact, he’s totally blithe when he says something offhand in response, alluding to the fact that Wyatt might very well get his wish.

He gets up, retreating to the booth and leaving an uncomfortable and uncertain quiet in his place. The situation feels serious, but none of them have any clue why…

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

Angela is still grappling with her own indecision, alone in her classroom. Only this time, Shawn isn’t there with coffee and a warm gesture to rescue her.

She checks her phone, revealing a couple of messages sent to him that have gone unanswered. Frustrated, running out of time, and as uncertain as ever, Angela shuts off her phone and jumps to her feet. Unable to sit still any longer.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” as performed by Jools Holland & Kylie Minogue || Performed by Angela Moore

Launching into this anthem for indecision, Angela dances around her classroom as she lets out her aggravation. It’s refreshing to get another track with our favorite performance coach showing off why she’s been offered a touring position in the first place. The vocals are top notch, but the emotion behind them is what really sells the rendition.

As she continues to sing, she makes her way out into the halls…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

In the following montage, Angela’s singing underscores both she and Lucas going through their day as they continue to balance their decisions. Whereas Angela is more about chewing up the scenery and expressing reluctance to leave, Lucas is observing the things about the school he enjoys (his fellow technicians, the booth, the occasional moments where the performers are entertaining) along with all the things he hates (the drama, the stupidity, the incessant singing). With every beat, he makes a little note in his list when no one is paying attention.

Angela finishes off the montage at center stage, dipping her head back and absorbing the spotlight. Exasperated, but evidently no more at home than when she’s performing. It does truly feel like an impossible decision.

Then, she closes up for the night, clicking off all the lights and shrouding the place in darkness.

EXT. OUTDOOR HIDEOUT - DAY

The montage concludes for Lucas somewhere just out of the city, more wilderness than we’ve seen yet. He’s seated on the hood of Dylan’s jeep which is parked in the clearing just beyond the trees, sort of a natural hideaway that the three of frequent somewhat often. Asher and Dylan focus on setting up something further into the space, leaving Lucas alone.

He’s got his list again, distracted by it rather than the task at hand. Asher jogs over with Dylan on his heels, the two of them questioning why he’s been out of it this week and why he’s waiting up. Dylan holds up a bottle rocket impatiently.

Dylan: Come on. We know you like to have first light.

Idiotic antics aside, Asher observes Lucas for a moment before wondering if he knows that if something major were going on, he could talk to them about it.

Asher: Whatever’s going on, you know you could talk to us about it, right? [ off Dylan’s nod of agreement ] I mean, no guarantee that we’d have good advice –

Dylan: [ with a snort ] Definitely not.

Asher: But we’d listen. We got your back. You know?

Lucas examines the two of them – his truest lieutenants – and just takes them in for a long moment. It’s difficult to imagine what his day-to-day would be like without them in it.

He assures them he’s aware, then tells them not to worry about it. He directs them to go finish setting up the rocket, to which Dylan cheers and sprints back over. After they’ve gone far enough away, Lucas takes a moment to add their names on the pros side of the list as a totally separate entity from the rest of the techies.

With that, he officially comes out to an even tally – no clear decision. All that remains in flux is Riley, now having been underlined and with a couple of question marks. This indecision’s killing me…

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Jack stops by Eric’s office, surprising him given they rarely have cordial friendly chats with one another. He attempts to play it casual at first, commenting on how lovely the auditions have been so far. Since only three have auditioned, guess their job is pretty simple, huh?

Eric: Yeah, for sure. And why are you here again?

Jack: What? I can’t come by to have a chat with my best counselor?

Eric: I’m your only counselor.

Jack: And?

Eric gives him a look, breaking his facade. Jack relents, easing further into the room to settle into the chair opposite his desk. He gets into his qualm with Wyatt once again, especially now that Shawn and Angela have given him opposing advice.

He still feels stuck. He wants to make the best choice as an administrator, but he also knows that teenagers are stupid. They’re ignorant. They make mistakes. He’s seen that shift firsthand all year long, in just about every single one of their students. But he doesn’t want this behavior to continue either…

Eric empathizes, giving Jack what he’s been wanting to hear this entire time which is simply that there isn’t a right or easy decision. He just has to go with his gut. Considering he’s an excellent educator, Eric has little doubt that he will make the best one.

Jack appreciates the sentiment, but still isn’t convinced. He asks Eric what he would do in his position, seeking counsel from him seeing as that’s presumably his job title and all that.

After a beat of contemplation, Eric states that he thinks he would ask Wyatt to leave. Not because he’s irredeemable, but because they have to think about what is best for the collective. Regardless of how they feel about individual students, what always matters most is how all of them can best proceed. Isn’t that true?

Jack takes this to heart, genuinely grateful for the help. Eric accepts his gratitude, offering him an encouraging smile.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Lucas is seated on the edge of the stage, one leg dangling off the side as he painstakingly wraps microphone cables. Riley makes her way in from the audience entrance, hoping to find Isadora and stumbling into him instead. Their staging mirrors their face off at the end of 1.03, now with Riley standing in the aisles and looking up at him on the stage.

They’re a bit awkward with one another as she asks whether he’s seen Isadora, given how recent his rejection of her was. He claims he doesn’t know, curiously wondering why she’s trying to find her. Riley expresses that she wanted to ask her about the audition, letting it slip that she has almost effectively decided she’s not going to do it.

Lucas is shocked, coming off more miffed than he intends to. He questions if she’s serious, not believing there’s a world in which she’s not auditioning. Riley stammers into an explanation, Lucas remaining unimpressed as she lists all the factors that have stacked against her in the past week. He claims none of that matters.

Lucas: This is just you stepping back into the shadows because suddenly overwhelming factors have come into play. You’re really just going to go back to how things were? As if you’ve learned nothing?

Riley: [ scoffing ] Are you really about to give me this lecture right now?

[ Lucas rolls his eyes, diverting his attention back to his cables. But Riley isn’t finished, storming closer to the stage. ]

Riley: So what, you just want me to rock the boat for the sake of rocking the boat? You want me to just do whatever my mother says I should?

Lucas: This isn’t about your mom. And this isn’t about rebellion either. This is about you, and the fact that you are too damn talented to be stepping out of the spotlight just because other people want it. Just because someone else wants what you have doesn’t mean you have to give it up.

Choice words, and not a bad point. Riley absorbs this, crossing her arms and looking at her feet. Lucas gazes at her for a long moment, twisting the microphone cable in his fingers.

Lucas, calmer: Earlier this year, someone told me that if something is important to you then you go out and do it. No matter what anyone else tells you to do or how to be. You stand up for yourself.

Lucas gets to his feet, placing the microphone in the box with the rest and snapping the lid shut. He hops off the lip of the stage, passing her to head back towards the technician’s booth. But he hesitates once he’s passed her.

Lucas: Are you really going to go back to hiding in the chorus line?

He doesn’t give her the chance to respond, marching towards the back of the auditorium. Riley looks over her shoulder and watches him go, obviously torn up all over again. For what it’s worth, what she wants suddenly seems less muddled than before…

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Thus, march onward Riley does. She approaches the audition list, hesitating before officially adding a fourth name to the roster. All the sudden, there’s actual stakes to this game. As she writes her name, a voiceover of her introducing herself before her audition pre-laps…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Riley is alone center stage, spotlight shining on her. She’s squinting to attempt and see Eric, Angela, any of them – but it’s like they’re not there at all. Basically the entire class has showed up in the seats, wanting to see how a non-diva contender plans to throw down with such a bold move against the status quo.

Angela grants Riley permission to begin whenever she’s ready. Her fingers are shaking as she holds the microphone stand. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath and grounding herself.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “She Used to Be Mine” as performed by Sara Bareilles || Performed by Riley Matthews

If there’s a pivotal example of how much a performer can blossom in the span of a year, then this performance would be it. Although she starts out timid, Riley delivers an impassioned and powerful rendition of the Broadway belter, obviously channeling all of her emotion and passion into it like never before. It’s stunning, breathtaking, the kind of game-changer that throws this entire competition into a toss-up.

It’s a testament to how far she’s come that nearly the entire class seems impressed. They’re supportive too, smiling and nodding as she decimates the number. Isadora is smug on her behalf, glancing to the other techies proudly. Even Farkle is playing nice, although he’s starting to get a little twitchy…

INT. AAA - TECHNICIAN’S BOOTH - DAY

As she rounds out the number, focus draws to Lucas in the booth. He’s totally captivated, although not that surprised – he’s the one who told her she had it in her, after all.

Still, there’s a contemplative edge to his expression. Trying to figure her out, wondering if he could actually walk away from her…

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Inspired by Riley’s bold move, suddenly the audition list is swimming in the names of other hopeful auditionees. Farkle is staring at it, trying extremely hard to keep his cool and not freak out over the increasing loss of control.

Maya joins him, poking her chin over his shoulder and eyeing it as well before stating that he can’t keep watching it like this. Yet the two of them stare transfixed for a second longer, Maya physically having to turn them both away from it to break the trance.

She gives a pep talk, stating that they both gave kickass performances and all there is left to do is let the deliberation speak for itself. When Farkle doesn’t seem convinced, she tells him she’s getting him away from it. They’re getting out of there – they’re playing hooky. Now there’s a way to get the attention of a goody-two-shoes academic.

Farkle: Um? I’ve never missed a day of class in my sixteen years.

Maya: Aw, so honored to be your first time! Let’s go.

She grabs his hand, yanking him down the hall.

EXT. NEW YORK STREETS - DAY

Launching into their day of freedom, Maya and Farkle are meandering their way about town. They’re window shopping in the fashion district, sipping fancy coffee drinks and trying to find their zen – Farkle’s is pointedly marked decaf.

As they chat, they somehow gets on the subject of the local theater scene and the hangouts for up and coming performers. Farkle claims that his parents have membership at this elite club lounge where a lot of Broadway performers congregate and rehearse.

Maya: What’s it called?

Farkle: Emerald City, I think.

Maya: [ stopping cold ] WHAT?

Farkle: I know, feels a little on the nose, but –

Maya grabs him by the shirt collar, yanking him towards her and causing him to drop his drink. She’s got a frenzied gleam in her eyes.

Farkle: I was drinking that!

Maya: You have access to the Emerald City lounge? Where the future stars of Broadway mix and mingle? Where it’s rumored Carly Rae Jepsen snuck her way in and was able to get her stint as Cinderella? How have you never told me this?

Farkle: Ow, unclaw me, please! [ as she does so ] I don’t know, it never came up. I’ve always wanted to go, but I didn’t want to go alone. And to be fair, we weren’t exactly chummy for me to be sharing these things.

Maya: I know, I’m surprised you weren’t just bragging incessantly about it. And listen, had you mentioned this sooner? We would’ve been friends ages ago.

Farkle gives her a look, Maya nudging him playfully before insisting they have to go. If the only reason he’s never gone is because he didn’t want to go stag, well, that problem is now solved.

She starts to drag him down the street but he gets her to slow down, first thanking her for getting him out of that school and out of his own head. He truly needed it, and he’s grateful for it – and her. Maya grins, shrugging it off like it’s nothing.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “One Short Day” as performed by Wicked Original Broadway Cast || Performed by Maya Hart & Farkle Minkus

As the jaunty and uplifting descent into glamourous kicks off, Maya and Farkle dance their way through the streets together as only two divas in paradise can. It’s endearing and comfortable, such a far cry from “What Is This Feeling?” in 1.03. It also doesn’t paint NYC in such a bad light either. In fact, it’s pretty damn beautiful.

On the beat where Glinda tells Elphaba they’re going to be late for “Wiz-a-mania,” Farkle gets caught up checking his phone. People are posting on their own accounts about how auditions are going, and the competition seems to be getting thicker and thicker. But Maya pulls him out of it, yanking him down the stairwell to the hidden depths of Emerald City.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

As Farkle and Maya enter the depths of the working performers, a montage ensues of the rest of the sophomore class performing their auditions.

INT. EMERALD CITY LOUNGE - DAY

An eclectic, shimmering testament to Broadway and those struggling to work in it, Emerald City is somewhere between a bar lounge and a dressing room. Maya and Farkle watch in awe as working actors and dancers buzz around them, before inevitably pulling them into the dance. Because it’s television, and musical television, and we can do what we want.

After the very necessary and super cute kick line, Maya and Farkle come back together to share their moment on the lyrics “and then just like now we can say…” Farkle states that they’re “two good friends,” before Maya takes his hand and holds their joined fingers up between them. “Two best friends.”

Then the professionals pull them back into the number, rounding out the number with a flourish. What a way to spend a school day!

INT. AAA - TECHNICIAN’S BOOTH - NIGHT

Lucas is back in the booth, although not in his usual chair. A little further into the booth, a panel has popped out of the wall and leaned against the electrical cabinet. And it’s the basic crawl space of an alcove that is revealed behind it where Lucas has built his hideaway, the place he sleeps when he’s avoiding going home. It’s not much, but it’s the coziest space he’s ever known.

This is where he is now, cooped up and regarding his full list. Cons include the horrible competitive environment, all the performers, the constant singing, etc. The pros, however, are strong and difficult to ignore – Isadora at the top and underlined, the techies, Mister Shawn, Principal Hunter (someone has to keep his life interesting), Dylan and Asher…

And yet, the tally comes to an even draw. All save for Riley at the bottom, somehow having become the deciding factor.

The booth door opening scares Lucas out of his melancholy. He scrambles to get up and start frantically attempt to hide everything away, when Isadora appears around the other side of the electrical cabinet. She tells him to relax, he doesn’t have to pack away his whole set-up. Also, she brought dinner. Lucas tries to act indifferent about her discovering his shelter, but she truly isn’t all that impressed.

Isadora: You really thought I didn’t know about all that? It’s not hard to deduce. You hate being at home. You’re always in here, and you’re always here first thing in the morning, which I know isn’t plausible otherwise because you’re not a morning person.

Lucas: Well, when you put it that way. [ a beat, softer ] Forget you’re a genius, sometimes.

Isadora: [ with a shrug ] You’re my best friend. It’s not that hard to figure you out.

He sits back down in his alcove, Isadora settling down across from him. She asks how his “hypothetical” is going. He defensively wonders if she’s figured that all out too, which she admits she has not. But she claims that if it were truly important, she knows he would tell her.

In this case, far from the truth. There’s a reason he’s avoided telling her what’s going on outright – he can’t imagine how she would take the news that he may be leaving for good. He explains that he’s hit a dead end and doesn’t know how to move forward. He’s done the pros and cons like she said, but he’s torn on this last factor that might tip the scales in either direction.

Isadora: First things first, is it an important factor? If it’s extraneous, then you shouldn’t even bother with it.

Lucas: … yes. Yeah, it is. How do I determine where it falls?

Isadora: Well, if this were an actual scientific theory, your next step would be to draft an experiment. Decide what you want your hypothesis to be – which outcome you want it to be, unless we’re talking null hypothesis – and then find a way to test whether or not it’s true. That’s what any good scientist would do. Basic scientific method.

Lucas takes this in, already puzzling over how to accomplish such a thing. Isadora distracts him by tossing food at him, commanding him to eat. He relents, digging in with her.

INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Angela is typing out an email to the touring company, effectively making her decision. From the looks of it, it seems as though she’s going to decline the offer. She’s interrupted when there’s a knock at her door.

Shawn is on the other side, holding a bouquet of flowers and ansty with earnest. Angela starts to question what he’s doing but he cuts her off, stepping in past her and launching into a poem from the book she gave him. The thematics are essentially well-matched to their current situation, and Angela can’t help but giggle in a what are you doing sort of fashion.

When Shawn finishes the recitation, he puts the flowers on the table and takes her arms. He’s breathless with nerves, but clearly wants her to hear him.

Shawn: I’ve changed a lot since the last time we had these conversations. I have, but I sure wasn’t acting like it. I’m sorry about the way I reacted, and I don’t care if you want to pursue this thing. In fact, I’m proud of you, and I want you to, if that’s what you want. And if it means another few years apart, then so be it. We came back to each other once.

Angela doesn’t even know what to say. She doesn’t know how to convey that she was going to decline the offer, or if she even still should with this turn of events. Thankfully, she’s saved by the bell, in this case her cell phone ringing. He steps back and allows her to pick it up.

As she engages with the call, we can tell that the news is shocking. Shawn tries to get something out of her as she listens, desperately trying to get a read on the situation. When she hangs up, she just stares at him for a couple of seconds.

Shawn: Ange, you’re killing me.

Angela manages to stammer out that she’s been offered a role in an off-Broadway show. Then, she’s finally able to grin. She repeats the statement, trying to make herself believe it. It’s not her big break, no, but it’s a start – and it’s here. She doesn’t have to go anywhere. The two of them, her time here, aren’t finished quite yet.

Shawn pulls her into a hug, lifting her and spinning her. When she lands back on her feet, the two of them share a big damn kiss –

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The sophomore class is assembled outside the door to the black box, anxiously waiting for Angela to put up the finalists for Kossal. The performers are trying their best not to throw jabs at each other, while the techies hang back against the wall and watch the near stampede in mild amusement.

Lucas: If any of you decide you’re going to the pit because of this, can I watch?

Riley tells them to ignore him, reminding the core group that whatever happens, they’re going to be happy for one another. They all agree, although it’s hard to tell if that sentiment is going to hold true…

Angela emerges, silence immediately settling over the crowd. You could hear a pin drop. She begs for a moment to escape once she puts it up before they all stampede, then moves to pin the list onto the bulletin board. She dives back into the classroom and slams the door just as the wolves descend, trying to see who got the three coveted spots.

Farkle elbows his way through, making it to the front first and getting a look for himself. From his expression, we can almost imagine the list before we see it.

Zay Babineaux. Maya Hart. Riley Matthews.

No Farkle Minkus. No summer program. No successful path to the top.

Sound grows muted around Farkle as the others get close enough to look for themselves. He can’t bring himself to react. He can’t even breathe.

He’s jostled out of it when Charlie bumps him in the back on accident, en route to giving Zay an enthusiastic hug. Maya and Riley eagerly congratulate one another, turning expectantly towards Farkle. Obviously not certain what to say to him, but hoping he’ll opt to take the gracious approach instead and make it easy on them to enjoy their laurels.

What do they want from him? A congratulations? Farkle doesn’t have it in him to give. He sort of sputters an incoherent statement and backs away, trying to wrap his head around it. How this could have possibly happened.

Zay: Seriously? Are you about to diva meltdown? What happened to being happy for each other?

Farkle, panicked: Yeah, well, that’s easy to say when –

Charlie: It’s okay, dude. There will be other opportunities –

Farkle is beyond that. He’s sliding back into manic, figuring he must have let himself slip up somewhere along the way. Or that this is all some elaborate ruse on their part – like they all knew if they got him off his game, he’d be easier to thwart.

Zay: You think I’d choose to be friends with you just to get some made up advantage over you? Believe me, man, I don’t hate myself that much.

Riley: Farkle, that’s not true –

Maya: Farkle. [ breaking through the haze, over everyone else ] Can’t you just be happy for me?

She holds his gaze, obviously hurt. Hoping he’ll say the right thing. But all he can manage is a non-answer.

Farkle: I – need a second. I need – just leave me alone.

Farkle storms away towards the auditorium, desperate to escape. The others watch him go, a myriad of emotions swirling around them but disappointment being the most unifying one.

Zay: Guess people don’t really change.

Maya looks more wounded than anyone else. She breaks away from the group, marching in the other direction.

INT. AAA - JACK’S OFFICE - DAY

Jack is having his final conduct meeting with Wyatt, having made his decision on what his punishment will be. Eric is also present.

The final verdict is somewhere down the middle: Wyatt is being expelled from AAA effective at the start of the new term, but he will be allowed to finish out the remainder of this school year. Wyatt doesn’t have any complaints at this point, resigned. He claims that AAA is a hellscape and totally corrupt. The administration clearly has their favorites, and they have no idea how rotten the place is from the inside out.

Eric, calmly: You seem quite critical of this so-called rotten environment, in spite of how you had an active hand in keeping it alive…

Wyatt chooses not to comment, Jack dismissing him. As he heads out, he warns Jack that getting rid of him isn’t going to get rid of the problems at Adams. For one, he’s not the creator of the AAAC, but more pointedly the page is not the perpetrator of all the mean stuff people say about each other. They do all that themselves. Like he’s been saying, it’s just the messenger. And they’ve just shot it.

Wyatt: So if you really believe you’re making a difference, maybe you try tackling the toxic waste that serves as the very core of this school. But that would require actually being a competent administrator, so…

Eric rises and shoos him out, Jack taking the intended hit anyway. He closes his eyes and rubs his temples as Eric shuts the door behind Wyatt, releasing a sigh and claiming he thinks they made the right choice expelling that kind of bad energy.

When Jack doesn’t seem placated, Eric settles down across from him and comes to his defense. Wyatt is just postulating, and he made a good decision.

Jack nods along, but it’s evident there’s a lingering inkling of doubt…

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - DAY

As Wyatt exits the front office, he pulls out his phone. He crafts a message to AAA Confessions, warning them that Jack is on the warpath. The page is probably going to be officially shut down before the end of the school year. What are they planning to do?

The confessions page starts a message back… then doesn’t respond. Wyatt never gets an answer.

INT/EXT. LUCAS’S BEDROOM / LUCAS’S FIRE ESCAPE - DAY

Lucas is flipping through the McCullough pamphlet, but he can’t stomach looking at it for too long. Still feels like too daunting a decision to make.

He climbs out onto his fire escape, settling down and releasing a sigh. He stares out towards the city for a moment, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He starts a message to Riley, but nothing he wants to say comes out right. He finds himself calling her instead.

Lucas: Hey. I know I said… [ a beat ] things have been kind of… [ willing himself to be outright ] Do you still need a plus one?

Let the experiment begin…

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

School has emptied out for the day, only a few stragglers left behind. Farkle is back in front of the bulletin board, staring at the three names and unable to believe that he’s not there.

Something about him isn’t quite right. He’s frantic, frenzied in a way that’s beyond just disappointment from a jilted diva. The longer he glares at the list, clenching his jaw and fidgeting in place, the worse the hysteria seems to become.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “It’s All Over” as performed by Glee Cast || Performed by Farkle Minkus (feat. Zay Babineaux, Maya Hart, Riley Matthews, Isadora De La Cruz, Charlie Gardner, and Lucas Friar)

[ Lyrics specific to characters – follow along here! ]

Farkle spits the words “Miss Moore was supposed to love me, I turn my back and find myself out on the line” towards the list, before whipping around –

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

And suddenly center on a brightly lit stage. It’s almost glaringly bright, to the point where it would hurt to look at. If you’re not in his immediate line of sight, then you’re shrouded in shadow – which is how the figures standing on the stage look to him until they make themselves known and step into the light to argue with him.

Although the rest of the core group is included in the number, it’s more than clear that they’re not actually there. This isn’t actually Maya, Zay, even Lucas singing in opposition to him – they’re all in his imagination, but it doesn’t make it feel any less real. In regards to who is saying what, well, if you read any set of specific lyrics in this show, let it be this number.

As Farkle grows more and more frantic, the opposition towards him grows more and more pronounced. Although this whole thing started with a dashed dream, the way he’s so emotional over them all “dropping” him through the course of the song or turning him away seems like a greater trigger for him than the missed opportunity. So it’s not actually clear what is causing the meltdown, or if he really knows himself.

All he knows is that the entire core group is telling him it’s all over, and he’s fighting against it with whatever he’s got – back to the teeth-gnashing, scrappy, obsessive starlet who clawed his way to first on stage at the start of the school year.

No, Farkle Minkus is far from going quietly. He’s not going anywhere, and he swears that this isn’t how this is going to end.

Oh, boy…

END OF EPISODE.

#S1 #episodes #111