A few days after the wedding...
BRO
LOOK AT UR PHONE
PAUSE THE GAME
I KNOW U SEE THIS
LOOK AT THIS
BRO
HELLO?????
U ARE THROWING
CHECK THE DM
LOOK AT IT
THEO PLS
UR SISTER
LOOK
DUDE WTF
I HATE YOU
i actually hate you so much rn
i just lost
i was in a 1v1
i had the angle
i was holding it
and then my phone vibrated off the desk
it literally fell onto my mousepad
i flicked into the wall and died
i just deranked because you wouldn't stop spamming me
wtf is wrong with you
i'm blocking your ass
goodbye
worth it
trust me
stop crying about pixel elo
and look at the pic
did u see it?
NO I DID NOT LOOK AT IT
I'M LOOKING AT MY DEFEAT SCREEN
I'M RAGING
you owe me 25 rr
i owe u nothing
i just gave u free intel
check the pic theo
it's life changing
if this is a meme i am driving to your house
and i am unplugging your router
...
this is it?
really???
THIS is why i deranked?
a screenshot of morgan taking a selfie????
ground breaking stuff lukas
BRO
use ur eyes
look at the fit
the caption
"summer heat is no joke 🥵"
she knows exactly what she is doing
or maybe that's because it is 95 FREAKING DEGREES OUTSIDE
ntm our ac is struggling
that's why she posted about the heat
because it IS hot
it's a weather report
no
it's a trap disguised as a weather report
look at the cut theo
look at the neckline
she's weaponizing the humidity
and u are living with that
in the same house
right now
yeah i live here
it’s just clothes lukas
stop being weird
she literally walked past my room 10 mins ago wearing that
it looks normal
PAUSE
SHE WALKED PAST U WEARING THAT
AND U DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING????
what was i supposed to say??
i had my headphones on
i ignored her
u have the willpower of a monk
actually insane
if that walked past my door i would simply pass away
and u are just like "meh"
wasted opportunity
opportunity for what??
awkward small talk?
no thanks
i'm actually trying to avoid interaction, remember?
the strategy is to stay in my room, game, and survive the summer
anyway i'm muting you
go get a water
check if the selfie matches reality
bye
Days later...
you still awake?
yeah
still trying to process everything i guess
it's quiet in here now
i know
the silence in this house gets pretty aggressive
makes it hard to breathe
tbh
tonight was a lot
we haven't actually sat down and talked like that in forever
i haven't talked to anyone like that
not in a long time
especially not in this house
we’ve spent years barely saying two words to each other in the hallway
so why talk to me about all that?
because you are the only one who doesn't look at me like a problem to be solved
mom and dad have their expectations mapped out
they have the next ten years of my life choreographed
they’re definitely overbearing
but it’s different for you
they treat me like a background character
but they treat you like a centerpiece
i can see how that’s suffocating
it’s more than that
i feel like i’m drowning in a version of myself that doesn't exist
if that even makes sense
but tonight
i realized you might be the only person who actually understands what it’s like to be trapped here
i mean i definitely feel the walls closing in
but i always thought u had it all figured out
you always seemed so indifferent to it all
it’s an act
if i let them see any cracks, they’ll just try to fill them with more "guidance"
well, you don't have to with me
i'm not gonna report back to them
never been a fan of their "vision" for us anyway
you promise you won't tell them what i said in the kitchen?
i wouldn't even know how to bring it up to them without it being awkward
we have our own thing going on now
a secret alliance or whatever
a secret alliance, huh
i like that
it makes this summer feel less like a sentence
lmao exactly
just two adults hiding out in their childhood bedrooms
trying not to let the parents win
they won’t
not if we stay on the same page
i need to know i can trust you, Theo
you can
i’m not that same kid you used to ignore
i’ve got your back
thanks
tbh i could kinda tell
especially at the wedding
what does that mean?
what did i do at the wedding?
nothing
you just felt kinda protective
i was just trying to survive the night
and keep mom from losing her mind
ngl tho my heart's actually racing just thinking about that dance floor again lmao
i felt that too
you were the only thing that felt real in that room
morgan you are being weirdly deep right now
is the house making you spiral???
do i need to come check on you???
no
stay where you are
just don't forget what we talked about
i won't
good
night, Theo
night
try to get some sleep
...
you too
A few days after the stepsiblings' talk in the kitchen...
Just saw the photo
Look at that jawline
i know
i was standing on the third step for like 2 minutes
he didn't even hear me come down because he was so locked into the screen
he was just slumped there like he was paralyzed by the plot
He’s so vulnerable when he thinks he’s alone
You can see how heavy his breathing is even in a still shot
He had no idea you were there until you took the shot
definitely
his head didn't even turn when the floorboard creaked
it’s actually amusing how much he lets his guard down when i’m not in his line of sight
It’s not just a lack of guard
It’s the transition that matters for the metrics
Look at the way the blue light hits his neck
He’s so exposed
If you had made a sound, his heart rate would have spiked from 60 to 120 in a second
i almost wanted to drop smth just to watch him jump
he was trying so hard to be the "chill" brother earlier
wait until you see the video i’m clipping later of him realizing i was there
The engagement for that "startle" response is huge right now
People love seeing the moment the composure breaks
It feels authentic because it is
He’s genuinely rattled by the fact that u can just appear
he should be
i haven't even said a word to him since the kitchen talk
just standing on the stairs was enough to make him lose focus in the movie
That's Sarah's power
You're the variable he can't account for in that house
Look at his eyes in the shot though
They're completely glazed over
i saw
he’s obsessed with pretending everything is normal
he needs to believe he has his own space
It's better than that
He’s a grown man and he’s losing his grip on his own house
All because you walked halfway down the stairs
This is a premium case study for the summer
his face got so red when he finally noticed me
i could practically hear his pulse racing from the landing
Did he try to make a joke?
he's not really the type
instead, he cleared his throat about 5x
then he just grabbed his phone and started scrolling at 100mph 😂
then he just grabbed his phone and started scrolling at 100mph 😂
Lmao
The sudden "busy" act is a great metric
It shows the cognitive load is too high for him to stay relaxed
He can't process the film and your presence at the same time anymore
We need to document how long he stays in the room after you arrive
How long before he actually retreated this time?
10 minutes
he’s currently barricaded in his room again
he really thinks he's safe in there
Let him think that
Look at the way he’s draped over the sofa in the photo again
That raw vulnerability is everything
he’s trying to reclaim his peace
like he can just go back to being that guy on the couch
it's pathetic fr
It’s profitable
Next time, get a tighter shot of the transition if you can
i'll try
but the distance is what makes him so twitchy
if i get too close, he might actually stop breathing
i don't want him to faint yet
Fair point
Just keep him on the hook and let the pressure build
Stay lethal, Sarah
always 🤭
Not more than days later, she starts to test the waters again.
Fit check
Is that in the driveway?
yeah
took it right before i came inside
No pose?
didn't need to
So what's the strategy?
a calculated flaw, you could say
it looks normal in the pic
but the material's slippery
Did you walk in like that?
yeah, right past him in the hallway
And did it hold up?
barely
i shifted my bag to my other shoulder and the left strap slipped immediately
And his reaction?
froze immediately
he looked for a split second
saw the loose strap and panicked
looked everywhere before suddenly finding the thermostat very interesting
Avoidance indicates impact
Are you changing now?
no
checking the angles
Is it still falling?
only if i reach for smth
i tested it
reached for the top of the mirror, right side slips perfectly
What about the bottoms?
vintage denim cutoffs
short
very short
they ride up constantly when i walk
Do you pull them down?
sometimes
but i mostly just let them ride
Good
Does he look when you do adjust them?
he notices
saw him looking via reflections
Always the reflections
i feel like he thinks if he doesn't look directly at me, then it doesn't count
Still trying to be the good brother, huh
Are you changing later then?
yeah
thinking oversized grey sweats
To cover up?
nope
they're low rise
exposed hips but casual vibes
Going for the opposite side of the spectrum then
Is he still out there?
i think i heard him walking to the fridge
going to "get water" again
Make sure you drop something
already planned on it
Hours later...
bro
emergency
pick up
like right now
i need rescuing
bro calm down
i'm eating
what's the issue
did u break something?
i need a reason to leave the house
a valid reason to exit the premises for like
6 hrs
maybe 8
can we say we have a project?
or a tournament?
or literally anything that requires me to not be here?
why??
is the house actually haunted? 💀
it feels like the walls are closing in on me
i’m sitting in my chair and i feel like i’m in a pressure cooker
i need ventilation
or to touch grass
or both
interesting choice of words with "pressure cooker"
is it the heat?
or the company?
it’s the atmosphere!!
bro's down bad
u are crashing out over a girl living down the hall
i am not crashing out!!
and it’s not about her
it's about the environment in general
i’m just sensitive
to the humidity
yes yes
the humidity
sure
anyway
i need space
lots of it
preferably in a different zip code
so can u pick me up and say we’re going to the gym?
mom loves the gym excuse
gym is valid
i could hit chest today
maybe u can lift the tension away
exactly!!
i just need to burn of this
whatever this energy is
"whatever this energy is" he said 💀
did she say something to u?
no
and that's the worst part
if she said something, i could respond
but she just
exists
i walked past the bathroom earlier and i could smell her perfume in the hallway
through the door
who smells perfume through a closed door??
u prob imagined it
cuz ur obsessed
i am NOT
so shut it
i just need a reset
20 mins?
i’ll stand on the curb
i’ll look like i’m stretching for a run
wait
pause
pause what??
don't pause
press play
drive the car over
squad just pinged
full stack for ranked
we need a 5th
they're waiting in the lobby
are you serious rn??
gotta maintain the rank bro
u know the grind
we on a streak
can’t break the momentum
my momentum is a downward spiral!!!
and you're choosing a video game??
over my mental health???
it’s just a couple games
stay strong
lukas no
do not do this to me
i can hear her footsteps
she's coming up
put headphones on
max volume
that's what u brought them for anyway, right?
later
LUKAS
THIS IS NOT FUNNY
SHE JUST WALKED PAST
dude
seriously???
i hate you wtf
unbelievable