#and they have a lot of time to talk when jake and chloe ditch them

[lohstandfound]

maybe its just me who sees them this way, but i love how like intertwined the popular kids are with each other. you can't isolate one relationship without acknowledging how the others fit into the picture

jake and chloe, chloe and brooke, brooke and rich, rich and jake, jake and brooke, rich and chloe

they hate each other at times, downright loathe, despise but god forbid someone else express how much they detest one of them

and then post fire, post play, post show

everything changes and they're even more messy than before

but somehow it's better because at least they're being honest to themselves about who they are and how they feel

no one is putting up a front (and no one is being controlled by a supercomputer)

they will never be perfect, they never were, but this may be the best they ever get

[insanelycooljk]

tell me about the bmc deh crossover!

send me the title of one of my deh wips and I’ll share an excerpt/tell you a bit about it

oh absolutely!!! I’ve got BIG plans for this one, so it’s going to take a while to finish, but I think it’s going to be worth it :)

The concept is very straight foward and I’m sure has been done many times before, but basically the bmc and deh kids go to same school, and the musicals respective storylines occur simultaneously.

Honestly I can’t tell you much about the actual plot yet because I’m still working it out, but the squip and connor project storylines will be very intertwined. The plan is for it to be very character-driven so I can tell you about the pre-existing relationships between the bmc and deh kids instead!

Jeremy and Jared

so I made a post about this a little while ago because I just can’t get the idea out of my head but, Jeremy and Jared have a very antagonistic relationship. I can’t explain why but I feel like Jeremy just... irrationally hates Jared. Like, he has no real reason to hate him, he doesn’t bully him or anything like Rich does, but Jeremy just doesn’t like him. It’s mostly because Jared’s shitty sense of humour and the asshole persona he puts on at school but yeah, Jere just doesn’t like him at all.

On that, Jeremy and Evan are kind of friends, and since Jeremy doesn’t like Jared’s sense of humour he definitely doesn’t like how he talks to Evan sometimes

Teachers always mix them up (wrol Jere rights baby!!) and it drives Jeremy crazy lmao

Also Jared is sort of friends with Rich so like... that understandably doesn’t sit well with Jeremy either

And Jeremy’s irrational hatred of Jared is like... extra funny because Jared is completely oblivious lmao. He barely even knows who Jeremy is.

Also, Jared is pretty friendly with Michael, and Jeremy doesn’t quite realise this yet but perhaps... he is jealous 😳

Jared and Rich

Rich and Jared is an interesing one. I mean, Jared is kind of a loser so originally after getting the SQUIP Rich bullied him too.

Except unlike Jeremy, Michael or Evan, Jared actually talks back to Rich and gives him shit too. We know Jared’s not particulary great at jokes under pressure (what are you, like...an acorn??), but he manages to be snarky enough/put up enough of a cocky front that Rich finds him funny and lays off him a bit

So whilst the SQUIP strongly discourages it, he ends up being sort of friends with Jared. Rich’s SQUIP actually kind of uses it as bribing material a little bit, it will let Rich keep being friends with Jared if he does X task the SQUIP wants him to do. That kind of thing :(

The bullying becomes more friendly teasing that goes both ways. Although sometimes Rich’s SQUIP will make him say some homophoic shit that really fucking hurts, but Jared just lets it slide. Partially because he’s still kind of scared of Rich, partially because he definitely doesn’t want to out himself, but mostly:

Jared’s realised that in addition to not being bullied by Rich himself anymore, his semi-friendship with Rich means Rich tends to leave Evan alone now. Which to Jared is definitely worth half-heartedly laughing at whatever hurtful shit Rich says in order to maintain the friendship.

Jared and Michael

Ok so I also said Jared and Michael are kind of friends.

They’ll become much closer later on in the fic when they can bond over their only friend ditching them for popularity/a chance to be with the girl they’re crushing on and are lowkey obssessed with

But at the beginning they’re not quite friends. They both do IT and they sit together in class, but they don’t really talk about much besides their work.

They do have a bit of a rivalry going on though. They’re the top two students in their IT class so they’re very competitive when it comes to tests/assignments/grades.

Also Jared can tend to be a bit of an attention seeker in class, so he’ll make a lot of stupid remarks and jokes that sometimes Michael can’t help but laugh at. He tries not to though because he doesn’t want to give Jared the satisfaction of knowing Michael thinks he’s funny.

And yeah competiveness/rivalry? Could definitely be interpretted as flirting so I can see why Jeremy might be jealous lmao

oh my god why does literally every character so far have some kind of rivalry with Jared ?? What it is about that boy that made my brain go “yeah all the bmc kids just lowkey wanna throw hands with him” ? idk but the idea is making me laugh. I love Jared but he does get on people’s nerves sometimes

Alana and Jenna

Now THIS is a friendship (or who knows, maybe something more??) I’m very excited about

Just think about it, both girls are actually so similar. They both feel invisible and lonely and like no one really cares about them. And unlike say Evan, who doesn’t really actually try to make other friends, both girls make SUCH an effort to be loud and be seen. Jenna with her gossip and Alana with her extremely bubbly and friendly persona.

I think it’s just a really interesting dynamic since they have very different personalities, but deep down they're both struggling with the same feelings of being invisible and unwanted.

Unlike the other relationships above, Alana and Jenna don’t actually have much of a pre-existing relationship. Mostly because Jenna is popular by association with Chloe/Brooke/Jake/Rich, and Alana is defintely not popular.

But, they grow closer working on The Connor Project together, which Jenna is going to play a big part in.

Jenna is the one who records Evan’s YWBF speech and helps it go viral. Alana then suggests they recruit her to join the project as their social media manager. Evan and Jared are freaking out because the last thing they need right now is for the project to go viral and risk the truth coming out, but eventually they see how much good the project is actually doing and realise that this is so much bigger than themselves now, so agree to let her on board.

Ok this is getting very long now lmao so I’m just gonna share a few more quick thoughts

A lot of people don’t like Alana because they find her very intense. Most people she tries to talk to (eg. Evan/Jared/Jeremy) don’t really engage with her, they’ll just make half-hearted conversation as if they’re just waiting for her to leave already. But one of the few people who is genuinely kind to her and actually listens and doesn’t just brush her off is Michael. So they’ve got a nice relationship. (Connor is one of the other people who is kind to Alana. Ooh also probably Christine too, because I can’t imagine her being anything but kind to anyone)

No one else really knows this, not even Jeremy, but Michael is actually quite affected by Connor’s death. They definitely weren’t friends, Michael honestly knew nothing about Connor, but sometimes if Michael’s having a bad day he likes to skip class and smoke behind the school. And often when he did he’d find Connor there too. They never talked much, mostly just sat in comfortable silence, but sometimes it was nice to just have someone else there. Michael doesn’t like sneaking out to smoke during school anymore because he really feels Connor’s absence. And he can’t help but wonder if anything would be different if he ever made a genuine effort to talk to Connor on those days.

Christine and Jared. That’s it, that’s all I have to say lmao. They’d have the same chaotic energy as post-SQUIP Rich and Jared. Jared’s parents have been bugging him about trying to join some clubs this year, or just do something that will look good on his college applications. Obviously later on that becomes The Connor Project, but at the start of the year he signs up to do tech for the school play. So, that’s how Jared and Christine meet. Jared being Jared does his best to push her away and avoid getting close, but this is Christine we’re talking about, she’s not gonna let that happen that easily. So, they end up becoming friends.

Alright I’m gonna stop this here or else this post will never end, but I’m definitely excited about eventually finishing this one!

[wandernic]

My SPOILERY Be More Chill review

In honor of tonight’s opening, I wanted to put together my impressions of the show, brought to you by five off-Broadway and four Broadway preview viewings. I will divide things up by scene/song to better order my thoughts. Please DO NOT read if you haven’t seen or don’t know the story well already. 

(In that case, here’s a mini-review for you: GOOOOO SEE THIS! Okay now do yourself a favor and close this window.)

More Than Survive:

I like the change to Mr. Heere just eating cereal in his underwear, and unable to drive Jeremy to school. This better conveys Jeremy's real frustration with his dad being mentally checked out than the (admittedly funnier) off-Broadway scene, which just made Jeremy seem grossed out by him.

I miss the Chloe-Jake breakup scene a bit, but it didn't really add much to the narrative other than seeing them as a couple for a brief moment. The next mini-scene where Jenna addresses the breakup with Chloe accomplishes what's needed, plus adds to Jenna's narrative as the girl everyone goes to for the dirt and nothing else.

I Love Play Rehearsal:

I would shower Stephanie Hsu with multiple Tonys for this scene alone. Her Christine is equal parts adorable and batshit, and we can easily see why Jeremy finds her so much more fascinating than the conventionally attractive popular girls at school.

Minor gripe: BRING BACK JAKE'S DAB. That shit was hilarious, and in a simple move showed how Jake, while trying to live up to the cool jock everyone knows him to be, has the same amount of dork inside that everyone does.  

The Squip Song:

Ugh I get they're trying to clean this up for a staid Broadway audience, but Rich drawing the penis on the wall and brazenly peeing in front of Jeremy are both missed. Not just for the humor, but because without it Rich just seems like his Squip made him merely mean, instead of confident. That confidence would presumably be what Rich was seeking with a Squip, not to become a garden variety bully, so it loses something in the translation when Rich isn't displaying that through his inappropriate jokes.

I do appreciate Rich's bullying of Jeremy being stepped up, because it's important we get a fuller idea of Jeremy's suffering. Off-Broadway, it just came across as "I can't get the girl I dig and a boy at school sometimes says shitty things." Though certainly emotional bullying is awful, its pervasiveness over a long period of time is hard to convey in a few short scenes. Having Rich also physically intimidate Jeremy makes you feel Jeremy's fear in a palpable way, which leads you to sympathize more with him.

Also can we give Gerard Canonico a Tony merely for the "It's from Japan!" scream? I think, yes. Seriously, his performance in this role is so iconic, it's hard to imagine another actor playing Rich.

Two-Player Game:

The perfect scene for conveying the true dynamic of Jeremy and Michael's friendship. That dynamic being, Michael is a much better friend to Jeremy than Jeremy is to Michael. This is one of the challenges for Will Roland in portraying Jeremy: he is not an easily likeable character. Yes, Jeremy is bullied at school, but he also makes everything about him, his needs, his pain, etc. There isn't a moment in which Jeremy checks to see how Michael's doing (lest we forget Michael is also bullied - the backpack prank was pulled on him, too.) So this song works as both a fun bop, and as a display of the unequal nature of this friendship.

Also, on the whole I *love* Chase Brock's choreography. Especially in "Halloween" and the utterly phenomenal "The Pitiful Children." The one exception is when Jeremy and Michael get up from the bed to finish this song; these moves are clunky and not sharp. It's hard to tell if executed more crisply, they would work better for me, or if the actors are intentionally sort of keeping it loose to demonstrate that these dudes are not as cool as their peers.

Be More Chill:

Jeremy's Squip being activated and the ultimate dramatic appearance of that Squip is one of my favorite moments in the show. My God, the evolution of the Squip from last summer has me floored. It was always good, but what Jason Tam is doing with this character now is must-see. This Squip is like an emotionally abusive partner. He coldy points out what he sees as your flaws, then smooth talks you about your amazing potential, and you forget that you were ever hurt or mad to begin with. Rinse, repeat. He also reminds me of the current administration, in that he'll say something totally out of bounds, then quickly walk it back to where he really wanted you, and you're temporarily swayed by the dial-down that he's not so bad after all. Fucking masterful.

If this man isn't nominated, seriously fuck the Tonys.

Do You Wanna Ride?

What I love most about this besides its hilarity is that it shows a bit of quid pro quo in the seemingly one-sided Chloe/Brooke friendship. While Chloe pretty openly treats Brooke poorly on multiple occasions, when Brooke wants an assist in trying to get Jeremy to say yes, Chloe immediately jumps to her cue and joins in. This is actually more than Jeremy ever helps Michael with anything in the entirety of the show, which is pretty fucking sad when you think about it.

Katlyn Carlson and Lauren Marcus have perfect chemistry as the best frenemies we'd love to hate if only we didn't kind of totally love them so damn much.

Be More Chill Part 2:

I liked the staging for this better at Signature. It serviced the choreography much better when they didn't throw a mall fountain mid-stage that forces them to redirect the dance moves in a less visually striking manner. I especially miss the hoveround rolling down center stage with the mall shoppers trailing behind it. We've already been to Payless and the food court; we know it's a mall. The fountain is unnecessary. Also, can we give Troy a better alter-ego when he goes on? The Starbucks get-up just looks like Michael went to work at his mall job and for some unknown reason put a wig on.

Sync Up:

I love the expansion of the supporting roles in the show, something this song supports to great effect. I don't have a lot more to say on this scene since it's new to Broadway, and I don't remember as much as the other scenes.  Also I believe before this song is when Jeremy ditches his glasses, and I like the change from first preview in how that was accomplished (though I did laugh at the Spiderman rip-off that first night).

A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into:

I MISS THE PART WHERE BROOKE NODS HER HEAD ALONG WITH CHLOE WHILE LECTURING CHRISTINE. This is in all caps because that shit was comic gold; why take it out? It also demonstrated how in tune with Chloe's whims and emotions Brooke is, which is to say, too much. If I can't have this back, I'm going to at least need someone to explain why it was taken out.

I believe this scene is where the Squip puzzles over the person Christine is, and I love both that she's entirely confounded him, and that post-song, she ultimately defeats his carefully constructed plotting just by being the unpredictable person she is.

As for the song, this has been unchanged that I can see, and that's because it does exactly what it needs to do well.

Upgrade:

One of the best changed scenes from Signature. It was fine there, but is much more fleshed out now, and gives more insight into many of the characters that is needed and appreciated. I especially appreicated the added dialogue between Jeremy and Brooke, in which we get Brooke's insight into her self-doubt, and how Jeremy's seeming interest moved her.  

I did prefer how the Squip insinuated himself more in this scene at the first preview. When he was trying to get Jeremy to get with Brooke, he pretty much physically climbed on him to push him into her on the bleachers. In a future preview, the Squip stood completely away from them onstage, directing Jeremy with hand motions, and I didn't think that worked at. All. Last Sunday, he stood near them and physically pushed Jeremy with just his hand to kiss Brooke; while an improvement, it still wasn't as effective as the first preview for two reasons.

One, the complete disregard for personal space is just much funnier. Two and more importantly, when the Squip was literally pushing Jeremy's body into Brooke's with his own (imaginary) body, it demonstrated an important aspect of the Squip's control of Jeremy. What looks like the Squip being physically seductive is really a demonstration of his seduction of Jeremy's mind. This is significant, because Jeremy ends up doing a lot of things he doesn't particularly want to do, but the Squip seduces him into thinking he does. I found that incredibly effective.

Loser, Geek, Whatever:

My gripe with this otherwise effective scene is the singing of the song itself. Every time it starts to build steam melodically, it's cut off by Jeremy saying/shouting so many of the lyrics. The build-up then has to start again, leaving the song to finish up not as impactful as it could be. This could be a barn-burner Act 1 closer, and instead it's just pretty good. Also I don't know how Will Roland takes that loooooong end note up and down and back again, and still belt as powerfully at the end of it as the start. The show must be using some new can't-even-look-it-up-on-the-internet technology to pump air into his lungs from backstage. This actor has taken on a very difficult character and pitched it just on the line of where it needs to be to work. So impressive.

Halloween:

Love the song. LOVE the choreo (lookin' at you, Chase Brock.) Love LOVE the addition of the Squip front and center. This makes so much sense, because by manipulating Jeremy he's really manipulating all of them, and his inclusion in the midst of the party instead of on its periphery demonstrates this incredibly well.

I don't love the substitution of a pumpkin candle for a gas can. What even was that thought process? That sucks up the drama of that moment almost entirely. What level of foreboding does one accomplish with a pumpkin?

This scene contains my only major problem with the show, and that is Jake's sudden and unexplained loss of interest in Christine. Are we to infer that they slept together once and that's all Jake was after? And that all of his character development in Act 1 was bullshit? In which case what was the point of developing his character at all? This whole thing could be easily fixed by a line or two where Jake realizes he still has feelings for Chloe, but that never happens. I haven't seen the show since last Sunday (when multiple people told me it was locked in), so I hope since that time they've unlocked it to fix the one glaring flaw, either clarifying Jake is a dick, or Jake misunderstood his own feelings. In any event, Britton is absolutely CRUSHING IT with the nuances of Jake, and I can't wait to hear him on the Broadway cast album.

Do You Wanna Hang?:

Katlyn Carlson is a comic genius. All the little touches she throws into this hilariously awful attempt at seduction are amazing. The only part of this I liked better at Signature is when Jeremy asks her if she's jealous, and in this version she's crying while saying "obviously not." (Or at least she was on Sunday). I think this works better if she immediately *stops* crying at that point, playing it like it's the most absurd possible question Jeremy could ask.

Michael in the Bathroom:

Alternate title: George Salazar at the Tonys

Michael is quite simply the beating heart of this show, an odd role for a supporting character. As played by George, he is that quirky, too weird to be popular but too sweet to not love friend that if we were very lucky, we had growing up. Michael is so important because to be frank, Jeremy is kind of a self-involved dick. That would make the show entirely dependent on Will Roland's ability to make us relate to Jeremy through those trials he faces that we've all experienced - and he does an amazing job. But he also gets a Herculean assist from George, who so convincingly relates how steadfast and loyal to Jeremy Michael is, it makes us believe there's something special in Jeremy that warranted this devotion.

A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into (Reprise):

During the couch scene between Jeremy and Christine, they've cut out Christine's very valid explanation as to why she can't date Jeremy (it involved getting to know herself better first). This is a problem, because it doesn't make sense at the end of the show when she likes him - we never see why she made that leap, so we're meant to assume she likes him for doing the bare minimum of correcting his own mistake. The way it was at Signature, we find out at least that she just isn't in a head space to date someone on the heels of her breakup with Jake, which shows she could be interested in Jeremy once she gets past that.

The Smartphone Hour:

Easily one of my favorite scenes. Tiffany Mann as Jenna is a delight from start to finish, and this is her moment to shine. Her comic sensibility is perfection. Lauren and Katlyn chime in with equally hilarious support.

My only complaint in this number is the slight lyric change to "Jake's house." For pity's sake, we just spent three or four songs at Jake's party; I promise you, we grasp who's house it is. And the change ruins the flow of the song a bit.

The Pants Song:

Okay yes this song is sweetly funny and does exactly what is needed to advance the plot here. But I just want to talk about Jason SweetTooth Williams overall right now. HOW IS HE A REAL PERSON THAT CAN SO EFFORTLESSLY JUMP FROM ROLE TO ROLE WITHIN SECONDS WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT. Mr. Reyes and his delusions of grandeur is my favorite, but Williams brings equal skill to all his roles, including Jeremy's dad. What a talent.

The Pitiful Children/The Play:

This may be my favorite song. Especially with the song, choreography, and performances here, this show is firing simultaneously on all cylinders. I also love that Jeremy and Jenna have an extended conversation that lets us know her a little more. Tiffany Mann gives a heartfelt authenticity to this that is lovely.

I think this is the scene where these critiques go (apologies if not). I wish Jeremy didn't tell his Squip "you were supposed to make Christine like me!" One thing I love about Jeremy is that he is not really into the popular girls, but the most interesting girl. He digs Christine because of all that she is.

When he says this line, he is upset because the Squip didn't make Christine do what he wanted, meaning he now wants her to change to like him. I think this would work better and make Jeremy come across as less of an incel if the line were more like, "you were supposed to make me someone Christine would like!" It was, after all, himself that Jeremy was looking to change - not Christine, who he loves as she is. That is this character's saving grace, and this diminishes it a bit.

That said, I do think there was an overcorrection in trying to make Jeremy more likeable. In the three previews I saw before Sunday, Jeremy tricks Jenna into drinking the Squip-spiked drink. In the last version I saw, he actually tells her what it is, and she immediately drinks it. It's pretty unrealistic that she would do that. Worse, it conflicts with Jeremy's "you were supposed to make Christine like me!" outburst. If we must allow for the fact the Squip has gained so much control of Jeremy he no longer cares that Christine likes him of her own choosing, he's certainly not going to care about respecting Jenna's need to consent to taking the Squip. Given the choice, I would either change Jeremy's line about making Christine like him, or his choice to tell Jenna what's in the drink. Back-to-back, they don't give us a good sense of how much control the Squip has of Jeremy at that point.

After Jeremy and Michael battle everyone and Jeremy makes his final choice, as the result becomes clear, Michael bizarrely explains what is happening on the spot. This makes little sense, especially in light of the fact that at the hospital, he asks Jeremy how he knew what would result from what he did. Um, he didn't know, you literally explained it to him in the middle of the last scene, bro. I would omit Michael's inexplicably instantaneous explanation from the Play scene and let the audience sit with the aftermath a moment, before having it clarified in the hospital scene.

Voices in my Head:

Not a fan of the lyric changes here, which seem to water down the edge of the teens ("she probably thinks that acne is hot") to morph them into Stepford children ("we got your back 'cause we are your squad" - vomit). Otherwise, this scene wraps everything up well and leaves you satisfield with the weird, wild journey you just went on.

What a score (my #1 favorite in all of musical theater history), what a cast, what a show! If there are not multiple Tonys thrown at this masterpiece, any significance the Tonys have is null and void.

In short, GET THERE or you’re missing the show of the year!

[asianjeremyheere]

who wants to hear me analyze brooke and chloe���s friendship based off of like four (4) lines... under the cut.....

i think it really speaks to the toxicity of brooke and chloe's friendship that jake and brooke are portrayed as friends in more than survive, and yet she's so quick to trash him in the scene before 'guy that i'd kind of be into'. during the bus scene, they're clearly shown to be at the very least on pretty good terms with each other, when jake steadies her as she tips forward and idk they just seem like theyre on decent terms at the very least and yet, when jake and chloe break up, brooke is suddenly very against him- see: "he is so gross", also "he's a legend- i mean dumpster fire" from off bway. even if they're best friends, chloe and jake broke up on decent terms and in a healthy friendship, that shouldnt stop brooke from interacting with jake if she wants to/if they're still friends (and i say this from experience because i had a lot of friends ask me if it was okay to still keep talking to my ex after we broke up and i was. very confused because it isnt my decision to make whether or not people talk to him and chloe can't make that decision for brooke either, and technically she doesn't but her relationship with brooke/how she makes brooke feel, does.)

also, looking at how she interacts with jeremy in more than survive through to upgrade? in the off-broadway production it seemed like she was lingering in the background as if she wanted to approach him, but never did because michael showed up. in the broadway production, at the lockers in more than survive, she tells chloe that she’s “never even seen him before”. however, during sync up, she tells him her outfit is “hella retro” and “très bonsoir” because all the appears to know about him is that he dated madeline, who was apparently french (and brooke probably thinks this is significant because jeremy specifically points out that madeline in french) and that he likes retro things? this is presumably because he hangs out with michael, but how does she know michael likes retro when jeremy literally just mentions him one (1) time before dywr and then leaves? it isnt like she waited for jeremy to leave and then went to talk to michael about what jeremy liked (also, its unlikely that chloe would let her and that michael would actually respond, especially if he thinks that jeremy’s ditched him). also, michael is a pretty common name and i refuse to believe that michael mell is the only michael at middleborough. conclusion? she’s seen jeremy around enough to associate him specifically with the michael who likes retro stuff, or to just straight up associate jeremy with liking retro things, hence why she brings it up during sync up- but only when chloe isn’t there. she says shes never seen him before in mts but then approaches him by herself, says a bunch of things that she thinks will make him interested in her because she’s trying to associate herself with the things she thinks he likes (french and retro....) and then apologizes and leaves as soon as chloe arrives. 

taking into account brooke's feelings about being second best to chloe, i think it's safe to say that she would rather be second best to chloe than not with her at all. she doesnt like being chloes "attachment", per se, but its better than the alternative. shes interested in jeremy but only pursues him when a) he actively greets her first, instead of chloe, and b) he’s on their radar. chloe notices him, knows who he is, and he’s gaining popularity, so brooke won’t lose her status or risk sacrificing chloe’s by association if she tries to date him, and that’s when she starts trying to get with him, despite it being implied that she at least noticed him beforehand, when he was still a loser. she wants to be looked at first but she'll still pander to chloe and put aside her own interests and wants because at least with chloe she still gets that attention and validation that she wants, just to a lesser extent (and possibly to a worse one, but to brooke, who is literally described as insecure in the script, at least she’s getting validation at all, at least people are still paying attention to her.) 

and maybe chloe doesnt even realize it. brooke isnt exactly vocal around chloe, at least not about her feelings. she's vocal about things she thinks chloe will agree with. she's vocal about things that are safe to discuss, like literally any time that she just agrees with whatever chloe says because anything else gets her yelled at/snapped at/scorned.

anyway tldr brooke is very dependent on chloe and its very toxic and that isnt to say that they have no hope because they do but both of them need to step it up and sort stuff out because brooke needs to be more willing to communicate/stand up for herself and chloe needs to be more aware of how her reactions make brooke feel and make an effort to do less of that/be less harsh

[i-used-to-wear-the-fedora]

Be More Chill Hairspray AU, Miss Middleborough Crabs

"God, dad is going to kill us if he found out we ditched class." Jeremy said nervously as they were finally allowed to enter the dance studio. "And if my mom finds out she's going to have a heart attack and I'm going to be punished until college."

"Don't worry Jer, you're not even auditioning so you won't be on camera!" Jenna smiled at her step-brother, taking a deep inhale. "Do you smell that?"

"The faint smell of vomit, disinfectant with just a hint of hairspray?"

"No silly, it smells like dreams coming true." The two teens made their way over to the rest of the people auditioning, gathered around the dance floor. The show regulars were talking nearby and Jenna could feel hey heart skip a beat. "Look!" She happily grabbed Jeremy by the arm and pointed at the familiar teen heart throb. "It's Jake," she sighed happily. The boy turned around and smiled at the girl with a wave. She waved back before hiding behind her much smaller brother. "Isn't he dreamy?"

"I guess." Jeremy shrugged and Jenna looked around the studio amazed by all the lights and glamor.

"I can't believe I'm really here."

"Hello everyone," the group turned to see an older woman with bigger hair come in to stage. A look of disgust graced her face as she looked over them. "So...you're the new contestant? Well beggars can't be choosers I suppose. Back in my day half of you wouldn't have even stepped foot on this stage." As the woman said this, she focused particularly on Jenna.

"Mother, nobody wants to hear about your time." Chloe Valentine spoke up with the roll of her eyes. Suddenly Jenna could see the resemblance. "That was decades ago."

"Chloe don't talk back to your mother. Now all of you, on the dance floor." The teens followed Ms. Valentine's orders, scrambling to the dance floor. Jenna could feel heat go to her cheeks when she saw how close she was to Jake. "Show me what you got." The music turned on and Jenna began to move, happily dancing to the beat. Chloe's mother circled the group like a vulture. Her eyes looking to spot out any mistake the new participants might make.

"You're going to have to do a lot to live up to the Miss Middleborough Crabs name." Chloe made another annoyed sigh at her mother before noticing Jenna. She held back a snort as she grabbed Jake by the waist and turning.

"The council has some important questions about whether or not you're show material. Girls?" Ms. Valentine turned and one of the dancers with long hair smirked as she poked one of the show hopefuls in the chest.

"You really think you can make it on live TV? Please, everyone's eyes will be on you. Do the audience a favor and don't make them look at you." The girl looked ready to cry as she ran off.

"Hey that wasn't nice!" Jenna didn't stop dancing buy she couldn't believe what girl said.

"Oh please," Chloe turned with a sneer, "if she couldn't handle that, she wasn't meant for the show. But I want to know why you thinking you can audition. I mean look at you, we don't film in wide screen." Some the girls laughed and Jenna stopped for a moment. She looked over at Jeremy than at Jake before she started to dance again. No way was she going to let this get to her.

"Chloe, you don't need to be cruel," Jake said putting a hand around his girlfriend's shoulder but Chloe pushed him away. Ms. Valentine saw this and turned to Jenna with a smirk.

"Now, would you share a water fountain you knew a homosexual man drank from?" Everyone turned to Jenna who shrugged.

"I don't see why not."

"Why not? Don't you know what kind of diseases they carry?" A guy asked incredulously.

"Not everyone who's gay has HIV. And doctors said it can't be passed by saliva do I don't see why we shouldn't. They're people too." Everyone went quiet as Ms. Valentine made a face.

"I'm sorry, but with that attitude there's no way you're getting on the show."

"Yeah who knows what kind of bugs she has!" Chloe remarked snidely.

"And even if you did answer everything right, look at you." The woman poked Jenna harshly in the stomach. "With your size, I'm surprised you even got through the door. You may go now," the woman made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Ugh... thank you?" Jenna joined hey brother, face fallen. Walking out the door Jeremy tried to cheer up his sister.

"I think they secretly liked you."

"...let's just go home."

[that-was-anticlimactic]

Ninjago Be More Chill AU

This is really long whoops guys I have so many Ninjago BMC headcanons y’all have no idea. This won’t leave my head especially since I’ve been seeing some great BMC / Ninjago stuff recently mmm

Who would be who?

Jay as Jeremy:

Okay so like that not original but, Jay gives off such Jeremy vibes! Jay is really self-conscious, as we see in s1 ep8, aka his true potential episode, as we see in season three with the love triangle, and as we can see in season six with the fact that he knowingly makes wishes to “better himself” from Nadakhan. Jeremy also does some things he regrets, some things that come off kind of creepy and not okay, like what he did to get with Christine, luckily, he realizes that, and it’s one reason why most people don’t think they end up staying together. Jay had a few not necessarily okay and kind of creepy actions towards Nya, again specifically in season six, also a little in season three. But, Jeremy is an all around good person, he didn’t intend to hurt anyone and neither did Jay. Jeremy took the SQUIP, which gave some pretty bad advice much like how and why Jay made wishes from Nadakhan. Jeremy is also awkward and fidgety, again, Jay traits. He ditches his best friend for a girl (kind of season three?) but ends up apologizing and trying to make up for it (kind of season four). Not to mention, Loser Geek Whatever is such a Jay song.

Cole as Michael:

Okay so, this is kind of a popular one but? So Michael Mell is the free spirited, I’ll do what I want and if you don’t like it well leave me alone kind of guy. He’s more closed off towards others, but he’s one of the best best friends a guy could have. Cole isn’t as free spirited as Michael, per say, especially with his father, but in the end he can be. Cole doesn’t necessarily care what others think of him all the time (though he does in season 5 after turning into a ghost and kind of in season 3 because of the love triangle and my take on it). Most people in the fandom associate Cole and Jay as best friends, yet another reason why Cole is a good Michael. In the Jay / Jeremy description, I put some blame on Jay / Jeremy for hurting Cole / Michael, but they messed up too. Michael, while being the best friend, knew that Jeremy was unhappy and knew he wanted more, he chose to ignore that. When Michael approached Jeremy at the Halloween party, yeah he had good intentions but he didn’t do it the best way, and heck yeah, not helping Jeremy who was clearly under the control of the SQUIP at the play until he got an apology was a trashy move. Cole’s messed up too. He shouldn’t have tried anything with Nya, and in the way I view the love triangle, it makes more sense as to why, but he knew how much Jay cared about Nya and he knew that “pursuing” her was bad, but he did it anyway. He ignored what he knew about Jay for his own good (Michael ignoring Jeremy wanting more to keep him as his best friend). Cole also did some crappy things in response to what Jay did in Skybound. Sure Skybound is a little ooc and not always the best, but, hey, I’m proving a point haha. Cole and Jay shared unfair words with each other as well, but they made up for it. Michael went to the play and brought the Mountain Dew Red, Cole gave up the jade blade in Tournament and went back for him in Skybound even though he felt hurt. Not to mention, I mean, their love for music (because even though not necessarily show canon, most people believe Cole has a deep love for music). Not to mention, I headcanon both of them as gay also. I also almost made Cole Christine just for Bruise but like... Michael Mell... also most people think it’s canon that Michael has feelings for Jeremy and I think that Michael like tries to kiss Jeremy in the revival during Two-Player Game sooo...

Kai as Rich:

Okay so, another obviousish one. Kai is one of the most self conscious people in the show, but one with more of a self destructive mode that can effect others. Rich, much like Jeremy, was unhappy and ambitious. He wanted more from himself and he genuinely cared about the way people viewed him (much like Jay and Jeremy). Even in the first season with Kai wanting to be the green ninja, we saw Kai trying to prove himself and prove himself but failing sometimes (aka his intense want to be the green ninja). Kai was also the first ninja to wish himself away in Skybound (again, not always the most credible but, still). Rich and Kai share a lot of similarities on that part. They also have a fierce protectiveness for what they care about. Kai is loyal. He is so insanely loyal and one of the best friends anyone could ask for, he is incredibly dependable. Rich is a good friend too. While he didn’t always have control over his actions, he truly cared for Jake and for his other friends. Heck, Rich set a fire to prevent the SQUIPs from spreading because he didn’t want his friends to go through this. Kai would also definitely set a fire to protect Lloyd and his friends. Kai and Rich are / were both insecure, but the both grow and I love them both. So much. Also sometimes they’re both angry boys and I headcanon Kai as bi and Rich is bi in canon just those lovely little things!

Lloyd as Jake:

This is where it began getting harder, but I will FIGHT FOR THIS ONE!! Let’s start with Jake. He’s the most popular boy in school, he does pretty much every activity and runs or plays an integral part in those activities. The school has standards for him that they in a sense expect him, popular boy Jake, to live up to. He mentions to Christine that he feels the need to be perfect to please everyone all the time and it’s so much pressure and it’s clear that he dislikes that. Not only that, but he says in Upgrade that: “my parents wont be home so it’s alright, they laundered money now their on the run. Which means the house is empty so that’s fun”. Jake has absent parents, he lives alone. He most likely absorbs himself in what he does to distract himself from his home life. Okay now, let’s talk about Lloyd. Lloyd is the green ninja. He did not choose this, he did not choose to have all of this happen to him. The world looks up to Lloyd. They depend on Lloyd. Lloyd’s teammates depend on him. The pressure this boy faces is incredible. He’s popular, yeah a lot of people like him, but the pressure and the expectations everyone has for him... well we’ve seen him snap a few times. Not to mention, LLOYD GREW UP WITH NO PARENTS! His dad was evil and his mom left him to try and make his dad not evil, he was alone. So, Lloyd distracted himself by trying to be evil and trying to get revenge on the tribes and people that wronged him and stealing and just he distracted himself with so many things so he wouldn’t have to focus on “my parents left me”. Jake and Lloyd both face absentee parents, both of which aren’t necessarily good (I mean... Jake’s parents are criminals and Lloyd’s dad is Lord Garmadon...), they both have so much pressure to be the best and be amazing and be popular and happy. They both have to be happy because you can’t be popular in school if you’re sad and you can’t save the world if you focus on your problems. You can’t lead after school activities or lead a team of ninja if you get too much in your head. These boys face a lot, a lot is expected of them, and sometimes, the things their parents do do effect them in ways they don’t see. Jake isn’t always the nicest. He knows Rich is a bully, he lets it happen. He called Jeremy a freak at the mall, he’s probably (I headcanon) a sweet guy, but his upbringing causes some problems, much like Lloyd’s (I mean... the first half of season one). Plus, they both have a best friend who would burn their house down to protect them (because let’s be real here, Rich burned it down to protect others by killing himself and Kai would burn the world for Lloyd) pLUS Jake broke his legs saving Rich and they got worse after the SQUIP made him walk on them and Lloyd broke his foot fighting his father and faced the Overlord with a broken foot. *mic drop* I rest my case.

Nya as Brooke:

okay so I feel like this is kind of a weird one, but like, hear me out. So, Nya as Brooke. My first thought when trying to figure out who Nya would be was, obviously, Christine. But when I think about it, I do see some Nya in Christine, I do, but I kind of see her a little more in Brooke. Let’s start with Brooke. Brooke is popular Chloe Valentine’s best friend, she’s, in a sense, a tool, but more than anything she just wants to belong. She wants to be popular, she wants to not only have her status, but to earn her status. She doesn’t just want it because she’s Chloe Valentine’s best friend, she doesn’t just want it because she’s dated a few popular guys, she wants that status because of who she is, which is one thing that makes her different than Jenna (I can say a lot more about that but I won’t get into it because I LOVE JENNA ROLAN). Brooke is sweet, she’s kind, but bruh she is fierce and she could probably destroy you if she wanted, maybe not in the same aggressive way as Chloe, which she grows into in the show. We see Brooke as the second best all of the time, always in Chloe’s shadow and she’s pretty insecure about it, and herself in general. She wishes to be more, she wishes for someone to love her as her and to have the right to speak her mind and to just be herself, which she gets near the end of the show as she begins sticking up for herself, and most people in the fandom believe that she becomes the right amount of assertive after the show. Now onto Nya. Nya is always second best, she’s always in the ninja’s shadow. She literally gave herself a false identity so she could be enough and more than “the girl”, “Kai’s sister”, “Jay’s girlfriend”, and “the smart girl”. Much like Brooke, she wants more. So she does it herself, which isn’t something Brooke has the courage to do until later, but then again Nya hid for awhile too. Nya can be sweet, she can be gentle, and yo this girl is fierce too. She often feels second best as well, second best to Kai, to the team… not to mention how she feels in season five, trying to get an understanding of her identity and her place in the team (as opposed to her place in school). Brooke gets mad too. She gets mad at Chloe when she wrongs her. She gets mad at Jeremy. Nya gets mad as well. She gets mad at Jay, she gets mad at Cole and Kai and honestly Nya’s probably gotten mad at all of the ninja at some point. But she can still defend herself, and it may have taken Nya some time for people to realize that and to be assertive enough to tell everyone that and freaking mean it, but she does it. Brooke gets the nerves to do that too in act two. Plus Brooke dates Jeremy at one point but then they break up and if I had made this Bruise wouldn’t it have fit perfectly?? I know this one is weird and maybe isn’t the best, but Nya and Brooke are both sweet, kind, and freaking fierce girls and I love. Also it just makes complete sense in my head. (Also I know Christine has this thing about discovering herself but... just read the last part...)

Some other ones I’m thinking for right now but won’t type because this is long enough as it is are: Pixal as Jenna Rolan, Skylor (or Harumi but mostly Skylor) as Chloe Valentine, and Nadakhan as SQUIP (though the Overlord was my original idea and does work… I’m liking this Nadakhan as SQUIP thing a whole heck of a lot as I started writing all of these descriptions…) and for the life of me, guys, I just can’t figure out Zane! Like maybe Zane as Christine, especially since Christine has this whole discovering who she is bit and it takes her and Zane awhile to figure out who they are and be comfortable with it, but I didn’t really want to go the Techno route here (nothing against Techno, it just doesn’t seem like a very BMC ship I don’t know… don’t get me wrong though, I LOVE TECHNO!) I mean I suppose Zane would be a rad Christine if we went the Boyf Riends shipping route with this… Anyways that’s all! Do you agree with any of these? If you have different opinions please tell me because I love headcanons so much and I would genuinely love to read them! If anyone wants to hear anymore BMC / Ninjago AU headcanons please lemme know because I honestly might post some more anyways for the heck of it because I want to because I love this okay love y’all bye!

[prompt-master]

I Miss Everything You

[fantastic-fans]

Pastel/Punk Boyfs

I’m Sorry that Michael’s dad is mean, and that he doesn’t have two moms. It’s just the way the story worked. Also, this is lots of fluff. fluffy fluff.

Jeremy was walking down the halls at school, when he suddenly felt a strong hand gripped his arm, pulling him into the empty music room. Jeremy grinned, know exactly who it was that had dragged him into the room. He spins around, his baby blue skater skirt twirling with him.

“Hi Michael,” Jeremy says, wrapping his arms around the taller boy’s neck.

“Hey Jere, how’s your day been?” Michael asks, sliding his arms around Jeremy’s waist, leaning his head on Jeremy’s shoulder.

“A little boring, Christine wasn’t in math, she’s sick today, and Brooke left before eighth period for the cheer competition, so I didn’t have anyone to talk to in dance. I wish I could have talked to you in chemistry,” Jeremy mumbles, his fingers twisting the small pieces of hair at the base of Michael’s neck.

“I know Jere, but you know what will happen if my dad knew I even talked to you.”

“Yeah, I just wish he was more like your mom, she didn’t care when you came out, if your dad was such a jerk, we could be happy everywhere, and not just in secret.”

“Don’t worry, It’ll be soon. We just have one more year, and then we’re off to college. NYU, yeah? You’ll study dance and theater, and I’ll be doing music and history.”

“A year is so long though!” Jeremy whines, pulling back slightly to look at Michael’s face.

“I know it is babe, but look, I got you something. I know your birthday is tomorrow, and we’ll be together tomorrow night, but I wanted to give this to you early.” Michael flashes Jeremy a smile as he removes his hands from Jeremy’s waste. He shoves his hand into the pocket of his leather jacket, then slowly pulls it back out, producing a small box wrapped in a pink bow. Michael hands the box to Jeremy and goes to sit down on one of the chairs along the wall, dragging Jeremy with him to have him sit on his lap.

Jeremy pulls the ribbon off of the box, placing it in his backpack, which he had dropped to the floor once he had entered the room. He then lifts the top of the box, placing it in his lap, and then he lets out a small gasp. Jeremy stares at the silver necklace sitting in the box. He slowly goes to pick it up, letting the charm dangle in front of him. The charm was a pair of ballet shoes with a guitar seemingly leaning against them.

“Oh, Michael it’s beautiful. I love it so much!” Jeremy twists in Michael’s lap and throws his arms around him, placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

“I thought you might enjoy it, let me put it on you.” Michael takes the necklace from his boyfriend’s hands and clips it into place around his neck.

“Also, you know how I said it’s just one more year until we can be open about us?” Michael asks, placing his forehead on Jeremy’s, as he is still sitting facing Michael.

“Yes?”

“Well, my mom told me this morning that my dad got a job promotion and he needs to move to Texas for it. Also, they’ve been working out a divorce for a while, and in two months my dad will be gone. We can go on a proper date. I’m telling my mom about you tonight if that’s okay?”

“That’s perfect!” Jeremy leans forward again, this time placing his lips on Michael’s.

Both boys grin as they continue to kiss the other lazily, nothing could ruin this moment. And then the bell rings.

“Damn, alright, we best be getting home, I don’t want your dad to worry. Come on I’ll drive you home.

Jeremy jumps off of Michael’s lap, and Michael stands up after him, grabbing his hand. The two boys walk through the halls, and for the first time, Michael doesn’t let go of Jeremy’s hand once others see them. His dad will be gone soon, so he doesn’t need to worry about either of them getting hurt. Especially since the most popular kids, Jake, Rich, Chloe, Brooke, and Jenna, are all apart of LGBT, no one would hurt. Sure they will get teased, but nothing physical. Plus, a lot of people are a little scared of Michael, especially since the rumor came out that he was in jail most of the summer when really he was watching his little cousin in Florida while her parents were on a cruise for their 10th anniversary.

Three months later

“Are you sure your dad will like me, Jere? I mean look at me. I have tattoos, and I totally scream delinquent,” Michael worries, checking his hair in his phone. He had ditched his leather jacket for tonight, instead opting for a red collared shirt, and non-ripped jeans. He had his piercings in, but only because he feels weird without them. Plus, Jeremy likes playing with his lip ring.

“Yes Michael, I’m sure my dad will love you. You might look scary, but you’re just a teddy bear!”

Jeremy was dressed in a pastel pink skirt, with a white top that had lacy sleeves ending at his elbows. His nails were painted pink as well, and he was wearing some makeup. Nude eyeshadow, mascara, foundation, light pink lipstick, and a light blush.

“I am not a teddy bear!” Michael counters, pouting a bit.

“Tell that to your baby photos!” Jeremy says, giggling into his hand.

Two weeks ago, Jeremy had met Michael’s mom, and instantly after dinner, she had pulled out Michael’s baby pictures to show Jeremy. Jeremy’s particular favorite was of Michael’s first Halloween, where he was dressed as a little teddy bear.

“I wish my mother had never shown you those photos,” Michael grumbles, pushing open his car door, and Jeremy does the same, still giggling.

Jeremy grabs hold of Michael’s hand, as soon as they were standing next to each other. The shorter boy leads his boyfriend up the steps and into his house, smiling the entire time. “Dad! We’re here!”

Michael can hear some movement coming from his right and turns his head to see a man in his forties coming wiping his hands on his pants, a large grin covering his face.

“You must be Michael, it’s so good to finally meet you. Jeremy has been talking about you non stop.” Jeremy’s dad holds out his hand, and Michael takes it, shaking it lightly.

“Thank you for having me over Mr. Heere,” Michael says politely, taking his hand back to place it around Jeremy’s waist.

“Call me Kyle, any boy that’s made my Jeremy this happy can skip the formal name calling, now follow me, I just finished dinner.”

Throughout the whole dinner, Jeremy’s dad asked Michael pretty much the exact same questions his mom had asked Jeremy. Where does he plan on going to college? NYU. What does he want to study? Music. Does he do any sports? Hockey. By the end of the dinner, Michael felt a lot lighter. It never seemed awkward, and Mr. Here definitely seemed to like him. When they were all finished eating, the three of them had moved to the living room to play Jeremy’s favorite game. LIFE.

In the end, Jeremy had walked Michael back to his car, and before the taller boy had a chance to even open his door, Jeremy’s lips were on his. Michael ginned running a hand through Jeremy’s hair and pulling away after a few seconds.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright Jere?” He says, grinning down at his pastel boyfriend.

“And every day after that?” Jeremy asks, his eyes growing wide and hopeful.

“As long as you don’t get bored of me,” Michael says teasingly, letting out a small chuckle.

“Don’t worry. I could never get bored with this.” Jeremy gives Michael one last kiss before he turns around and skips up to his house, disappearing inside.

Michael’s last thought that night was that he too would never get bored with what he had with Jeremy.

[letscuttothefeeling]

season three episode seven

Welcome to the best episode of the season, brought to you by Clear Blue, the Mile-High Club, and Amazon Sunglasses. BOOP! Let’s cut to the feeling!

Nothing like sweating out a hangover! I love watching Juliette and Kelsey work out while I’m sitting on my couch eating cereal for no reason at 8 PM. This is doing wonders for my self-esteem. The friends start discussing the previous night at White Buffalo Saloon. After Alex and Juliette had that emotional convo outside and she left, they ended up talking on the phone for SIX HOURS. Six hours! I just want to know where Alyssa was while Romeo was telling Juliette he still loved her over the course of 360 minutes. Shout out to Kelsey for being a good friend and telling Juliette that Alex is “a bag of dog shit. On fire.”

The face your best friend makes when you confess that you’re talking to your ex. 

The only thing I hate more than lying is longboarding. And Amanda is guilty of both. Though she and Brandon may be moving fast on their weirdly oversized/emo skateboards, their relationship is slowing to a halt. Brandon starts quizzing Amanda about where she disappeared to last night, and she looks genuinely offended that he had the audacity to question her. Why is it that whenever people are guilty, they get so defensive? Any sociologists out there to give me their two cents? (Shout out Alex, for confusing psychology with sociology in episode five. Never change. <3)

This scene is already annoying me because Boring Robby, Jake, and Joe are setting up for the “Rebella” party. Number one, I thought we were done with Boring Robby – get off of my screen – and number two, as much as it pains me, I have to agree with Alex on one thing. Rebella looks like a complete and utter scam. And if I wasn’t so distracted by the beads covering Joe’s face, I’d report this to the Better Business Bureau as a potential money laundering cover-up. As Robby wonders if Juliette will show up, we cut to Juliette and Kelsey’s house. Kelsey, excited to get to the party to see her boss/love interest Jake, convinces Juliette to go. Nothing like showing up to your ex-boyfriend’s party two days after breaking up with him.

Why do people insist upon having tough convos over coffee in this show? First Juliette and her boss, then Robby and Amanda, and now this. As Madisson sits down with Chloe to grab lattes, things get serious quickly. Madisson is having a pregnancy scare! After tearfully confiding in Chloe, Madisson works up the nerve to get a test and Facetimes Dad “Baby” Ish to see the results. I’m sorry, but if my girlfriend randomly Facetimed me at work crying about potentially being with child, I’d be a little more emotive than Ish, who was apathetic about the whole situation. (Clearly, there’s a reason he was behind the camera and not in front of it.) After Madisson finally puts us all out of our misery and checks the test, we discover that she is not, in fact, carrying Ish’s spawn. Shocker! But now she’s forced to think about the reality of dating Old Man Ish since he’s an old man. Does she need to have kids sooner now since her boyfriend is practically in the grave? My head is spinning, I can’t think about this right now. Hopefully, that’s the only unwanted pregnancy of the season!

The Rebella party is in full swing, but instead of showing us the party, the producers have decided to show us forty-seven flashbacks, yet again. Can we please stop with those? They happen eight times an episode and eat up precious airtime. Like we KNOW what happened in the last episode, thanks. As Juliette and Boring Robby ignore each other, and Jake and Kelsey discuss their budding potential relationship, we get to see a glimpse of former cast member Carson! Who is now known to us as “Brandon’s friend.” Usually, the producers will bring on random people and then just never speak of them again, (shoutout Canvas, Tawni, Madisson’s sister, Pauly Paul, Ben, now VICTORIA, and many more) but this time, we get to see one. It’s kind of like seeing a ghost. Hi, Carson! You’re a brunette now! How are you doing? Where did you go? Are you okay?   

With no time for childish nonsense, Alex and Chloe are hammering out business details at the Crescent Club. While making a specialty mojito, Chloe sees a video of Juliette at the Rebella party. And once Alex hears she’s there, it’s game over. He becomes genuinely enraged and immediately fires off a text to Robby. Normally I would find his reaction hilarious since it proves that he’s desperately jealous, but the text he sent contains a screenshot of Juliette confessing her love to him earlier in the day, which is just embarrassing. Boring Robby, now would be a good time to start chanting inspirational quotes while you foam at the mouth and seize, you’re going to need them.

Earth-shattering. That’s how I would describe Boring Robby’s reaction to the texts from Alex. It’s reminiscent of that scene in Stephanie Meyer’s third novel in the Twilight Saga, Eclipse, when Bella accidentally lets it slip while ditching school with Jacob that she plans to become a vampire upon graduation. Jacob is shell-shocked. Although he knew this was looming, he had no idea it was happening so soon. I mean, not only would this break the treaty – remember, the Cullen clan is banned from not only killing, but also BITING any human – but this is also the girl who Jacob presumes to be the love of his life!! (Even though he hasn’t imprinted on her.) Before this show, I could only imagine his exact face when he found out Bella was going to become a filthy bloodsucker. (His words, not mine.) He even said he’d rather she be dead! Luckily, Robby’s face at this moment is all I need to visualize Jacob’s. After the soul-crushing texts, Robby runs up to Juliette to confront her. He accuses her of faking the entire relationship, then tries to prove it by asking Juliette to name her favorite moment or memory from their relationship. After Boring Robby waits in silence for a few seconds, Juliette responds, “SEX ON A PLANE! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?” Icon!

For the record, I know Jacob’s face during that shocking scene was portrayed by Taylor Lautner in the cinematic masterpiece Eclipse, but as a self-proclaimed Twilight expert, I felt that this real-life moment of Robby Hayes actually paid homage to Jacob’s raw emotion more accurately.

Back at the Kompothecras mansion, Alyssa, Gary, Alex, and Alex’s nameless mother are drinking at 10 AM. I stand by my hypothesis that Alyssa is trying to replace Alex’s mom and bang Gary. I can think of no other logical explanation as to why she keeps thudding around Alex’s parent’s house without a bra on. It’s funny that she has time to paint on a full face of makeup, but no time to cover her nipples. As they sit down for drinks, Alyssa immediately starts talking about how Juliette is trying to “weasel her way back in” and that “she needs to back off.” What’s that? Juliette, the girl who has dated Alex for 3+ years is trying to “weasel her way back in”? That’s great, coming from the girl who got pregnant after three months of NOT EVEN DATING ALEX. No yeah, um, that’s just, great. Good insight, Alyssa.

Since Alex was abroad for his birthday, he’s decided to throw a party for Jared. Even though I’m a little mad that Alex didn’t throw his annual banger, this party provided us with a lot of content, so I’m not going to pursue a lawsuit with Gary. Earlier in the episode, we learned that Jared is a divorcé! That’s right, when Jared was in the navy, he was married to someone and got divorced after a year. Young love. Even though he’s having a fun birthday party by the beach with all of his friends, he’s fixated on getting a call from his ex-wife. Finally, she calls and we learn that she’s coming to town next week. Interesting! As they hung up, they said “I love you” to each other, and then Jared got really emotional. Also interesting! We’ll learn more next week. Stay tuned!

As Alex and Alyssa hang all over each other, you can see Juliette seething behind her Chloe’s sunglasses. She decides to go confront Alex against literally everyone’s advice, and I’m already cringing. Juliette marches up to Alex and starts trying to get him to admit, on camera, that he said he still loved her over the phone. Alex blatantly denies it (even though it’s definitely true,) and then up comes Alyssa. She immediately starts berating Juliette, saying that she’s “crazy” and “false.” I’m just laughing at how naïve Alyssa is. Poor girl. She will soon become all too aware of what a manipulative liar Alex is. Okay, “manipulative liar” is a bit of an overstatement. That makes him sound intelligent. He’s just an asshole. Either way, I’m violently triggered by the idea of my liar ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend calling me psychotic and laughing in my face. So when Juliette pushes Alex in the pool and pulls down Alyssa’s bathing suit after Alyssa throws a drink at her, I’m not mad about it! As a final touch, Juliette hurls Chloe’s now crumpled sunglasses back at her, then, as everyone is trying to escort her away from the pool, she tugs down Alyssa’s bathing suit yet again, adding a final, “boop!” Pure class. Team Juliette for life. See you on the Key next week!

[i-write-stuff-its-ok]

Petals and Ink  Part four

Summary: Michael and Jeremy spend some time at the mall together after their friends have left them alone.

Warnings: Mild swearing

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1656

Author's note: It’s one of my headcanons that Michael comes from a huge family. Any Mell family members are characters I made up. Also Conner Mell is not a reference to DEH. I just like the name Conner, also I want the potential for jokes with Mrs.Mell messing up Connor and Cathy.

Michael stood there awkwardly. He didn’t know what to say or do, but here he was in the mall with Jeremy after his friends had ditched him. “ Well at least I don’t have to stand there awkwardly well people give me strange looks well I sit in Pink this time.” Michael said trying to break the silence. Jeremy laughed. “ S-so what do you want to do?” Jeremy asked. Neither of the boys quite knew what to do. “ Oh I was just gonna walk around, see if I can find anything for my brother. It’s his birthday soon and I still need a gift.” said Michael. “ You have a brother?” “ Two actually. Two older brothers and an older sister.” “ So you're the youngest.” “Not really, if you count in my cousins. I have two older cousins to but I also have two younger cousins. And since we all lived together there basicly my siblings as well so, yeah.” Michael smiled. “ Wow, big family. Your so lucky.” Jeremy said. “ Im taking it you're an only child.” Michael smiled. “ Yep.” Jeremy chuckled. “ I've always wanted brothers and sisters.” “ You say that now but once you have them,” Michael raised his voices pitch to imitate his mother, “ Max no Marco I mean Michael. Cathy I mean Conner. Michael drive your cousin to his friends house. Michael you have to be an example for Max. Michael get out of your brothers room he's having friends over.I don’t care who did it your all in trouble.” “ Wait so two older brothers and a sister and four cousins thats-” “ Eleven people if you count my parents and my aunt.” “ Wow, sounds,” “ Loud.” Michael laughed “ Loving.” Jeremy smiled. “ Well at least you get both your parents to yourself.” Michael teased. “ Not really my parents are divorced.” “ Oh, I'm sorry.” “ Nah it's fine it happened when I was little I'm over it.”   “ Shit shit shit I made it awkward god dammit Mell. I am a failure of a human being.” Michael thought. The two of them stood in silence for a bit. Michael fiddled with the straps on his overalls and Jeremy looked at the ground. “ So, where did you wanna look first. What’s your brother into?” Jeremy asked with a nervous smile breaking the silence. “ Oh I was thinking about looking around for some shirts in Vans and I don’t really know.” “ Alright cool.” Jeremy smiled. The two of them walked together around the mall. Stealing quick glances at each other. They stopped in Vans and got a few shirts and a hat for Michael's older brother Conner. “ Hey can we stop at the pet store really quick? I need to get some food for Daisy.” Michael said. “ Daisy ,is that you dog or cat's name?” Jeremy asked. “ Actually Daisy is a snake.” Michael smiled. “ A snake? Y-you own a snake.” Jeremy asked shocked. “ Why is that surprising?” Michael asked. “ Well umm,” Jeremy looked Michael up and down. Michael looked down at his pastel outfit. “ I see your point.” Michael laughed.

They walked to the pet store and Michael got some crickets for Daisy and some cat treats for Cookie dough. “ You have a cat to?” Jeremy smiled. “ Well he’s my sisters. But I do live with him so I guess he’s mine to. Me and my sisters are roommates since she moved out to go to college , I'm taking a gap year to make some more money. I bet your in art school with how amazing you are at drawing.” Michael said smiling at Jeremy. “ No it’s way too expensive. I'm just gonna go to community college if I go some where at all.” “ What no way you're too talented to pass up art school.” Michael gushed. Jeremy started to turn red. “ Pssssh nah.” Jeremy looked at the ground scuffing his shoe. They left the pet store and wandered around the mall chatting. Michael felt his phone buzz. He took his phone “ New message from Christine.” He opened the message and read “ Having fun on your date?” Michael felt his face grow red as he read her text.  “ What wrong?” Jeremy asked looking over to see what Michael was looking at. Michael shoved his phone in his pocket. “N-nothing!” They walked past the Cinnabon, Michael looked at it. He hadn’t had it in what felt like forever. Jeremy noticed him looking at it. “ Oh I haven’t been there in forever. Wanna get some.” Jeremy smiled. “ Sure.”

The two of them got there cinnamon rolls and iced coffees. They sat down at one of the little tables inside. “ I still can’t believe you have three siblings and four cousins. And you all lived together?” Jeremy laughed. “ Yep, poor Cathy. She was the only girl, or at least she was until Daniela came along but Daniela is only four so, Cathy is still stuck with us guys.” Michael smiled. “ Ok so let me see if I got this. There's Marco, Robbie, Cathy, Gabriel, Conner, then you, Max, and baby Daniela. Right?” Jeremy said. “ Close, you forgot the twins.” Michael smiled. “ What you never said anything about twins.” Jeremy said confused. “ Hahahahahaha there's no twins I’m just kidding!” Michael laughed throwing his head back and leaning back into his chair. “You got them all right good job.” he smiled as he sat up and took a bite of his cinnamon roll. “ Ummm got some frosting.” Jeremy said gesturing to his mouth. Michael tried to whip off the icing from his face but missed. “ Did I get it?” asked Michael. “ No, umm, just, here let me get it.” Jeremy said as he leaned over the table. Michael felt Jeremy’s fingers brush his as he reached for a napkin. Michael felt chills go through his hand. Jeremy leaned in close to Michael and wiped the frosting off of his bottom lip. There noses touched. Michael looked down at Jeremy's lips. He was biting his lip. Michael felt his face grow hot. Jeremy made eye contact with him as he brought his eyes up. Both the boys turned bright red. Michael pulled back in embarrassment his glasses sliding down his nose. Jeremy fell back into his seat and looked down. Michael pushed his glasses back up and looked at Jeremy blushing. “ Did you get it?” He smiled. “ Y-yeah.” Jeremy stutterd. “ Thanks.”

After they had finished their treat they walked around looking for their friends. As they walked out of the corner of his eye Michael saw Jeremy Inching closer to him. Soon they were walking side by side. Jeremy's fingers brushed against Michael's hand again. Jeremy noticed and quickly put his hands in his pockets. Michael studied Jeremy's profile as they walked. His curls flopped in his face and his eyelashes were long. His nose stuck out at a sharp point and his bottom lip stuck out. His smile went to the left of his face and his eyes crinkled up when he laughed. He noticed Jeremy fiddled with his sleeves a lot and slouched over a little bit. Michael was so engrossed in watching Jeremy he didn't even notice the bench. Michael walked directly into it. His lower body slammed into the bench and he fell back onto floor. “ Whoa are you ok?” Jeremy said crouching down to meet Michael on the ground. “ Yeah, I’m fine. I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going.” Michael said embarrassed. Jeremy stood back up and reached out his hand to Michael smiling his lopsided smile. Michael took Jeremy’s hand and stood back up as Jeremy pulled him up. Jeremy looked down at his hand that was still holding Michael’s, he didn't say anything. The two of them stood there holding hands for a few seconds before Michael noticed and quickly pulled away. “ S-sorry I, sorry I didn’t n-notice we were s-still.” Michael stammered turning red. “ No no no it’s fine sorry.” Jeremy apologized as he put his hands in his pockets. They were quiet for a bit before Rich and Jake found them.

“ Hey dudes what’s up.” Jake said as he waved at the two of them. “ What’th up tall ath, flower power.” Rich said nodding at them. “ Please don’t call me tall ass Rich.” Jeremy begged. “ Flower power?” Michael mumbled to himself confused at what Rich had just called him. “ So what did you two nerdth do all day?” Rich asked. “ Oh we just walked around and talked, Micheal got some stuff for his brother.” Jeremy said. “ We got Cinnabon.” Michael added. “ Did I hear Cinnabon?” Christine asked as her and the other girls walked up to join the group. “ Yeah me and Michael got some-” Jeremy was cut off by Brooke. “ What? You got Cinnabon without us Michael?” Brooke said jokingly sounding hurt placing her hands on her heart. “ Gasp! You monster!” Christine teased placing her hand on her forehead dramatically. Jake looked at his phone and saw the time. “ Hey we gotta take off and get back to work or else Chloe is gonna be pissed.” Jake said “ Awwwwwww do we have to.” Jena whined. “ Yeah thith thucks.” Rich groaned. “ Sorry I don’t make the rules. Chloe dose. Let’s go.” Jake sighed. Jena Jake and Rich started to walk off. Jeremy stayed behind. He took out a receipt from his pocket. “ I, ummm does anyone have a pen?” He asked. “ I do.” Brooke smiled as she took out a pen from her purse and gave it to Jeremy. Jeremy quickly scribbled down something on the back of the receipt. Jake noticed Jeremy wasn’t with them and turned around. “Jeremy, come on dude we gotta go.” Jake said waving Jeremy over. Jeremy looked down at the paper in his hand. He shoved it awkwardly into Michael's hand. “ H-here, umm I, bye.” Jeremy stammered before running off to catch up with Jake and the others. Michael looked down at the receipt in his hand. He turned it over and on the other side was Jeremy’s phone number.

[thisiswhatmylifeamountsto]

Squipped Brooke AU (Brooke/Christine)

So unpopular Brooke has three friends - Christine, Jeremy and Michael Everyone knows that Michael has a crush on Jeremy, Jeremy has a crush on Michael and Christine is just oblivious Well Brooke knows at least

She always kinda feels like a bit of an outsider She loves her friends and part of her knows they love her too But sometimes she wonders if she's just kind of annoying

Then she finds out about the SQUIP

 And when Rich tells her about the Squip, she is interested but she goes to check it out by herself bc she doesn't want any of the other three to stop her

Over time Brooke becomes more popular and she ends up dating Jake She doesn't notice that the squip was blocking out the other three until she actually bumps into Jeremy in the hall

 Jeremy literally stands there until she walks into him

"Jeremy! Hey! I haven't seen you in ages - I haven't seen any of you three!" "...Brooke...you've been ignoring us." "What? No, I haven't? I just never see you. "It's called optic nerve blocking." And then it plays out like Upgrade AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE HALLOWEEN PARTY

 So it plays out like Halloween except Christine, Jere and Michael have each other so they're all a lot more stubborn and have done a lot more research

Brooke ends up in the bathroom and Christine locks it "WHAT'S GOING ON?" "Brooke? I just need you to do something for me ok?" "WHY DID YOU LOCK ME IN HERE?" "Please Brooke." "...what?" "Drink this." "WHAT NO?" "Brooke come on please." "Look Christine just leave me alone." "NO" "Why do you even care?" "Because, ughhhhh-" Christine cuts herself off by pulling Brooke down to her height and kissing her swiftly.

Brooke shoves her away

"Get away from me...freak" Christine takes a moment to swallow Brooke pushes past her, opens the door and heads out into the party And Christine is left alone Just Christine in the bathroom

    Christine is in the play with Jere and Michael is on tech Normally Brooke would be the lead with Christine but she She's not here right now And now it's opening night And it's the first time Christine has ever done a show without Brooke Without her best friend Without the girl she's been in love with for years

 It's five minutes before the curtain goes up when Chloe Valentine races into the room

"CHRISTINE" "...Chloe?" "Please...I don't know what's happening but...come with me...please" "I have a sho-" "It's Brooke sh-" "OK. Just give me a minute." Christine turns to Jeremy. "I guess Madeline can have the lead after all." "Chri-" "Just-just keep an eye out for anything weird ok.  Break a leg." Jeremy hugs her. "Good luck Chris."

 Christine follows Chloe out to the football field.

She begins to get worried. "Chloe? What's going on?" "...I'm afraid we had to get you out of the way." "Get me out of the way of what?" "..." "CHLOE." "We were worried that you were too strong-willed." "Who is we?"

 "Don't you get it Christine? The squips.  Did you not do enough research?"

"What?" "Why do you think a powerful piece of technology would end up in some random new jersey school?" "I don-" "Because teenagers are the most impressionable.  And once everyone at this school is squipped, it's only a matter of time until every single teenager is squipped.  And these squipped teenagers will eventually grow up to be the world leaders, the politicians, the influencers of the whole world."

 "But.  Why not just squip me?"

"Oh believe me you're going to be squipped.  However, since you know so much, it's going to be a lot more...in-depth than the usual pill." Chloe holds up a blue oblong pill. "Here I have the upgraded SQUIP.  It's going to hurt.  A lot.  But you'll feel better afterwards I promise." Christine moves to run but, without her noticing, other juniors have begun to surround her - Jake, Rich, Jenna. And believe me, they're strong when they need to be.

  Brooke is so confused. She had managed to convince her SQUIP to let her come see the play - they hadn't put up that much of a fight which worried her. But It didn't matter. She wasn't on good terms with Christine. Or Jeremy or Michael for that matter. But she wouldn't miss the play - she'd never missed a play. Though of course, she was normally in it. She took her seat and looked at the cast list. She found Christine's name in the programme - she was the title character. She looked at Christine's face and let her mind drift back to that time in the bathroom at Jake's par- Brooke jolted up right as her SQUIP shocked her. They may not care about her being at the play but they obviously cared about suppressing any thoughts about Christine in any way other than a friend.

 At 7 o'clock, Mr Reyes steps out onto the stage.

"Unfortunately Ms Canigula has had to leave for a family emergency and so Madeline Bl..." Brooke ignored the rest of Mr Reyes's speech, focusing more on the start. Christine Canigula missing a performance? It was practically unheard of Brooke guessed that Christine would still prioritise her family over her play however so settled down to watch the show

 The play was really good. Or rather The ten minutes of the play that Brooke had actually seen was really good.

Madeline and Dustin had been the only two on-stage until suddenly Jeremy had run on. "MISS CARTWRIGHT I HAVE A LET...BROOKE?" Jeremy was staring right at her. "Jeremy what are you do-" "You can't be here." "What do you me-" "Christine went with Chloe because you were...you weren't ok." "Jeremy I'm fine b-wait she went with Chloe." "Yeah" "...oh fuck."

 "Brooke what?"

"I GAVE CHLOE A SQUIP." "Wait...WHAT?" "I...they told me to." "Chloe we need to find her." "We do Je-" Mr Reyes walks on stage at this point. "Ladies and Gentlemen I'm sorry about this.  Please excuse this interruption." Mr Reyes violently gestures to one of the stagehands who closes the curtains. Brooke sprints out of the auditorium and finds Jeremy and Michael outside. "WHAT DO WE DO?" "OK well, we have some mountain dew red.  Maybe you should drink some first Brooke?" "Will it stop the squip?" "It should do." "OK." Brooke grabs the bottle and tries to take a sip. She can't move her arm. "THEY'RE NOT LETTING ME DRINK IT." "FUCK.  OK JEREMY HOLD HER STILL." Jeremy tries to grab her but Brooke punches him in the face. "JEREMY I'M SORRY IT'S THE SQUIP." Michael pulls Jeremy away from Brooke. The bottle of mountain dew red lies on the floor beside them. Just at that moment, Brooke hears someone call her name. Not just someone. Christine. She hears Christine call her name. "BROOKE."

"Oh...oh god." Brooke catches sight of Christine. Her eyes...they're glowing blue. Whilst Brooke was distracted by Christine, Jake and Rich had snuck up on Michael and Jeremy and forced squips down their throats. Brooke was alone - she still hadn't become the zombie the rest of them were. "Brooke...I'm...it's me.  I'm so much better.  And now we can be together." Brooke turns to her SQUIP. "You'd...you'd let me be with her." "She's perfect, Brooke.  Of course you can be with her.  She's all yours - she can't stop you anymore." "Oh."

"You just have to let go."

"Let go?" "You're still fighting against me, Brooke.  Even now you're struggling to stand up straight.  Just...let go." "Let go and I can have Christine.  And Jeremy and Michael." "Yes." "As long as we all have SQUIPs?" "Yes." "Can I ask Christine to do something for me?" "She'll do anything - she loves you." "Christine?" "OK." "Walk towards Jeremy." "OK." "Now do this really quickly." "BROOKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" "PICK UP THE BOTTLE AND DRINK IT CHRISTINE." "BROOKE YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THIS." Christine takes a drink and immediately begins to scream. The other kids join her in screaming until they all collapse to the ground.

When Brooke wakes up, she's aware of a hand holding hers and the weight of two other people on the other side of her. She blearily opens her eyes to find Jeremy, Michael and Christine leaning on her bed. Across from her, her mom is sitting on her phone tapping away. "...mom?" "Brooke? OH THANK GOD YOU'RE AWAKE." "Shhhhh." "Right sorry." "I thought you were on a business trip?" "Brooke.  You were in hospital.  I wasn't just going to leave you here alone." "But what about the cli-" "The client doesn't matter.  You are my daughter and that is what matters." "Mom I'm sor-" "Shhhh it's ok.  All that matters is that everyone's ok." "Is everyone ok?" "Yes - you're the second-last one to wake up.  Richard is still asleep but he's stable and should wake up just like you and the others did." "Ok."

"Brooke?" Jeremy's voice interrupted whatever Brooke's mom might have been about to say

"I'll leave you and your friends alone." "OK, mom."

Jeremy nudged Michael awake.  Brooke moved to do the same to Christine but Jeremy stopped her. "I think you two need some time to talk about this alone." "Ok." The two of them sit there in silence for a moment as Michael wakes himself up. "Brooke?" "Hey, Mikey." "Man am I glad to see you." "I'm glad to see you too." Brooke takes a deep breath: "I'm so sorry about everything I did whilst I had the squip.  I'm so sorry I ignored you and didn't listen to what you said and I'm definitely sorry I ditched you at the play and I'm sorry I took that stupid oblong pill in the first place.  I'm so sorry." At this point, Brooke is in tears Jeremy and Michael glance at each other. Michael speaks first "I don't think we'll be able to move on straight away but..." "But?" Jeremy continues "We forgive you.  And we'll keep forgiving you." "Why?" "Why what?" "Why are you just going to forgive me like that? I was a horrible person.  And a terrible friend." "Brooke, you were influenced by that weird computer chip thing.  Even though I only had it for five minutes, I was completely under its influence and you had it for a couple months.  We're not gonna move on immediately because we still have to talk about this but.  Not everything is your fault."

Then Christine stirs. "OK Brooke, we'll leave you two alone.  But if you ever want to talk, just say the words ok?" "Ok." Michael and Jeremy file out of the room.  Brooke notices them holding hands but doesn't say anything. "Brooke? BROOKE YOU'RE AWAKE OH MY GOSH," "...hey." "You ok?" "...I'M REALLY SORRY OK I KNOW I HURT YOU AT JAKE'S PARTY AND I KNOW I HURT YOU BY IGNORING YOU AND NOT COMING TO PLAY REHEARSAL AND TAKING THE SQUIP IN THE FIRST PLACE AND I AM SO SO SORRY AND I-AND I..."

Brooke breaks down into sobs. Christine just stares in shock for a moment before she gathers her wits "Brooke, can I hug you?" Brooke nods her head slightly before Christine pulls her into a tight hug Christine just whispers random comforting things as she hugs Brooke until she feels Brooke's sobs subside and pulls back to look at her.

Somehow Christine started crying as well without realising it. "Honestly, Brooke you hurt me a lo-" "I'M SORRY." "No shh, it's ok, let me finish.  I know it’s not your fault.  I'm not going to blame you.  I won't be able to get over it straight away but.  I will get over it.  And I will forgive you.  I've already begun to forgive you.  And I'm sorry for what happened in the bathroom too." "You didn't do anyt-" "I kissed you without asking and that's wrong." "Christine it's ok." "No, it's not.  And I'm sorry." "Ok."

And they're not perfect - they never were

But they're ok

And then they get better

And then they're good

Things are good And when Christine and Brooke finally have a long talk about their feelings for each other which includes some tears, some yelling and some kissing Things are really good Brooke would give anything to go back to before she had the SQUIP and stop everything from happening But, as it is, she's still happy They're all still happy And that's what matters.