#{I had a love hate relationship with my dad. So my conflicted emotions have been kicking my ass}

[vxmpirehunterd]

{Been radio silent due to today being the day of my Step Dad's birthday since his passing in 2021. I've been lurking and will get to replies later--just mourning right now.}

[reginalusus]

Just a sketch that I was too tired to finish... And since it's Father's Day I'm just gonna dump a bunch of my more silly (mostly) headcanons about their dynamic below, teehee.

General - They argue. A lot. About anything. Jason is the instigator. Harvey is almost always correct. - There has been a karaoke battle at some point. - They smoke far too much and smoke breaks are common occurrences during anti-hero outings. They are no longer mere breaks; they are rituals. - One of the only things they are comfortable openly bonding over is their alleged hatred of Bruce - and weapons. - Actually work very well together in combat. Jason's accurate, hard-hitting martial arts expertise and agility compliment Harvey's more elegant and violent approach. Gotham's scumbags are cooked. - They were both slain by Gotham, and reborn. They are now both living their second life - neither want to admit to each other that they find comfort that they're not alone in this. - They will take any opportunity to bring up each other's past interactions; the two-toned car, the two-story building fiasco, the kidnapping, anything. - Jason's biological father is the root cause of their most explosive, brutal fights. Both of them, however, are exhausted and have other shit to worry about, so they avoid this topic as best as they can.

Jason's POV - Teases Harvey about twos, duality and doubles to distract from the horrors. - When angry, will call Harvey 'Apollo' to piss him off. Sometimes it's 'Ex-District Attorney', with emphasis on the 'Ex'. - He doesn't like it very much when Harvey attempts to get close/connect with him; relationships are transactional. At least that's how Jason views them. - Hates being passenger in Harvey's car because he doesn't get any say over the radio. - He does view Harvey as a parental figure, or something like it, but he's conflicted. - Actually appreciates it when Harvey helps him through PTSD episodes. - Sadly, he isn't very good at helping Harvey through dissociation/depressive episodes yet. He sort of stands there like the man emoji. - Will randomly come out with courtroom related lines when Harvey does something bad, like: "Your honour, my client would like to plead Gemini," or "Your honour, in my client's defence, he didn't know the safety lock was off." - Makes jokes about Harvey's thugs all wanting to have 'a night' with Harvey. - Absolutely refuses to call Harvey "dad", even jokingly. He will have sightseen everything in Hell before that happens. - But at the same time he cries out for a father figure, one that is proud of him, that loves him. He secretly loves it when Harvey pats his shoulder or gives an approving nod.

Harvey's POV - Will make jokes about Jason being alive again to distract from the horrors. - When angry, calls Jason 'Robin' or 'Pup' (name of a baby bat) to piss him off. - Tries to bond with Jason - he *wants* to - but he's a big dumbass about it. - Does not understand Jason's music taste and doesn't have any desire to. - Views Jason as the child he never had the chance to have. In a sense, that makes him quite protective of Jason, but he hides this. He tries desperately not to be like his own father. - Is quite good at understanding Jason's emotions; he knows how to deal with his attacks and does, begrudgingly, use tips he learned from his previous therapists. - Doesn't wish to burden Jason with his own episodes. Unfortunately it's not always possible to hide them. - Just as Jason tortures him with puns, Harvey will do it right back. He'll come out with things like, "We only put up with you because you were the SECOND Robin," or "How would you like to die a second time?" - He will stand and stare awkwardly when Jason brings (sneaks) lovers back to the hideout. But he minds his business. - May have accidentally called Jason his son a few times. Or his "kid". But not to Jason directly, only in his talks between himself and Two-Face. - He likes seeing Jason happy. So many kids and young people are let down by Gotham's corruption and he'll be damned if Jason becomes a victim of it (again).

[explosionshark]

my favorite Miorine thing is that she's so laser focused on suletta to an almost comical degree. prospera reveals that she wants to ruin delling's life (like, her dad, who is dying at the hospital) and miorine goes "ok but leave suletta out of this!". near the end prospera goes on a tirade about eri and miorine, pissed out of her mind, says "you have another daugher! suletta, remember??". i love her.

LIKE. YEAH.

I think the show does a really good job acknowledging that 1) Suletta and Miorine both have REALLY different methods of parsing their emotions and expressing themselves and 2) holy shit they're fucking IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER FOR REAL

You really cannot meaningfully analyze these characters and the decisions they make and the way they relate to each other without keeping their toxic relationships with their parents in mind. There's SO much projection going on - Miorine project herself onto Suletta and Suletta projects her mother onto Miorine.

When we meet Miorine she's isolated and miserable and her only concern is to spite her father and secure her own future. She feels at once dismissed by Delling and also oppressed and controlled by him. Suletta and, subsequently, Earth House are the only real connections she's made with other people. It doesn't take very long for her priorities to shift from getting herself away from her father to providing for her groom and gund-arm.

By late S1 she's undergone this massive shift - she's in charge of a project she chose, working with people she cares about. She's got two things she never had before: autonomy and support.

When Miorine hurts Suletta's feelings by trying to take greenhouse duties away from her, by endorsing her spending time with Elan, she is trying to give Suletta the most important thing she can think to give: autonomy. Freedom to choose how she spends her time and with who. It's a great conflict because it's such a revealing miscommunication. By projecting her own feelings and trauma onto Suletta, Miorine misses what Suletta actually needs. And it beautifully foreshadows the conflict in s2.

Bc the turn in s2 is that Miorine needs to reconcile the version of Suletta that she has come to know and care so much about with the Suletta she was confronted with at plant Quetta. Correctly, Miorine identifies that Suletta is being manipulated and controlled by Prospera. But she takes it further - she overlays her own parental trauma onto Suletta. Miorine sees herself and her father in Prospera's control over Suletta. Worse even: to her father, Miorine was a chess piece in reserve. But Prospera isn't holding Suletta back from anything to preserve her though: she's putting her on the front lines. She's using her as a weapon. And Suletta lacks the perspective to see it.

Suletta is, it seems, incapable of conflict. She can't stick up for herself. We see this all the time but especially in the whole lunch fiasco when she decides everyone hates her because she's too sad to ask for food. Miorine, on the other hand, actually has an easier time expressing conflict and disapproval than she does vulnerability. Calling out Prospera for the way she dominates Suletta makes perfect sense because Miorine has been calling her own dad out for the same things pretty much her whole life.

So, ultimately, Miorine deciding that she has the moral right and authority to make decisions on Suletta's behalf is a great piece of character work. The thing she spent her whole life resenting her father for becomes exactly what she does to Suletta.

Suletta projecting her mother onto Miorine is definitely another part of the dynamic. Again, it's something we see most in s2. Right before the sabotaged duel, we see this moment of total cognitive dissonance in Suletta's thinking. Miorine and Prospera come to hold fully oppositional places of importance in Suletta's world. She ascribes basically an equal level of authority to them.

She loves her mom > her mom loves her > her mom would never make choices against Suletta's best interests > whatever her mom says must be right > if it hurts or if it feels wrong, it's because Suletta has to be more mature. And at the same time she loves Miorine > Miorine is smart and capable > Miorine wouldn't make a wrong decision > if she hurts Suletta, it's Suletta's own fault.

After she loses to Guel, Suletta copes by blaming me herself. She doesn't know how to be angry at someone she loves, but she does know how to feel shame for not being good enough. She wasn't the victim of a cruel betrayal, because her love for Miorine means she CANNOT be capable of doing something that bad. It becomes instead a failure of Suletta's - if she has been better, Miorine wouldn't have abandoned her. It's her own fault for losing and for wanting more than she should have in the first place.

It's the exact kind of broken, warped thinking she applies to Prospera. And it's why Prospera is exactly right when she tells Miorine that she too could get anything she wants from Suletta.

This is why I love the reunion so much. It's so explicitly about owning your own actions and allowing the person you love the space and freedom to decide how to respond. Suletta extends her hand. Miorine decides to meet her there.

Suletta chooses to risk herself in the Calibarn. Miorine alone respects her choice enough to raise the permet score, even if she breaks down immediately after.

Anyway wow I'm fully brainsick about these two. Sorry for that long ass rambling reply but oh my god I'm in a chokehold atm

[dragonfly0808]

Musa: The Thesis

Kay so… this one involves one of the biggest spoilers of s3 due to one of the biggest changes I made there revolves around Musa and I will be discussing it after the First Things First part. So please please please if you haven’t read up until Season 3 Chapter 24: The Space Between Where Our Ends Meet, DO NOT READ PAST THE FIRST THINGS FIRST PORTION OF THIS THESIS

I’M SERIOUS PLS DON’T

First Things First

The first words I have in Musa’s character sheet are small sassy goth.

One of the main things I focused on with Musa, especially in the first season is her struggle to be vulnerable. Musa has lived the past 5 or so years with a closed off dad and never got a real chance to truly mourn her mom due to her having to learn to pretty much take care of herself, because of this she becomes very defensive and doesn't trust many people, and it causes her to struggle with being vulnerable, making her feel weak to do so. Here we see her open up slowly to the girls and not really talk that much about her home life until s2.

This is also where the main problem in her relationship with Riven comes in, but we’ll talk about that later on.

Musa, along with Aisha was the loneliest Winx before going to Alfea, and this plays into how protective she can be over the girls, she knows what it’s like to have no one so she is more than ready to throw hands for her girls any day of the week.

Love’s a Loaded Gun, Nobody Wants to Fight

A theme we see with Musa is her not believing she’s really worth a lot of time. She worried about staying one place too long and becoming an inconvenience or sharing her hurt and becoming a weight.

We see that it really takes a lot for her to believe that she is not being selfish or ‘too much’ by expressing herself or deciding to stay in one place, namely Tecna’s home.

Musa has a lot of feelings regarding feeling like she’s being shut out.

She’s working on not shutting people out herself but when others do it to her, she could just have a breakdown since she is so sick and tired of her dad doing it to her and that’s just about the worst thing you could do to her.

She’s a tiny bit afraid of love. Not so much of love itself as just, the thought of losing someone she loves again.

Haunted

So… this is the part with the huge S3 spoiler so PLEASE TURN BACK NOW, THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL MOMENTS OF S3 MY INBOX WAS FLOODED FOR A WEEK IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET TURN BACK NOW

So, in s3 chapter 24 Musa gains her Enchantix… and kills Stormy in the process.

First off the second I decided to do s3 I knew I was gonna change how Musa got her Enchantix cause I think we can all agree she got the short end of the stick in the OG.

I also already had in mind killing off either Stormy or Darcy but Stormy just fit more.

I combined these two ideas by changing Musa’s Enchantix to be gained by taking down a building over herself and Stormy due to Stormy loosing control of a curse.

Now, this could’ve gone very differently so why did I chose Musa to be the one to kill Stormy?

Honestly? I felt like it would impact her the most.

Now, obvs any of the girls would’ve been hugely impacted by taking a life (see Tecna) but taking the life of one of the Trix who they’ve known and fought for so long is another level of personal.

And, just like Bloom, Musa can be a very angry person and she hated the Trix’s guts and maybe a tiny part of her would’ve been glad with them dead, but actually having a hand in it…

It creates very conflicting emotions and a mountain of trauma and feelings of inhumanity and just confusion for our girl which we will get to see a lot more of in s4.

Thoughts Behind her Main Relationships

Tecna

I love Tecna and Musa, they are very much a friendship between unconventional girls who don’t always come across as they mean to.

They both struggle to make friends for different reasons but the second they meet they realize that they are quite similar and so never push each other outside of their comfort zone at first and that’s what allows them to become close enough to then push one another.

Musa gets what makes Tecna tick and makes sure that she’s comfortable, she makes sure she gets her alone time and makes sure she doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Tecna gets that Musa doesn’t want to talk about herself so instead gets her to open up about her music.

And it’s through this that they start to trust one another and by s2 we see them knowing each other well enough to keep the other from spiraling.

When Tecna’s confused about her feelings for Timmy, it’s Musa who reminds her that it’s okay to not be ready for a relationship. And when Musa and Riven first kiss, it’s Tecna who suggests they take it slow since she knows how skittish they can both be.

At this point, they push one another when they need to.

They are crucial to each other’s growth.

Riven

I always loved the idea of Rivusa but hated the original execution.

I really like the idea of two kids who have been so hurt by the people that were meant to protect them figuring out how to love each other. How to be open and trusting and just how to work as a couple.

Riven and Musa fall very slowly over the course of a year and a half, they get to know each other, be friends, quite crucially: they’re able to be vulnerable with each other. Which is huge for both of them.

And, when they realize that these feelings are serious and more than just a crush, they are both terrified.

I’ll talk a bit more about Riven’s feelings on his thesis but for Musa, she’s scared of this failing, of flying till the bone crush like the queen would say. She’s scared of it going wrong and losing someone she loves so much.

The part I love about this is that this means that even after they get together we get to see them fuck up. Because just because they’re together doesn’t mean they’re just going to forget years of trauma and having their walls up.

And, in my version, once they’re together, it’s Musa who fucks up by keeping secrets and not being able to bring herself to be vulnerable.

I think my fave part about writing these two is writing about how they grow together both as individuals and as a couple, how they learn to communicate and be vulnerable and realize that they are both here to stay and that this relationship is soft and safe and everything that they have been denied for so long.

That’s what this couple is to me. Two kids learning to love and not be afraid of it.

Helia

Helia and Musa are the writers of the group, due to them both being artist and having had past or present issues with their fathers and being vulnerable, it made sense for them to be platonic soulmates.

They’re the kind of people to spill their guts out of paper and just take a pen and truly speak, word vomit comes out in prose and metaphors and long words that just make you feel serene.

That’s how they find it easier to communicate.

They bond over words and music and the crushing weight of a knot in your throat not letting you speak when it matters most. The falling feeling of everything coming out wrong when spoken but in a beautiful way when written.

Helia is the only person Musa co-writes with for her songs, because he gets her voice as a songwriter in a way that no one else does.

And Helia shared his favorite poems because he knows she’ll get them in the way few could.

They are the artists who write not just because they enjoy and love it, but because it’s a crucial part of who they are, of how they process things and how to keep going.

If you wanna get to know these two, the best way to do it is to look at what they write.

And that’s why they just click.

Who is Musa in this Rewrite?

Musa is a girl who’s hurt. Who has lost and has had to almost raise herself.

She’s done the best that she could but the best she could do to protect herself at the time, back home with her father was to build walls around herself.

She’s someone who is learning to be open and vulnerable and to believe the people she loves won’t leave.

She’s someone trying to leave behind a toxic environment and mindset.

Someone who is, in one word haunted. By her past, by both her parents be it in different ways, by words, by Stormy.

But she’s learning to live with it, to still grow and to not take steps back in her journey.

She’s an artist finding her meaning and voice.

—————

Masterlist

Musa Moodboard

Musa’s Instagram

Musa and Tecna Moodboard

Musa and Riven Moodboard

Musa and Helia Moodboard

—————

so this one took so long cause I couldn’t figure out how to word certain things and tbh I feel like this one is the worst one so far so pls validate me and tell me it was good I feel like crying but I think I managed to get everything across

[persevereforahappyending]

see.. me personally, i think dewey dying would inflict the most trauma in the long term. of course what the other anon said IS true i think it’d be much harder to have all the emotions ranging from resentment, anger, and probably some sort of yearning for the motherly bond r always wanted because it would seem unattainable for a VERY long time especially in the beginning after (and because) you’ve lost your dad. gale dying would leave dewey, the parent who did nothing wrong and it is a lot easier to work through than being left with a parent who IS at fault, she had all this time to find you given you know that’s HER JOB!!! as a journalist and a mother. but never did regardless of what she says. she never even told dewey. and she had her reasons but in my opinion it’s just a lot harder to work past on both parts because gale already feels so much guilt and add the fact that she lost dewey and robbed them of a chance of a relationship and being a family.. at some point i think r would let it be known she wishes it was gale instead during one of their worse moments (like in those cheesy teenage dramas that i eat up btw so not a bad thing) and it’s just this constant push and pull because gale wants the relationship but r is probably confused and doesn’t know what she wants and gale would be constantly faced with the face of the man she loved and robbed of a happy family. as well as her shortcomings as a mother and i could really get into it but im ready to have a debate on this. i just think it’ll lead to a lot more emotional turmoil because of their complex relationship. and gale dying feels almost easier for them to face

Exactly!

Say, Gale dies, and Dewey lives. Sure, there will be some drama, but it would mostly be awkwardness with this new territory and dynamic. There wouldn't be this anger and animosity.

But, now, if Dewey dies, and Gale lives. The door is wide open with the angst! We got the basics with abonnement issues but then on top of that we got this successful woman who knew about her kid and married the kids' father after giving said kid up and lied about it and went on with her life. Then we got Gale feeling guilt and regret and then on top of that, losing the love of her life who, she betrayed and lied to. Then we got the kid who felt abandoned and wanted and it's basically proven true but then turns out their dad didn't know about them, and he could have been a great father but then they lose him. So, the kid is feeling anger and resentment towards Gale, grieving a father they never even had. And on top of that they're family and they're all each other has and the conflict within the kid of wanting to know their mom maybe but also hating her but then we got Gale trying to right her wrongs and make up for something that could be unforgivable.

We just all need to imagine the complexity and angst of it all. Like, if Gale lives and Dewey dies, just imagine the aftermath of all this. Just imagine Scream 6 and what that would look like. Does Gale right her book? Does she mention Reader? What does she say about Reader? And where are they at now? All this stuff goes down then we jump to Scream 6 which is a year later and, in a New York, like, a lot could happen. There's just so many possibilities! But with Dewey living we got none of that! If Dewey lives it will all be so much easier (and happier).

See, look what you did, you got me rambling now.

[transingthoseformers]

I was originally going to suggest additional Megastar kids but now I want to write the super awkward fic where they had three kids at different ages and parts of their relationships and they all have vastly different experiences.

Thunderclash: The oldest born during the early Decepticon movement qhen they liked and trusted each other. This would be terribly funny especially as it would mean he immediately befriended Ratchet upon defecting who saw this wet cat kid and immediately grabbed him and because all the bright color choices are definitely Starscream's fault and him being Megatron's kid Would make the Lost Light even more dramatic. And now I kind of want Rodimus finding out Thunderclash (he changed his name) deep dark secret. Megatron is awkwardly trying to bond with his kid, who is very in love with his co-captain, who is eating up the drama, while said kid hates him because the stepkid (Tarn) may have shot him and Megatron may have told Thunderclash he was no child of his last they spoke which led to said abandonment of his former name, a new paintjob, a frame change and an awkward few centuries when Starscream was aware that was their kid but Megatron wasn't which made the hit he put on him exceptionally awkward. And explained one horrible fight upon reflection.

Misfire: Middle child. Megatron knew all the Scavengers' names for a reason. He found out he was carrying during one of his "off" times with Starscream and decided he didn't want the fuss. He had the kid and passed him off to someone else he trusted. Flyhigh changed his name, and he lost track of him only to find out he'd been arrested and saved and became a Scavenger. He put a permanent "Do not touch" mark beside his name and let him be relieved one at least remained a Decepticon.

Deathsaurus: The youngest and second most rebellious born in the last attempt at a relationship as a "make up baby" a bad decision all around. Takes after both of them at their most charming. Rebels and fucks off to to philosophical amd idealistic reasons which reminded Megatron painfully of early years. Starscream did not forgive putting him on the List which led to the Earth Plot in Phase 1. Reunites with Megatron when his new boyfriend convinces him to murder his dad which leads to some pretty interesting conversation that mildly derails things on Necrobot's planet.

Ohhh my goddddd that'd be so fucking fun, there'd be so much interesting conflict,

Hey I've seen a fic where Misfire is a MegaStar fic! (And use that plot detail in one of my plotlines), oh that's gotta cause fun

mmmhm a make-up baby, I'm pretty sure that technique never works

Ooo yes yes? So many awkward / emotional moments??

[auromelt]

It's always Ryo breaking down Kohei’s walls and reestablishing their relationship - but what about the walls Ryo’s put up over the years????? It'd be impossible for Ryo to just let go of the emotionless mask he's had to protect himself and actually be vulnerable with anyone including Kohei :/

*acting normal* yes i’ve thought about this a normal amount of times.

i hate how the movie resolved szam’s conflict btw. like it legit provides almost no real acknowledgement of how damaged and hurt ryo has become over the years. i don’t like how kohei and ryo’s shit ass dad were instantly redeemed and thought it was lazy writing so i usually pretend it didn’t happen. i mean how old even was he when he essentially isolated himself from everyone around him and put on his emotionless façade? how old was he when his father (fuck that hoe btw) sold his services to his best friend (fuck him too but we love you kohei) who wouldn’t even look at him anymore? ryo was so alone for so long, he couldn’t rely on his only friend or his own parents because everyone in his life was unreliable and treated him so so poorly and he was just a teenager having the closest thing he had to friends talking behind his back and being diminished for his poverty. his walls are high and rightfully so.

it’s so, so hard for him to let anyone in and really be himself. the soda incident and the knife incident are the only real times he’s actually let this mask slip and it’s only because he was scared and heartbroken and confused. the only emotions he allowed himself to display in the movie pre shittily written reconciliation are negative. other than that, has ryo ever allowed himself to really just open up? he must be so sick and tired of hiding but when it’s the only thing he’s ever known how to do, when his front of stoicism is the only way he’s ever been received in years, how can he break it down without getting hurt and scarred all over again? he was just a child when everything went wrong and now, as a new adult, everything is still wrong even if he’s closer than ever to fixing it.

after the fight i see more people approaching ryo trying to acquaint themselves with him because his stunt in the gym impressed a lot of people and they Know he’s not a bad person but ryo has been conditioned for so long to shut people out and keep everything bottled inside that those acquaintances go nowhere and he still feels so alone. he believes nobody would be interested in him or keep him around if he doesn’t possess the skill set that makes him valuable and because of that he internally fights against people who try to get too close to his heart. his heart is, after all, the only thing he protects more than kohei.

and of course kohei with his people skills and his abilities to read others would notice and it would initially frustrate and annoy him because why? why are you shutting me out too? don’t you want to be my lover friends with me? completely missing the fact that he’s the biggest reason ryo is this way and that ryo is terrified he’ll be alone again and that nothing in his life will ever get better because good doesn’t happen to people like him. it would probably take someone else cough fujitsuka cough to smack that understanding completely into kohei’s head because as strong as his people skills are, ryo is different and has always been. ryo is important and special and kohei loves him even after doing everything to convince himself he doesn’t. kohei wants ryo to look at him eye to eye but ryo is so used to looking at him from below and honestly hasn’t gotten over kohei calling him a pawn lol.

tl;dr ryo is literally broken like his heart is behind so many walls and layers and even the person he loves most, the only person he loves, can’t get through them because ryo knows vulnerability to be nothing but a hindrance, especially when the only way people have ever cared about him was when he was useful and unfeeling

[provincara]

The Long Run by James Acker

Two track and field athletes find an unexpected but powerful love in this unapologetically blunt and unforgettably real YA debut.

Sebastian Villeda is over it. Over his rep. Over his bros. Over being "Bash the Flash," fastest sprinter in South Jersey. His dad is gone, his mom is dead, and his stepfather is clueless. Bash has no idea what he wants out of life. Until he meets Sandro.

Sandro Miceli is too nice for his own good. The middle child in an always-growing, always-screaming Italian family, Sandro walks around on a broken foot to not bother his busy parents. All he wants is to get out and never look back.

When fate—in the form of a party that gets busted—brings these two very different boys together, neither of them could’ve predicted finding a love that they’d risk everything for…

God where to even start. I fucking loved this book—I finished it last night, and I'm spending the day depressed because I'm no longer listening to it (audiobook). I took so many notes while reading this, and there were only a few minor critiques. Otherwise I was doing my best to put into words why I love this story so much.

The tagline for this book describes it as "unapologetically blunt and unforgettably real," which I think is spot on. It wasn't a sometimes-sad romance novel, but rather a story about two flawed yet earnest boys who better themselves (and FEEL better about themselves) with the help of each other. Yes it's a romance, but I love the platonic elements of the relationship so much; they truly become each other's best friend, and you can see how important their relationship is to each of them.

We get a dual POV in this book, and it was so expertly deployed. There's quite a lot of introspection (which I always enjoy in a novel), so we get firsthand accounts of how each character is feeling, but we also get to see them through the eyes of each other; we get to know their insecurities, but also get to see their strengths and value. Both Bash and Sandro are pretty self-aware, and I don't know how realistic that is for teenage boys, but it doesn't matter because it's all so good. And just because they're self-aware doesn't mean they're perfect; we get to see them make mistakes and learn and grow. There were plenty of times between them that the conversation could have gone south, but instead they are able to trust each other and talk it out.

Of course, though, there is one moment that goes very wrong and takes a while to come back from, but it was realistic. I feel like the tendency for authors nowadays is to throw in third-act drama whether it's deserved or not, but that wasn't the case here; the events fit the narrative of the story (it's pretty clear from early on that this book will have the potential for something heart-wrenching). Also, we got plenty of recovery time after it—I always hate when the story ends right after the conflict has been resolved, but here we got to spend a good amount of time with them afterwords.

This book just made me feel so much! Not just sad, but also hopeful. While I love both boys in this, I was a bit partial to Sandro, and he was the one who often made me cry (both sad and happy tears). Even though he had a shitty upbringing, he was still so optimistic about his future being better and working hard to make that better future, and it was just so lovely to read about and I'm literally tearing up while thinking about it. The ending was perfect for them, realistic yet hopeful, kind of like the whole story itself. I was fully sobbing when I finished, because I was just so overcome with emotion.

Besides the main story, I think the side characters were all very well crafted and utilized. Lucy was especially such a lovely figure, and I wish we had gotten to spend a bit more time with her (just because I like her, not because she wasn't around enough for the purpose of the story). And the writing was also top tier. I know I've gone on about how emotional this book was, but it had a good amount of lighthearted moments. And good humor! It got me to chuckle out loud a few times, which is unusual for me—it helped that I listened to the audiobook, so I couldn't accidentally skim ahead and spoil the joke for myself.

Speaking of the audiobook, MAD KUDOS to the readers for this!!!! I think they were absolutely perfect, right away settling me into the story and perfectly delivering the more emotional moments.

This is one of those books that I think a lot of other books try to be: gritty, realistic, emotional, heart-wrenching, inspiring, etc. But this one was actually able to pull it off. And while it is grittier than some, I didn't find it to be too much. Like I said, there was a good balance of humor, so it was never a heavy read, even with it's heavier moments. Frankly, I'm a bit stunned that this isn't more popular, because it deserves more readers. I simply cannot wait to revisit this book in the future (no literally, I'm actually considering re-listening to it while I still have it on loan from Libby).

Bonus spoilers—specific moments that made me cry:

Sandro thinking "I think I was supposed to love Bash" after the whole Incident with his family (sad)

Their first date, getting ready and getting their picture taken and being able to be public with their affection (happy)

When Bash gives Sandro his prayer bracelet and then Sandro gives Bash his chain, so they have something to remember each other by when they go off to college (sad and happy and everything in between)

[kierancampire]

Mum's kinda annoying me with something

So her brother/my uncle Bob, I dunno what went down between them but my mum has said he's dead to her, doesn't want to see him, hear about him, nothing, and even shared she even had a full blown panic attack when someone sent her a photo of him recently. I don't know what's gone on but I respect that and don't speak of that part of the family

My issue is though, mum knows dad is the same for me, she knows I don't want to hear about him, talk about him, see him, similarly he is dead to me. And the extra issue is, unlike Bob, mum knows what went on with dad, she knows why I feel this way, she understands everything. But unlike me with Bob, mum doesn't respect me with dad

So often when I see her she brings him up and talks about him, a few times in the past she even took me to him to pick up Kayden or whatever but admittedly she hasn't put me around him in a few years thankfully. But she still speaks about him constantly! Like today she was telling me dad called her to say that his two sons are missing out on a relationship with their brother, and how we would get on and I need to see them, and how he wouldn't be around but I could see them and his partner Jasmine, or they could come over to my place to see my cats. Which apparently mum did say I would not like his kids as I hate kids, and there is no way in hell that would ever get into my home, and there is zero chance that I would ever intentionally put myself in a situation where I'd be around them

But so many things about this annoyed me. Firstly, yes, mum talking to me about dad. Secondly, mum/someone has clearly been telling them about my life, which I want them to know nothing, as I have them all blocked on Facebook so the fact that they know I have my own flat and 2 cats? I don't want them knowing anything about me. Thirdly, dad never knew me and he clearly has shown he has no idea who I am any more. Fourth, I don't think mum did it in this way, but the fact that dad was trying to guilt trip/manipulate me into having a relationship with his kids. Five, I haven't seen/contacted dad in, god, it's gotta be going on 10 years, for nearly 10 years I haven't spoken to him, let him contact me, accepted any of his gifts, I didn't see him when his dad died, and while he supposedly acknowledged I wouldn't want to be around him, he still seems deluded enough to think we have some form of relationship, when I wouldn't even want to know he died, it matters move to me to hear what the weather would be like than of his passing. But lastly, and just to emphasise again, that I was being told all of this. It stresses me out and upsets me hearing about dad, it brings back all these memories and emotions and admittedly mildly conflicting emotions. I don't want to hear about him, I don't want to hear about his life, I don't want to hear that he called mum to talk about me, I don't want him to know about my life. Again, much like Bob, I want him to be this dead space that is never brought up or acknowledged. But mum can't respect that and you know I'd somehow be the bad person if I brought this up

I would love a dad, but I don't have one, and I don't want that man existing in my world any more, not even his name or mentions of him. He took so much from me and made me suffer for much longer than my childhood, he's left scars that will never heal and issues I will forever struggle with, I don't need him around more than he already is. I wish mum would just respect that

[slimbunnx]

Twisted Love by Anna Huang semi review

This book was recommend by an old classmate of mine, i was friends with her so of course I decided to buy and read it. And errrr not my favorite. I'd give it a solid 3/10. Spoilers ahead ig

I like to think my opinion matters... but I'm just a highschooler. My qualification r that I've been through many fandoms, which means I've read many fanfics via Wattpad, AO3, Tumblr, and.... Quotev. And I'm an avid reader since the 4th grade.

To start off, the book felt very... Wattpady, I hated the conflict, how the character act, writing style and uhhh those scenes.

First the conflict, I don't know what to say. The plot twist of it being Micheal was okay I guess. With like better character development, I feel like the plot twist could rlly be a plot twist, but it kinda fell flat. For Alex's uncle. errr ummm I didn't like it. I rlly had to put my book down for a min to think about it. Like I could see the vision.

The character had me twisting and turning. I'm sorry But Alex is so insufferable. Like he's a stalker, which is supposed to seem romantic but it's not. Like the way he kept calling her his, even though they weren't together at the time, and even then WHAT. Also him being so overprotective bordered on toxic. Like sorry for the poor dude who only wanted a photo shoot at the beginning of the book. Alex has issues, and ur significant other cannot help u heal those issues. Which I think is a big problem with his character. He will always be hurt and if anything a weirdo for some how depending on Ava for emotional stability. Like homeboy u r not okay, GO TO THERAPY INSTEAD OF DOING THE TOOGY WOOGY. Also he seems to be the typical "man", like I remember somewhere that to write a good male character, you need to give them a trait that isn't masculine, bc no man is completely masculine. And he reminds me so much of those Wattpad billionaire protagonist, its not even funny. Also THE SINGING.

Ava character was better. She got her shit together by the end of the book. Also the sequence of her trying to get over her fear of water, felt boring but necessary for the story. She's bearable. But like during the conflict part, she is god damn too emotional in my opinion. She was unbearable to read during that saga. In my opinion I think the author glossed over like Micheal, her and Joshes uhhh confrontation thingy. Like we could have good sibling relationship. Honestly I applaud Ava for staying that positive. Also how her relationship with Alex hurting MORE than her "dad" WILD. Like girl u've known this man since ur birth, even though he was distance, he still acted like a father figure. But y'know to each their own. Umm I don't feel like talking about the other characters.

The writing style was meh. But I guess that's too expect when u buy a book from Walmart. It wasn't as smooth nor was it as pleasant to read, at the beginning it was fine then towards the end uhhh not as much.

For those scene... it may just be me reading this like literally at school. But I did not enjoy it. But I guess that might just be me not enjoying sex in my books. But on dirt and in another persons dinning room is a bit too far. Like do you not have shame. Also during the scene where she's wet and trying to get like birthday cake. Alex's uhhh thoughts were def something. This may seem offensive but, it some points it felt like Alex was talking like a male author writing a female character.

Anyways I expect to have a better read with twisted games, since he (Rhys) doesn't seem to be crazy like the other males in this series. And it just occurred to me I might not be the target audience... but I truly do love romance book.

[for-dramas-sake]

The Starry Love ep 37, 38 thoughts

Yetan IS the Void Devil now. She is the most dangerous thing for the Void. Everyone is legit scared of her and her powers, but she wants to use them to get revenge. I love the twist.

Everyone is so uncomfortable with the new leader situation. There's conflict of feelings and fear everywhere, even Chaofeng is uncomfortable. Then there's Yetan who is just pissed.

That was sweet of Yetan to give the tree root to Chaofeng (a sentence I didn't think I'd ever write). Their relationship has improved for the wrong reasons.

Sending the memory-wiped husband to kill his now devil wife? Sounds like a good plan to me.

This drama continues to break my heart. Just when I was moving on from Qingkui's death, the drama has this sad scene with Yetan imagining her in the Void clinic!This girl needs a hug, but her husband is on the way to kill her. And her best friend is also dead. Yetan's life is so miserable. She had a terrible childhood, had a short-lived romance, and now she's back to having a miserable life. Can she ever get a break?

Omo! I was half-joking about the heavenly divorce and now the empress just did it! (gasp) That emperor….grrr.

The Immortal twins are playing mahjang! Their inability to play is adorable. But then again anything they do is adorable.

My emotions! Youqin and Yetan meet but he's forgotten her! She has not forgotten, however, how to dispel his star formation! So glad that was called back! And then she attacks him because she can help him remember her.

Their fight dance was so beautiful and that music too! He can't kill her. Good news for now and more good news the calvary is here with Ziwu, Qingheng and Di Lanjue! Yay!

I just realized how many burdens Yetan has taken on. She tried to save her sister from marrying Youqin, tried to save her sister from the Void, brought Youqin's soul shards together to bring him back, took on the Void Emperor for revenge, plans to take on the Immortal Emperor for Chaofeng's revenge, plans to bring back Suzhi's parents through the Soul Gathering Lamp. Then the girl has the gall to want to save her husband? She wants to do so much for so many people. I admire her for that.

Thank God that Yetan's dad shows up (did he just walk into the Void?) and gives her an encouraging pep talk and that hug she needed. He still isn't my favorite dad in this series, but he's getting better.

I hate to say it but I've given up hope for Qingheng and Suzhi. She's shot him down so many times and then she's on a mission of her own which is directly against his dad. They could have been cute but we may have gone too far for them.

Uh-oh. Immortal Emperor is worried about Youqin remembering the unsavory parts of his past. Why the heck hasn't anyone told Youqin earlier about Yetan?! Hints aren't going to be enough. A good to slap to the head should do it.

Yes! He's starting to remember! And it wasn't a big show or even a slap to the head! It was the Rooftop Swallow star, HER star.

When he returned the star to her, freaking loved that scene! And then she's just welcomed back as the consort of the Empyrean? Ha! Sticking it to the Emperor!

These Heavenly Emperors are such dicks. Their hard-hearted natures make them slaughter many lives and push their family members away. Where is the remorse, the regret, the realization that being a dick isn't the way?

Shit. Yetan killed another emperor. Oh no, wait. She just killed his powers off for good. And then marched out of Heaven like a boss!

Yetan and Youqin are couple goals. I could do without the meddling evil parent, but the "I'll stick with you to the end" commitment they have I want that. And Youqin now takes care of Yetan because she can barely take care of herself. She's like a ghost wandering around with no purpose and he has to take care of her.

I'm done crying for this drama! Can we please stop with the tears? But we have 2 episodes left.

If you made it this far and want to continue, I thank you. Here are more episodes:

35, 36 / 33, 34 / 31, 32 / 29,30 / 27,28 / 25,26 / 23, 24 / 21, 22 / 19, 20 / 17,18 / 15,16 / 13,14 / 11, 12 / 9, 10 / 7, 8 / 5, 6 / 3, 4 / 1, 2

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Late watch of the episode...

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about that episode because so much of it I really really liked and so much of it was this show at its best but also...I hated it because they had all that good and then it all gets ruined and it makes me mad. 

The Cain and Charity scenes were great. I always like when we get more mature Cain who makes a great listener. I love him being there for Charity and letting her process and helping her make sense of it all. I loved her returning the favor about Caleb. And I’m glad Bails was just dead and not out of prison because I don’t mind revisiting this story in an emotional way rather than a melodramatic way. Much like Aaron was still dealing with the effects of what Gordon did and still is, Charity is the same with Bails and it’s good to show that and those scenes were all really well done. 

I liked the scenes with her and Noah. I’ve been confused about the direction of Noah’s character for a while now with all the personality switching and such but when he has these nice scenes with Charity, I always really appreciate them. 

The scenes with Caleb and Cain trying to make nice were also great if I ignore the last thirty seconds. This is what I wanted it to be. I wanted Cain to thaw and realize he was being an idiot. I wanted Caleb to just want to get to know his family and have them connect and build that relationship. Chas annoys me but I didn’t even totally mind the three of them bouncing off each other because the chemistry was there and it was kind of nice in a lot of ways if I could block out the things that make me mad. I just want Cain and Caleb to be brothers and friends and that’s it. 

But no...they had to go and ruin it like I knew they would in the last thirty seconds. All episode I was just waiting for it and it’s so goddamn predictable it just pisses me off. Why is it necessary for Caleb to have some ulterior motive? Why does he have to be shady? And what could he possibly be trying to do by reeling Cain in? I hate every theory I’ve seen out there. I just don’t buy him being an imposter because what would he possibly have to gain from Cain Dingle and co if he were? And how would he even know about Caleb’s meeting with Cain thirty years ago to even be able to exploit that situation? And I loathe the Chloe’s adoptive gangster dad theory so much. Because just like...why?! Why would that be a good story? What purpose would it possibly serve? And again, if he’s faking being Caleb, why would Chloe’s gangster dad possibly fake being Cain’s long lost brother? What would he possibly want? I just don’t get it. Even if Damian Harris met real Caleb in prison and they cooked up this plan together, what would real Caleb possibly want? Revenge because Cain said his mom was dead thirty years ago as a coping mechanism? It would just be absurd. And if real Caleb is somehow Damian Harris then I just....it would be absurdly convenient and I still don’t know what he’s trying to do. Like...nothing in this possible twist makes any goddamn sense. I just want him to be a long lost brother trying to get to know his family?!?! WHY CAN’T I HAVE THAT?!?!? WHY DOES IT NEED TO BE EVEN MORE CONVOLUTED AND COMPLICATED?!?! I HATE THESE PRODUCERS SO MUCH!

And that’s not even getting into my frustrations with the Charity and Mack side of things because that...that also pisses me off. Just the idea that they killed off Bails so she could have all of these meaningful scenes about Bails and about all of the terrible men who have used and abused her over the years just so she can take solace in a man who has also cheated on her and lied to her. And so they can drag it all out for months and months just to make Charity look more like an idiot for trusting him and for trying to help Chloe etc? What are they trying to say?! And that’s without Charity literally having this story before with Jai. Like why are they doing this to Charity’s character? And why are they doing it to Mack’s character too? I mean I don’t think they’re really well suited for each other because ultimately, like Jai and Charity, they want different things. Mack does want kids and Charity doesn’t want anymore. And that’s fine but it means this was never going to last. And even still, I still feel like this whole relationship started because she was after a bit of fun to distract her from missing Vanessa and after that she got back together with him because Vanessa wasn’t ready to try again. It’s always just felt like she was settling and like this relationship was just a stop gap story while they waited out Michelle’s maternity leaves. So like, I’m not even totally mad at him for cheating even though it’s fucking dumb but now they just have him lying to her forever and while Chloe is responsible for her own actions and absolutely does not have to have this child, I do feel sort of bad for the way he’s treating her too. And I just don’t really get why they want to do this to Mack’s character. And the fact that they’re dragging it all out so long is infuriating. It certainly makes me appreciate the Robron version all the more where Robert told Aaron the truth relatively quickly and then they got to really deal with it because ultimately they did love each other and their love was strong enough to survive all of that. With Mack and Charity, it’s just a prolonged reason for them to ultimately break up and that’s annoying. And it makes both of them look bad in the process. And I mean, I do believe Mack loves her and I do believe she loves him but they’re still so obviously not meant to be together and it’s just frustrating to watch, knowing where it’s all going and knowing it’s going to be forever until we get there. 

On the other hand, I didn’t mind seeing Chas and Paddy talk about how Chas doesn’t love him because it hopefully means they won’t try and put them back together. I hope I hope I hope. 

Chas not forgiving Cain is still annoying. I mean...Cain was an idiot and it’s definitely his fault Al is dead but I’m also just done with Chas. 

I did enjoy the scene where she was leaving the voicemail for Charity though because Lucy’s deadpan delivery of that was actually quite funny. I miss that version of Chas. 

So yeah...there’s my super long essay about this very frustrating episode...

[oongaboonganerd]

November 11, 2024

Damn I guess it's cool that I haven't needed this space nearly as much. It's been a few months since I made a personal post. Lol time to throw that out the window, huh?

Since last month, my life has been ass. And gradually getting worse. Sort of. It's weird.

Hospitalized, out of work for a week due to an intestinal infection, plus bunches of new debt to worry about.

Plus this month brings up last year, on November 1st, where I nearly unalived myself several times. So I've been dealing with those feelings. Plus missing dad.

And through all this, I STILL miss her like crazy. It feels like every hour of every day for the last year, I think about her in some way or form.

"It seems like you don't feel well more than you do feel well, huh?"

Yeah. Bud, you only ever see me feeling like shit physically. Everything physically wrong is antagonized by my constant parade of intrusive thoughts.

I'm truly tired of living like this. Some days the realization hits harder, a bit... Too much so.

Had to call off things with the person I was dating. Honestly a relief due to personality conflicts. But a bigger relief because now I just have no one. I mean, to have someone to touch and fuck and cuddle and be vulnerable with would be fantastic, but... I'm horrible at shallow dating/hook ups. But that's a good thing too, because both require a type of effort I just don't have in me anymore. The last relationship really wrecked my ability to give anything beyond a minimum effort at this very moment. The person I was dating, it was nice, but I could feel the steam leaving me. And the linger emotions from the last relationship make it feel like I'm cheating. Lol, imagine me still having feelings for her to that degree. Typing that out made me realize how true it is. I was thinking about what if I checked up on her again, and my heart cried in both fear and anguish at what it might find again. Or worse, I find out she died. I'd actually be a wreck, I think.

I hate that a year later, I still feel so fondly for her. I just want to... Not do that. Not anymore. I need a rest. I'm tired of leaning on alcohol and now weed to get any respite. It's every day now. I'm addicted trying to escape the feelings and memories, to just have a few hours of peace. I really hate it. But it has kept me uh ... "Alive" from myself. So... Whatever. I guess I'll get over it eventually. Other more healthy ways are great, until it relies on other people to make me happy, and they're almost never available. I figured out that I don't want love right now, not at all. What I NEED is social interaction, the attention and rapport.

It's yet another shitty type of limbo I'm in. But at least I learned a bit more about myself. And! I've been developing friendships I've left... Hanging.

[lauriepinkney64]

angry Created: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 11:30 AM Updated: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 12:32 PM

my process

triggered and angry at my team.  i keep doing the letting go detaching of the romance sitch and still i get this info shoved in my face on tiktok,  one reading is one way then minutes later its the opposite...oh..... i just heard and processed what i just said and shit, wind went out of the anger, dissipated replaced with sheepishness. spirit is showing me i need to trust my own connection to source and to trust that info while remaining open for others further insights but not depending on, and never if it is opposing my own information i get directly.   i am being spiritually lazy and avoidantly overly-independant by seeking outside affirmations from other psychics on tic tok, i couldn't trust mom to have my back, so source is my mom now,  however when i am able to do this for myself and really need to do this myself for my growth.  also i have more trust work to do between me and me and me and my spirit team.and source.  this trust wound is from childhood. its my mother wound, i was a daughter but from age 9 or 10 maybe 11 i became moms confidant and friend. i was excellent and tried to supplement my moms emotional and intimacy needs not met in her marriage. i even did chiropractor work on her during my teens, friend taught me, i was fully supportive and committed as a true friend would be even tho it was far too much for me to handle..  she shared far too much about her money worries and relationship issues with dad.  he was arrogant and ragy. and i tried to stay out of his way or ahead of him somehow, trying to anticipate his moods then preemptively act to avoid conflict, sometimes when i was being my authentic self, (later it hid so deeply that i forgot my true self, rather it was buried under so much pain and wounding) i would trigger my dad and when i had a differing opinion or was being wrongly accused of motives that didn't belong to me i would attempt too stand up for myself and defend my perspective, which was immediately dismissed as he was the boss, i would look to my mom/friend for support, to side with me, and many occasions i was in the right but never, not once did she offer me her support. in a sitch i needed her most.  i now understand that she was afraid herself of consequences and dependent on dad in ways she felt inept at the time,  however her actions led me to accept these uneven, relationship dynamics in friends, jobs and lovers, always settling for less than equal because i didn't believe i was worthy of equal give and take an equal exchange emotionally.  so i would give more and more until i hated everything mostly myself for not figuring out how to become worthy. i hated myself for not being able to make anything work. i dove inside burying myself in myself, 'sleeping' until source woke me up for my purpose.

mom i forgive you for injuring me. you didn't mean to and were doing the best you could and i was and still am honored to have been your counsel as a child, it gave me something special. this dynamic is why im having some issues with trusting source.  my primary relationship had injured my trust in myself and my care-ers. This taught me not to ask for help, taught me i couldn't depend on anyone to have my back including source.  i am feeling it and forgiving the wound and releasing it with loving intent to reunite and integrate with my healthy self.

[lightspren]

i have felt very distant from both of my parents for a very long time. there’s lots of reasons, all of them very valid.

but with dad being in the hospital last week… idk. it doesn’t feel as dramatic as that cliched “i realized time is so short and you must forgive!!” and blabbity blah. but I do miss being close to them to a degree. i’ve never really been close to dad, primarily bc he is a raging asshole, but it’s like. god I don’t even have the words for what i’m feeling right now.

i think what it is is this: in my mind I have constructed very one dimensional pictures of both my parents. these pictures aren’t WRONG, per se - my dad is an ass, my mom is a worrier. they’re both very conservative and bigoted and brainwashed by fox. they both would hate intrinsic aspects of my identity and beliefs if they knew about them, and those of my spouse. much of my being broken is directly tied to their clusterfuck of a relationship.

but they also can be kind. my mom was my friend when I was a teenager. my dad has had interesting experiences and has fun stories. they love me - at least the version of me i allow them to see. they’re proud of me.

i increasingly don’t know how to reconcile these conflicting emotions. my siblings somehow are managing it. my brother i can’t really look to because he’s some religious libertarian weirdo and agrees with much of their ideologies, but my sister. she’s the eldest. she kept me and my brother glued together through all the dysfunction. she’s seen more - and probably worse - than either of us. and she still wants them in her life. she still can see them as rounded people, instead of the flat caricatures I end up reducing them to.

idk what point I might be trying to reach here. i don’t think there is one. i think this is a story as old as time and yet still no one has managed to figure out a solution.

i think that I wish i could fix the parts of them that are abhorrent to me, so I could feel more comfortable sharing my life with them. but I can’t, and they’re never going to change, and that really sucks.

[concerningwolves]

I love character-driven plots. I have many thoughts about them and how they work. A good character-driven story can get its hooks into me regardless of genre. Thing is though, most character driven stories that I enjoy explore the characters' conflicts within the framework of something else, or rely on some kind of external conflict source (or a combination of both!). 911 (and the spinoff series, Lone Star) is a pretty good example of this actually: it's a drama that fundamentally couldn't exist as it does without its strong cast of characters. A lot of the story is generated from the characters' pasts, ambitions, personalities, and their interpersonal relationships. Biggest example is how much plot time is given to the growth of the character of Buck from a selfish, immature womaniser into a much better person. But it also uses external/environmental sources of conflict, such as the fires and other natural disasters that the characters have to deal with in the course of their jobs, and exists within the framework of a procedural drama. Also, because it's a series that dedicates a lot of time to representing marginalised people, the bigotry and social issues they face/deal with often add another layer of conflict. So, it's a story founded on its characters, but the plot itself is also influenced by external forces.

I'm using 911 as a comparison point because (almost) every character in that show is insulated by a mile-thick suit of plot armour: no matter how bad the stuff is that happens to them, they tend to get through with minimal lasting consequences. Such high stakes – shit like getting an iron bar through the head, being crushed by a fire truck, struck by lightning, kidnappings, tsunamis, landslides, and going into cardiac arrest for fourteen minutes – can get a bit frustrating when you know there will be minimal narrative consequences. Still, that plot armour is an established part of the fabric of the show, and it's forgivable (to a degree) because we the audience are invested in the characters and in seeing how these events will shape them. (I still get annoyed about it, but I am also still here because I care about the characters, so that proves my point).

Gilmore Girls does something similar, but the insulation is less "they will get through everything bad that happens to to them" and more "nothing bad will happen to them that isn't related to their romantic/platonic/familial relationships". Like, this might change as the show progresses (bearing in mind I'm halfway through the season 1 finale), but this is how I'm reading it right now. I think the most shocking non-character-driven thing that's happened so far is that Lorelai's dad collapses (from angina iirc?), but he's taken to hospital and he's fine, and the focus is pretty much entirely on what this event shows about the difficult relationship that Lorelai has with her dad. We know that Lorelai has been poor and has struggled as a single mother, but we only really see the emotional fallout of that as it relates to her character and her interactions with her family. There have been no car crashes, no fires, no robberies, no vicious family-versus-family conflict a la East Enders, nobody has been unfairly fired or otherwise ousted from their job, struggled with addiction or alcoholism, faced a microaggression or hate crime, been blackmailed, committed a crime, lost their home – the list of conflict I'm used to seeing is long, and none of it had happened. I keep feeling like the show shouldn't work like this, but it does and I'm fascinated.

i'm honestly kind of obsessed with how Gilmore Girls works. like. with the nuts and bolts of a show that runs entirely on character-generated conflict in a way that most stuff I watch/read doesn't. I went into this thinking "it'll be something cosy to watch while I'm crocheting or when I'm too tired to process anything else", and now I'm actually invested in it. this feels weird