#how do ivan and kirin know each other?

[blinkaftermidnight]

post trial

Read on AO3.

It’s less satisfying than Leah anticipated it would be. All of it, really, is underwhelming. Seeing Gretchen Klein in an orange jumpsuit, in handcuffs. Hearing the jury announce that Gretchen is guilty. Maybe Leah only feels numb because she’d been prepared for more of a fight. She’d been prepared for Gretchen to mount a flawless defense. She’d been prepared for extreme disappointment. Maybe that’s why hearing the word guilty makes Leah’s ears ring. Maybe that’s why it blocks out the reactions of everyone else in the courtroom. The other girls, and the boys, and all their families. Leah hears nothing but that ringing, feels nothing but numbness.

The judge restores order to the courtroom, but Leah mentally checks out. Nothing else matters. She barely registers being led out of the courtroom by their lawyers, barely registers the press swarming the steps outside. The Unsinkable Eight is shielded by lawyers and security until they’re safely split back into their two vehicles.

Leah doesn’t look as Fatin claims the other seat in the third row with her; she’s too busy staring out the window, tinted so dark that it’s impossible to see through from the outside. She’s too busy watching Toni and Martha join Rachel and Nora in the other SUV, eyes lingering on Toni when she glances over her shoulder, sending the photographers into a frenzy to get a clear shot of Toni Shalifoe with her eye patch. She’s too busy watching Kirin shout something over his shoulder at the swarm of reporters while Ivan tries to push him towards their ride. She’s too busy watching Raf walk with his head down and hands jammed in his pockets.

A hand grasps onto Leah’s thigh, and she jumps at the same time that her head whips around, eyes landing on the concerned look woven into Fatin’s features. Fatin’s lips part, and Leah knows she’s going to ask some variation of are you okay? or what’s wrong? or what can I do to help you? Leah would like to answer none of those questions, so she’s grateful when Dot starts laying out her plans to celebrate their win at the hotel tonight, which of course drags Shelby into the conversation, and Fatin’s attention turns elsewhere.

Her hand, though, remains on Leah’s thigh, and as much as Leah aches to remove it, she can’t bring herself to do that to Fatin. Even when Shelby twists around in her seat and her eyes seek out the location of Fatin’s hand and something Leah can’t identify but something she hates nonetheless flashes across Shelby’s face.

If Leah was only allowed to have one regret from the time she spent on two different islands – fifty days each – she wouldn’t be able to narrow it down into anything more than what she did to Fatin.

*

They’re all already so different. It’s weird that Leah barely noticed until they’re lounging around the hotel pool at two a.m. even though it was supposed to close two hours ago. No one has come to kick them out, though, so they don’t leave. Some of them are just as pumped as they were after the verdict, hours before. Kirin keeps slamming Red Bulls and howling until Dot scolds him for being loud when, technically, they aren’t allowed to be at the pool anymore. Shelby talks animatedly about how the monetary damages Gretchen has to pay out will change all of their lives, but only Scotty really seems to be listening. The rest of them talk quietly or sit by themselves, like Leah at the edge of the pool; the closest person to her is Toni, who won’t go into the water because of her eye. It’s not enough to distract Leah from her thoughts.

They’re all so different, and now that Leah’s noticed, she can’t stop noticing. Shelby’s hair filled back in, but she’s been keeping it short. Dot’s hair is longer than it’s been since Leah first met her, nearly two years ago by now, but Dot bleached it at Fatin’s insistence a few weeks back, which Leah still hasn’t really adjusted to. Rachel’s hand isn’t bandaged, isn’t concealed, and she moves with more ease, more confidence than she did on both islands – and she smiles more than Leah remembers. Nora sticks closer to Martha than anyone else, and while Nora and Martha may be the two who most resemble the versions of themselves that Leah recalls from the islands, both of their dynamics within the group seem to have shifted most drastically since then. Toni never removes her eye patch, but that in itself is a reminder of what happened out there. And Fatin –

What hasn’t changed about Fatin?

She catches him staring at her again, and this time, she stares directly across the pool back at Raf until he blushes and averts his gaze. Raf and Ivan are the only boys that look almost exactly the same, between Kirin and Josh both shaving their heads, Bo and Scotty both growing beards, and Henry’s drastic change in aesthetic. She knows why Raf stares so much. Leah knows he’s staring at her neck, at the thin but distinct scar that curves around it, a wound created by Seth’s knife on their hundredth day of the experiment.

She doesn’t like to think about it.

From somewhere behind Leah, Fatin clears her throat and stands from her chair. Leah senses Fatin’s presence approaching her, and Leah refuses to let her muscles tense, refuses to show any outward reaction. Just like in court. Just like every time a reporter shoves a microphone or a camera in her face. Leah has mastered her poker face. Fatin sits on Leah’s left, and Leah tries not to look at her, even in her peripheral vision. The superficial things hardly matter. Fatin's hair hasn’t been long since the first week that they got home when Fatin first sheared it off. Her face hasn’t been bare since their last day as unwilling participants in Gretchen’s experiment. And, well, honestly nothing about Fatin has seemed the same since they’d slept together on their eighty eighth day in what Leah would call a severe moment of weakness.

It’s not the superficial things that prevent Leah from being able to look Fatin in the eye. It’s the pain she knows Fatin will carefully conceal behind her smile if Leah dares to meet her gaze. It’s the way Fatin’s voice always sounds strained when they talk. It’s the reflection of the damage Leah has caused – damage that Leah has no idea how to begin to attempt to repair.

“You okay?” Fatin asks softly, forcing Leah to at least pretend like she’s looking in Fatin’s direction. Leah makes it quick, lets her eyes glance over the curve of Fatin’s nose, up to deep brown eyes. Leah can’t let her eyes linger, can’t bear to remember how Fatin’s lips felt against her own almost as much as she can’t bear the way Fatin’s eyes study her, the way Fatin’s eyes trace along the permanent mark that Seth has left her with.

“Fine,” Leah says, but she can’t force a smile or make her voice sound anything but flat. There’s a prickling feeling at the back of Leah’s neck, the feeling of being watched, and she’d bet anything it’s Raf again, watching her struggle to look at Fatin while Fatin unabashedly takes in all the details of Leah’s face.

Leah has a sudden urge to reach out – reach out and do what, she isn’t quite sure. Trail her fingertips down the side of Fatin’s face, or maybe run her fingers through Fatin’s hair to push it back from Fatin’s forehead, though it’ll undoubtedly fall right back into place. She yearns to do something, anything that might prompt Fatin to grin at her for real, for the first time in…well, a very long time. It’s different, when they’re with the group, and Fatin knows that.

xx

The only notes I really had for context were that there's an upcoming criminal trial for Seth, and Fatin rushed in to save Leah from him on their last day on the island. Also that Shelby and Dot were aware Leah and Fatin slept together, but Leah got spooked so that didn't go anywhere by the time we hit this story, and I never outlined how or why Toni lost an eye.

[deadpoetsam]

Thoughts/theories on the boys:

Short in stature but big in personality, Scotty’s a fast-talking teenage entrepreneur from the Florida panhandle who dreams of making the Forbes 400 list one day. And by his side always, both in life and on the island, is his best friend Bo.

I think Scotty's a parallel to Toni, but I don't see any mention of anger issues in his description... maybe they have another "flaw" planned for his character. The big dreams make me feel like he'll get along with Kirin easier than Toni with Rachel. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing his friendship with Bo. Will they make him openly gay like Toni?

Bo is a soft-spoken, contemplative teenager, also from the Florida panhandle. He has a naively optimistic outlook on life, despite a difficult upbringing, and he’d gladly lie down in the street for his best friend Scotty. His loyalty knows almost no bounds.

I think that Bo is a parallel to Martha, and I'm really excited to see a male character with a softer personality!!! Also, interesting that they say that his loyalty knows no bounds, while that was mentioned for Toni in the promotion for the girls.

The opposite of his personable stepbrother Seth, Henry is an emo reclusive type who prefers to retreat into the safety of his noise-canceling headphones and dwell on the darkness in the world.

Henry's a parallel to Leah? an interesting choice, curious to see how the relationship between the stepbrothers works out. It would be interesting if they make him the one who figures things out (if any of the boys even figure stuff out?). He also sounds a bit like Nora...

Seth Novak, who is naturally funny, Ivy-League smart, and full of charisma. Though he doesn’t necessarily aspire to a leadership role, Seth’s steadiness and sense of humor win him the respect and loyalty of the others, except for his step-brother Henry who clearly has issues with him.

Seth seems a parallel to Shelby, the rich and successful white boy (with more issues than meets the eye I'm assuming). It'll be interesting to see the stepbrothers and their relationship (especially seeing as they are parallels to Leah and Shelby, but feel more like a parallel to Shelby and Toni in a platonic way). Although he does have some traits similar to Dot....

Josh Herbert, a talkative, hypochondriacal teenager from a wealthy family in San Diego. Unlike the rest of his athletic, tennis-playing family, Josh is an awkward, nervous type who takes a number of homeopathic supplements to handle his chronic stress.

I think that Josh is a parallel to Nora, and I just know I'll love this character. Very interested in his backstory! Especially since it seems like he'll be the odd one out in his family (like Rachel) and how that will affect his place in the group. He's talkative, which isn't like Nora, but it'll be fun to see the different take on an awkward and nervous character.

Rafael Garcia, a quiet, sensitive teenager who lives in Tijuana but attends high school in San Diego. Straddling two worlds has made it difficult to get a clear and certain sense of himself, so he gravitates toward people with stronger, more charismatic personalities than his own.

Rafael seems a parallel to Dot, especially looking at the "caught between two worlds" bit and also taking in account that Dot lost her sense of self while taking care of her dad. I don't think they'll have him take care of a parent, but that they'll instead find another backstory (but if they have him take care of a parent, it would be really cool to see the differences!). The lack of a clear and certain sense of himself and being sensitive also sounds a bit like Shelby...

Ivan Taylor, an activist and aspiring playwright with an impeccable fashion sense and a razor-sharp wit. But his words can be cutting, sometimes too deeply, which has cost him friends along the way.

I think that Ivan is a clear parallel to Fatin, and I'm excited to see what they'll give him as a backstory! Also the "cost him friends" makes me feel like there'll be a similar fall out as Leah with Fatin, but I'm also curious about what his backstory will entail.

Kirin O’Conner, a short-tempered lacrosse player who doesn’t have much patience for weakness. Among the castaways, he’s ready and willing to take the lead first, though his hot-headed approach might not appeal to everyone.

Kirin definitely seems like a parallel to Rachel, so I'm curious to see how that turns out. I hope they give him a similar backstory as her, it would be interesting to see a male character with ED. The hotheaded approach also sounds a bit like Toni...

[yeetburger]

a "theory" about the wilds girls/boys rosters

so it was said at the beginning of season 2 that the girls and the boys were intentionally put in the same situation, and leah also implied it when she said to raf "i'm you." which got me thinking about how they actually chose the lineup of boys based on the girls.

rachel/seth: sporty, responsible older sibling with mental health issues, tends to go out on their own (this ends up being a bigger problem for. ehem. one of them)

nora/henry: autistic-coded younger sibling who resents the other for being the golden child.

notable that one sibling from each pair (seth, nora) was the mole, and the other sibling in each pair was the one more visibly struggling with mental illness, to a point where their sibling felt they needed to step in.

toni/scotty: outspoken protector in the best friend pair, main trauma is external/systemic

martha/bo: reserved one in the best friend pair, main trauma is personal/domestic, lots of repressed anger

leah/raf: quiet and mysterious, knows things others don't (these two also end up going in different directions)

fatin/josh: acquaintance counterparts of the previous two, well-known in their schools (popular or unpopular), appear weak at first but eventually prove themselves (albeit in opposite ways)

shelby/ivan: stuck in their ways and confident in their own superiority. also rich and gay

dot/kirin: misunderstood counterparts of the previous two, deal with absent parents, greatest physical strength of their respective groups, leaders on the island

there are also parallels between shelby and josh, toni and kirin, and fatin and ivan, discussed below.

i also have some theories about the different roles gretchen wanted filled on the island.

the leader (dot, kirin): as above, a physically strong kid with experience making hard decisions who can take charge.

the wild card (leah, seth): that one kid who can be relied upon to throw everything off at some point by sheer probability. terrible idea, by the way, to also make seth the mole. what are you doing here gretchen.

the lit fuse (toni, kirin): someone who will blow up at the first sign of confrontation. heightens conflict and makes sure that issues between the kids either resolve to make them stronger (as with the girls) or break them apart (as with the boys).

the peacemaker (martha, raf/bo): a kid who will always choose neutrality in fights. what's interesting is that they designed the experiment so that the peacemakers would lose their core quality by the end of it.

de nial (fatin, ivan): rich kid who doesn't quite settle in as fast as the rest of the group. makes the others super annoyed and forces them to at some point confront the direness of the situation and accept shared responsibility for their fates.

i actually think that this was a horribly designed experiment because from my understanding, they created it as basically a crucible to heighten conflict and force the kids to become more independent and drastically change. in BOTH scenarios this led to the experiment being completely derailed because both the mole and the cameras/mics were compromised. bad design gretchen. bad design.

[am-artist]

still thinking abt the wilds s2 and my fav boys island plotline is def the way that after seth’s faux leader act falls apart it’s very clearly kirin who’s set up as the guy running the show but the whole time ivan is there as this conflicting force of sorts. if there’s any 2 “leaders” for the boys it’s them & that’s so interesting in the way it plays out bc they represent such obviously opposed ends of a spectrum.

like once kirin starts protecting josh he becomes genuinely concerned with looking out for the group & that’s of great value to them all but his own ideas of how to be strong are stereotypical toxic masculinity vibes so in the long term they’re not actually the best approach- josh 2.0 is learning all the wrong lessons & brute force is not a good survival strategy for the group. and ivan doesn’t challenge kirin for his top dog spot per se (in part bc of their history) but he certainly challenges his way of doing things where the others are just passive in its face- he knows that alpha posturing is not going to help them get through it all and so he tries for a more collectivist and sensitive approach. which is also not presented as flawless & is definitely not always successful (see josh’s reaction to ivan objecting to the nun jokes) but ivan will set his foot down regardless, even if he does it alone. though irl when he decides leaving seth and raf to die is not an option the others follow, because they also don’t actually want to be executing other islanders! & kirin refuses that approach then but they both have times of ceding to each other’s way of doing things & that’s extremely cool narratively.

i think a small example that exemplifies this energy is like- when kirin is choking seth out in the woods, ivan has up until now supported kirin’s way of doing things, ie taking direct physical action to assert dominance over seth. but when seth is struggling for air and everyone else runs away, ivan is the one who stays and says kirin and waits for him to drop seth because he’s the balancing force. and kirin does, mind you!

there are other things abt this dynamic i find interesting- like ivan later on using kirin’s toolbox (frisbee) to boost morale- and probably some symbolism to be explored via the whole “kirin kills the jag with ivan’s staff” thing but anyways. i just like how whereas the girls each push and pull at the group direction before reaching consensus, the boys have 2 very clear philosophies coexisting tenuously, and i hope they coalesce further in s3.

[peelingitwithpeels]

Random hcs to pop into my head pt.3

To distract myself from finishing Stranger Things Vol.2 here’s some more random hcs

◦ Shelby and Toni talk about what their ideal wedding would be even after their breakup and kept asking each other on what should the flowers should be, where the venue is, and what menu they would have

◦ Fatin and Kirin are the sort of friends who would roast the absolute shit out of each other and Fatin loves humbling him

◦ Ivan gives Henry forehead kisses and Henry pretends to hate them (Whenever Henry actually wants them he just walks up beside Ivan and give him a look and Ivan happily obliges)

◦ Leah and Henry were both REALLY into Fnaf theories and once they realize they both were into it they just started asking each other on their theories on the games

◦ Who has road rage: Toni, Rachel, Leah, Bo, Raf, Josh and Dot

◦ Who doesn’t have road rage: Fatin, Kirin, Henry, Martha, Nora, Shelby, Ivan, and Scotty

◦ Ivan is bilingual in both English and Spanish and pre-island back in middle school he use to slip in Spanish insults when he and Kirin argued ( he still speaks it at random with Raf because he thinks Kirin doesn’t know what he’s saying)

◦ Kirin learnt Spanish out of spite during the summer before high school

◦ Josh, Leah,and Martha bonded over their shared love for romance mangas (Toni sometimes would join in the conversation because she loves them too but doesn’t collect them as much as Martha)

◦ Dot, Shelby, and Kirin all watch “Say Yes to the Dress” and post island Dot and Shelby call Kirin to debate on what dress the woman should pick

◦ Fatin sit on Dot’s lap so much that Dot is use to it and makes sure to manspread to prepare for it

◦ Leah isn’t use to Fatin randomly sitting on her lap and gets so flustered when Fatin does it

◦ Raf, Leah, and Martha use to have a BIG twilight phase (Raf and Leah were both Team Edward and Martha was a HUGE team Jacob fan )

◦ Bo, Henry, and Shelby are really into fighting games and usually debate whose the best character to play as in Mortal Kombat ( Bo’s personal favorite is Raiden, Henry’s personal favorite is Mileena and Shelby is stuck between scorpion and Kitana)

◦ Kirin and Leah argue all the time on whose dog is better ( the girls thinks it’s Kate (Leah’s dog) and the boys think it’s Buttercup (Kirin’s dog)

◦ Nora, Henry and Josh bonded over their shared love for Pokémon cards and Nora and Henry’s favorite generation is 4 and Josh’s favorite generation is 6

◦ Toni pretended not to know how to ballroom dance and Shelby offered to teach her (Martha heard her from across the room and gave her a knowingly look)

◦ Post island Scotty and Rachel beat Fatin and Kirin in Just Dance all the time ( everytime they’re paired together they’re undefeated)

◦ Fatin helps Raf with his style a bit to help him with his confidence whenever he comes to visit her and Leah and Raf tries to be a good wingman to her (KEY WORD TRIES)

◦ Post island the group sent Scotty, Fatin, Toni, and Ivan to do a Walmart run ONCE and never did it again(last time they sent those four together they almost got banned)

◦ Fatin usually throws all the parties whenever both groups meet up and Scotty picks the music

◦ Henry has a soft spot for rabbits and Post island Martha invited him over to meet her rabbits ( he literally melted seeing them and couldn’t stop smiling)

◦ Great at skating: Shelby, Ivan, Martha, Leah, Nora, Scotty, Dot, Bo, and Henry

◦ TERRIBLE at skating: Toni, Kirin, Fatin, Rachel, Josh, Raf

◦ On the rare occasion that Henry watches survival shows again, he calls up Dot immediately when he sees a person on the show do something wrong “What the hell are they thinking?? They need to purify the water before drinking it” “Is he about to eat the mushrooms? DO NOT EAT THE MUSHROOMS- yep he’s going to go home”

◦ Shelby and Josh both are into murder mysteries and whenever both groups meet up they instantly suggest they play one

◦ After what happened with Seth, Henry is pretty wary of the water and Rachel helped him get comfortable with being in the water again

◦ Whenever Kirin and Martha hang out Kirin pays for everything even if Martha at first was unsure about him paying for everything

◦ Toni and Ivan literally clicked and became more queer menaces than they were before(They were the main reason that they almost got banned from Walmart)

◦ Kirin wore his glasses once (thanks to Henry’s persuasion and his general facts) and Henry actually did not recognize him for a hot minute (“who are you??” “ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS”)

[quinnfebrey]

what do you like about raf you said he was your favorite boy but to me his only personality trait through the whole season was being a seth sympathiser. i just found him and the acting so incredibly boring i’m genuinely interested to see what you saw in him?

maybe i should clarify that i liked his story more than i actually liked him, but i think his background of being a mexican citizen that goes to school in the us was a really unique story for them to give (one of the only background stories on the boys that reminded me of the girls), and his story was a really good representation of how young poc, especially those that are first gen citizens, can feel torn between their roots and who they want/feel like they’re supposed to be

i was really upset that he was sympathizing with seth in the beginning, and while i still don’t love the character choice for him, i realized throughout thinking more today why it was chosen for him.

he grew up instantly judged by his peers and its in character to not want to contribute to that, even in situations where it’s warranted. he never was actually supportive of seth in the sense that he made it clear he didn’t think josh was lying and didn’t think it was right of seth to do what he did, he just didn’t want to buy into those split second decisions of kicking him out, leaving him to die, etc. again, it’s not necessarily the moral decision most would have made, but the conversations went quickly and he had very little time to think about it. being a victim of instantaneous judgments his whole life, i can understand (even if i disagree) why he would feel overwhelmed with being forced to make one of his own in such high stakes situations

i also really saw a lot of poc experiences in his seeking of approval, his high level of devotion to his girlfriend of a significantly different class, his struggles with his name, having an extreme sense of importance for his accomplishments (or failures), and i haven’t rewatched yet so i’m sure i’m missing some specific moments or other traits. i do think his acting could come across as boring but i saw it more as another manifestation of his experiences, and how poc, especially immigrants and/or working class poc, are told not to take up space, not to speak out of turn, etc. whether that was on purpose or just bad acting i don’t know tho

it’s also important to remember that seth isn’t just a bad person, he is a highly skilled manipulator. his rocketing back and forth between victim complex and heavy praise, his self awareness but lack of obvious effort to fix his flaws, etc. i don’t think it’s by mistake that kirin, the golden boy who runs on a never ending reel of praise back home, was the primary one to notice that manipulative behavior from seth and call it out. i’m sure it’s also not by mistake that rafael, the one who we know to be constantly overlooked and isolated back home, would be most at risk of falling into seth’s trap. i also don’t think it’s a mistake that seth chose him; bo and scotty had each other, henry was his step brother, ivan and kirin were too confident, josh chose kirin first, but rafael? perfect target

i can understand why a lot of fans, particularly white fans, wouldn’t like him that much, and by no means do i think his character as written is exceptional, but out of all the boys (most of which i didn’t care for; my ranking of the boys is relative to the others), i thought he was well written. is that due to my inflated interpretation of mediocre writing? possibly lol

[livvyofthelake]

no okay. the reason i said that was not necessarily because i thought kirin’s actor was gay, i am bad at articulating my points when it’s 4am. ok so i was talking about how kirin sometimes will just randomly do something like, really. idk how to say this i just have to use this emoji 💅🏻 you get it. and it reads like he’s just one of those jocks that thinks it’s funny to play at being gay? you know those jocks. they’ll be doing your english class project when you had to perform a scene from macbeth and two of them will play macbeth and lady macbeth and they’ll like tenderly cup each other’s faces and laugh. you know these guys. so kirin seems like that. but he also seems like the kind of guy who is aware of homophobia and wouldn’t actually want to make fun of gay people (we could debate this for the flashback stuff i guess but ultimately in the present he’s not homophobic). so i’m saying like. why then does he do that 💅🏻 stuff. and was that written in the scripts or did the actor do that. and then do we think that just means the actor is homophobic? because it’s either that or kirin acts like that because he’s gay and doesn’t know how to express it. yes i’m doing the most pointless character analysis ever rn but it haunts me that he said mesquite like that what the hell was that for. he knows that’s homophobic and he knows ivan is right there always ready to call him out. so there’s either gotta be some creative interpretation on the actor’s part that goes unacknowledged by ivan because it’s not written. or kirin is a little gay and repressed and ivan knows. or i’m being a tinhat weirdo about it. either way this actor has something going on internally that i couldn’t unpack if i tried

[mediocre-writerr]

the wilds ep 1  thoughts [mediocre thoughts]

hey guys! so i started later than i wanted to on getting to watch the wilds, but i finally started tonight and just finished episode 1 & 2. 

i was going to consolidate and make my thoughts about episode 2 in here, but i have a lot of thoughts about episode 1 and have to get up early, so i thought i’d get this out for you guys and i will get episode 2 thoughts out tomorrow and maybe even episode 3? 

but i will continue to post my thoughts for whoever want to know what i’m thinking about the new season. if i missed something feel free to ask me what i thought about it and i will also love to hear your guys thoughts, so leave your thoughts in my inbox! 

SPOILER ALERTS FOR EPISODE 1 BELOW!!

EPISODE 1

okay so i’m going to break down my thoughts about the parts that stuck out the most to me, so first off:

THE FIRST COUPLE MINUTES OF THE SHOW WITH EPIPHANY BY TAYLOR PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND????? 

i wholeheartedly think that this was one of the best intros to a new season i have seen from any TV show ever!! 

the way they showed the girls individually talking about nora’s death, seeing rachel and her wound as the lyrics: “and some things you just can’t speak about” playing in the background as dot placed the burning axe on her wound! it was just *chef’s kiss* an absolute masterpiece!!

all of them talking about how they became a family, it was so heartwarming and such a long time coming. they went through, at this point 30 days together, and all the trauma they’ve already been through, they had each other. and i’m glad all of them could tell that they were something way more than just friends, but a family.

THE BOYS INTRODUCTION VIDEOS & THOUGHTS

it was definitely an interesting way to introduce the boys, but i will breakdown my first initial thoughts of the boys and i will continue this little section of my thoughts as i continue to watch the season to see if my opinions of them change:

josh herbert: definitely a little burst of energy and a little awkward at some points. he wasn’t afraid to cry which shows a lot about his character compared to some of the other boys *cough kirin cough*. we didn’t really get a good look at his character in the first episode, so i can’t really form an opinion of him, but i think that he definitely has some hidden depths that i’m going to see in future episodes.

kirin o’connor: classic fraternity, crying is for girls, lacrosse guy. of course, his personality in this first episode didn’t make him very likable to me, but this show has taught us that there are depths to each person, stories behind a facade. and he might turn out to be one of the guys i end up loving in the end, who knows, but definitely not my favorite from this episode.

henry tanaka: his introduction video was so funny to me, i love his sarcasm and just the way he was listing off things that he’d rather be doing instead of going on the retreat: “lick the slide of the mcdonald’s play place” was my favorite. he gives me a little bit of nora vibes with his fun facts even though they’re much darker. i think he brings that sarcastic humor that makes the show a little lighter. i like him so far, maybe one of my favorite boys. 

ivan taylor: my boy miles!! ugh, ever since i’ve seen him with the girls in real life, i’ve been super excited to see his character. i’m interested to see what happened between him and kirin because you can definitely tell that something happened. there’s a tension in the air that i’m interested to look at. and just interested to see his storyline and what that dollar bill he was looking at means to him. 

bo leonard: i want to protect this boy at all cost! he is so pure! the way that he didn’t want to litter after drying off with a receipt! i love his friendship with scotty and definitely interested to see how he grows as a character.

scotty simms: scotty is a boy that i’m kind of iffy about. i love his ambition and his drive for things. but he kind of lost me when he told bo to keep it hush about the granola bar, for valid reasons of course, but still. like i said, i’m keeping an open mind about all these boys, so nothing is set in stone, and maybe he’ll grow on me as time goes on.

seth novak: “boring white guy” i’m sorry, but we this comment was just too funny. we love that he’s self aware hahahah! but ironically, i don’t think he’s boring because i feel like he’s too good to be true. it might be the paranoid leah in me that thinks this or my trust issues, but there’s something about him. he’s definitely more than just a mr. nice guy and i’m curious to see if i’m just paranoid or if he’s actually something else.

dj keating: mommy issues...that’s- that’s all i got for this one because i will talk about him a little later. if you’ve seen it, you already know what i’m going to talk about

rafael “raf” garcia: now this kid, right here, is very very interesting to me. and i think it’s unfair to call him my favorite boy because he is the only one we really looked into depth, but he’s definitely one of my favorites. he was such a shy, soft spoken kid, who didn’t seem like he would hurt a fly. but in his interview we see handcuffs and that he has a caution watch on him. so, i wonder what snapped, what sent him over the edge.

DOMESTIC SHONI

THEM LYING IN THE LEAVES, TANGLED IN EACH OTHER AND JUST TALKING!!

“i want to hear you describe it,” 

“like i’m floating, like i’m weak, but i like it. like i’m high on every drug they warned us about in those middle school assemblies,” 

“and by the way, i’m really happy too,” 

“it pisses me off so much to say this, you know. like it’ll never not piss me off to say this to a fucking pageant champion. like it makes me feel like captain fucking obvious. you are so beautiful.”

^^^^^ ALL THOSE FUCKING QUOTES MADE ME SCREAM! I WANT THAT! I WANT WHAT THEY HAVE!

*deep breath* anyway, i really like how toni asked shelby if she’d talked to god and what he’d tell her. it really shows the character development and growth that toni has gone through since season 1. going back to the first episode of season 1, toni hated any mention of god, shut it down, shut shelby down, hated hearing her pray. but she’s asked her what she’d think he’d say and she listened and agreed. 

“A-fucking-men” is such a simple line, but it proves so much about how much toni wants to support shelby with her relationship with god and proves just how much she’s grown since that very first episode. 

LEATIN

the concern that fatin has for leah is so cute. the way that she is worried that when she goes off on her own that she’ll fall off the deep end. she’s trying to get her to stop driving herself mad over something that she can’t seem to find, for her own greater good

when fatin pulled leah aside after her little episode on rachel, the way that she pushed her against the rock...it gave me dickinson vibes, i don’t know if you guys have seen dickinson, but it reminded me of season 2 episode 10, when emily pushes sue up against the door! i was just waiting for fatin to just kiss leah, but of course that did not happen

overall, i’ve heard a lot of good things about leatin this season and i’m so excited to see what you guys are talking about!!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

martha and toni’s friendship seems a little tense since toni didn’t tell martha about her and shelby, but i really hope that they patch that up soon because they’re bond was something so beautiful

“i can smell an orgasm a mile away. i must have a sinus thing,” FATIN BRO WITH HER ONE LINERS! SO FUNNY!

leah, sweetheart, i love you, but that was not the time nor place to be questioning rachel. she’s going through it and you can tell that she started to get angsty, but you kept pushing which was a big no, no. 

rachel and that whole miss mary mack joke, i didn’t know if i could laugh or not at first. it was kind of like, i want to laugh, but also that would be messed up to laugh. i thought she was getting sad because 1) she can’t play it with nora anymore 2) she can’t play it with anyone anymore because of her hand. but then i realized it was okay to laugh when she was just messing with dot.

“i don’t want you to watch over me like that. that was always her gig. and i’m just not ready to fill that position yet.” I WENT FROM LAUGHING TO CRYING IN A SNAP OF A FINGER. RACHEL, UGH, I WANT TO HUG YOU

THE RETURN OF MARCUS, the best ship in the entire show: martha and marcus

PLOT TWISTS

DJ IS GRETCHEN’S FUCKING SON! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! when it happened i realized that it all made sense. but the way that he calls her out like that was a big round of applause for him. of course what he did to quinn was absolutely terrible and is no way okay, but he’s right. gretchen can’t keep acting like he’s such a horrible human being when she’s literally putting innocent kids through this. i’m interested to see if we learn more about their dynamic as the season progresses.

leah with the pills at the end of the episode was a shock, but also not at the same time, at least to me. leah has always been super in her head throughout the last two seasons. her mind and emotions get the best of her. and for her to feel like she’s absolutely going crazy it was just too much for her. we know she survives which, thank god, but i hope the girls see how hard it is for her, and i also hope that leah finds that peace of mind by the end of the season. 

but yeah! that’s all the thoughts for today! let me know what you guys think and i will see you tomorrow for my episode 2 thoughts!

[smthwolfyurlsmth]

The Wilds season 2 comments

 ASDFGHJKL!!!

This season was gooooooooooooooood omg!

Such a PLEASURE to get my girls back! My precious babiiiiiiies T-T

I missed them so much.

So i'm going to rant a little :D

careful, spoilerish!

I really enjoyed this season, and i think i was -thankfully- in the right set of mind. I mean, i wasn't super thrilled about the boys, but i didn't let it go into my head and took a massive break from social media regarding the show. So, i was open minded and all in all, i liked the boys just fine!

They were a little less flesh out than the girls in season 1 (obviously) and they did take time from the unsinkable 8 (obviously again lol). But i enjoyed what the writers have done with them. For example Kirin grew on me. And i liked that we can make several parallels between them and the girls. (I associated Kirin with Toni a lot, and more than with Rachel).

On a side note, i feel like Gretchen really set up the boys for failure, or at least pushed onto them more difficulties. Even though not in the way i was expecting it, but it made sense that it would be discreet and subtle for the "data" between the groups to be comparable. For the experiment to still seem fair and the conclusions plausible. And it shows her intelligence and viciousness. I do not like her, and i like that!

I liked the rhythm of the episodes, how they switched from the boys to the girls to past and present. It wasn't confusing (i was watching tired af in the middle of the night). And i loved how the drama of the girls was completely different in nature (and not always how and where i expected it) compared to season 1 (really high tension, full-on survival mode); and by extension compared to the boys.

Reals spoilers the next paragraph. Back to spoilerish after that.

What bothered me/what i didn't like:

How the boys handled Seth after his assault on Josh. It was a mess, and that was fine to portray, i wasn't expecting something very different. But what did bother me is what Raf said at some point. Something along the line of "who are we to judge?". I get what he was trying to say, and to some extent, he's not wrong. But my boy, Raf, you have a fucking conscience. You know what's right or wrong, the problem isn't there, you can and you should judge such actions. The problem was on the sentence and how it was conducted. So, if the problem is not clearly and correctly formulated, the resolution won't be satisfactory. And by resolution, i mean how the group actually went back to Seth for his leadership. I get their lack of possibilities, and the life/death situation they're in, but that could have been handled better IMO. It weakened the all "mercy" thing in my eyes (not particularly talking about Ivan here, really the whole situation).

Josh. It's not that i don't like him, but it feels like he's the one that the writer made the less relatable, at least that's how i feel. Which is kinda too bad bc I could have really related to the type of problems he went through :/

Less screen time for the girl, more particularly Dot and Fatin.

Martha. My poor baby went through so much T_T

What i liked:

Kirin and Ivan. I'm not sure why Kirin grew on me so much (and he's quite far from having that much development, in fact). Maybe it will pass a bit, but for now, i do root for him. Ivan, i loved the thing about his activism. I won't say much more bc this rant is already too long, and i'm still reflecting on that part, personally. But yeah, his constant fight, his restlessness, i really enjoyed seeing that. And oc his growth.

And Bo and Scotty. They're precious.

My favorite moments:

Leah and Rachel's dynamic! Just perfect!!

Shoni was great. i looooooved how they both, in their own way and needs, made the most of the island and the freedom it gives them regarding their relationship and who they are as individuals.

Dot's birthday

The bond between the girls. How they're here for each other, respecting boundaries, leaving room to breathe but at the same time really being there, calling on the bs if needed... My heart!

Last but not least, LEATIN. Already a fan of this ship since the beginning (and I picked on the subtext fast you can't imagine). I'm still processing, but MY GOD. If the show goes there. The gays would. Be. Fed! And i'm starving XD I cannot wait for the fanfics <3

Let's wrap this up i'm losing my focus and if you're still there i took too much of your time already x) (but thanks for reading)

The end of the season definitely has me hooked for more!! It feels like it could end with a season 3 though. I hope i'm wrong, i'm kinda greedy with this show ^^'

[scatorccios-bitch]

Anyway here’s my review of all the wilds boys no one asked for or wanted after 3 eps

Rafael: I kinda like him tbh, his backstory was entirely too long tho and I hope they give him more personality

Henry: I really didn’t expect to like him as much as I do! I thought they were going to play up the grumpy emo kid stuff and not give him a personally but I think he’s become one of my fave boys

Bo: He has potential but I feel like he’s too connected to Scotty atm and wasnt really given his own space to become a character yet

Scotty: I liked what little of Scottys interview I saw and I like that he’s playing the detectives a little. Seems a little one note with all the “im going to be a billionaire” stuff currently so I hope he evolves past that

Ivan: also a little one note tbh and it kinda seems like he’s only really there to throw in an occasional sassy comment but I hope his backstory fleshes his character out a lot more

Seth: I’ve seen spoilers and the writer are disgusting for writing that in. It was unneeded and harmful especially within a show that brands itself as queer friendly.

Kirin: The spelling of his name is awful and he deserves jail time for that but I feel like they’re gonna make him out to he the bad guy at first before making him more and more likeable. His acting is a little questionable tho tbh. Also the STI stuff feels a little random atm so I hope theres a reason for it and its not just an excuse to make dick jokes

Josh: also some questionable acting tbh and quite one note too with the medication and his hero worship stuff with Seth hurts my heart knowing what happens.

DJ: honestly probs would’ve been one of my faves if he was actually there for the long run and he called Gretchen on her shit so I have to give him probs for that

Overall: im interested in how they all interact with each other and really want to seen a Henry/Kirin friendship tbh. I really really wish they scrapped the Seth stuff completely tho its completely unnecessary and has put me off the show all together

[blinkaftermidnight]

no disrespect to anyone (and feel free not to publish this if it might stir up discourse for you lmao) but shipping kirin and ivan doesn't sit right to me given their backstory/history? i do think their actors had some of the best chemistry on the boy's side of things, but i didn't read it as romantic considering how things went down for them. idk if i'm just being weird or reading into things too much? but i get like. nobody can tell if these two genuinely hate each other or are best friends, they're the best man at each other's wedding, and a mutual "nobody can mess with him but me" energy from them, not like. romantic tension. idk if that's me being weird though.

Well, if it stirs up discourse, people will get blocked lmao, but as long as we can have a respectful conversation, I'm good. I agree with you, and I think I said it in another ask that shipping Ivan/Kirin feels wrong given their history. To each their own, I suppose, and I can see why people would ship them, but I will not. It didn't read as romantic to me, either, though I think they've managed to grow, both individually and together, on the island compared against where we see them in the flashback. I'd love to see them work through their shit more, because Miles and Minicarlos do have great chemistry, but I can't see either of them actually pursuing each other given what we know about their backstory. Plus Ivan still has the bill from Luc with him on the island, and I'd rather see Ivan find a way to reunite with Luc than get with Kirin tbh. So I don't think you're being weird. If I'm honest, I don't ship any of the boys with each other. Then again, you are talking to me, and I damn near exclusively write Leatin lol so is anyone really surprised?

[random-dvf-posts]

Ask!

Jay! (A goddess of the moon, but not known for that, infact it's a secret in her case. Often shipped with Sea Breeze, Gust, Cyber, or Iceflower. Only real canon ship is Anti.)

Rai (Half human, half pupper. Childhood friend of Tyy. Often shipped with Spark or Irene Wolf)

Tyy (Teen boy. His appearances range from 11 - 17 usually. Was trapped in a painful area where he meets people, make relationships with them, reset, then they forget him. Shima found him. Rainbow Hawk made him his own AU with nice fields, a portal to the ors, no resets, and a nice house. Often shipped with Lunars, Sizzle, or Mino)

Alternate Clock (Goddess of Dimensions. Origins are unknown, and she is still getting used to staying in one reality. Usually shipped with Cyber)

Rainbow Wishes (Goddess of Wishes. Usually seen as the leader of the gods. Often shipped with Lightning Lane)

Syle (Joyful Lesbian Kirin. Dating Mina. Found trapped in a dimension where it's just... A mountain area. Amnesia from before being there.)

Mina (Jay and Anti's ship kid. Dating Syle. Disobedient but fun)

Lyri (Jay and Anti's second ship kid. Obedient and joyful normally. Crush on Rai)

Iceflower Drop (Goddess of Nature. Dated/dating Icicle Zapp. Can control plants. Abnormal strength and pansexual. Often shipped with Jay, Icicle, Lightning, or Tyy)

Cyber Lane (God of The Afterlife. Often shipped with Alternate Clock or Jay. A spirit.)

Sunset Shy (Iceflower's little sister. Goddess of The Sun. Mute. Often shipped with Icicle.)

Lightning Lane (God of Electricity. Brother of Cyber and Spark. Often shipped with Iceflower or Rainbow Wishes. Cyborg. A bear with a large lung disorder- where about 2/7 of his lungs had exploded mid-roar -ripped out his eye, trying to give him a hug.)

Speed Demon (God of Speed and claims to be the God of Ships too. Crush on Icicle but Icicle hates him. High-pitched voice. Tried forcing love. Because of his voice, he's often assumed to be a girl. So he went along with it for a while. Often shipped with Dizzy)

Sea Breeze (Goddess of Water. Extremely depressed, due to every other God and goddess hating on her. Crush on Rai and Tyy. Often shipped with Rai, Jay, or Icicle.)

Ivan (God of building. Often seen as useless and isn't included in much. Built the treehouse.)

Timelight (Ship kid of Cyber Lane and Alternate Clock. Goddess of Time and Space. Crush on Gray Skies.)

Rainbow Hawk (Overpowered but takes it for granted. Above God level and depressed. Sometimes shipped with Gust.)

Gust Dash (God of Wind. Crush on Jay!, Elisse, and Iceflower. Often shipped with Elisse. Depressed due to other gods and goddesses hating on him.)

Shein (Innocent boi. Gives off the same vibes as Tyy. Almost as if They're related. Moon irises. Often shipped with Lunars)

Dizzy Chaos (Daughter of Chaos. Sister of Iceflower and Sunset Shy. Loves Chaos and uses it whenever she can. Hates gods and loves pulling cruel pranks on them and even at one point made them kill each other in a survival game, appearing as Rainbow Hawk to them, making her an enemy. Crush on Zyke and Sprinkle. Draconequus. High-pitched voice. If killed, Zyke will do anything to get revenge for her. He goes crazy. No longer any sanity. Dizzy is deadly but loves cuddles from Zyke. Best friend/boss of Zyke. Often shipped with Lilly, Zyke, or Speed)

Zyke (Changeling. Assistant/best friend of Dizzy Chaos. Crush on Dizzy Chaos. Shy boi, and frienemy of Gods. Although They're extremely close, Dizzy often uses him.)

Chase (Gay boi. Innocent and has a crush on Zyke, Aiden, and Stripes. Normally wears green and has blue hair.)

Sarah (dating Tom. Icewing. Side character )

Tom (Dating Sarah. Floofy boi. Nightwing. Side character )

Tim (SandWing. Tom and Sarah's friend. Side character )

Sizzle (Ship kid of Tom and Sarah. More important to the story. Crush on Tyy. Gay boi.)

Jerry (FUCK YOU JERRY!! Side Character. Hated by everyone because he fucking sucks. Ghost. He doesn't deserve anyone or anything except the ability to cry and have existential crisis'.)

Mino and Milo (Demons that follow Jay. Milo is a former spirit of a seven year old non binary who died in the late 18th century. They were framed for murder by the demon haunting them called Mino. Mino still follows Milo and tries to encourage them to do bad stuff. Mino is often shipped with Tyy)

Ribbon (Mine but not necessarily Jayverse!. Cross Sans x Blueberry Sans ship kid. Dating Limbo.)

Spark Lane (Sister of Cyber and Lightning. Obsessed With technology. Goddess of Electricity. High-pitched voice. Dating Rai)

Blare (Dating Blae. an artist. Often annoyed by Blae but still loves her. First introduced in Ripple's hometown village. He was, when they Ripple returned with Tyy, drawing. Blae was annoying him but he was managing. Like everyone else in Ripple's hometown, he and Blae acted normal. Like there was no magic or anything. But they were half Neko and half Wolf. Blare had wolf ears and a cat tail.)

Blae (Dating Blare. A simple hyper townie. Often annoys Blare but obviously loves him alot. First introduced in Ripple's hometown village. She was, when Ripple returned with Rai, annoying Blare about what he was drawing. Like everyone else in Ripple's hometown, she and Blare acted normal. Like there was no magic or anything. But they were half neko half wolf. Blae had cat ears and a wolf tail.)

Ripple (Half deer, half human. She showed up in the forests of Tyy's new dimension. Tyy, Rai, and Irene Wolf found her. They found out she came from a village on the other side of the forest. The village was called " Meresville ". The Townies lived normal lives. Without magic. It turns out she's slight royalty. Her father works for the FBI. Her mother is... A alcoholic.. After PJ and Tyy broke up, (THAT WAS CANON, YES.) her, having become great friends with PJ and Tyy, soon started dating Tyy.)

Ripple's mother (An alcoholic at the time of the story. Abusive and upset most the time. Eats cereal with vodka instead of milk. Messed up. Real name is Carolyn Silvers. Side character. Normal human from Meresville.)

Ripple's father (A FBI agent and a CEO of an international airport business. Almost always at work, and hates Ripple's mother. Screams "FBI OPEN UP!!" naturally before entering rooms. Kicks down every door this happens to. Has nearly put himself in debt from this. Real name is Clark Tap. Side character. Normal human from Meresville.)

Irene Wolf (The goddess of Animals. Currently dating Rai. Tyy found her where he used to be trapped. He brought her to the dimension RH made for her, and she 'met' a few people. Elisse remembered her, but nobody else. She claimed to be trapped there for around a week. Rainbow Hawk showed up to greet her because of the fact she had been missing for multiple years. Before this, Rainbow Hawk and Irene had never really met. She couldn't question much though. She was revealed to have been trapped in that dimension for 5 years. Dizzy showed up and was immediately requested to leave. She did, But that raised a question for Irene. Of course, that question was who was she. They talked about Dizzy for a bit and eventually started talking about the Survival Game. Rai got emotional and went into the forest. Irene went to talk with him. This brought them to a first kiss.. They were friends for over a week- This was later, after she met them)

Daniel (Used to be a Registered sex offender. He was always in heat... He mainly claimed Mark as his boyfriend (although Mark hated that) but tried starting relationships with anyone he could. Met PJ and was shown Underlust. Is now scared of what used to be and kinda has a crush on PJ. Also has a crush on both Rai and Irene Wolf. Currently enrolled in a highschool run by only Rainbow Hawk. One of the students, Allison, a witch who was new at the time, gave him bunny ears. He doesn't know how to get rid of them. Has become good friends with PJ and has a crush. Was shown AUs so is aware of alot. Human from Meresville.)

Mark (past main victim of Daniel. Was Annoyed by him, but... Kinda liked him tbh. Side character. Regular human from Meresville.)

Stripe (Spot's brother. Dating Chase. Side character.)

Spot (Stripe's brother. Side character.)

Graysie ( Former bully. Crush on Spot. Past Victim of Daniel. Side character)

Luck Spark (Goddess of Luck. She can't do much and isn't included with anything often. Never had a ship. Status has always been single.)

Ziko (... Story hasn't been figured out, but is like Shein.)

Valerie (Former slut. She's currently depressed about it and recovering from that horrifying phase. Side character.)

Fyre (Same species as Tyy, still in progress.)

Damien (Edgy bastard boi but actually soft boi. Was dating Shima. Works for Dizzy. Still in progress.)

Shima (Shapeshifter. Elisse claims she's a changeling, therefore wants her to die. Gets in fights with Elisse weekly/daily. After her home village burnt down, she was convinced she was the last of her kind. In Jayverse!, this is Babs' (MLP character) origin. She was scared of being judged for being a changeling. So when her home was burnt to ash and she felt she had to live with regular people, she turned into Babs. That's not what Shima is known for though.)

Dare (A teen boy. Very calm and relaxed usually. Human from Meresville. Slight crush on Allison. Goes to a Highschool run by only Rainbow Hawk.)

Addison (A young witch. Loves T or D, and Dare's best friend. Goes to a Highschool run by only Rainbow Hawk, with Dare sharing the dorm.)

Aiden (Gay. Crush on Chase, and side character.)

[peelingitwithpeels]

5 things I Never Get Tired Of Writing

I think I got tagged by the lovely and the absolute sweetest @writingpotato07 and the #1 Kirin O’Connor defender and one of my favorite writers @kirinoconnor

One thing that has been Consistently been in my works is my NEED to delve into characters minds, no matter the character, or the situation. One thing I actually like the most about NHIE is that it gives us narrated monologues allowing us to hear what the character is feelings and emotions. So basically what I’m saying is I get my inner John McEnroe and start monologuing for them

Okay recent favorite for me, is I love writing banter and dialogue, after getting to know characters and the specific pairing I’m writing for I just write how I feel they would talk, like for example with Dot and Fatin their banter is always light hearted and playful, borderline flirtatious at times. Another example is Kirin and Ivan, their banter is like a dance and they push and pull at each other to see how far it will go

Believe it or not, I love making characters sad 🤭🤭🤭 like I haven’t written anything remotely heartbreaking sad in any of my stories ( 😉 don’t worry it’s coming) it’s just something about making characters cry over something like thinking their feelings are unrequited when it’s obviously not the case

Another thing I like to do is character analysis, like delving into the character’s actions, motivations, and why they are the way they are. Psychology has always fascinated so when it comes to my favorite characters all I want to do is examine them their brains.

 Okay this might tie with number 4 but hey who knows, i like examining what events could led the characters to be as they are currently like for example, Kirin and his parental trauma (like has he been let down by his dad with hopes of him visiting but never showing up so he gave up on him?)

Okay I’m going to tag these people (you don’t have to!!) @rafkirin @alwaysher @rafgarcia

[am-artist]

sporadic the wilds s2 e3 thoughts as we go along

henry is so annoying i kind of love him & his emo boy scout creds

josh has a bernie tshirt on….. king

could not care less about the bad guys’ little corporate shenanigans. their plan is so objectively stupid that the less i see of it the better. gretchen is a terrible villain idc (‘law and order criminal intent’ lmfao get her)

seth being played by harry from the society (rip)….. she has the range ig??? but hes so Natural Leader he has to die or be evil

toni saved by the powers of being a good gf as she should be

love how bad the guys are at doing most things ever. got a whole secret food store but still basically starving by day 14

scotty is growing on me. do love the pairoffs so far him bo are v wholesome, seth and henry are very stepbrother awkward, and kirin / ivan are a fun choice to know each other.

fatin’s new mom energy is great actually love ya fatin

omg this man and his cursed dick…. please do not let this be a plot point any longer i beg. do love kirin and ivan’s extreme antagonism being bc they just cant stand each other and not some tired homophobia plotline.

oh yeah okay seth has ‘drown your brother in the ocean’ rage issues who would have guessed. me ten minutes ago i guess. nice turn-around speech though.

bo :( can no one in this show have an okay homelife. im scared for this child’s wellbeing already. wish we could see some of scotty’s own life back home though?

rachel and leah iconic pairup. unhinged but self-aware. also ‘hot carpenter’ hello?

kirin getting called a karen is so funny to me.

i do not buy any of these kids sharing the details of their personal fights with fucking gretchen.

i love the ickle lesbians but i hate when shows make characters in relationships only have relationship scenes and nothing individual. hope toni and shelby have solo moments too.

i love how gross everyone’s skin is in this show. the makeup artists do such a good job making them look like actual island wash-ups and not losties.

this cliff-side banter is rife with the potential for falling off. also seth is TOO GOOD at this group stuff once again i do not trust it!!!

we were due an injury for the guys. let’s gooo

LOVE rachel and leah’s musical act. also rachel is just. i love her i want her to have happy moments i cant imagine what she feels like

shelby do not fucking do this.

scotty is so sweet.

i love besties pulling through in horrible situations. good for them.

[blinkaftermidnight]

ooh, i'm curious which of the boys you think you're gonna like the most! personally, i'm super endeared by henry so far, and i'm pretty high on raf as well. there's not really any i actively dislike so far, and i trust that they're gonna add some good stuff to the season :) as for general hopes, i obviously want to see more of the dynamics that were established last season (shoni, leatin, toni and martha, dot and fatin, etc.) but i'm also reallyyy hoping to see some more dynamics we didn't really get to see as much of? very much hoping for some more toni and leah interactions, or some rachel and toni interactions... cannot wait to see my girls again just in general, but i'm also super hyped to see what the boys bring to the table. also, hopefully gretchen's experiment makes like, a tiny bit more sense by the end of the season because i am more than a little lost at points. i get that they're not gonna do flashbacks for the girls this season (at least that's what i think?) but some more backstory would be nice... even through those amazon prime field notes LMAO.

I don't actively dislike any of boys so far either, but my faves right now are Bo, Ivan, Kirin, and Raf. I hope Bo ends up being as sweet as I think he's gonna be (though I also love when sweet characters lose their shit so 🤞) and I'm really interested in what his relationship with Scotty will be like. Ivan won me over with his "I mean my mom doesn't even know where to look for my novella" line and CAPTAIN DADDY VOICE. Plus whatever Ivan's relationship is with Kirin because they obviously know of each other. I'm gonna love Ivan so much. My interest in Kirin is more like I really hope they don't serve us a stereotypical asshole jock character, and his little promo showed some promise that maybe there'll be something deeper. Also I'm not calling him Kirin anymore I'm just gonna call him Captain Daddy. All my friends hate me, it's true. And I really hope Raf goes off the deep end and kills someone. Whether it proves Gretchen's point or whatever (what is Gretchen even on anyway?), I want to see the boys island go absolutely feral. All the other boys seem fine; they just haven't really caught my interest yet.

And don't feel bad. Gretchen's experiment and whatever its point is makes zero sense to me. Literally it's a guessing game whenever I'm writing fics. I want answers. I'm also excited for all sorts of new dynamics between the girls. Fatin and Martha?? Fatin and Shelby (maybe even teaming up)?? Rachel and Dot?? I hope we'll get some Rachel and Toni. I'm not entirely sold on Leah and Toni, but I'm willing to see how it goes. Leah and Dot, Leah and Shelby, Rachel and Martha. There's so much opportunity. I think, even if we don't see flashbacks for the girls, that we may learn a lot more about them through them all finally opening up to each other about their past lives? At least, we can hope, right? Plus who even KNOWS what we'll get in the bunker. I think there's a lot to look forward to, and I refuse to set myself up for disappointment. Or I'm trying very hard to go in open-minded so I can enjoy s2 before everyone shits all over it and drives me out of the fandom. Like I want this to be fun for me, otherwise what's the point?