#At least if something happened sean will be there for daniel which if he stays with cassidy he won't

[celibibratty]

I don't know in what world you being with cassidy is best for daniel than doing the heist with him, how a choice where you leave daniel aside to spend time naked in a lake with a "girl" he doesn't like is best for him💢🔥

#lis2 discussion #lis2 discussion ep3 #that just will make things worse(which does) #I know what people will think/say *because we don't put our precious helpless kid brother in danger😢 which is the responsible decision😤 #Nah it doesn't make any difference daniel will do the plain anyway😒 #I don't like when people refer to sean as if he is a bad/irresponsible brother when you make him do the heist (humpf cassidy people😒💢) #for me a good brother is one y'know one who KEEPS AN EYE ON HIS BROTHER! #At least if something happened sean will be there for daniel which if he stays with cassidy he won't #Ah se for pra morrer pelo menos morre todo mundo junto😒

[tae-kookie-addict-blog]

My foot on the gas pedal and eyes on the road, I drive through a practically empty highway with pine trees on each side of the road. Clouds fill the blue sky and the sun shines in my direction. I flip down the sun visor to block the sun from glaring in my eyes. I lightly bob my head along to the song "1901" by Phoenix as it plays on the radio. I glance over to my right, looking at Daniel in the passenger's seat. He's been really quiet for like 15 minutes. He's just staring straight ahead out the window and occasionally looking down at his hands in his lap. Something seems to be on his mind. Well, a lot is on my mind too. My eyes return to the road, my thoughts wandering off.

We haven't stepped foot in America since all of the...traumatic incidents that happened 2 years ago. Fleeing to Puerto Lobos, Mexico was our only choice in order for us to stay together. Daniel has been attending a middle school in Puerto Lobos, but because of his lack of Spanish, he hasn't been able to make friends so he feels left out and lonely during school. He hates going there because of it, so he fights me on it every single morning when I have to drive him to school. I've been trying to teach him Spanish every night, but he gets impatient a lot and frustrated at himself that he isn't learning fast enough. Daniel has been missing America, so that's why we're here. But being here again could be dangerous. I think the police have given up on trying to find us or most people have at least forgotten about it, but it still scares me to be back here. If it weren't for Daniel, I wouldn't take this risk. I couldn't handle him crying in bed every night because of how much he misses our grandparents and his friend Chris in America and just being able to speak English to other people again. Living in Puerto Lobos all this time has been tougher than I thought. I don't even want to think about all the things I've been doing in order for us to afford everything. It's been a struggle to even buy food. I know Daniel isn't eating enough. I always hear his stomach growling. It worries me that I won't be able to take care of him at all.

Even though I'm a little scared, it feels great to have a change of pace and take a little road trip with my lil bro. We're in Oregon right now, heading towards Gladstone which shouldn't be too far away by now. I rented a small cabin for us to stay at in a secluded part of the woods. I'm excited, but a little worried at the same time. My bum is so sore and tired of sitting in this seat for hours. Feels like I've been driving forever. Daniel and I had to sleep in the car last night because we can't afford a motel. Gladstone is 24 hours away from Puerto Lobos, so I've been driving for hours since yesterday. Kill me.

“Sean?” Daniel looks at me, his brown eyes full of innocence and sadness. “Will I ever see Chris again? I miss him...”

“I know, enano. You’ll see him again, I know you will.”

“I haven’t seen him in a million years!”

“It’s only been two years, Daniel.”

"Feels like forever ago. I just hope he’s okay... He didn’t respond to my last letter.”

“You’ve been obsessively checking the mailbox until it gave out and broke.” I lightly chuckle, remembering a few days ago when Daniel opened it for the fifth time using his power and the door broke off.

“Why would he not write me back, Sean? Is he...mad at me?”

"Why would he be mad at you?"

"I don't know..." He looks down, fidgeting his fingers like he regrets something. "I told him his drawings of superheroes looked like creepers from Minecraft."

"I'm sure he wouldn't stay mad at you because of that."

"Then why hasn't he replied? Did something bad happen to him?” His concerned eyes stare into mine, waiting for a hopeful answer.

“I’m sure he’s okay. Maybe he’s just been...busy.”

He nods his head, but I can tell he's still worried and not sure what to think.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Gladstone, Oregon. It seems like a peaceful place to stay for a little vacation. You're the reason we're going on this trip anyway." I reach my hand over, tousling his hair.

"I like living in Puerto Lobos, Sean, because we don't have to run from the cops. But sometimes staying in that old tiny apartment makes me wanna blow it up. Plus, it stinks."

"That's because you don't bathe often enough, cave boy." I tease him.

"You're the one who wears the same clothes for dayssss! It stinks because of you, not me." he retorts, then looks down at his Power Bear action figure in his hands. "He agrees with me. Isn't that right, Power Bear?"

I chuckle, rolling my eyes with a smile.

"Wait! Sean!" he exclaims, sudden excitement filling his voice.

"What?"

"Grandma and grandpa live in Oregon, right?"

"Yeah. And actually, Gladstone is near Beaver Creek where they live."

"Can we please stop by and see them? Pleaseeee, Sean?" he pleads, folding his hands and staring at me with sad, puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, I guess."

"YEAHHHH!" He excitedly raises his hands in the air while still holding onto his Power Bear action figure. "And I can walk over to Chris's house and finally see him!"

"Yep. But just don't get into any trouble when you're over there, okay?" I ask sternly.

"Okay, okay. I can't wait to play with Chris!" He childishly kicks his feet in excitement and bounces in his seat.

I hear the crinkling sound of a bag and Daniel munching away on the potato chips. His crunching is so loud that it's almost getting on my nerves. I glance over, horrified at the mess he's making.

"Daniel! You’re getting chips all over the car!" I scold, seeing chips everywhere.

"I didn’t mean to."

"Clean it up."

He wipes them off the seat and they drop onto the floor of the car. He flashes a mischievous, almost proud smile at me. I roll my eyes.

"I said to clean it up, not push them off the seat."

"But there's no trash can in here."

"Okay, whatever. We'll clean it when we get to the cabin."

Several quiet minutes pass, listening to the radio and occasionally digging my hand into the bag of chips for a little snack. They're perfectly salted.

"I'm so tired of seeing nothing but boring trees." Daniel complains as he rests his elbow on the side of the car door and rests his chin on his arm, staring out the window with an uninterested look, bored out of his mind.

"We'll be there soon."

"Hey, Sean?" In the corner of my eye, I see him look over at me.

"Yeah?"

"I really miss dad." Sorrow fills his voice. My heart aches.

"I know. Me too."

I turn up the volume of the music to distract myself so I won't cry. I hear Daniel rummaging in my backpack so I look over to see what he's doing. He's holding my worn, brown leather wallet and looking through it.

"Hey, Daniel! Don't steal my stuff!" I reach over to snatch it from him, but he pulls it away so I can't reach it.

"I'm not, I promise! I just want to see dad." He pulls out the small photo of dad that I always keep in my wallet. He stares at it with a heartbroken gaze and his eyes glisten with tears, longing to see him again. I haven't looked at that picture in a long time. He blinks and a teardrop rolls down his long black eyelashes. I close my eyes for a moment, turning my head away. It hurts.

"Daniel," I sigh, annoyed. "Put that back."

"Why?"

"Just put it back."

"No."

"Daniel!" I raise my voice in a scolding tone. "Just put it back! Now!"

"But I just--"

I quickly snatch the photo from him and carelessly drop it into the side pocket that's attached to the car door on my left.

"Not fair!" He pouts, furrowing his eyebrows at me and getting an attitude. "Why can't I just look at dad? I miss him!"

I ignore him, looking out the window and blinking several times, trying so hard to hold back the tears that are begging to escape.

"I just wanna see dad, Sean." he says, but I pretend that I don't even hear him.

I rest my left elbow on the car door and anxiously rub along the side of my face and chin while keeping my other hand on the steering wheel. I fidget with the collar of my dark gray hoodie, just doing whatever I can to distract myself to prevent the tears from coming.

"Let me have the picture, pleaseee?" he whines and unbuckles his seat belt. He leans towards me, holding out both hands as he waits for me to give it back.

"Daniel, stop. Put your seat belt back on."

He lunges over me, getting in the way and blocking my view from the road as he tries to reach for the picture.

"DANIEL, STOP!" I shout, pushing him away. "You can look at it later, but not now! Don't do things like that when I'm driving!"

He grunts, irritated that he's not getting his way. He plops his bum down and slams his back into his seat. He crosses his arms and huffs, sulking like a big baby.

"You're so mean, Sean." he grumbles, pouting.

"Whatever, dude." I scoff.

I glance down, realizing I can visibly see the photo. Dad's face, his voice, his smile, his hugs, his advice... I really miss him so much. I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, refusing to surrender to the tears. I need to stay strong for Daniel. I can't have a breakdown in front of him. His body is turned away from me, staring out the window. I should put the picture somewhere else while he's not paying attention. I grab it and slide it back into my wallet. I toss the wallet into my backpack and zip it up, getting the photo as far away from sight as possible.

I stop at a gas station on the side of the road. It looks shady, but it's the only nearest gas station around. I turn to Daniel, his back still turned away from me and ignoring me. Now I feel kinda bad for yelling at him.

"Hey, Superwolf?" I speak softly, putting my hand on his shoulder and lightly shaking him so he'll look at me.

He doesn't say anything, refusing to even look at me. I should try to cheer him up a bit.

"'Hey, Daniel, you have to be strong like me and answer your big bro.'" I speak in a silly deeper voice as I hold his Power Bear action figure and wiggle it in front of Daniel's face, pretending that it's talking to him. He grabs it from me, not even cracking a little smile.

"Do you hate dad, Sean?" he asks straightforwardly, finally looking at me as his eyes plead for an answer.

"What? No, I don't. Why are you asking that?"

"Because you won't let me look at the photo of him and you always hide it away."

"That's not because I hate him."

"Then why?"

I stay silent, staring into Daniel's deep brown eyes as he waits for me to answer. A lump in my throat, I can't get myself to say anything. Pain sears through my aching heart. Tears slowly fill my eyes and drip down. I quickly look away in the opposite direction, wiping them away with my long sleeve. I get out of the car without saying a word, slamming the door behind me. I lean my back against the side of the car and look up towards the blue sky, a few white fluffy clouds slowly passing by.

"I love and miss you so much, dad." I whisper, my voice cracking as a few more tears roll down my face. "I don't know what I'm doing, dad... Me and Daniel are so alone out here in the world without you. I could really use your advice and encouragement right now."

I close my eyes, feeling the gentle breeze on my face and ruffling through my brown hair. I open my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to regain my composure.

I stand beside my car quietly with my gaze down as I wait for the gas to fill up the car. Fond memories flood my mind of when dad taught me how to drive and how to fill a car with fuel. He kept cracking jokes and made the learning experience fun and memorable. He was always so bright and positive about everything. I wish I would've told him I loved him more. I wish I could still hug him. I hesitantly look up slowly and I spot a police officer. My heart drops. I quickly turn around, my back facing him so he won't recognize me. My heart pounds and my hands tremble as I remove the gas pump nozzle from the fuel filler of my car. I hop into the car and start the engine. We need to get out of here. Fast.

"Hey, Daniel, did the cop notice yo--" I freeze when I look to the passenger's seat.

Oh my god... Where's Daniel?!

----

To Be Continued...

----

A/N: Were you reading this in Sean and Daniel's voices? Because I sure was. Lol XD Please comment and Like my story if you wanna know what happens next! It needs some love. <3

Here’s a link if you wanna read more: https://www.quotev.com/story/15596289/Life-Is-Strange-2-Reunited/1

Story description:

After living in Puerto Lobos for 2 years, brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz take a road trip to America for a change of pace to stay in a relaxing cabin for a few days, but it turns into a nightmare. Something is happening to Daniel and it's causing him to lose control of his telekinesis power, causing havoc and chaos. What will happen when they reunite with their grandparents and old friends? What troubles will they face? Will the brothers ever reach a happy ending?

#lifeisstrange #lifeisstrange2 #lis2 #fanfiction #seandiaz #danieldiaz #story #supernatural #adventure #wolfbrothers

[ellaenchanting]

Hypnovember 2020 Master List

Now that I have awoken from my post-Hypnovember nap, it’s time to post my 2020 Master List! in comparison to last year’s entries, a lot of stories this year delved more into either more intense kinks or more of my intense personal feelings than my stories last year did. Sometimes writing stories is a bit like reading my own tarot cards in that way- letting an ambiguous prompt roll around in my subconscious and sometimes being surprised or amused or even slightly unsettled by what it turns into. I hope you will find something in this group of works that soothes you, that turns you on, that intrigues you, and that most of all provokes a response. If you do, I’d absolutely love to hear about it. :)

Copying one of my favorite @jukeboxemcsa  ideas, I’ve also included a HypnoBS rating for every work about how realistic the hypnosis/mind control is in each work (IMHO). In this ranking, 1 means to is absolute bullshit and 5 is a normal Tuesday night (for someone).

Icons- 📰- story. 🔊- audio 💻- technology 😍- romantic 🌈- queer 😴- regular ole’ hypnosis 🛀- brainwashing and/or character in tub 👻- spooky 🐈- at least one happy pussy ❓- bad or reeeally questionable consent 👨‍🔬 -science! 🤪 -crackfic #-#sceneideas 😭-feeeels ⭐-author’s personal favorites

Day 1: Instant M/f 📰 😴🐈#😭

Choice quote: “Sean chuckled as he moved in closer. And closer. ‘I thought you wanted to know what it was like to be hypnotized, sweetheart. To follow suggestions? To have someone else take control? It’s not real control if I’m doing something you already wanted, now is it?”

HypnoBS- 5. Read the whole thing but- IMHO totally plausible.

Fun Fact- These are the same characters from last year’s Day 5: Poison.

Day 2: Coils F/m 📰 😴 💻 👨‍🔬

Choice quote: “Daniel rolled his eyes. ‘I bet you could hypnotize me with a bar of soap if you wanted to. That still doesn’t make me like spirals.’”

HypnoBS- 5. Maybe 4 because I don’t love the induction but- maybe you will? Also- oh no poor Daniel is so conditioned that he’ll go under to anything Jamie does! How hard for him. :(

Day 3: Staged Hypnosis (Stage) F/f 📰 😴 🌈 🛀 ❓

Choice quote: “No one needed to know she was a plant. A confederate. A stooge.”

HypnoBS- 1.5. This would collapse like a house of cards. It’s a fun concept though.

Day 4: Psychic F/nb 📰 😴 🌈 😍 👨‍🔬⭐

Choice quote: “Something about the hypnosis- being in and out of each other’s heads and in and out of each other’s bodies all weekend- made her feel like she and Tris had merged in some way. Like there was a new, deeper understanding between them now- a telepathic bond.”

HypnoBS- 5. Maybe a 4.5 if you’re recognizing some nre magical thinking here. But- I’ve definitely had this feeling and this kind of experience- and I hope some of you have had it/will have it as well. :)

Day 5: Visor F/multiple 📰 😴 🛀 💻 👨‍🔬 🤪#

Choice quote: “Besides, everyone knew stormtroopers were kinky.”

HypnoBS- 4.5. Some of the exact details would need to be changed and thought through more thoroughly, but I absolutely believe you could do something like this if you wanted to. (And if you do, you definitely have to let me know. I know some of y’all out there go to Dragoncon.)

Day 6: Pendulum F/y’all 🔊😴 👨‍🔬

Choice quote: This is a trick I first learned from a science book I read in 5th grade.

HypnoBS- 5. The real thing.

Day 7: Song Aliens/the human race 📰 💻 👻❓

Choice quote: “Anna didn’t know what she was singing.”

HypnoBS- 1. I hope. Why do the song based stories always turn out so creepy?

Day 8: Performance unknown/f 📰 👻❓😴# ⭐

Choice quote: “With each snap, the gears inside her doll body click click click clicked into action. She turned, jerky but graceful. She was determined to do well. “

HypnoBS- 5 (if part of a fearplay scene, which is my headcanon for this story)

Day 9: (Hot Under the) Collar F/f 📰 😴🛀🌈 🐈#⭐

Choice quote: “She was wearing her collar. She was aroused. It was as simple as that.“

HypnoBS- 5 With time, I think you could do this. Maybe a 4.5 for the 30 minutes thing- that might lead to a bit too much cramping.

Day 10: Gentle 🔊😴

Choice quote: “Just look into the spiral....”

HypnoBS- 5. I hope.

Day 11: Summoning Sappho (Summon) eventual F/f I hope 📰 😴🌈 🤪

Choice quote: “In fact, the only ideas left to try on their brainstorming board included ‘sexy alien invasion’, ‘sexy witches’, and this. Shockingly, at this point a sexy seance seemed the most practical.”

HypnoBS-1. Although stay tuned for Femme Flirt 2021.

Day 12: Plants unknown/m 📰 😴🛀#

Choice quote: “If he focused, Chris could feel that new suggestion also growing stronger and stronger, becoming more and more firmly rooted inside of him. “

HypnoBS- 5, with the right person

Day 13: Artifact F/f 📰 😴🛀🌈 👨‍🔬 ❓

Choice quote: “She fumbled through the contents when suddenly her hand found something unexpected from her past.A red lipstick tube. An artifact.”

HypnoBS- 4? There’s different ways of reading this story, but my headcanon is that the consent here is pretty dubious.

Day 14: Tail M/f 📰 😴🛀❓👻#

Choice quote: “It was no use. She could sense her tail was still behind her. She couldn’t shake him. She should have known he’d come for her.“

HypnoBS- Let’s say 2. Although I think this could work really well for a fearplay scene in an appropriate setting (where someone wasn’t actually left unmonitored with extreme paranoia).

Day 15: Serve F/m 📰 😴#⭐

Choice quote: “He had put his heart and soul into the dish.They were hers now.”

HypnoBS- As a scene? 5 (depending on the person). As a long term effect, much lower.

Day 16: Memory F/f  📰 😴 🛀🌈 😍

Choice quote: “Mesmera waited for Galaxy Girl at the door.”

HypnoBS- 4, you could do an induction along these lines but -1 for psychic powers

Fun Fact: These characters were originally featured in last year’s Day 19: Hideout. 

Day 17: Toy F/f m/f 📰 😴 🛀🌈🐈 #

Choice quote: “Dolly hated to have Bad Manners. “

HypnoBS- 4.5. This is pretty deep into headspace, but I wouldn’t want to rule it out for the right person.

Day 18: Monster m/f 📰 😴 ❓😭⭐

Choice quote: “That kind of stuff wasn’t fair to think about here. It wasn’t everyone else’s fault that she was so warped.”

HypnoBS- 5. Ouch my heart. Poor young!Ella.

Day 19: Eyes M/m 📰 😴 🌈 😍

Choice quote: “Scott looked into his partner Brandon’s eyes. Brandon had hypnotized him so many times over the years in so many ways but- this was one of Scott’s favorites.”

HypnoBS- 5. Especially in a long term relationship like this. (In my pretend Hypnovember universe, these guys are some of the patriarchs of the hypnokinky convention scene and absolutely wonderful advice givers.)

Fun fact: The story of how these characters originally got together is in last year’s Day 12: Stage story. 

Day 20: Possession F/f  📰 😴 🌈 😍😭

Choice Quote- “Things that were hard to do for herself during these times became easier to do as something owned by Thadra. Taking a shower. Getting up and going to bed at the right time. Making sure she ran once a day. Making sure she ate.”

HypnoBS- Errr....4 trending upwards. Although for this to be safe and healthy you’d really need to be checking in with a therapist and working on your continuing mental health at the same time (IMHO). Please do not get relationship advice from my porn.

Day 21: Snaps 🔊😴👨‍🔬

Choice Quote- “No, that one was up.”

HypnoBS- 5. I’m not sure quite how this translates to audio but this is the kind of shenanigans I pull with friends all of the time.

Day 22: Restrict  F/f 📰 😴 🌈 🐈👨‍🔬 

Choice quote: “’Hmm. By ‘weird’ do you mean ‘hot’?’ asked Zahara, lounging above her on the couch. Nikki nodded. She definitely meant hot. “

HypnoBS- 2. A month is a long time and this is a strong reaction. But- maaaaaybe would work for a bit, especially within these boundaries?

Day 23:  Villain there’s a m and a f  📰 🛀👨‍🔬❓#

Choice quote: “They had been planning against that damned do-gooder reporter Lizzy Lampost for months and now they were about to finally have her in their clutches. “

HypnoBS-1. But you’re not reading this one for realism, are you?

Day 24: Drink F/f 📰 😴👨‍🔬🌈 😍

Choice quote: “’Leah,’ she said. ‘I’ve found a drinking game! This might be fun! Want to try it?’”

HypnoBs- 5. With the right person. (That part of the end might be a bit harder.)

Day 25:Worship: F/m 📰 🛀🌈 

Choice quote: “After all, it wasn’t the time to work right now. It was time to worship his Mistress’s cock.”

HypnoBS- Someone on AO3 told me this fic just wrecked them. Lucky that person- this one’s a 5. Maybe not with everyone, but an awful lot of people should be able to do an awful lot of the activities in this story. :)

Day 26: Fey M/f 📰😴 😭⭐

Choice quote: “Humans do not know the spells they weave.”

HypnoBS- 1 Only true in that metaphorical way. (So- really, really true. But not factual.)

Day 27: Recording F./m 📰 🛀❓👻#

Choice quote: “It’s a recording, he reminded himself. “She’s not there. No one is there.”

HypnoBS- 2 At least, I don’t know how to make this happen (outside of a consensual scene).

Day 28: Obsession M/F 📰 🛀😍👨‍🔬

Choice quote: “Some guys had cars. Some had computer systems. Some had home brewing. But Mark’s obsession was Julia.“

HypnoBS- Oh gosh. Errr...2.5? Hard to say. 

Fun Fact: This started as a one-sided scenario, then it changed, then it felt really hot, now it feels like a sweet silly sitcom premise. (If you want to read some episode synopses of this hypothetical sitcom, there are some brilliant ones here! Also- feel free to send me more!)

Day 29: Helpless F/m 📰😴😍

Choice quote: “’I want to be helpless,’ he replied. Juan felt his headspace changing. He threw himself into that feeling, trusting Josie to take the reins.“

HypnoBS- 5. Not a scene log, but pretty much How I Top.

Day 30: Awaken 🔊😴👨‍🔬

Choice quote: “Aaaaaand-awaken!”

HypnoBS- 5 Hypnotist BS- also a 5

Thank you all for reading these! Thank you especially to everyone who reblogged, wrote me comments, and generally supported me through this past month. I’m going to specifically single out @daja-the-hypnokitten​, @wellgnawed​, and @spiralturquoise​ for the encouragement- y’all are the best. :)  I know this is a long post, but I’d really appreciate reblogs of it!

Also, I didn’t have time to contribute myself but- if you donate to Hypnokink for Trans Lives, let me know and I’ll write you an epilogue for any of these stories that you choose. 

#Hypnovember 2020 #master post #me/my accomplishments #thank you all again for reading! #seeing people actually liking my stuff gives me a ton of energy to keep going #<3 #19746 words and almost an hour of audio #an entire month of my life :P #not a novel but definitely a novella

[ireadyabooks]

Books to Read After Watching Julie and the Phantoms

By Mackenzie Cutruzzula

First things first...

If you’re anything like me you haven’t been able to get the songs from Julie and the Phantoms out of your head. Whether you love music, a good ghost story, or a little bit of both, these books are on the edge of great.

Julie and the Phantoms: The Edge of Great by Micol Ostow (On Sale December 29)

After the passing of her mom, Julie has lost her passion for music and is on the verge of being kicked out of her performing arts high school. That is, until she makes the ultimate comeback with her new band, Julie and the Phantoms. There’s only one catch: all of her bandmates are ghosts. 

Back in the 1990s, Luke, Reggie, and Alex were on the cusp of rock stardom with their band, Sunset Curve, before an unfortunate encounter with Los Angeles street food brought their rock band dreams—and lives—to an end. Now, with Julie as their lead singer, the guys have a second chance to make it big and to help Julie discover the real power of music. 

This novel based on Season 1 of the hit Netflix series is told in alternating points of view and include a full-color photo insert and exclusive story content not seen on the show!

If you love the music of Julie and the Phantoms try these reads:

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

While spacing out in Chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk, and added a message to her. Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters -- sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she's kind of falling for this letter writer. Only who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery, and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can't always be spelled out...Kasie West brings irresistible wit, warmth, and sparkle to this swoon-worthy story of love showing up when you least expect it.

Turn It Up by Jen Calonita

The Nightingales are in a serious funk. Bradley Academy's all-girl a cappella group used to be the pride of the sunshine state, but the Nightingales have recently fallen out of harmony. Best friends and co-captains Lidia Sato and Sydney Marino haven't been speaking ever since a boy came between them. And not just any boy-none other than Griffin Mancini, the lead singer of Bradley Academy's smug all-boy a capella group, the Kingfishers.The Nightingales have no chance of making it to the big state final if their captains are at each other's throats. Their only hope is new girl Julianna Ramirez. But in addition to her serious pipes, she has some serious stage fright.The Nightingales will have to come together if they want to shine at the upcoming competition and restore the group to its former glory.

K-Pop Confidential by Stephen Lee

When Candace Park secretly enters a global audition held by the same music label that made the K-pop boy band SLK famous, the last thing she expects is to actually get a coveted spot in their trainee program. And convincing her strict parents to let her to go is all but impossible ... although it's nothing compared to what comes next. Under the strict supervision of her instructors at the label's headquarters in Seoul, Candace must perfect her performance skills to within an inch of her life, learn to speak Korean fluently, and navigate the complex hierarchies of her fellow trainees, all while following the strict rules of the industry. Rule number one? NO DATING, which becomes impossible to follow when she meets a dreamy boy trainee. And in the all-out battle to debut, Candace is in danger of planting herself in the middle of a scandal lighting up the K-pop fandom around the world.

Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Just know from the start that it wasn't supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near them. That's why we got a room in the hotel where they were staying. We were not planning to kidnap one of them. Especially not the most useless one. But we had him-his room key, his cell phone, and his secrets. We were not planning on what happened next. We swear.

Muted by Tami Charles (On Sale February 2, 2021)

For seventeen-year-old Denver, music is everything. Writing, performing, and her ultimate goal: escaping her very small, very white hometown. So Denver is more than ready on the day she and her best friends Dali and Shak sing their way into the orbit of the biggest R&B star in the world, Sean "Mercury" Ellis. Merc gives them everything: parties, perks, wild nights -- plus hours and hours in the recording studio. Even the painful sacrifices and the lies the girls have to tell are all worth it. Until they're not. Denver begins to realize that she's trapped in Merc's world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken. Inspired by true events, Muted is a fearless exploration of the dark side of the music industry, the business of exploitation, how a girl's dreams can be used against her -- and what it takes to fight back.

Spin by Lamar Giles

When rising star Paris Secord (aka DJ ParSec) is found dead on her turntables, it sends the local music scene reeling. No one is feeling that grief more than her shunned pre-fame best friend, Kya, and ParSec's chief groupie, Fuse -- two sworn enemies who happened to be the ones who discovered her body. The police have few leads, and when the trail quickly turns cold, the authorities don't seem to be pushing too hard to investigate further. But nobody counted on Paris's deeply loyal fans, ParSec Nation, or the outrage that would drive Fuse and Kya to work together. As ParSec Nation takes to social media and the streets in their crusade for justice, Fuse and Kya start digging into Paris's past, stumbling across a deadly secret. With new info comes new motives. New suspects. And a fandom that will stop at nothing in their obsessive quest for answers, not even murder...

If you love the ghosts in Julie and the Phantoms and are looking for something a little spooky, try these reads:

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead . . . and enter the world of spirits. Her best friend is even a ghost. So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get much stranger. When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, graveyards, castles, and secret passageways teem with restless phantoms. And when Cass meets a girl who shares her "gift," she realizes how much she still has to learn about the Veil -- and herself. And she'll have to learn fast. The city of ghosts is more dangerous than she ever imagined.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado, is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars. At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo. They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Bestowed by the ancient goddess of death, Yadriel and the gifted members of his Latinx community can see spirits: women have the power to heal bodies and souls, while men can release lost spirits to the afterlife. But Yadriel, a trans boy, has never been able to perform the tasks of the brujas - because he is a brujo. When his cousin suddenly dies, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is not his cousin. It's Julian Diaz, the resident bad boy of his high school, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

After a close encounter with a bus, Alona Dare goes from homecoming queen to Queen of the Dead. She’s stuck as a ghost in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her to a better place. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast. More than anything, Will wishes he didn’t have the rare ability to communicate with the dead, especially the former mean girl of Groundsboro High. He’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side, though it would bring him some welcome peace and quiet. Can they get over their mutual distrust -- and quasi-attraction -- to work together? Readers of this spirited paranormal comedy won't want this odd couple to ever part.

#I read YA #blog #K-pop Confidential #kill the boy band #julie and the phantoms #unsaid emily #the edge of great #spin #all the crooked saints #city of ghosts #muted #turn it up #p. s. i like you

[justagirlsearchingforamuse]

“Were you just masturbating?” Sean + female reader pls 💞

A/N: No problem, my friend! I hope you don’t mind that I kind of made the reader say it also sorry for not answering more asks, have been busy with other writing things.

You were humming as you made your way down the block with a joyful smile resting upon your lips, earbuds in your ears as you were making your way to your boyfriend's house. You had wanted to surprise him with some Halloween treats for him and his little brother, Daniel. But little did you know that Daniel and Esteban had gone out to go grocery shopping and Sean had decided to stay home. Staring at a few pictures of you, suddenly he had gotten aroused and had found himself with a raging boner, no one else was home so he thought he'd take care of it quickly. Sean lied in the middle of his bed as his hands moved swiftly up and down his thick throbbing cock, his cheeks were crimson red and he was biting his bottom lip. Closed mouth moans and groans left his throat as he throws his head back, feeling sharp yet thick waves of ecstasy course through his body smoothly. He began to rub his thumb in circles against the head of his throbbing cock causing a needy whine to be pried from his lips at the sharp jolts of bliss that vibrated throughout his being. He imagined you there in between his legs, your tongue slowly running along the head of his now leaking cock, fuck he couldn't control himself.

" ...(Y/N)! ... Mmh, fuck yeah ...!" Sean groaned in pleasure as he began to run his hand up and down his throbbing cock at a swift pace, biting his bottom lip, a low desperate whine parted from his lips. He began to lowly mutter your name in pure bliss as he began to thrust his hips into both of his hands. He imagined you there riding him, your hands cupping both of his cheeks as your hips would slam down onto his cock at a swift pace. He imagined your expression of ecstasy countless times, he imagined the sound of your cries when you both came together and fuck he got off to it all the time. You had made your way in front of Sean's house, you quickly made your way to the front door, you had decided to knock gently against the door and you got no response for a few moments. "Okay, I guess I have to pull out my key ..." You murmured beneath your breath before you began to look for which key had Sean loaned to you, sighing in irritation, you look through all of your keys for a good few moments. Sean still deep in his own world, didn't even hear you knock at the door, he felt his stomach coil into a tight knot before he felt a breathless moan slip from his lips. "(Y/N) ...! Fuck ... I'm gonna cum ... oh, fuck ...!" Sean moaned as he felt his thighs begin to quiver, he began to thrust and snap his hips into his hands as he threw his head back at the bliss that washed over him.

You had managed to get in finally, smiling widely you don't hear anything or even see anyone's home, you sigh deeply before hearing a moan in the form of a gasp causing your eyes to widen at the sound. You knew that it was Sean, you set your backpack down by the door before you began to make your way to Sean's room. "Sean ...?" You called out a bit confused, you peaked your head into the slight crack in the door, your eyes widened at the sight that your eyes had met. You had seen Sean fisting his cock furiously as he bites his bottom lip hard, you can't help but feel butterflies in the pit of your stomach and your heart thump heavily in your ribcage. You feel like a pervert for staring at him, you knock on the door causing Sean to jump at the sound, stopping all of his motions as he immediately let a deep irritated sigh part from his lips. "Fuck, I was so damn close ..." Sean thinks to himself before immediately covering his lower half up. "You can come in, dad ..." Sean says with a frustrated expression on his face, you shyly open the door wide as his eyes widen with shock before he immediately feels shame and humiliation wash over him. "(Y/N) ...? What are you ...? You saw and heard everything didn't you ...?" Sean asks, covering his eyes as you nervously grin at him before nodding shyly in reply.

"Ugh, fuck me ... I ... I didn't know you were coming over, (Y/N) ... you probably should've called." Sean groans irritatedly as he crosses his arms, you can't help but find his expression of shame a bit cute but you felt bad for staring at him for at least 30 seconds. "Yeah, I probably should've. I ... I wanted to surprise you and Daniel with a few Halloween treats that I made and I probably should've called. I ... I didn't mean to interrupt you if I did. ... Were you just masturbating?" You meekly say you can feel your cheeks heat up at that mere thought of seeing him naked in the act again, sighing deeply you don't know what you can do to break the uncomfortable tension. He takes a deep breath before nodding at the embarrassing question that you had just asked him, "Um ... if you don't mind me asking, Sean ... are you still ... hard?" You ask meekly, making your way onto the bed as he sits up with a confused expression now on his face. " ... Yeah ... I mean I didn't get to finish ..." Sean says awkwardly as he turns his head away from you, fuck it was so embarrassing as he didn't want to seem gross or perverted and he didn't want his new girlfriend of 4 months seeing him masturbating. "I ... I know that we're just starting this relationship and I don't know if we're moving too fast but ... could I maybe try to help you?" You ask shyly with a nervous smile upon your lips, Sean turns his head towards you with a bit of surprise on his face.

"Are ... you serious? I mean you don't have to, I'll just take care of it ... later." Sean answers, you chuckle softly before grinning warmly at him. "I want to, Sean ... I kind of found it hot seeing you ... touch yourself. ... God, do I sound like a perv?" You admit, Sean couldn't help but smirk at your words as he found your rosy cheeks to be adorable and your confession to be something that got the blood flowing once again. "No, I mean ... it sounded hot to me ..." Sean softly chuckled, you felt his hand cup your warm cheeks, caressing your smooth skin causing your eyes to dart up at Sean. You can't help but smile gently at him, you can see the warm lust in his mocha brown eyes, you bite your bottom lip before softly chuckling. You don't know what came over Sean but suddenly his lips were deeply pressed against yours, you groan softly against his lips as you savor the taste of his smooth delicious lips. You rest your hands on his chest as you begin to melt at the pure bliss that you felt every time he kissed you with those heavenly lips of his. You moaned softly against his lips before pulling away, you smile suggestively at him as desire clouds your nearly perfect eyes. You straddle him as you wrap around arms around his neck, you savor the sensations that are plagued across your lips, you can feel Sean's tongue pry your lips apart causing you to moan softly against him.

You began to feel your tongues dance together sloppily and erotically but damn did it feel good, the tingling sensation that spread all across your tongue and the feelings of arousal shooting through you like fireworks. Sean groaned against your lips, his hands wrapped around your waist as you both devoured each other's lips, your hands tugged at his black silky locks as soft muffled groans filled the room. You pull away from his lips breathless as you can't help but smile suggestively at him, you begin to kiss his neck causing him to chuckle softly at the sensation. You begin to suck softly on Sean's neck with a soft groan parting from your lips, Sean can't help but groan your name sending shudders of arousal up your spine. You chuckle before saying, "God, I left a hickey on your neck ... shit ... gonna have to cover that up or maybe Esteban will let it slide." Sean lets a deep breath part from his lips before biting his bottom lip and nervously darting his eyes away from you. "You know that I'm a ..." Sean begins to say before you snicker at how nervous he seems, you run your hands through your hair before grinning nervously at him as well. "Well ... I'm a virgin too ... but just happen to know a lot about sex, ha ..." You chuckle softly and Sean can't help but chuckle at your words.

You begin to make your way down to his lower half, you pull the cover off of him and your eyes meet the sight of his thick meaty cock, throbbing and aching for the warm touch of your lips. He felt a bit self-conscious about himself and worried that he was too big or that he was too small for you, but in your mind, he appeared to be the perfect size. Licking your lips, you wrapped your hand around his thick meaty cock, your eyes were fixated on the arousing display before you. "Wow, you're a good size, Sean ... do you want me to continue?" You asked one last time, making sure that he wanted you to continue, licking his lips he nods before taking a deep breath. He felt his heart racing and his entire body trembling, biting his bottom lip as he felt thin yet sharp waves of pleasure course through him as your hand began to slowly move up and down his throbbing cock."Are you ... enjoying this?" You asked a bit nervously, even though it was so soon, you wondered if it felt good to him. "Y-Yeah ..." Sean stutters but he can't help but want to see your lips wrapped around him nicely, he's not gonna force you to do it but he hopes that you don't tease him much. You continue to steadily stroke his cock as you began to take the head in between your lips before sucking softly on the flesh in between lips causing Sean to needily whine at the thick warm wave of pleasure he experienced. "Fuck ..." He swore lowly in a sucked in breath.

Your eyes darted up to his expression, his eyes were shut tightly as his lips were parted slightly and his cheeks were scarlet red, his expression was arousing, to say the least. You don't stop, shutting your eyes blissfully. You continue to suck lightly on the head of his now leaking cock, your hands moved steadily up and down his throbbing cock as low groans slipped from his lips. He didn't know how to describe it all but he thought the word euphoria would've fit for the moment, blissful pleasure traveled through him in large vibrating waves of pleasure. He sunk himself deep into his mattress as low suckling noises filled Sean's room, he can feel warmth spread across his body and his palms become sweaty. You began to take more of his cock deeper into your mouth causing a sharp jolt of sweet bliss to sprint up his spine. Biting his bottom lip, he groans softly and you can feel his fingers tangle themselves in your soft locks. Your hands now rested on his thighs whilst you bobbed your head up and down on his throbbing cock, you can feel him throb and pulsate in your mouth as you tenderly sucked on the flesh throbbing in between your lips. "Fuck ...! Mmh, (Y/N) ... your mouth feels so fucking good!" Sean whines breathlessly as you can hear the pleasure thick in his voice as well as the neediness in his voice, God, it sounded so fucking hot to hear him say it like that. You felt shudders of arousal course through you, your panties were soaked and God did you want to ride the hell out of Sean.

"God, you're doing so good ...! Mmh, yeah ...! Fuck, (Y/N) ... please don't fucking stop, babe ..." Sean whines desperately as you can see him grip the sheets beneath him tightly and his face twists into pure bliss, you loved seeing him with rosy cheeks, eyes shut in pleasure, and his lips parted. You begin to try and take him deeper down your throat, you felt your gag reflexes almost kick in which meant that any further and you'd spend the next few minutes gagging on his cock. You begin to bob your head at a slightly quicker pace sending thick and sharp jolts of bliss vibrating through him. "S-Shit ...! (Y/N) ...!" Sean moaned breathlessly as he bit his bottom lip, feeling your lips around him was so much better than him fantasizing and dreaming about it. It felt so much better, Sean's eyes began to flutter open and his eyes darted to your eyes, your eyes were so beautiful and your eyes were clouded with pure filthy lust, it was so much more than arousing. You begin to suck hard on his the throbbing flesh in between your lips causing a loud uncontrollable whine to part from Sean's lips at the thick and sharp waves of pleasure that vibrated intensely through him. "Haah ...! Mmh, fuck! I'm not gonna last ... too long, (Y/N) ..." Sean moaned breathlessly before throwing head back as another needy whine parted from his lips at the warm bliss that plagued him mercilessly.

You began to bob your head up and down at a quicker pace, you continue to suck hard on his throbbing cock as you saw Sean sink into his pillow as delicate whimpers and whines of your name slipped from his lips. Sean felt his stomach coil into a tight knot and his balls clench, he began to lightly tug on your hair as he felt nothing but waves of bliss course through him. "(Y/N) ...! Oh, fuck! Mmh ...! (Y/N) ...!" Sean whined desperately as he began to arch his back, feeling his stomach coil and his balls clench once again, suddenly you had felt your mouth fill with his semen. Sean had let a loud breathless moan of your name fly from his lips as he had now had a fistful of your hair and his body was shaken and trembling with pleasure, almost like he had been struck by electricity. You made sure to get all of it, you quickly rise as you can't help but dislike the bitter and musky flavor of his cum but you still swallow it all down. You wipe your lips soon after as Sean falls back onto the bed, feeling his skin become cool as he wanted to fuck you. He had wanted tear off your clothes, most specifically your pants and he just wanted to devour you just as you did but before he could do any of that his phone rung.

You sigh disappointedly before crossing your arms and asking who was it, he put the phone on speaker and it was Esteban saying that he was just a block or two down the street and that Sean will need to help with the groceries. He immediately rushes to get his pants off and you had quickly taken out the bag of treats and you sat them on the counter but before Sean had left to help his dad, he pressed a tender kiss to your delicate lips. "I ... I wanted to thank you for that and ... I want to repay you some time soon, or whenever you would like ..." Sean says awkwardly and you nod with a shy smile on your lips before you nod excitedly before you go out with Sean to help bring the groceries. Daniel was appreciative of the treats and had questioned what was the red mark on Sean's neck, you both lied saying that it was a mosquito bite. Esteban had known that something had happened between you both and didn't want waste anytime in asking Sean what had happened whilst he was gone. Overall, the day ended pretty well and you couldn't wait for the day that he would take you.

#life is strange 2 #lis2 #life is strange sean #lis2 smut #lis2 sean #sean diaz x female reader #sean diaz

[castor-comet]

In defense of Finn

Alright so I've been seeing many posts about Finn "using" and "manipulating" Sean.

But I'd like to clarify a few things.

Let's start back at the very beginning, let's go over a few things.

Warning: This is fucking long. Grab a snack.

Sean first meets Finn when he encountered Cassidy playing her guitar for money. Curious Finn decides to introduce himself to Sean and Daniel.

As Cassidy and Sean have a side conversation, Finn is just starring longingly at Sean the whole time, like a love-at-first-sight type of thing. Or at least he seemed a bit infatuated with Sean. He hardly takes his eyes off him the whole time until they decide to leave. When this first aired I've seen speculation that Finn seen Sean as some sort of rival for Cassidy which could have been a reason he was checking him out the whole time or sizing him up but after seeing episode 3, I believe he had a look of adoration for him.

Episode 3:

Right off the bat Finn is expressing his obvious attraction towards Sean, and the wink, don't even get me started on the wink.

After work Sean is feeling a little beat up, takes a moment before he gets out of the truck.

Finn was the only one to stay behind to check up on Sean, seeing how down he was after their long day of work.

"Aww, you'll get scars, but, you'll get it. Part of the fun, and...sexier."

Ah there he goes, commenting how he finds Sean's scarred up, calloused hands sexy.

It seems like every time he shoots his shot, such as risky compliments, he quickly changes the subject. As if he's afraid of Sean's reaction or response.

He opens up to Sean about his past with his father, which couldn't have been easy but it seemed like Sean had deemed himself trustworthy enough for Finn to tell him about who he was before he got to where he is. It's not a subject one easily talks about.

Finn doesn't sugar-coat anything either, he tells it like it was. He was being vulnerable, and you could tell he had trouble talking about it.

Later that night, sitting around the campfire, they talk about their worst memory. Both Sean and Finn choose not to comment but it's worth noting Finn already kinda told Sean one of his worst memories, his own dad narced, giving Finn and his brothers jail time.

The player is giving the option to either go to bed early with Daniel or get a haircut and hang a bit more with the gang.

"Hans and I aren't together, sweetheart."

When Sean asks Finn and Hans how long they've been together or asks why they don't sleep in the same tent, they both laugh and Finn tells him they're just fuck-buddies. Then places his hand on his thigh as if he's reassuring Sean that there's nothing between him and Hans.

Finn then expressed his sexuality, showing Sean he likes both guys and girls.

If Sean tells the group he finds boys cute, Finn is quick to ask what his type is.

Cassidy tells Finn to slow his roll, and Finn confidently says, "He knows I'm cute."

Now If Sean tells the group he finds boys attractive, Finn won't take Hans up on her offer for a one-night stand, claiming he's too tired.

Then turns to Sean to give him a small smile.

He sees he has a chance with Sean and it's not just all in his head, so he turns her down because he actually wants to pursue Sean in a romantic sense and doesn't want to mess up his chance with him.

The next day they go collect their pay but Daniel is being a lil shit like always and fucks that up. Big Jo pins Daniel to the ground and Daniel makes an ashtray fly at Jo's head, Big Jo gets furious and asks the group who was responsible for the act. If Sean says nothing, Finn takes the blame.

He puts his arm out in front of Sean as if to protect him and keep big Jo's attention on Finn.

Finn is a true ride or die, willing to take the blame if it means protecting the ones he loves.

Afterwards it seems like he holds no hard feelings about taking a punch for the two, Daniel shows the group his power and they think it's pretty awesome and promise not to tell anyone.

This is where Finn comments how the place is loaded with cash, suspicious Cassidy asks Finn how he plans on getting into the safe, he looks at Daniel as if to suggest they could use his power. Cassidy gets furious and tells Finn his idea was stupid and would only lead to them in jail.

When Cassidy asks Finn how he could be so selfish, he automatically snaps back, "Sean and Daniel are out of work, they deserve this!"

That was his first thought, meaning he only had Sean and Daniel's best interest in mind when he thought of the idea, I doubt he would have even considered the idea if the events of earlier such as the brothers getting fired didn't happen.

Seeing as this was their last night together Finn wanted to make sure they left with money, so they'd be able to take care of themselves.

But Cassidy yells at him, demanding he can't involve the kid into his bullshit, Sean adds in that he wouldn't have let Daniel do it in the first place.

Finn, seeing as he's outnumbered in this, decides to leave while telling Sean they should have a beer and forget about his lil brain fart.

As he leaves Cassidy warns him again, Finn looking like a kicked puppy, walked away with his head down.

As Sean joins him, sitting down on the log, Finn opens up a bit more. Reminiscing about the time he first got out of jail and his ultimate decision to say fuck everything and everyone and took off into the sunset.

Finn tells Sean about how he's been in search for "A new daddy'' or "new bros" to sum it up, he's been in search of a new family.

A family you could say in which he's found within the group.

But he wants more security, he's tired of always being on the move and just wants his beach house where he could raise his little rugrats someday.

I feel like Finn is extremely homesick, maybe not for his old home but rather he's homesick for a home he's yet to make.

Finn has expressed his Interest to settle down on multiple occasions, not wanting to he constantly moving from place to place. And as a result he gets teased by the others.

So I don't see how people can think Finn's love confession to Sean was forced or sudden, when in reality he's been flirting with him the entire time.

Which brings us to the big choice.

Finn tells Sean he deserves more than he's been given for the shit they've been through, he proposes his plan to Sean once again.

As he explains his plan, it was always about getting the money for the boys in order for them to get to Mexico with cash. I believe Finn really was thinking about Sean and Daniel's best interest and not so much himself, wanting to make sure they were set with cash for food and a roof over their heads. That they'd be able to support themselves out there.

"I wouldn't let you in on this if I had any doubt."

That right there shows he wouldn't have even brought up the idea if he knew it wouldn't be successful. So I believe Finn 100% seen this whole money grab scheme going off without a hitch because in his head, with Daniel's powers they'd be in and out like ninjas. Completely unnoticed.

If the player chooses to go along with the plan Sean expresses his worry, asking Finn to reassure him they could do this without getting busted. Finn confidently says it'll be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Sean says fuck it and tells him that he and Daniel are in.

Finn excitedly tells him that he knew Sean would understand because they're the same, that he felt it from the start. Finn takes the opportunity to bring up him wanting the brothers to stay with the group after everything is done.

Finn's desire for a family-home life could be Implied, over time they have spent together he grew to deeply care about the brothers. I'm sure Finn has met plenty of people on his travels, people he knows he'll probably never see again.

But when he met Sean and Daniel he knew he couldn't let them go that easily.

Finn confides in Sean, stating he felt the two had a strong connection, laughing nervously.

It's safe to say Finn has had a thing for Sean since they first met, whether it started as 'Hey he's kinda cute' and grew into something much stronger or maybe he's been completely obsessed from the moment they locked eyes. Who knows but the point is Finn has always been very upfront about his feelings for Sean throughout the entire episode.

If Sean tells him that he feels the same way, Finn asks him what he's afraid of, placing his hand on Sean's lap.

I like this little detail because I've noticed whenever Finn expresses his deep interest in Sean, he has always put his hand on his lap.

But sadly this is where everyone freaked out because some believe Finn's kiss was to manipulate Sean, as a 'seal-the-deal' type of thing.

Which I find complete bullshit and here's why.

When I first seen this particular scene that thought never crossed my mind and you know why? Because that wasn't the point of it at all.

You've got to think, Finn has been completely obsessed over Sean since the beginning of the episode, calling him multiple pet names and basically flirting with him every chance he gets.

He's been so upfront with Sean about his feelings for him not beating around the bush to the point where it could cause a certain fear for Finn to think, "I've been obviously flirting with this guy, either he's oblivious or he's not into me that way."

But hearing Sean has the same feelings for him, obviously made lovesick Finn fall even harder. Realizing they both had feelings for one another, they take the moment to have their first kiss.

Wow Finn decides to kiss Sean after he confesses he feels the same?? sounds pretty normal to me.

So let's talk about the alternative route.

If Sean refuses to do Finn's plan, he'll try and convince him once more but after Sean shuts him down fast, he gives up. Finn's obviously hurt, but says he respects his decision. His voice is very sad from here on out, and he goes back to his kicked puppy state.

Looking for a way out of this conversation Finn tells Sean he should go enjoy his last party but that Finn's stoned so he'll just "zen out" on the log.

I think that was just Finn's way of wanting to be left alone, he's saddened and hurt by Sean not believing in his plan.

In Finn's eyes, both his best friend (Cassidy) and the guy he has the biggest crush on said his plan was dumb and had zero faith in his idea.

I could imagine how heart broken he must feel.

As previously stated before, if you agree to his idea he gets excited because he knew if anyone would understand him, it'd be Sean. They just get each other like that.

But in this sense it's "I thought you'd at least understand, but you're just like Cassidy."

So yes, I think it's appropriate he didn't kiss/ get to confess to Sean if you don't agree to his plan because at that moment in time he's discouraged and heart broken, believing everyone is against him.

Not the best mood atmosphere for a confession not to mention a kiss.

It's not about "oh I guess he didn't really like Sean at all if he doesn't confess to him if you refuse his proposal."

It's more of "oh Finn doesn't confess to him because he believes that Sean thinks he's a bad person for wanting to use Daniel's power and had hurt his feelings when Sean basically said it was stupid."

Considering the fact the only reason this idea came to Finn's head is when Sean and Daniel were leaving camp, and Finn was worried about them financially.

Sure there would be enough money to go around in the group but Finn's priorities were always about Sean and Daniel.

Introducing the lake scene with Cassidy:

If you choose to go to the lake with Cassidy after the kiss on Finn's route, there's an option where you could choose to show an interest in Finn.

Cassidy will comment that he likes Sean. Which goes to show Finn either talks about Sean to Cassidy, or she just picks up on all the flirting he does... Maybe both?

Both.

Both is good.

She goes on to ask Sean if he's blind, and adds "You seriously can't tell?"

Sean sheepishly admits he likes Finn as well and mentions they've even kissed.

So it's safe to say even outside of agreeing or disagreeing with Finn on his plan, everyone knows he has a thing for Sean.

It's all just a matter of time and place, Finn has a crush on Sean whether you agree or disagree with his plan, if they continue to have Cassidy and Finn in future episodes (low-key doubt) I'm sure there would be a better opportunity for Finn to confess to Sean if Sean had said no to the plan and didn't romance Cassidy in this episode.... Or ya know... Finn doesn't die.

Finn's heart and Intentions were in the right place, it just wasn't a well thoughtout plan.

I don't agree with Finn's idea of putting a kid in danger, he's not thinking about the consequences of their actions. It was a spur of the moment. But I don't think Finn deserves as much hate as he's getting for this.

#life is strange 2 #spoilers #sean diaz #daniel diaz #finn

[leconcombrerit]

Blood brothers is kinda bittersweet too

I have lots of feelings about Blood Brothers, and some of them are good. Some aren’t. It’s not that beautiful, bittersweet atmosphere that Parting Ways encompasses -but more of a “wait wat wait how the hell am I feeling right now” one. Just as if the game rubbed a “but that’s what you wanted isn’t it” in my face, knowing full-well that no, it isn’t. Not entirely. It should be a good ending. And yet for me it’s not. It takes some talent to make me feel that “the Diaz brothers crossing the border and going to live together in Puerto Lobos” isn’t a good ending. 

Here’s a short analysis no one asked for, I need to put some order in my thoughts. I get that  we don’t all share the same opinions, so yes, if you think Blood brothers is happy and good and you’re happy with it that’s really cool too ! Please don’t bash me I’m a shy potatoe. 

SO LET’S SEE.

The scene at the border already tells volumes. Daniel goes rogue. He overdoes it, and by a lot. Deflecting the bullets ? Fine. Sending people flying ? Fine. But he didn’t need to crash all the cars to open the gate. Take Parting Ways as a comparison, and you’ll get what I mean. He held back, made minimum damage, and it showed. There weren’t any policemen left to shoot them. They were probably out cold -but Daniel made damn sure they’d stay out cold far after he and Sean left. 

Talking of Sean, there’s something about him as well. Daniel gets out of the car while Sean stays inside and nods. He doesn’t look especially phased. At that point, he’s encouraged Daniel or silently validated his violent outbursts and he stays in line with this behavior. Go check Parting Ways once again : Daniel gets the car through while staying inside (granted, it could have ended badly, as we’ve seen in Lone Wolf). He’s got a much more active role in Blood Brothers -they’re equals, not the little brother Sean needs to protect. Daniel knew what he was going to do and to hell with it. It wasn’t something he did in “the heat of the moment”. He intended to hurt them. Sean did too. It wasn’t just about getting through, it was about crushing their enemies. There’s a shot of all Daniel’s destroyed and no sign of life from anyone, and look at his face.

→ If they’d basically taken Parting Ways border scene and made Daniel stay in the car, and didn’t kill off Sean, it would have been the start of the ‘picture perfect’ ending I didn’t get. 

And then we cut to Puerto Lobos and boy oh boy. The “memories scene” hit me hard. Look at that drawing. Or the newspaper -I can’t read Spanish but I get the gist of it, it didn’t go smoothly and and dandy when they arrived. And the shirt. The shirt might be the most obvious sign that it wasn’t just “necessary violence” to them. It’s hung on the wall like a trophy. They’re proud of what they did. Of getting through. You’d think such an event would be slightly traumatizing, or that they’d have some sort of guilt, or that they wouldn’t care, but no, they’re proud. Proud of getting through is one thing and I get it, but the trauma seems absent. They don’t want to forget what happened and start a brand new, quiet life like they’d initially planned to. They want to remember. 

→ It wouldn’t have taken much either to turn this scene into something bright and nice : the shirt could have been shown in a bow in the drawer, kept as a reminder of their journey but hidden enough to make room for a new start. Same for the newspaper. It could have been put in between pages of Sean’s sketchbook. 

Then we get the gangster scene. It mirrors the border one pretty well : Sean’s passive, validating attitude as he lures them where Daniel will see them. Them relying so much on each other, and not just Daniel on Sean and Sean on himself, is pretty refreshing, not gonna lie. But still, they’re in Puerto Lobos, they should try to live quietly, and here we get to see that neither of them hesitate to stick to their old ways. They seem to have decided that better be the hunter than the prey and that they will not be stepped on, come what may. Have they tried to drive those people away before and only resorted to this solution now? Possible, but unlikely. First because that wouldn’t be in line with what we’ve been shown till now, and second because they look utterly… Used to it. Is that the face of a surprised, scared man ? It’s not. I can almost hear the “oh shit, here we go again” as Sean puts the gun away -but keeps it in case he’d need it, most likely. The way I see it, he doesn’t entirely reject the idea of shooting someone. Great point, Daniel doesn’t kill the guys. He scares them away pretty violently, but he doesn’t kill them. Which in retrospect might actually be worse : the brothers’ bond, them being together, seemingly happy with themselves, and not killing people randomly at every sign of danger is what make this ending so wonderfully bittersweet rather than bad.

And at least I could hate a bad ending instead of having those conflicted feelings. 

→ This scene is much harder to turn in a “good ending way” to me, since it shows they’re still far from safe. Maybe have Sean try to talk to the gangster. Maybe have Daniel scare them away different way -not knocking a guy off, and not giving him a death stare that made it look like he really, really wanted to blow the guy’s head off. Have Sean throw the damn pistol in a bin or anything that wouldn’t mean he’s keeping it (not using it though, once again they reach a kind of sick balance). Have the safe be empty and the brothers look even remotely worried, just so that we’d get the feeling these incidents aren’t all too frequent. 

Last but not least, the beach scene. Final nail on my heart’s coffin. A tiny heart-shaped coffin because Esteban. They. Use their father’s lighter. Maybe it’s just me, maybe some found it sweet, but I didn’t. It only reminded me of what their dad would have wanted for them. Of what he got out of, and of how far from his idealized version of Puerto Lobos reality was. They don’t seem to think their father would have disapproved, quite the contrary, but I as a player thought he would. I don’t know if they realize how ruthless they’ve become. 

Plus side that’s also a downside : they’re alone. The plan grows larger, wider, and you see no one there. Yes, they’re together. But they’re also just together. No friends shown. No Finn, no Cass, no unnamed-local-friend. They have each other, and that’s good, but I can barely see it as something healthy. 

On a side note, Sean’s a mechanic. Just like his dad. I get that he had to find a job to support Daniel and himself but Sean never wanted to be a mechanic and that makes me sad. I like to think he’s tuning the hell out of these cars cause damn.

#life is strange 2 #sean diaz #daniel diaz #lis 2 spoilers #blood brothers #parting ways #lone wolf #I'll be careful and say it again #this is just my opinion #I'm not a pro at analyzing stuff I just #yeah I had feelings about that #and it distracts me from my life

[xsunfloweer]

Let’s talk about the end of Life is Strange 2

And once again Dontnod surprised us with an even more striking story. The journey of the Diaz brothers is finally over in 7 different ways. I still hope it has a "continuation", either before or after they arrive at the border.

But after a few days reflecting on the endgame, I wondered: WHY DO YOU INSIST ON MAKING COMPARISON WITH LIFE IS STRANGE 1?!?!? I'm sorry, I don't want to generalize, but this is revolting. Although, they are different stories and different realities. If you didn't like Lis2, there's no reason to compare with Lis1, didn't like? Ok. We all have our own opinion. I particularly love both games, and I want them to create a Lis3 (ahh now there will be two games to compare, great). So if you are doing an analysis or even a critique between the two games, that's fine. But if you are to downplay the game by saying that one is better than the other, stop it. I was already stressed that people hated Daniel because he is a fucking kid.

Anyway, this is not the point. I want to share my opinion about the best ending for the Diaz Brothers. Remember, is my opinion, not saying that this is THE BEST ENDING AND THE OTHERS ARE TRASH.

Throughout the brothers' journey, we are forced to make choices that not only harm us but can also harm Daniel's development. If he has high morality, he will be aware that what matters is to live by respecting the laws that society imposes, for example, not steal, not kill, among other things. He knows what is right and what is wrong. This justifies why he chose to jump out of the car, he couldn't stand living being a fugitive, especially if he has a chance to choose. Also, if you both surrender, Daniel has the opportunity to live, which Sean feared would never happen. So, to guarantee the brother's future, the best alternative is to surrender, right? Ever since Daniel came into the world, it has been up to Sean to fulfill his role as big brother, Esteban put a lot of emphasis on that. This justifies the possible choices Sean can make during the game, there isn’t 'get away from Daniel, fuck him' choice. Sean always puts Daniel first. Since you can teach him to be his faithful protector or to value the education their father taught. Esteban could have taken his children to Mexico, but it would not be easy, and it would be very dangerous. But he was lucky enough to get a job, and we could see that he sacrificed his life so that his children had a chance to have a healthy and successful life. And it wasn't easy, he raised the children on his own, so he relied on Sean to help raise Daniel. This guy deserves all the love in the world, best dad ever, but had to die :”(

Isn't that what happens in reality? Good people die too early ... I don't know ... it's not a lie. It's unfair. It's unfair that Sean had to raise Daniel alone, he was only 16 when it happened. He should have stayed, I bet he wouldn't be sentenced to jail, and if it was, it wouldn't be for so long (like fucking 15 years). But he was scared. I believe that if he chose to stay there, it would be worse for Daniel, from the moment he found out about his father's death, it would be like what happened in Episode 1, except maybe in front of the police or other people? It would be much worse. Both would be scared.

Did you realize how much this journey was needed? David deserves the WORLD, because that's exactly what he said to Sean. They both grew up together along the way, met extraordinary people and, unfortunately, stupid people. They felt in their skin what is humanly impossible to bear. But they fought, fought until they reached the border. But then, if you surrender, will everything be in vain? Of course not. This belief of having a new life in Mexico was what strengthened the unity of the brothers, having something to fight, you know? Have a reason to wake up every day. But destiny was unfair to them, they couldn't stay stable anywhere, and do you know why? Because running away wasn't the answer, it never was. All this chaos would end, you know when? When they stop to running away. Yes, Sean didn't deserve to be 15 years in jail for something he never did, but how could we prove it uh? There was no other alternative. It was an accident. There are no justifications for an accident (at least for justice). It just happens out of our control. And running away wouldn't solve things, it just got worse, unintentionally, he acted like a criminal from the point of view of those who didn't see what happened. But we are the only witness.

But anyway, surrendering with high morality was the best choice Sean has ever made, in my opinion. He sacrificed himself all the way thinking of a better life for Daniel, and that's what he did. It ensured their survival. Daniel lived from what he learned from him. And it's gratifying to think about it when your choices finally make a difference. And that's why Sean endured being fucking 15 years under four walls, he could have gone crazy or depressed. Yes, horrible things must have happened there (prejudice, violence). But what soothed his conscience was the thought of Daniel. He knew he would be safe and wouldn't do anything stupid. So much that his reaction to seeing his brother after so long (just thinking I'm crying here) was the most beautiful reaction I've ever seen. I bet the first thing he said was "You grew up" or "You’re not a little wolf anymore."

And after they decide to go back to the past, visiting the forest, Daniel recounts everything he has done during his life ... and Sean starts to cry, and do you know why? He felt an immense gratitude that he had not left it all in vain, he must have thought of his father, how proud he would be of him now, and it all thrilled him, he was a good example of a big brother. He finally fulfilled his promise. A few days on the road paid off.

#life is strange #life is strange 2 #lifeisstrange2 #Lis2 #sean diaz #daniel diaz #life is strange 2 episode 5 #wolfbrothers

[arharmon]

Life Is Strange 2.3 Review

I never really been interested in playing the Life Is Strange games but ever since the reveal of the Season 2 I was totally invested in the universe. I played the first season, BTS and the DLC and fell in love. Now that I’m playing the second season I can easily say it’s the best one to be added to the universe so far. 

Anyways this is my hot take on this episode.

Mainly I wanted to talk about the romance within the episode since it’s a really big topic people are talking about. The ships and romance have started some controversy within the fandom which is understandable, to say the least.

The episode starts off with a flashback before the incident that caused Sean and Daniel to flee their home and we see some brotherly dispute between to the boys and after a talk between Sean and his dad the brother’s make up. We then skip back into present time and If you ask me it really foreshadows how this episode is going to play out. 

Seeing Hannah topless gave me a bit of a shocker because of I never expected the writers to go this far however the video game had already given us so much in previous episodes so seeing someone naked should have been inevitable.

Sean is in a very troubling and even some would say traumatic time in his life that he is sure to remember. The plot of the game and the character's goal (Sean’s goal) to protect his brother and get him to safety in Mexico. It’s clear to see that journey has very much changed Daniel which is easy to notice throughout the entire episode. Daniel constantly acts out and cold towards Sean simply because Sean prefers to hang out with kids his own age instead of Daniel. To be honest Daniel’s behavior is understandable but not tolerated. His behavior is the reason for the many unfortunate things that happen later on in the episode. 

To put in blatantly, Daniel wasn’t really my favorite in this episode. Like I really enjoyed seeing him on screen in episode two and many of his outburst was determinant based on the players' choices, so not really Daniel’s fault and the ones that were (like him being upset with his grandparents about his mother) is totally valid.

I was hoping that in this episode Daniel would become more mature and realize the very dangerous situation that their in and him fucking up could really mess things up for them at the farm. Which he totally ignores and acts more like a brat and fucks shit up for everyone.

To be honest I saw it coming and I am surprised they even lasted as long as they did. Anyway, enough about Daniel and more about Sean. My favorite.

Sean went through I lot this episode and one of those things being is his love life. Now I read a lot of stuff on Tumblr about the romance options and people having mixed feelings about things and the main reason why I’m writing this is that I wanted to share mine. While some say the romance wasn’t needed in the game, I would totally disagree. 

I think the romance was a must in this game. 

The genre of the game is Adventure/Slice of Life with a bit of Fantasy or Paranormal. But most importantly it’s Teen Fiction. I think most people forget that Sean is only a 16-year-old boy. A teenage surrounded by other teenagers pumped with hormones and testosterone. Not to mention drugs and alcohol.

Honestly, the Cassidy x Sean romance was clearly going to happen and anyone could have known if they paid attention to their first interaction back in the previous episode. However, I never expected us to get a romance with Finn. I applaud DontNod for making both of their MCs Bisexual to give the player a choice of who they wish to romance. 

Now I want to talk about both Cassidy’s and Finn’s romance routes separately.

First up, Cassidy. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my girl Cas. I think she’s a badass just look at her. However, the game developers really pushed a Cassidy romance. I mean it seems like she’s all over Sean every second. I mean their very first interaction was flirtatious. I feel the players that went with the Cassidy route got to experience the full-on romance bundle. The went skinny dipping which was a sweet call back to the first season, AND THEN THEY FUCKING HAD SEX!!!!!! Like what? I was not expecting that to happen?!?!

Now everyone had mixed feelings about this scene and some people even saying it was wrong because “sean was pushing himself to do things he didn’t really want to do just out of fear that he won’t get to experience” which I don’t understand how you could get that idea from that scene, but it’s false. Like I said, in the beginning, I knew we were going to get more nudity in this episode and thought that lake scene was enough... but then Sean lost his virginity.

Though I was shocked I was also happy the scene was included, because like I said before, Sean is 16. His whole life was just flipped on its ass and he finally felt as though he got somewhat of a new family that actually cares about him and his brother. And no one can say that’s not true. Look at the way they all interacted with one another during the campfire scene. It was easy to see they were a family.

Sean losing his virginity was pretty sweat. He did feel embarrassed when it was over (as every teenage boy would feel after his first time) which was expected and valid. Cassidy reassuring him was also sweet. 

In conclusion, I really like the Cassidy romance and I don’t think it was forced or that came out of nowhere. 

Now let's talk about Finn... oh boy Finn.

I have mixed feelings about this route. Like everyone else.

One reoccurring thing that I see people talking about was that Finn’s feelings for Sean weren’t ideal and that he simply manipulated Sean with a kiss to make him go along with the plan. Every time I see that I ask myself; “were these guys even playing the game? did they see what I saw?” I mean anyone could see that Finn genuinely cares for Sean and Daniel. Take a look at all the flirting he does with Sean and tries to play it off as jokes and how he is willing to stand up for Sean and Daniel by literally taking a punch for Sean. 

I can see why it looks kind of shady that the only way you could kiss him if you go along with his plan, I can certainly see this as Finn being manipulative (then again it was completely unnecessary since Sean had already agreed to go along with the plan). I think this is just bad writing on the developers part. Also, I wouldn’t say that Sean becoming gay came out of nowhere because that is not true. When you decide to stay and get a haircut you’ll eventually end up talking about sexuality and stuff. And it’s clear to see after that that Finn may have a thing for Sean.

I don’t find Finn manipulating Sean by kissing him, I just see Finn confessing his feelings and wanting Sean and Daniel to stay with them. Not to mention it’s not like Finn asked to kiss Sean. Yeah, he basically takes the opportunity to confess his feelings to him but the player is given two chances to reject Finn love and still go along with the plan. It wasn’t Finn being manipulative he just saw an opportunity in a moment of happiness and made his move. He also is actively trying to have Sean stay with the group and him by getting the money from Merril. 

Speaking of which I want to talk about Finn’s plan. I think the whole situation was morally ambiguous. And I actually agree with it. 

Now hear me out.

Back in episode one and two, we got a first glance of the bullshit Daniel and Sean had to go through on the road. Sean basically got kidnapped by some racist asshole, they had to sleep outside in the woods for a time and then moved to some old cabin that wasn’t any better (not to mention it was in the middle of winter). Also, don’t forget that Daniel got sick and Mushroom was killed by a puma (which could have easily been one of the boys if the mushroom wasn’t there). The point I’m trying to make here is that it’s clear to see that being on the road alone was dangerous for them. Who knows what would’ve happened to Daniel if the didn’t make to their grandparents' house, or before that if they didn’t find Brody who gave them money (and good advice to Sean) for them to stay in a motel for the night.

So basically Sean and Daniel had help, and without that help, they would have never made it this far. The thing I’m trying to get at here is that them taking that money would have helped them in the long run. I think Finn tries to explain that to Sean and when he offers for Sean to stay with them after the heist it made me feel even more confident in the plan and the aftermath knowing that if it did go well they would all be together still. Safety in numbers and all that. Also, it proves further that Finn does care about Sean and Daniel.

Honestly, the reason why I agreed to Finn’s plan is that I knew even if I constantly disagreed with it Daniel was going to go through it anyway. So I knew it would be best if I was there with them and that way Cassidy wouldn’t be there to get hurt or injured. 

It kind of bothered me that no matter how much you successfully managed to execute the plan you still get caught... but whatever. 

What people need to realize is that romance in this episode was a must and wasn’t just a “forced fling” but something completely more that impacted the characters completely. No one's forgetting about the many other important things about the game like family bonds, mourning lost, racism, exploitation, illegal drug trade/use and countless other important themes. But as a writer of Teen Fiction myself people need to understand that though it shouldn’t be centered upon; sexuality and romantic bonds are very important and were crucial in this story.

For me, this episode was an 8.5/10 it would have been a 9/10 it wasn’t the obvious glitches that were going on during my gameplay. I was trying to ignore it but completely lost it after Cassidy’s beer bottle was oddly floating in mid-air during the campfire scene.

Sorry for the long post, but I had to get my point across and give my honest opinion. I’m going to be making another post about my predictions and wants for the next episode.

Thanks for reading!

#life is strange #life is strange 2 #lis #lis 2 #lis 2 sean #lis 2 daniel #lis 2 sean diaz #sean diaz #daniel diaz #finn #cassidy #cassidy x sean #finn x sean #sean and finn #sean and cassidy #kiss #bisexual #homosexual #gay #video games #dontnod #long post #teen fiction #review #wolf

[juanchoandmielnewsdesk]

More sick in the US than in China

by Zachary B. Wolf

The US is now the world leader in coronavirus infections, with more than 100,000 as of Friday. That includes more than 25,000 in New York City, where hospitals are already overwhelmed.

Yet it is impossible to reconcile the messages being blasted to the country on competing platforms by President Donald Trump, on the one hand, and by the nation's top infectious disease doctor, on the other.

Optimism -- Trump continues to spin optimism from the White House briefing room. He promised 100,000 ventilators in 100 days, and claimed he had badgered GM into starting production by threatening to use the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to force the carmaker to repurpose its factories. He said (incorrectly) that the US has tested more than anyone. He praised Americans for being neighborly and said he was exempting himself and his handlers from orders to stay home and avoid unnecessary social contact in order to see off the Navy ship Comfort bound to sail for New York from Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday. (Like military ships being deployed elsewhere in the US, this one will be used to treat non-coronavirus patients.)

Worth a read: Earlier this week, CNN's Daniel Dale fact-checked one of Trump's podium performances.

Objectivity -- Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor, continues to preach realism and restraint, and he's finding new places to do it. On CNN. In an Instagram story with NBA star Steph Curry. (Flashback: Trump disinvited Curry from the White House a couple of years ago after Curry criticized the President's attacks on black athletes who were kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of police violence.)

Anyway. Fauci said the curbs on social interaction are not an overreaction and there's no specific date when Americans can gather in large crowds -- at NBA games, say. Watch here.

Trump says: At least some of the country should get back to normal by Easter. Aides are drawing up options for him regarding the social-distancing guidelines he put in place almost two weeks ago, which expire early next week. CNN's Kevin Liptak has more on that.

Fauci says: Fauci told Curry the country can start to get back to normal when the number of infections begins to fall. And there's no specific date for that.

Former President Barack Obama, by the way, commented on Fauci's talk with Curry and told Americans to "follow the science."

But Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity in an interview Thursday night that parts of the country could soon be back up and running. "It's a very bad situation, we haven't seen anything like it, but the end result is we got to get back to work, and I think we can start by opening up certain parts of the country, you know, the farm belt, certain parts of the Midwest, other places," he said.

Here's a full rundown of Trump's interview with Hannity.

What he says vs. what he does -- In a global town hall on CNN, Fauci said Trump is trying to give people hope with his Easter aspirations, but the doctor promised that the President would ultimately listen to his scientists.

"He's listening to us when we say we really got to reevaluate it, in real time, and any decision we make has to be based on the data," Fauci said.

Hospitals plan for emergency -- In Michigan, a hospital wrote in an internal letter explaining its emergency response plan that doctors might have to make difficult decisions about who to treat -- and there might not be enough ventilators if there's a huge spike in cases there. Read more.

Trump doesn't believe them --  The President disputed during his interview with Hannity that states and hospitals actually need what they say.

“I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to be,” he said. “I don't believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators. And now all of a sudden they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’ ”

Frustrated by Michigan's governor, a "young" "woman" -- He also dismissed the pleas of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who he referred to as "the young, a woman governor, you know who I'm talking about, from Michigan."

"All she does is sit there and blame the federal government," he complained.

Whitmer, who has asked Trump for a disaster declaration for her state, shot back at him on Twitter: "You said you stand with Michigan — prove it."

Other governors who have emerged as leading voices on this:

Andrew Cuomo of New York.

Larry Hogan of Maryland.

Mike DeWine of Ohio.

Gavin Newsom of California.  

: House passes stimulus, Trump signs it

The House gave final congressional approval to the $2 trillion-plus stimulus package as more than 3 million Americans asked the government for unemployment assistance this year.

Not everyone will get a stimulus check -- Millions of undocumented immigrants won't get anything, even though they may pay taxes.

Use CNN's calculator to see how much you might get.

Trump signed the bill without any Democrats present -- And that's fine! But it's interesting that in a time when the lawmakers can come together on something so large, they can't even be in the same room. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was there and so was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Nobody was anything close to 6 feet apart. Look. But these are nitpicks. The point is that the government, Republicans and Democrats, came together to pass a $2 trillion stimulus.

Watch: Debate over the bill got chaotic. A Michigan lawmaker, Rep. Haley Stevens, showed up wearing surgical gloves on the House floor and was ruled out of order when she refused to yield the floor.

Lawmakers rushed back to town overnight after a single member objected to passing the measure by unanimous consent.

The obstructionist -- It was Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, who made everyone come back in.

His advice to lawmakers: 'Hitch a ride' -- "If congressmen are complaining that it's hard to travel, well, what about the truckers that I saw on the road when I drove to DC? Hitch a ride with the trucker. ... If you're a congressman making $87 an hour and find it hard to get to DC, well, hitch a ride with the trucker," Massie said on 55KRC talk radio.

Speaking of Kentucky -- You never know who is a vector.

Read this from earlier this week: A group of young adults held a coronavirus party in Kentucky to defy orders to socially distance. Now one of them has coronavirus. Or there's this Kentucky woman who tested positive and is now refusing to stay inside. Authorities got a court order forcing her to quarantine, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Again: This thing is everywhere. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Friday that a member of her staff, George Valentine, had died of it.

: Across the pond

First Prince Charles. Now Boris Johnson. The British Prime Minister has mild symptoms, but he's working from home. Home just happens to be 10 Downing Street. So he always sort of works from home. Anyway.

Wait a minute. He's self-isolating in the seat of the UK government!

CNN's Luke McGee writes: Isolating the Prime Minister is not that difficult, in itself. The Downing Street premises are actually considerably bigger than they look from the outside. Behind that famous black door at Number 10 lies a warren of rooms and offices that extend sideways into 11 and 12 Downing Street -- the three addresses are all that survive from a longer terrace constructed at the end of the 17th century -- and back into a much larger 18th-century building at the rear.

Johnson lives in a rather modest apartment above Number 11, which is easily shut off from Number 10. (A Downing Street spokesman said earlier on Friday that the connecting door between the two buildings would be shut.) Anything that the Prime Minister needs, whether official papers or deliveries of food and drink, will be left outside a door for him to collect. However, in an effort to contain the virus, Downing Street will try to keep even this level of contact at a minimum.

Read more.

[father-lost]

Ice Blown

It was one set back after another, but Esteban knew better than to sit and dwell on what could happen instead of pushing forward. He was pissed off, blood pounding full of rage as he let his mind play over his meeting with Curtis over and over again. If he wasn’t so worried about keeping any of his small family from ending up in jail, he would gladly kill the man.

But he was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn’t realize just how far ahead he was getting until a little voice in the back of his head chimed, reminding him he wasn’t alone. When he turned around, he saw that the boy who had agreed to come with him had fallen behind, taking a moment to lean against the single cane that strapped around his forearm. He gave him an apologetic smile and turned around, making his way back through the deep snow. “Los siento,” he apologized, stomping the snow down as he made his way back.

“Don’t worry about it,” Finn panted, wincing as he put weight on his leg. It wasn’t completely healed, the brace around his leg keeping him from bending his knee which had taken a good part of the blow from the gun. It was a split down the thigh bone and a fracture from the top of his kneecap to the bottom. “Just...a little outta shape.” He tried to joke, but every time he tried to place a little more weight on his leg it burned.

“I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard.” The older man replied. He gave the field a quick look around, trying to find anything at all they could rest at to keep them out of the cold for a sit down.

He wasn’t well versed in the area, but he knew that there was a river nearby, and the posted signs marked in purple spray paint was a sign that the land belonged to someone with a gun, and all the way out here, it was more than likely old farm land or hunters. If he found the edge of the property where the signs were posted, all they would have to do was make their way in until they reached something and prayed to god that there was actually a building with something usable there. “Stay here, I’ll be back in just a little bit, ok?” He instructed, pulling his coat off and placing it on the ground. “Sit.”

“Uh, ok, no, plan first.” Finn’s hand snapped out, grabbing his wrist to stop him from leaving. He didn’t want to be left alone out here, not out here in the cold. Not while part of him wondered if this was really a thing; he had no idea if Sean was alive, but he mourned for him all the same. Sitting in the hospital, the only news he had was that Daniel was gone, thanks to Detective Florres.

Finn didn’t trust cops so easily, at least no detectives. As someone with a shady occupation as he did, he kept things hidden from them and learned that most detectives and police officers were more interested in completing the job instead of actually helping. Parole workers excluded. But since he destroyed everything; Sean and Daniel’s chance to save up enough money to get to Mexico, a place for them to live even if they couldn’t get their jobs back, Sean being alive or dead which he was still in the dark about. He hadn’t told Esteban about the heist, but the man said he had a lead.

“The Posted signs read that this is private property, the purple paint is an old paint code used to warn people that the owners of the land had guns and were willing to shoot any and all trespassers who came onto their land.” Esteban explained, speaking quickly as he grabbed Finn’s arms, helping him sit down onto the coat. “I’ll follow along the line of trees to figure out where the perimeter is, then make my way in until a find a farm house or cabin or whatever.”

“And get shot in the face.” Finn added. “This is beginning to sound like one of my plans. Break into buildings that aren’t ours.” He felt his heart race. He was cold, and in pain and scared now.

“I doubt they’ll just fire and blow my head off if I approach their house, if anyone’s even still living there.” Esteban tried to reassure him. “Just, trust me, ok?” He gently grabbed the boys chin, making him look up at him. Finn felt the irony in this, like a cruel joke from the universe. Just a couple months ago, he was the one telling this man’s sons to trust him. Look where they ended up. But still...he was a Diaz. This man either had Sean’s sense of awareness, or Daniel’s.

“Ok, but if you get shot, I can’t do shit to help you dude.” Finn tried to laugh it off, letting his hands drop as he stretched his leg out across the snow. “Hurry back.”

Esteban nodded, giving him a warm smile. He was confident he’d be ok, but he needed to get there and get back to Finn quick. So he turned, making his way for the trees, following the line from the outside and letting his eyes travel back as far as they could go. He traveled nearly five minutes before he found the second posted sign and continued to follow it, walking along the border of the woods.

It took nearly an hour total before he got any sort of sense on how far he needed to go before turning and making a quick trudge through the woods, heading straight for the middle of the forest. He needed to keep a map in his head so he wouldn’t get lost on the way back, and to speed it up, he began running, feet leaving deep enough impressions in the snow so that even if it began to snow outside, they wouldn’t be filled in so fast.

As he ran, he began praying that there was actually a cabin or something in the center of these woods still, and that it was intact enough to stay in until they were both warm and rested enough. For a long period of time, it seemed as if his worst fears were coming true, not a sign of human life or anything. Just wrongly marked woods when suddenly the ground cracked, his foot sinking in through ice, plunging him into the waist.

He couldn’t help the cry of alarm and pain as everything was dunked below the frigid water, the liquid rushing out like sludge to devour the snow. “You bitch!” he quivered, clawing his way up and onto the ice, dragging himself across until the snow revealed ground when moved. Pushing himself up, he shivered.

Already, his jeans were freezing solid, the heavy hooded jacket he had under his winter coat sucking up the water and displacing it halfway up his torso. But as luck would have it, across a large field was a farmhouse, hidden by a line of trees.

Taking a breath of relief, he turned and made his way back across the water, choosing a small footbridge built of stone and old planks of wood, he began to run back along the path he’d marked for himself, ignoring the burning pins and needles that ran up and down his legs and body as his clothing froze to his body.

The entire trip back took nearly an hour and a half running, and as he emerged into sight, Finn stood up, grabbing his coat, but he was alarmed now as he saw the darkened fabric and the way it clung and crackled as the father returned.

“What happened?” Finn asked, looking down at him. His instinct was to reach out and brush the snow off of him, but as he did, he could feel the ice; the fabric refusing to move as fabric should, instead sitting solid as stone. “We need to do something about that,” he looked up at him, worry in his eyes as the older man panted, bending over, shaking his head. “Before you get hypothermia, man. Do you wanna lose your dick?” he leaned down enough to look into his eyes, a gesture the elder avoided.

“I’m working on it.” Esteban replied, turning as he put his coat on. He gave him no more words before he crouched down, feeling his skin bunch and burn like they were on fire. “Get on.” He held his hands back, motioning him up on his back.

“You’re not carrying me.” Finn refused, stepping back, his hand clutching the cane handle tightly.

“Ok, we’re gonna walk?” He turned, looking at him. “It took me an hour and a half running to get back here.” He informed him, not needing to say much more than that to Finn’s dismay. Taking a deep breath, Finn closed his eyes and climbed up on his back, yelping a little as Esteban bounced him into position. “You ok?”

“I will be.” Finn replied, a grunt leaving his lips as he wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and shoulders. “Go, don’t stop for me, I’ll be ok. Just get us there so we can get you warm.” He nearly demanded, Esteban unable to keep from chuckling a little.

“Careful, you’re beginning to sound like my ex-wife.” He teased. This was the most he’s run in years and he was beginning to feel it more than in the frigid, half frozen skin of his legs. Taking a deep breath to calm his lungs, he began to run again, making his way for the third time along the path his feet had marked in the snow.

That was the only good thing about the winter; he didn’t have to worry about losing the trail until he reached the line of trees. He ducked and dodged branches, trying to keep his footsteps light enough not to hurt the other on his back, but he guessed it wasn’t good enough for when he broke the halfway mark, a pair of teeth found his skin, sinking down.

He wouldn’t lie, if he hadn’t been dying from the cold and he knew that his companion was in pain, it would probably be a bit of a turn on, but now wasn’t the time. Coming out of the other end of the woods, he tackles the small hill to the footbridge carefully and made a dash across the yard to the house.

He’d been hoping the entire time that it was abandoned, and lucky for them, it was.

Giving Finn a chance to put his feet on the porch and unhook his teeth from his neck, he put him down and gave the door knob a jiggle. Locked. “Can’t people ever abandon their homes without locking the fucking door?” Esteban panted, feeling his chest ache like he’d been punched with a cinderblock, vision flickering a bit to tunnel vision. “Guess I’ll find a window.” He grabbed at his chest, clenching his eyes tight. This definitely constituted as overworking himself.

“Hold on, let me take it from here.” Finn spoke up, rubbing his leg gingerly for a second. Limping forward, he pulled his knife from his pocket and crouched down enough to put his injured knee on the snow covered wood. From the other pocket, he pulled out a bobby pin and stripped the rubber tip off one of the balls with his teeth, spitting it out onto the floor.

Carefully he slipped the straight end of the bobby pin into the lock, using his knife to help jar the lock around. With a click, he pulled his knife out and turned the doorknob, pushing it open. “Su casa es...not either of our casa.” He gave a dry laugh, pulling away stiffly from the door to motion to it.

“Smoothe, cariño.” The father smiled, looking at the opening door before looking to Finn as the boy took a couple steps forward, hands out as if to help him into the home. He chuckled, hand raising just an inch as a polite refusal; he was fine, all he needed was to get in and get out of the ice weighed pants.

“Are you gonna tell me what that means eventually?” Finn questioned, following him. The inside of the building was definitely old and not very well taken care of. Water damage from it looked like in one corner of the den area, a little black mold on the sheetrock; it wasn’t ideal but they wouldn’t be here more than a night or two.

“And ruin the romance?” He gave him a kind smile as black rushed his view. He swallowed hard, fighting the constriction in his throat and the stabbing in his chest.

“It’s easily won back, daddy.” The other teased, looking around, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against the wall, voice distorted. He saw everything cast in shadow. “Hey, hey you ok?” The words were distorted, like diving under water as the dizziness rushed in, the pain spreading along his veins like poison.

“Yeah, ok...o...k.” He tried to comfort him but couldn’t. He wasn’t ok, he tried too hard, and just like that, he was gone.

#life is strange 2 #esteban diaz #au fanfic #finn mcnamara #survived au

[softgothsweetheart]

1721 - A Thousand Miles - (1) | OG ending |

Lee didn't think her Friday would end like this, she had come walking from her house, 15 blocks away from Sean and Daniel's so she could say bye. Or at least something similar to it. When she arrived, she was greeted by Daniel who grinned at her, she returned the grin as she asked if Sean had been home yet. At that moment, Sean came out and pulled her into his bedroom, leaving Daniel behind.

"Lee, you're not all here today." He made the comment absentmindedly and she sighed, laying back in his bed. His eyes looked up from his sketchbook and noticed her slightly nervous form.

"You are okay, right?”

"Yeah. As okay as I can be."

"You going to Eric's party?"

"No, you know she doesn't like me hanging around parties. Or boys."

"I'm a boy."

"Trust me, the shit she says about you and Daniel pisses me off. I hate her for it.”

"Why are you here, I'm not trying to be mean but it's weird." 

"I wanna say bye."

"Bye? Where are you going?"

"I'm... Leaving, going on vacation."

"She lets you do that but not spend the night here?"

"My aunt thinks that since because I'm sixteen that I'll fuck up somehow. I took off my tracker and then I'm going on vacation." He made a sad face and turned to his computer. He began skyping Lyla with Lee standing next to him.

"Got everything for the party tonight?"

"Yes, I do. Enough for supplies and everything."

Their conversation becomes more and more about the party and about a girl Sean was chasing after-- Jenn-- that's when Lee heard the footsteps and Daniel barging into Sean's room.

"Look what I made Sean-- is that Lyla?" Sean shouted at Daniel and shoved him out. They continued their chat and Lee's eyes continued watching out the window. She spotted Daniel and the fake blood. Then she witnessed Daniel accidentally spilling fake blood on Brett Foster.

"Shit." Lee cursed, dropping her bag as she repeatedly tapped Sean's shoulder. Brett began yelling at Daniel and Sean stood up and raced outside to confront him as Lee followed suit. When Sean and Brett started fighting, Lee pushed Daniel back to stay away. She went to shove Brett when he ran into Sean, knocking all three of them over. Sean flipped the cards and ran into Brett in return, they pulled apart and Sean shoved Brett as hard as he could which resulted in Brett falling into a rock on the ground. Lee gasped as she heard the police sirens, she got scared.

"Oh fuck nuggets. Sean, what do we do?"

"Shit." Sean was trying to check Brett, to make sure if he was gonna be okay when an officer pulled up. Lee knew it was too late. She couldn't go back now. Everything that had just happened was officially final. Esteban came out as they got on the ground. The cop was shaking so hard and next thing she knew a loud pop went off and Daniel screamed. Esteban fell back-- dead and the wind picked up as she shut her eyes tightly. She heard a loud crash and a yelp and suddenly it was quiet.

When Lee came to, she heard the police sirens. She quickly shook Sean, waking him up.

"Sean please, more cops are coming!" She cried, her heart was beating so fast in her chest and she felt her stomach twisting with anxiety. She turned her head and saw Esteban's dead body, his shirt drenched in blood. She swallowed hard and Sean smacked her shoulder.

"Let's go, Daniel. Lee get the bags please." Sean was attempting to wake up Daniel as Lee ran with her quivering legs into their house. She picked up her bag in Sean's room and then his backpack on the way out. She caught up to them as they ran the back way, successfully evading the cops. For now.

Who knew... Now I've got my favorite boys with me. I won't be alone. But under these circumstances...

#1721 - a thousand miles drabble #1721 - a thousand miles fanfic #Sean Diaz #sean diaz x reader #sean diaz x oc #daniel diaz #life is strange #life is strange 2 #esteban diaz #writing #fanfics

[onegirllis]

Have you really gone through episode 2 of LIS2? I really wonder what you think about it. Better, of course, the full answer.

I finished it indeed. The episode is about 3-4h long, depending on how much you want to explore and how much time it would take for you to find a way out. I was battling with the idea of sharing my thoughts because it’s very hard to judge just a slice of the story, instead of the whole season, but why the hell not. Maybe I will read it when episode 5 comes out and see how wrong I was. 

So, without further ado, here’s my review of episode 2, but please be aware it includes a lot of spoilers. It’s also as honest as possible, although it’s my personal opinion only. And yes, it may be harsh, not sugarcoated, but sincere. 

MY REVIEW OF EPISODE 2 OF LIFE IS STRANGE 2

Call me naive, but I really had hopes. I really did. I didn’t like ep1, it was way too slow for my taste, with some dramatic moments that felt off, but overall I assumed that it might be just an exposition, an introduction to the world, the characters and their problems, and that the game would elaborate on everything else later. Sometimes the beginnings feel off and it gets better later, so that’s why I had some hopes (not super high) that ep2 of LIS2 will remind me of why this game even belongs to LIS franchise and why I should play the whole season. 

Well, it didn’t work out. 

Characters

Again, It’s my opinion only but I don’t feel that there are any character developments whatsoever. Daniel and Sean didn’t learn anything freezing their asses off in the mountains. They didn’t change their ways, not learning patience nor being careful. There is no tension between them or any quarrel about the events. The acceptance of their fate is understandable, but not helping with the lack of overall tension. The moments of calm, that usually gave the player the opportunity to know more about the main character’s inner thoughts, instead serve the purpose of a summary of the few previous scenes and nothing more. It almost feels like the writers don’t like the PC and don’t want to tell us more about Sean, because there is absolutely nothing worth telling. Remember the girl Sean was in love with in ep1? Never mentioned again. Remember his friends, his boss, his job, school, or sports he was interested in? He doesn’t mention them either. There is nothing in the journal or in the dialogues that would show us anything we don’t already know or wouldn’t assume by ourselves, and Sean’s insights seem more like repetitive whinings than anything impactful. In episode 1 I could wave off the fact that they decided to walk to Mexico being shocked, traumatized and lost. In episode 2, when they notoriously risk their lives or reject any other solution not learning from experience just to run away, you start questioning their sanity. I know the reason behind it - “oh plot” but “oh plot” is not good enough. 

The boys miss their dad, but don’t feel much upset or don’t present any sign of emotional trauma. There are no breakdowns and the brothers are more or less in good spirits staying optimistic, not asking themselves a single question about the future. Comparing to Chloe who was repeating “I wish Rachel was here” over and over and was living in this trauma the whole time, they don’t seem very much impacted by the events, but on the other hand, they place the dad’s photo on the table, so his death can be conveniently mentioned. The dog died (yes, it’s true, Mushroom is killed off in the first 20 minutes), and even if Daniel is supposedly devastated, it takes him only 5 minutes to shake it off and never mentions this dog again (oh ok, maybe once). If the characters don’t freaking care about this animal, why should I? 

It also seems that the characters keep forgetting what the objective is here. Maybe it’s on purpose, but they recall certain friends only when it’s convenient for the plot. “I’m gonna call Lyla” says Sean towards the end of the episode, even if he hadn’t mentioned her for 2 hours of gameplay. And even when getting devastating news about her, he is not really concerned, shrugs and sighs deeply. Yeah, we sigh with him.

When it comes to Sean himself, I really don’t mind the PC being a guy, really. If I had a problem with it, I wouldn’t be able to play 90% of video games. The thing I do have a problem with though, is Sean being an utter asshole. Yeah, he takes care of his brother and all, but he is freaking mean to his grandparents, showing lack of empathy and acceptance of a different point of view. Calling the grandma, a woman who opened her house to them “an old bat” is just a bit too much, especially after a month spent in an abandoned house without food or heating. There is no reason for him to judge those people so much and if there is a reason, we don’t know the details. How can I emotionally invest in a character that is not opening up to me, the player? Or maybe there is nothing more about Sean, and that’s even worse. 

There is a big mystery regarding why their mother left her sons but if you expect any answer while the boys are visiting their grandparents and can snoop around in Karen’s old room, you’d be mistaken. The devs are building the mystery in the typical David Cage style, that one of the characters is about to tell you something “Oh, I will tell you what your mother did..~” and then something happens and we’re left in the dark again. At this point, I expect some explosive explanation of why their mother left the family, but it’s ether drugs, a religious cult or some relationship stuff.

Tragedy Porn

Dear devs, the fact that a lot of people in the fandom are familiar with this term and use it regularly, doesn’t mean you should take it literally. I know that the LIS franchise is about hard choices or difficult situations, but killing kids and small animals left and right is just cheap and really unnecessary. It quickly gets old, just like “the boy who cried wolf” (pun intended) that as some point I don’t even blink when witnessing another digital death. I can’t be devastated by Mushroom’s death, because the dog had less screen time than Sean’s skateboard. I can’t feel sorry for every character (human or not) that you didn’t even give me a chance to feel connected to. I know that you want me to “feel something” but at this point the “feel” changes into “yawn”. Chris AKA Captain Spirit being dead (or almost dead) AGAIN - so I helped the boy just to see him die 1 hour later (I know it’s optional but still)? Lyla in the hospital, the family from the abandoned house being wiped out of the face of the earth because of cancer (at least not a car accident this time), Chris’s mom dead, the boys’ father dead, grandpa almost dying because of the accident… It’s too much. It feels cheap and not impactful. At this point, I will be surprised if you won’t just kill everybody. Who needs people on the West Coast anyway, huh?

I don’t even know if I want to learn more about the boys’ mother since you probably will kill her too.

Politics and Religion

In this episode, politics have been toned down, still visible though and there are a few moments when I literally rolled my eyes. This time the devs decided to say something more about religion since it’s a significant part of life if you live in a small town in America. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that the power of prayer is being mocked rather than actually shown as somebody’s way of life. Acceptance and tolerance go both ways though. 

The boys surprisingly identify themselves as Mexicans, even though they are half Irish and have never been to their father’s homeland. There are a few moments when you are wondering whether they had ever really liked to live in the US, questioning everything around them. Sean, who spent a decent amount of time with his dad on “the road trips” as stated in ep1, seems genuinely surprised that in his country people keep the Bible by their beds, as if he had never been in any motel whatsoever where the Bible is always present, placed on the nightstand or in a drawer. If being religious bothers him, boy, oh boy, you will be hella surprised in Mexico. They also don’t know how to pray, which I find extremely hard to believe. It almost feels like a scene from “Anne of Green Gables” but damn, the girl had a valid reason not to know. They don’t, especially if they identify themselves as Mexicans. We could assume that they were also part of Mexican-American communities and I cannot believe that in THIS WORLD the immigrants from this particular part of the world don’t know how to pray. Although if you expect some deep conversation about God or religion in general, forget it. It’s just there to be there and that’s it.

I don’t want to discuss the articles in the newspaper about “the gentle police officer” that was killed by immigrants because it makes my blood boil. 

Against the logic, the brothers are still planning to escape to Mexico and no grown-up is really trying to talk them out of this idea. There are no alternatives provided or discussed except a pat on the back and an offer for a quick stop if even. Even the grandparents are a bit concerned but no one really gives them any real advice, which I find unlikely. The problem is that if anybody would actually give them a piece of real advice, we wouldn’t have a game.

And that’s a problem, isn’t it?

Gameplay

We have a few mini-games and fetch quests like finding bottles in the abandoned house (why always freaking bottles?), the pirate version of dice poker (never brought back again) and drawing. None of those serve any purpose except a filler that you might enjoy but it doesn’t matter if you succeed in them or not, unless the game forces you to succeed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that this particular genre doesn’t usually provide a set of complex challenges in its gameplay, but it seriously looks like LIS2 is throwing us a bone, remembering from time to time that uh, it’s a game, not a movie. Those mini games are not really engaging, not really connected to the plot, but just for… whatever reason, as part of the daily chores. 

But it’s a game about choices, you say! Yes, it is, but only some of them really matter and I’m not sure for how long. If you give me a choice to do something or NOT to do it, please consider that I might pick the latter and don’t force me into your favorite path. It happens from time to time and it’s utterly annoying. If you want me to do something, just don’t give me the illusion that I can refuse. 

It almost seems that LIS2 turned into a dark alley where you are rewarded for picking the “good, canonical path” and punished for playing it differently than the devs indented. I loved LIS1 for ambiguous choices that I might pick, depending on my personal preferences, not to mention that those choices are made during an emotional moment. I don’t feel I have that opportunity here, just as if somebody who constructed it forgot why LIS was so great and is so loved.

When it comes to dialogue, it is way better than LIS1, regarding how people actually speak. On the other hand, the lines are just there to be there and I can’t recall a single line that would be worth quoting. 

And one more thing. Cutscenes. So many cutscenes. The moment when I actually could do something with my controller was a celebration. I don’t mind cutscenes in general, but it almost feels like a movie.  A long, boring, super slow movie.

Superpower


The superpower is mentioned, mostly in rules that Sean is lecturing Daniel about, but it’s non-existent in the gameplay almost at all. It’s drastically different comparing to LIS1, when Max was using her power almost all the time or was a challenge not to use it. Here we know that Daniel can do things but most of the time he conveniently forgets about it or uses it in the wrong moment. I know the game is about education but the superpower itself seems like a plot device, an additional reason to run to Mexico than anything else. They talk more about it than use it. It sounds like a good idea in general and it probably looked great on paper, but at some point I didn’t care about the superpower at all, forgetting that this secret even exists.

Season 1

When it comes to references to season 1, Arcadia Bay, or any character that we know from LIS1, there is almost nothing. Yes, you can find a drawing of ”door to another world” instead of hole to another universe, or graffiti on the wall that Sean and Daniel were here, similar to the famous junkyard thing, but it won’t give you any insight about what had happened to the favorite characters or any glimpse of their fate. There was more about Arcadia Bay in Captain Spirit than the whole LIS2 so far. The devs were damn serious, showing us Arcadia Bay in episode 1, destroyed or not, saying that this is the past. It seems that they don’t want to even refer to this past much and it’s fine, but if you’re hoping for anything, just anything related to LIS1, forget it.

Technical problems

Oh, boy. I’m aware that creating games is not an easy job and a team sport. I know that it’s almost a miracle that some of the titles even got shipped, but episode 2 of LIS2 is probably the MOST BUGGED EPISODE in the history of this franchise. Glitches, problems with sound, teleportation of objects, animations that didn’t work or songs being cut off… I’m not talking about a few mistakes here and there, but it happens all the time. It’s so common it’s an epidemic and you face some technical challenge almost in every scene as if Bethesda was putting this episode together. This episode looks like advanced beta, not a finished product that had been delayed for months. It seems ironic when recalling the posts from the Life is Strange blog about QA teams, one in France and one in Canada, carefully checking every detail and describing how quality was important. Especially in that context, this is really a disaster, however, I didn’t face any technical problem that would make this episode impossible to finish.

What worked

So what’s great about this episode? Does everything suck? Well, of course not. On the upside, the locations are absolutely stunning. You want to explore the town, the houses, play in the snow, dive into the world, even if you don’t expect anything groundbreaking to happen. The level design, in my opinion, is better than in LIS1, more consistent and intriguing. I know a lot of people might disagree with me but somebody put their heart and soul building this environment, creating something really beautiful. Except for the locations, I liked some songs and the music, way more than in ep1, but it’s not as good as in LIS1 or BTS. Better, but not great.

Cassidy

Oh, somebody was reading “Preacher”, weren’t ya? Or is ia reference to “On the road”? A lot of people seem excited about her finally showing up. I have mixed feelings about this character since I’m not sure if I want to discover the world from her perspective. A stoned, hippie-rasta girl, who takes pride in being free and “not owned by any corporation” (except Square Enix hehehe), is maybe a realistic character and I’m not saying that people like her don’t exist here, but I’m on the fence, to be honest. It seems that the devs are trying to establish the next canon ship or something with her being interested in Sean and him actually “liking her” after exchanging 3 sentences, but that really feels off. She seems more like Chloe 2.0 than anything else, but we shall see (in the next 6 months or whenever they will fucking publish the next ep). Plus for fuck’s sake, Sean was into Jenn (I don’t remember her name exactly), and there was Lyla, and then this girl. Dude!

Summary

It was boring. It was extremely freaking boring to the point that I lost my patience to check every single detail or examine every object. I don’t feel any need to replay it, even if the consequences of my choices weren’t great. I’m not curious about different outcomes nor do I want to check if I missed anything. There is not a single scene I want to see or experience again. In my game, Chris died and I don’t really feel the need to replay it and change the outcome since I will never meet him again or even deal with the consequences of his death. The whole road trip setting is intriguing but drastically different to what I loved about Life is Strange - learning more about each character, dwelling deeper into the situation, uncovering a hidden mystery. We won’t learn more about most of those characters (or it doesn’t seem possible) since we just pass them and move on, exchanging a dialogue or two like with a pedestrian on the street. There is a charm to the road trip idea, but then I would have to be extremely interested in the main characters, including the PC, to actually follow their journey closely. In LIS1 I didn’t have to like Max to play the whole thing, curious about Chloe or Rachels’ disappearance. In a road trip setting the two brothers are the core of the story and if you’re not fond of them, it won’t work.

So far it’s not working for me.

#life is strange 2 #review #sean diaz #daniel diaz #life is strange

[puckyou-forpuckssake]

The Long Road—T. Teravainen

Message me to request an imagine. Requested by anon. There is only one ending, but if there is demand to an alternate I will write one. I used the song (and music video) Marry Me by Thomas Rhett as inspiration for this (and maybe It’s Time by Imagine Dragons too). Sorry this took so long! Check out my blog for the master list or more imagines by searching “hockey imagines”

“Teuvo, I love you,” you moaned. Teuvo grinned at you as he took another bite of his pancakes.

“I told you. Good pancakes here.”

As you wiped syrup off your face, you noticed Teuvo messing around with his food, and it wasn’t in a playful way. You had been concerned since you arrived. He didn’t have his normal feel. “What’s wrong, T?”

Teuvo took a deep breath.

“I’m getting married.”

You should’ve known that something was going to go wrong when you realized you were actually on time. You were never on time. The elevator breaking down between the 6 & 7 floors of your building made sure of that. “No,” you groaned.

“You sound happy,” the guy in the elevator joked. At the time it wasn’t funny. “I make joke. Should be fix soon.”

“I’m never on time. I was today until now. I don’t understand why my boss keeps me around,” you rambled.

“Maybe you good at job?”

You snorted. “I just run memos around for an advertising agency.”

“And I hit a rubber piece all day.”

“Attention occupants of elevator,” a voice said over the speaker. “We are working on getting you out. The firemen and engineer are on their way. Please stay calm. This process should take 30-60 minutes. Thank you.”

“You will be late,” the guy paused. “We be here together for awhile, so it is time to introduce ourselves. I’m Teuvo from floor 23.”

You smiled as you pulled out your phone to text your boss. “I’m Y/N from floor 17.”

You weren’t sure if you wanted to throw up or run away and hide when you saw Teuvo walk over with the blonde. “Y/N, this is my fiancé, Laila. Laila, this is my really good friend, Y/N.”

Really. Good. Friend. It hurt so much.

Laila gave you a bitter smile. “Hello.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” He must see something you didn’t. Maybe she was perfect when they were alone. He looked so happy. All you wanted was for him to be happy. You’d respect her for him.

Teuvo grinned. “You two get to know each other. Sepe just should up. Of course he’s late. At least you were on time, Y/N.” He winked at you.

The faux smiles disappeared when he was gone. “So how did you guys meet?” You asked her.

“Finland.”

“How long have you guys been together?”

“Awhile. How about you?”

“Chicago, and awhile.”

Three months since the elevator incident and Teuvo was now a constant in your life. You came to learn, the day after the incident, that he was actually a hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks when you went with your boss to a commercial shoot to take notes and he was present.

“What did you think I meant when I say I hit rubber all day?” He had asked when you admitted your shock.

Every morning he would stop by your apartment to get you on your way. Sometimes he bought you coffee and sometimes you repaid the favor. On home game nights, you’d bring him food before and after the games. Away games you called him or texted him, a FaceTime when it was a tough loss. He tried to cheer you up whenever possible when your job or life got you down. He’d even started to teach you how to skate.

“It’s like walking. Left foot, right foot,” he instructed.

You clung tighter to the wall as you inched forward on the skates. “I’m not cut out for this. I’m going to fall flat on my ass.”

Teuvo shook his head. “You learn how to walk as baby. You learn how to skate as adult. If you fall, I will catch you,” He skated towards the benches and grabbed a hockey stick. When he reached you, he stuck the stick out horizontally. “Grab it. I will pull.”

Hesitantly, you grabbed the stick and he slowly pulled you around the ice. “Now I want you to move your feet like I taught you,” he told you after you started to clearly enjoy being on the ice.

You felt confident now and took a few strides forward and decided to take you hands of the stick. “Y/N!” He shouted as you misstepped. You closed your eyes, preparing for impact, but never felt yourself come in contact with the cold, hard ice. You felt Teuvo’s arms instead. Panic glazed his hazel eyes but softened when he noticed you were okay. “Not yet. Not ready.”

“Too late,” you whispered.

“You want me to what?” There was no way Teuvo had just said we he had said, and clearly, based off the look on Laila’s face, he had not discussed this with his fiancé.

“You will plan our wedding,” Teuvo repeated. “If that is okay with you. Laila has given me list of her wants and you already know what I look for in a wedding. It would make me happy.”

Those words struck you cold. You couldn’t say no now. You’d rather live in pain for the rest of your life than to see him unhappy. With a pained smile, you answered yes.

The knocks grew louder before you sighed and went to open the door. Standing there, as expected, was Teuvo; however, unexpected, was the bags in his hands. “I bring you that weird mango ice cream you like and those Chinese noodles and chicken nuggets your mouth drools for. I also have those spy movies you like. Ones you don’t own.”

“Why are you doing this, T?” You asked, walking back to the couch.

Teuvo shut the door and set the food on the table. “We watch the Sean Connery one’s first and then Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, and Roger Moore.”

“Teuvo!” He dropped the dvd to look at you. You enjoy his surprises like this but normally something called for this, and didn’t know about your job. “What’s going on? Why are you doing this?”

“Can’t I spend time with one of my favorite women? I like doing stuff like this.”

“T, I know you randomly surprise me but this is a little much. What happened?”

He sighed. “I got traded to the Canes.”

Teuvo was going to North Carolina. He was moving out of Chicago. “I got transferred and promoted to Charlotte as an event planner,” you blurted.

He looked confused before he grinned. The realization had struck him. “Charlotte is in North Carolina, which is where Raleigh is. We’re gonna be in the same state!”

He quickly pulled you into his arms tightly, burying his face in your hair. “I was worried I was going to lose you from my life,” he murmured, “I can deal with 2 hours.”

You hugged him. “I’d never leave your life, T. I’m always here for you.”

You watched the caterers bring in the food and the baker the cake. Glancing down at the clipboard, everything was perfect.

“No, that goes in the living room,” you instructed him. “Why would I put that in my bedroom?”

Teuvo set the picture down. “I’m sorry I questioned your clipboard.”

“My clipboard?” You asked.

He walked out of the room and came back with a bag. Inside was a navy blue clipboard that faded into dark red with your initials in gold. “I know you like a schedule and you are now a planner. Every planner needs a clipboard.”

You blushed. “You’re such a softie.”

It was then his turn to blush. “Anything to see that smile.”

“I know that face,” you turned around to see Teuvo standing there. He was dressed up in his white tux with pink tie and boutonnière. It was Laila’s idea. If it were your wedding, he’d be in a navy suit with a red tie and boutonnière. But it’s not your wedding. It was his. And hers.

“What’s bothering you, Y/N?” He asked.

“Nothing is. Just trying to make sure everything is perfect.”

Teuvo shook his head. “Your dressed in black and have that look. You are going to a funeral it seems. Tell me what’s wrong?”

This was your chance. You could tell him now. If he feels the same way, you could make this work. If he didn’t, you’d be losing the most important person in your life...but at least he’d be happy. That’s why you had done all of this in the first place. It made him happy. And sometimes that’s what counted. It hurt a little less if you let them go happy.

“Y/N?”

You took a deep breath and hugged him. He held you tightly too, as if he also knew this might be the last time. You didn’t want to let go but knew you had to. It was almost time.

“You’re should be arriving anytime,” you informed him. “Go finish getting ready. Within the hour, you’ll be married.”

“Y/N...are you sure?” He asked. He held your hand tightly in his. “Are you absolutely you sure?”

You weren’t sure what he meant by that. You nodded slowly in response. Neither of you walked away. “Teuvo! Where are you?” You heard Sebastian, his best man, yell. Your hands fell apart. “It’s time.”

The sight was beautiful. You had always wanted to see the northern lights. Teuvo has granted you that wish for your birthday by taking you to Finland. The thick coat wasn’t enough to keep you warm. He took notice and pulled you closer. You both spent a lot of time like this whenever you were together. Those moments were cherished now. Raleigh was treating him very well, as was Charlotte for you. Sometimes you couldn’t always be together. You wondered if Teuvo was just as in awe as you. Glancing over, you saw him staring at you and not the northern lights. He didn’t look away when you stared right back. Instead, he smiled. “You like it?”

“I love it. I love everything here.”

His smile grew. “I knew you would. You like Finnish things.”

“I love Finnish things,” you said absentmindedly.

Teuvo only chuckled and kissed the top of your head. “I love Y/C things,” he whispered in Finnish.

You stood in the back of the venue and watched the guests sit down. Teuvo had smiled at you as he walked down the aisle. You tried not to cry as Laila walked towards the love of your life. He smiled when she got there. He was happy. That’s all you wanted was for him to be happy, even if that wasn’t with you. It was too much to handle though. He watched you walk towards the exit of the venue as she said “I do.” 

It’s time, he decided.

——One Year Later——

The thought of seeming him nerved you. He always made you nervous. You were happy for him though. The Hurricanes has won the Stanley Cup, and it was Teuvo’s day with the Cup and he wanted you there. It had been a great year for him: he’d gotten married, won the Cup, and was going to be a father. Glancing down at your phone, you realized it was time to go.

Arriving, you saw standing proudly by the Cup. He was talking to his brother and Sebastian. You took a deep breath before walking confidently towards him. Instantly, his eyes lit up when he saw you. He excused himself to come over to you.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said as he hugged you. “I was worried you weren’t going to make it.”

You smiled. “I sometimes can be late. It’s acceptable.”

Teuvo shook his head but kept on grinning. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” you answered. “And you?”

“On a high of excitement,” he almost squealed. “It’s my second cup and I’m not even 30.”

“I’m proud of you, T.”

You truly were. He had worked very hard for this. He deserved every bit of this. “Laila is by the punch if you want to talk to her,” he mentioned. “I think you should. Plus I have a few things I need to discuss with Sebastian.”

That was his sign that you had to go talk to her. You thought about not talking to her but she had already noticed you and was walking over. “Hi.”

“Hello.”

It was completely awkward between the two of you. “How are you?” You asked.

“Doing a lot better. And you?”

“I have my days.”

You both stood there silently, praying for Teuvo to come and fix this. Thank god he came over at the moment with Sebastian. “Sepe said yes to being godfather. Did she say yes to godmother?”

“Godmother? You want me to be godmother? But why?” Laila shrieked.

“Because you’re with Sebastian,” you answered. Teuvo coughed softly, signaling for you to give a better answer. “And because you are an important part of our lives whether it seems like it or not. You, more or less, brought Teuvo and I fully together. This is our way of saying thank you and to prepare you and Sebastian for children.”

Laila blinked and looked between you, her ex-fiancé, and her boyfriend. The two men nodded. It seemed a little odd at first when Laila and Sebastian had gotten together, but Teuvo was relieved. He believed them to a way better match. You agreed.

“I don’t know what to say,” she replied quietly. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Neither were we,” you snorted. “But that’s just how the world works. You end up in places you never expected.”

“This is why you can’t plan life,” Teuvo said to you.

“I’ll do it,” Laila answered. “I will be godmother to your baby.”

You hugged her first and then excused yourself. You hadn’t expected to get emotional. At least not at this moment. “Are you okay?” Teuvo asked.

You nodded. “I think I’m just hormonal. I didn’t want them to see me cry yet.”

Teuvo chuckled. “But they already witnessed that when we got married. We were both in tears from the moment I asked you to marry me to you saying yes to our I do’s and that kiss to seal deal. Tears the whole way.”

“Happy tears.”

Teuvo wipes away the tear on your cheek and kissed you. “It worked out in the end. We just took the long way. Now let’s go celebrate Mrs. Teravainen. We have exciting news to share.”

“After this, your family will never want to come to a party hosted by us ever again.”

Teuvo chuckled. “Probably not. I know for a fact mummi does not like these bombshells.”

“That’s why I told her in advance.”

Teuvo sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. The last thing we need is mummi having a heart attack at this party.”

You chuckled and kissed your husband. You were happy life had finally worked out from that time stuck in the elevator so long ago, evenif you had taken the long road to get there. But that didn’t matter anymore. It was time for the next chapter in your life with Teuvo.

#teuvo teravainen #teuvo teräväinen #teuvo teravainen imagine #teuvo teräväinen imagine #carolina hurricanes #carolina hurricanes imagine #hockey #nhl #hockey imagines #nhl imagines

[pirates-of-arcadia-bay]

Fic: Wolves

Obligatory LiS2 Werewolf AU that happened in about an hour. Basically the most obvious thing ever, but it had to be done. WIP, may continue if there’s interest (or if I feel like it).

Here, have 1000 words about some wolf bois:

Run. Run. Just keep running.

Leaf litter crunched underfoot as Sean Diaz streaked through the forest. Behind him, he could still hear the sounds of shouting and barking dogs and smell the wisps of smoke and gunpowder in the air. He couldn't let them catch up. He couldn't wait for their dad to come save them. Most importantly, he couldn't let them get Daniel.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Daniel wasn't supposed to turn until he was at least thirteen, his dad had said. He definitely wasn't supposed to turn a week before the full moon.

How could Sean have known that his neighbors would raise the alarm? That the police in his town were also Hunters? Everything happened so fast.

He skittered around a mossy rock, paws kicking up dirt and debris. Thorny branches tore at his side, pulling away tufts of fur and dark flecks of blood. No time to think about the pain. No time to cover his trail. He simply had to keep moving forward.

Dad...

No. He couldn't think of Esteban right now. He forced the image of the black-and-silver wolf out of his mind and pressed on.

The sounds of their pursuers faded into the background, but still Sean ran into the night, until his paws were sore and his breath came in heavy pants around the warm bundle of fur between his teeth, which hung limp and heavy. Daniel, unconscious, still with blood on his paws and muzzle. He was too young, too out of control. Sean had been like that, too, at the start. But at least then he'd had Esteban's help and wisdom to guide him. He'd known it was coming and prepared for it. He'd been looking forward to teaching his brother when the time was right. But not like this. Never like this.

His pawsteps slowed and he limped to a halt in the shade of a towering pine. He gently lowered his unconscious brother to the ground. Then he raised his head, swiveling his ears and sniffing the air for a hint that they were still being followed. He couldn't sense any humans, although the sounds and smells of the night forest filled his senses with stimuli. Mice, crawling through the underbrush. The near-silent wingbeats of an owl gliding through the trees.

The moonlight, lancing between the tree branches, struck his fur, black on top like his father's, but russet where his dad's was silver. The sight of the gibbous moon triggered something instinctual within him, and he tilted his head back and howled a mournful echo through the trees. His father's answering howl didn't come. It never would again.

An answer did come, however: a high-pitched, fractured cry from the bundle of fur that was his little brother. Daniel had awoken, and his howl, broken into sobs, echoed in response to Sean's own.

Survival sense took over after a moment. They may have lost their pursuers for now, but they'd reveal their location before too long if they kept this up. Unable to speak in order tell his brother to hush, Sean instead gently but firmly clamped his jaw around his brother's muzzle. Daniel's howl quieted to a whimper, then silence. His scared, sad eyes -- still the same, even after the shift -- met with Sean's. His first shift. He must be so confused and afraid...

Sean settled down on the earth and curled his tail around Daniel. He released Daniel's muzzle and began to lick him, his wide, flat tongue clearing away the blood. He then did the same for Daniel's paws until the red stain was all but gone. He didn't want to think about that cop. He'd hardly seen it happen. But they'd cornered Daniel, and in his first-shift frenzy, he'd done what cornered animals do. He likely wouldn't remember any of it, which was for the better. Especially given what came after, when Esteban leapt in defense of his son, only to be met with a gun loaded with silver bullets...

For years, they'd lived their lives among the humans of Seattle. Esteban's guidance and watchfulness had allowed them to stay hidden, and to give Daniel and Sean a normal childhood. Just earlier that day, Sean had been riding the bus home from school, talking with Lyla about the party they planned to attend later that night. He'd wanted to ask out the cute girl who was tutoring him in math.

It had all fallen apart so quickly. Now that their secret was out, there was no going back.

Sean looked at the bundle of fur that was his little brother, black all over with splotches of white on his chest and one paw. He'd long wondered how his brother would look when he shifted, but never imagined it would be in these circumstances.

Daniel yawned widely, tongue curling between tiny sharp fangs, and rested his head on his paws. He was asleep within seconds. Sean was tired, too -- more tired than he'd ever been in his life. But he couldn't let himself sleep now, not with Hunters on their trail.

He and Daniel only had each other. In the morning, he'd have a lot to explain to his brother: that the Diaz family were all werewolves. That their father was gone, never to return. That they'd need to rely on each other, if they were going to survive. That they couldn't go home ever again.

The moon dipped gradually between the trees, but still Sean stayed alert. He'd watch after Daniel until the break of day, and the next moonrise, and the next. It was his responsibility, whether Sean was ready for it or not. He didn't have any choice.

He was the Alpha of their pack now.

#Life is Strange 2 #sean diaz #daniel diaz #fanfic

[jack-katz]

ORIGINS & FAMILY:

Name: John David Katz

Nickname: Jack

Birthday: December 18th

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Place of Birth: New York, NY, USA

Places Lived Since: Washington, DC; Chicago, IL, USA; New York, NY, USA; London, UK

Current Residence: Hackney Wick, Hackney, London, UK

Nationality: American

Parents: Benjamin Katz & Mary Katz (née Doyle)

Grandparents: Eliezer Katz & Ruth Katz (née Geller); John Doyle & Niamh Doyle (née Murphy)

Aunts & Uncles: David Katz, Ava Aoun (née Katz); John Doyle, Sean Doyle, Michael Doyle

Number of Siblings: One - Daniel Katz

Relationship With Family: Jack is on very good terms with his family and especially his parents who’ve always supported him throughout his career. They’ve rarely been the type of parents to scream or shout, but they convey their disappointment in ways that can break their children’s hearts. He used to be closer to his Dad’s family because of proximity, but since moving to London it’s been easier to go back and forth to Connemara to finally really get to know his Irish grandparents and uncles.

Happiest Memory: The bow he took at the end of his first school performance.

Childhood Trauma: None, aside from some sadly expected bullying whenever he moved to a new city that was usually targeted at his lankiness, love of the arts, and Jewish heritage.

PHYSICAL:

Height: 6′0″

Weight: 160 lbs

Build: Slim, usually bordering on just plain skinny but he has been known to build up some lean muscle either for a role or because he’s made a sudden sweeping decision to get into better shape.

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Usual Hair Style: It varies depending on what stage of growth it’s at. When trimmed short, it’s fairly neat and looks good. It grows fast, though, faster than he can usually keep up with so it starts to get curly and out of control usually every couple months and he’s yet to figure out how to really get it under control. Sometimes the stars align and it looks good on its own, but most times he just wakes up with a really bad hair day and decides it’s the day to go to the barber.

Eye Color: Green

Glasses? Contacts?: No need for them currently, though his eyesight has definitely gotten a bit worse over the last couple years

Style of Dress/Typical Outfit(s): Very casual unless it’s something someone else picked out for him. A lot of graphic tee’s and old flannels and jeans that only fit properly with a belt and some pretty beat up sneakers. The belt never matches the shoes and he has two sweatshirts he tends to wear - dark navy and black so it can be hard to tell which one is which. He’s anything but a fashion icon, though at the very least he does his laundry on a decent schedule so his clothes are always clean - just not always very stylish.

Typical Style of Shoes: Sneakers about 90% of the time, hiking boots and flip-flops often when on vacation, and occasionally loafers for fancy events.

Jewellery? Tattoos? Piercings?: No tattoos or piercings. Whenever he gets a great idea for a tattoo he always seems to have a role coming up and doesn’t like to take any bodily risks around that time.

Unique Mannerisms/Physical Habits: When he gets really nervous or anxious he tends to drum his fingers on his leg or together to try to get out some of the nervous energy.

Athleticism: When it comes to genuine contact sports like rugby and American football, Jack isn’t that good. Running based sports, however, he’s not that bad at, though he only likes to play for fun. He enjoys soccer/football and actually doesn’t mind going for runs when he’s trying to get in shape. In high school he’d sometimes just show up to the soccer field during practice times and play around until the coach got mad at him for not being a real player and kicked him off the field. Theater was always his main focus in high school, anyway.

Health Problems/Illnesses: None, aside from potentially very high cholesterol in his future.

INTELLECT:

Level of Education: Most of high school completed but no diploma.

Languages Spoken: English fluently and natively, Spanish almost fluently from middle school and high school classes, and some Hebrew and Gaelic he picked up from his parents. Also bits of conversational vocabulary from a handful of languages in places he’s visited like French, Italian, German, Czech, and Japanese. He’s very, very good at picking up languages through context and immersion, but he hasn’t taken real classes or spent long enough in each places to really learn the language beyond basic conversational things.

Level of Self-Esteem: It varies from day to day but can be sadly very low during slower times in his career.

Gifts/Talents: Acting is truly a talent and one that Jack possesses as much as he tries to insist it’s really not that hard; artistic ability like drawing and painting which is less polished than acting but still a natural gift; the ability to pick up on languages very quickly; singing and dancing talent that is perhaps not absolutely outstanding but naturally good and can be improved with lessons leading up to a show.

Mathematical?: Not really, as Jack’s passions have always lied more with humanities and creative outlets.

Makes Decisions Based Mostly On Emotions, or On Logic?: Emotions, or he’d probably have his high school degree right now.

Life Philosophy: Do what makes you happy.

Religious Stance: Jack would call himself a Catholic but also considers himself a bit agnostic but never would consider himself to any point have been an atheist. He also enjoys learning about Judaism from his father and father’s family, even if he never had a bar mitzvah or went to Hebrew school. He did receive the Catholic sacraments up through Confirmation but his mother was never terribly, terribly adamant about him being brought up Catholic and she always encouraged him and his brother to explore Judaism and other religions as well. His parents, though both dedicated to their own religions, were very liberal and open as both people and parents so they encouraged a very open attitude in their sons toward religion. If Jack ever had more time and energy on his hands to really dive deep into religion and his personal beliefs, he might, but it’s not something he feels particularly inclined to do at this point in his life.

Cautious or Daring?: Daring in his creative exploits and travels, but cautious in basic day to day activities and interactions.

Most Sensitive About/Vulnerable To: Criticisms about his work.

Optimist or Pessimist?: He’s optimistic for other people and pessimistic about himself.

Extrovert or Introvert?: Introverted, bordering on ambivert.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Current Relationship Status: Single

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Past Relationships: 

Eloise Pelletier - his first girlfriend in middle school. The relationship lasted a month, but they were each other’s first kiss and have remained friends to this day. Eloise is now an accomplished stage actress and aspiring director.

Riley Huizar - his high school girlfriend. The two started dating around homecoming his sophomore year and stayed together for about two-and-a-half years, but Riley dumped him after a series of disappointments including: he missed their second anniversary for an audition, he missed a long-planned nice dinner date to attend a stand-up show, and she learned he wasn’t going to get his diploma. It was a messy ending that came when they were both drunk at a friend’s house and the two never spoke again afterward.

Lillie Piasta - dated for two out of the three seasons Jack was on SNL. She was one of the female writers for the show who was a few years older and Jack never quite realized that the reason she never seemed older was because she was pretty immature. She dated younger men fairly consistently and people tried to warn Jack that after a couple years of the whining and tantrums from the woman who, for all her humor, had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth and been spoiled her entire life. Even though she’d been working longer than Jack she expected him to pay for everything and wanted lavish gifts that he caved to at first but stopped after realizing it was a waste when she never used or wore anything. Lillie was fired from SNL shortly before Jack chose to leave to pursue a movie career, and she wanted to move with him to London but he wasn’t ready to move in. She dumped him at the airport before he left.

Natasha Laris - dated for one year after Jack officially moved to London. Jack was a guilty pleasure fan of love at first sight stories but never quite believed it could happen. He still doesn’t think love at first sight is real, but he believes sparks at first sight are real and stronger than he ever anticipated since he met Natasha. The two met  through a friend at a fundraising party Natasha had organized on behalf of a charity she worked for. It wasn’t ultra ritzy like a lot of other fundraising galas Jack had been to or heard about, but still elegant and enjoyable. Natasha just had a way of making everything elegant and enjoyable. Jack doesn’t remember asking her out because he believes the nerves caused him to just black out for the thirty seconds it took to ask and receive a positive response. They both fell pretty hard and fast but it was over the holidays when they both had some downtime and real time off. Then life picked up again. Jack had filming commitments, Natasha had a lot on her plate helping to run a decently sized charity with hardly enough staff. They saw each other when they could, but it only got more difficult over the months to find extended time alone together unless they were away on vacation - of which they only went on two brief ones as that was all they could manage. By the next Christmas, while struggling to figure out how they were going to spend the holidays after promises to meet each other’s families, they realized it just wasn’t feasible. It wasn’t just the holidays that weren’t feasible, but being together at such a busy and overworked time in their lives. Jack has only seen her once since they broke up, a couple years later - with a boyfriend who he was told by a friend worked a 9 to 5 office job, weekends off and the opportunity to work from home, and had a set amount of vacation time to use at his own discretion. It was the only time he ever envied an office job.

Primary Reason For Being Broken Up With: Forgetfulness, not committed enough, and his schedule was too hectic.

Primary Reasons For Breaking Up With People: A hectic schedule.

Ever Cheated?: No, it’s something he doesn’t understand.

Been Cheated On: No.

Level of Sexual Experience: Experienced even if he might not seem it. He lost his virginity in high school to Riley and since then has always had a healthy, active sexual relationship with whatever girl he’s been with. Since breaking up with Natasha it’s the longest he’s ever gone without having a girlfriend, but between Riley and Lillie there was still enough time that he had a couple short flings and some one-night stands that were usually enjoyable even if not serious. He sees the benefits in fun in both long-term relationships and short flings. After Natasha he went through a lengthy dry spell of his own volition but for the last four years has mostly just had flings that last anywhere from a single night to a few weeks and are always fun. He does know in his head how many women he’s slept with but it’s not something he’d ever like to broadcast and only his closest friends who’ve known him for years know the extent of his sexual experience and exploits.

Story of First Kiss: Eloise and Jack both lied to their parents and said play practice lasted a half hour longer than it actually did so they could spend time together alone behind the school theater. For twenty-nine minutes all they did was hold hands and talk until Eloise heard her dad’s truck around the corner. Jack snuck in a quick kiss and went to sleep that night on cloud nine.

Story of Loss of Virginity: Riley’s parents were always far more trusting of Jack than he ever expected them to be and would constantly leave Riley and Jack alone together at the house while they were out at work or going out on dinner dates. Jack didn’t push Riley at all, though he was ready whenever she was. She let him know she was ready when she pulled out a whole list of things that needed to happen beforehand, as was her way with most things. She was going to see an OB-GYN that specialized in adolescent care, look into birth control and whether there were options that were safe for a sixteen year old (though she’d already done her own research and knew the pill was the best option), and regardless of whether she went on the pill or not, Jack needed to buy some condoms. Jack was so nervous about the condoms he made his friend Avi go in and buy them, mostly because he was always more confident than Jack. Despite all the strict rules and guidelines and plans in the months leading up to Jack and Riley actually having sex, the night itself was still kind of special to Jack and he quickly became even more comfortable with buying his own condoms after realizing what all the fuss was about.

A Social Person?: Not really.

Most Comfortable Around: His family and closest friends, of which there are about a handful between the USA and UK.

Oldest Friend: Toby Hartman, his best friend from NYC who lived next door to the Katz’s first apartment in the city. He’s currently a doctoral candidate at NYU who lives with Daniel Katz in the two-bedroom flat Jack owns in NYC.

How Does He Think Others Perceive Him?: Jack thinks others perceive him as having an equal number of failings as accomplishments and thus is just a mediocre human being who just happened to be in some largely broadcast shows and movies. He knows his family has high opinions but thinks the public doesn’t have a very high opinion, mostly because he only focuses on the negative reviews of his works. 

How Do Others Actually Perceive Him?: Jack Katz is an accomplished young man who maybe got lucky that he was int he right comedy club on the right night, but it wasn’t luck that he was funny enough to catch the right people’s attention. Everything since then hasn’t but just luck but has also been a testament to his talent and willingness to do whatever and move wherever for his work. Even if he’s not flashy with his money, he’s no doubt made quite a bit.

SECRETS:

Life Goals: Do work that makes him happy and that others find enjoyable, maybe even inspiring.

Dreams: Travel to every country in the world, become fluent in a new language, write a full script, direct a movie, perform in a Shakespeare play, finally learn to cook at least one decent dish, own a restaurant, and many others that come and go with the days that pass.

Greatest Fears: Forgetting a line during a live performance.

Most Ashamed Of: There were a couple jokes Jack tried out during his early days in comedy that crossed a line but thankfully never even made it to a real set. He just tried them out on his family, and their response was enough for him to hope no one ever learned of those jokes he thought up when he was younger and more inexperienced. There are also many minor mishaps that have occurred during rehearsals and conversations that, though not necessarily shameful, are very embarrassing and he tends to remember as being more extreme than they really were.

Secret Hobbies: It might not be that secret, but Jack really enjoys video games. He’s not as good as he wishes, but they’re fun.

Crimes Committed (Was he caught? Charged?): None, aside from some truancy.

DETAILS/QUIRKS:

Night Owl or Early Bird?: Night owl

Light or Heavy Sleeper?: Heavy sleeper

Favorite Animal: Dogs

Favorite Foods: Anything greasy

Least Favorite Food: Iceberg lettuce

Favorite Book: “Audition” by Michael Shurtleff

Least Favorite Book: “The Catcher in the Rye”

Favorite Movie: Pulp Fiction

Least Favorite Movie: The Emoji Movie

Favorite Song: Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

Favorite Sport: Soccer/football

Coffee or Tea?: Coffee

Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter?: Smooth

Type of Car He Drives: N/A, he’s never had a car and doesn’t have a license

Lefty or Righty?: Lefty

Favorite Color: Green

Cusser?: Yes

Smoker? Drinker? Drug User?: Smokes when he’s drinking sometimes and others he’s with have cigarettes; drinks daily, though not to excess daily; occasionally uses drugs but usually just pot

Biggest Regret: Passing up on some more serious drama roles in the past

Pets: None

#headcanon #about