#Actually I like Ola a lot when she's not with Otis but she's with Otis for too much of her screentime

[chicago-geniza]

The erotic Rome and Juliet sci-fi musical conceit on Sex Education is a work of art. Lily from Sex Education please read Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

[booksandpaperss]

elli booksandpaperss hello fellow sex education enjoyer. do you have any favorite character or characters in that show. i am very interested to hear your thoughts

I would like to start this out by saying this ask out of context would be hilarious to someone who didn’t know you were referring to a TV show while reading the first sentence kdjjsbs

but hiiiii omg thank u for this ask I literally love that show so much omfg it is rlly does cover a lot of different sexual experiences for teenagers (both queer and otherwise) and it is so genuine with its characters (and btw quite honestly its what a lot of people think heartstopper is in terms of queer rep and more soooooo)

its hard to say I have a favorite character because all of the major teen characters have found a place in my heart in their own way because every single one of them is so well written but! if I had to be forced to pick one favorite character I think it would be Eric. I adore his storyline in every season but I think the reason I would say he’s my favorite is because of season 3, I love the way he gets to explore his queerness in the context of his culture and I liked seeing how it impacted his relationship with Adam bc it showed that those two were having two very different queer experiences and how that was okay, and it was beautiful how going to Nigeria helped Eric figure out how he wanted to be his most authentic self. I also really loved how it put Eric’s black queerness specifically front and center for the season because rarely do you ever have shows that actually acknowledge that the POC queer experience can be different from the white queer experience, much less show it so beautifully and honestly. whiteness as a political concept and queerness aren’t compatible so it’s extremely ironic that most queer shows never really bother to show that. I also just really adore Eric as a character, the way he interacts with the other characters and with himself makes the general storyline so much richer, and I love his friendship with Otis almost as much as I love Maeve and Aimee’s friendship <3

other than Eric I can’t exactly say I have any other one fave but my other top characters if I had to pick would probably to Ola, Lily, and Maeve. I’m literally in love with Maeve, and Ola and Lily individually are great characters, plus I love their relationship (also they’re a great example of how to have a wlw couple that while isnt really the primary romance of the show still gets a storyline that actually gets attention outside of when it’s only convenient for the mlm and het couples yes heartstopper I’m looking at you I’m still pissed abt how Tara and Darcy literally felt like props to taoelle and nick and Charlie, ola and Lily have their own dynamic as well as their own development and issues and they never felt like props to Eric and Adam or Otis and Maeve)

and ofc an honorable mention goes to my girl Ruby, to me she was part of why season 3 was so good (can u tell season 3 is my favorite season lol). but SEE WHAT I MEAN I can’t rlly pick one character cuz I love them all since they’re all just so well written like in terms of character writing I’d say it’s easily one of the best Netflix shows

anyways feel free to ask me abt sex education anytime I love that show SO much and bee I hope u don’t mind that I used ur ask as an excuse to write an mini essay lol

[stitched-mouth]

SEX EDUCATION SEASON 4 EPISODE 7

Don’t read if you haven’t gotten up to episode 7.

I’d say O just got her redemption arc and I was right, I still hate her. Wanting to fit in is understandable but I can’t forgive her for throwing Ruby under the bus to do so, especially since O still clearly hasn’t changed.

She is still willing to throw people under the bus to get what she wants, as seen when she made Otis out to be an anti-feminist and outer.

I know Ruby isn’t perfect but at least she’s shown some improvement, compared to O.

When O brought up Otis’s Dad I wanted to shoot her. Imagine bring up someone’s family’s red flags who they have no affiliation with and using it against them just for personal gain?

How did she not lose everyone right there? Otis has made it quite clear he doesn’t agree with his Dad or really talk to him.

I was shocked with how dark this episode was. I don’t know, not that dark but child molestion and domestic abuse wasn’t topics I thought the show would go into especially in the second last episode of the last season.

Not complaining though.

Maeve going back to America and breaking up with Otis feels…so right. I’m sad but happy to see it happen.

I was really put off with Issac x Aimee at first but I think it’s starting to grow in me. Their personalities fit so well.

I wish we saw more Erin. If they were going to make it so big that Maeve still loved her Mum so much despite everything, they should of showed us why better.

Also does Sean feel like a less iconic version of Klaus from TUA? They even look alike. Sean reminds me so much of my brother it kind of hurts. He raised me when he was a teenager and I feel like it kind of messed him up. Definitely played a part in him doing drugs and being so flaky… He has a kid now who he doesn’t see and his baby mama hates me because my big brother treats me (his little sister) better than his own kid. Maybe this is odd to put here but I just wanted to say it, I haven’t been able to speak about. It’s sad because she’s not wrong, I’m more like my brother’s daughter than my actual brother’s daughter.

I HAVE A BIG FAT CRUSH ON ROMAN, THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL.

I’m a little confused about their gender but it doesn’t really matter, I still have a crush on them.

I originally thought Roman and Abbi were going to be problematic queer people that we see so often irl, but I was very happy to be wrong (maybe I’m speaking a little soon since I still have one episode left but still). I wish the show did have some terrible queer people though, since they are so common nowadays.

Well maybe Cavendish is problematic queer. With they’re lack of regard for anyone who is a gay no-binary green non-disabled person, and how they so fast to call someone sexist even though “they don’t gossip”.

WAIT, O is the problematic queer. Just occurred to me now. Also shout out to her actor, Thaddea Graham, she did such a good job at making me hate O. I’m also so happy to see an Irish person WITH A REAL IRISH ACCENT on screen. Even cooler that’s she’s Chinese too. There are a lot of Irish Chinese people in Ireland you know, I feel like a lot of people who don’t know that.

If Eric and Otis don’t makeup I just might boycott Netflix.

If Connor somehow wins the election I also just might boycott Netflix.

Is it obvious I want Otis to win?

I’m really hoping Ruby gets a good ending, I’m really scared what they are going to do to her now.

IF JACKSON’S MUM IS HAVING AN AFFAIR IM SHUTTING NETFLIX DOWN.

I’m not so fond of Joanna, she reminds me a little bit of my little sister who I recently cut all ties with, but honestly just seems a little lost. Which is why she can be so annoying. And it’s not problematic annoying, she’s just got that naïve dysfunctional black sheep sibling energy.

WHERE ARE YAKOB, OLA AND LILY?!?!

Also Anwar and Olivia but I’m more upset about Yakob, Ola and Lily because they have an unfinished story from S3.

And I’m pretty sure Anwar’s actor has left for his new Netflix movie, which means Olivia has likely done the same.

I had a huge crush on Olivia back in S1 and S2.

ANYWAY, onto episode 8 the finale…

I’m so sad to say goodbye to Sex Education.

SEX EDUCATION SEASON 4 SPOILERS EPISODE 5

If you’ve not watched up to 25 minutes of episode 5 and don’t want spoiler, don’t continue. I don’t cover everything here but still.

Still watching Sex Education, on episode 5, and O just came out and I hate her even more.

I really hope no one says Otis outed her. And her asexuality doesn’t explain what she did to Ruby.

Fuck O, there’s no hope for me liking her now. I’m literally red in the face and getting a headache from anger.

If she’s supposed to make me punch my TV then the actress is doing a great job.

Also where the fuck is Lily and Ola? And are they trying to set up Joanna with Joy’s possible father? Is there going to be a big reveal? I’m scared about Joy’s father…

Also poor Yacob(?).

[untimelyambition]

i have SO MUCH TO TALK ABT WITH THIS TRAILER (sex education season 3)

it looks so fucking good??????

aimee and steve still together... jumping on trampolines together... if anything happens to them i will throw hands

aimee has a goat????

eric saying “otis what’s on your face” implying they haven’t seen each other all summer which is... definitely not something i believe

rahim is still there???

eric wearing makeup to school :’)

new headteacher and uniforms but we already knew this

lily and ola still holding hands i hope they’re ok this season :)

OTIS AND RUBY????? THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS IN PUBLIC??? THEY HOOK UP IN THE BATHROOMS??

ADAM AND ERIC???? look i am personally not the biggest fan of this pairing but as long as eric is happy i am too

also it’s nice to see adam smiling lmfao he’s never gotten to do that

ive spotted jackson... good to know he’s still alive i guess

in one shot anwar is wearing a fascinator... for some reason...

if isaac and maeve start dating i WILL be throwing hands. why is maeve walking into a house?? did she move out?? is she visiting isaac and he moved out?? who’s the woman with her??

every single character going through angst... i do NOT love to see it i want them all to be left alone

bathrooms got torn down... f in chat for the bathrooms

some fucking random scene including a hijacked bus????

aimee and maeve fighting >:( theyre GFS stop making them FIGHT

like a grand total of 1 second of jean screen time... did we forget that shes pregnant??? why are there no shots of her i bet it has something to do w the pregnancy (and her giving birth etc and losing her belly obviously)

new love interest for jackson???

groff family reunion in the local grocery store as you do

more new characters actually several new characters

lots of other bits and pieces im not going to comment on bc we have no context for them but like... i see them i will understand them when it comes out

the scene with otis hugging eric and adam is walking with them smiling at them... mayhaps i will cry this season

jean and jakob are just... back together again hopefully to raise their mcfucking kid

AND LASTLY... POSSIBLE MAEVE AND OTIS RAIN KISS????? if this drags on another season as a slow burn i will simply lose my mind

[blues-valentine]

LOVE reading all ur thoughts about ruby/otis. something that i think a lot of viewers are overlooking is that just a few months ago in the timeline of the show otis was dealing with severe childhood trauma regarding sex that was bad enough to the point where he literally had a panic attack in front of lily. so the fact that him and ruby are /extremely/ sexually compatible is super important in my opinion because it showcases just how much otis has developed as a character. like you said, he’s able to speak his mind in front of ruby and that includes both sex-related and non-sex-related things which is way different from his time with ola.

the friction at the beginning of ruby + otis’ relationship is SO refreshing to watch because there’s this constant challenging of boundaries and rather than it turning toxic they’re able to actually reach a healthy compromise on everything with no drama. otis and maeve on the other hand bring out the worst in each other. it’s not a coincidence that the moment otis refixates on maeve he has another one of his classic yelling-at-jean-for-being-unethical scenes. you know how psychologists say that grown adults tend to go back to acting childlike when they’re around their parents because that’s what they’re used to? that’s exact what I feel like when I watch motis on screen. all of otis’ good traits that we saw blossom with ruby (i.e. confidence, transparency, maturity) suddenly disappear around maeve. he regresses back to his old, insecure bumbling season 1 self again.

a lot of motis enthusiasts say that oh otis is looking for someone he has a ~true connection~ with and it’s baffling with because hello?? did otis not lose his virginity to ruby? did they not go through a pregnancy scare together where otis had his only one true mature moment in s2 where he told ruby that if she decided to keep the baby he would be willing to drop out and support her financially? did she not openly discuss her father’s diagnosis and her family’s money problems with him? ALL of those instances are so deeply intimate and I would argue that ruby started having feelings for otis specifically because he helped her purchase plan b, something that most boys would never do

Thank you, anon! This is everything I wanted to say because those are interesting points!

Firstly, I said this in one of my posts that they could’ve done SO MUCH with Ruby and Otis in terms of sexual education. As you say, Otis was so sexually repressed to the point of getting panic attacks about it, it's true that sexual compatibility between two people is super important, and it seems like Ruby and Otis shared that. It could’ve been great for them to speak about how Otis feels about his sexual active life and how he went from "not that great" to "good at sex" and that’s probably because he respects Ruby' demands during sex, as we saw. It could’ve been great to deep into why Ruby goes for sex when she’s in a difficult situation emotionally, and how talking or forming an emotional connection is actually really hard for her, as we saw. The potential was endless and they fumbled the bag terribly.

I think Otis and Ruby's dynamic balances out because Ruby is able to be softer and Otis sharpens a little bit. It’s funny how some people are taking the whole "changing him" thing as a reason they don’t work when Ruby stopped doing that the moment he asked her to stop. We saw changes from her. Also, we saw that Ruby obviously had feelings for him (probably from the summer spent together) given the fact her dad called her out on always talking about him. Character development exists for a reason. I saw Otis more confident, outspoken and care free. I think he even communicated more with Jean during that period (also we know Ruby has stayed the night at Otis' house too). When he went back to the Maeve drama, he instantly felt super awkward, back to having an insecurity crisis and as you say, went back to screaming at Jean for some reason. I remember on season 1 how he would never say no to Maeve's wishes, leaving Eric on important moments, he wasn’t able to set boundaries between her and his relationships. And people likes to argue is because "he actually feels something for Maeve and he is a teenager" but how come he regresses when fixates in her? I think they bring out unlikable parts of each other and that’s not something to look forward in a relationship not matter how in love you are.

The whole "real connection" thing is also a reach because the 2x07 scenes actually showed them having a real connection. Otis being very mature while handling the plan b situation, Ruby opening up to him about her father and their financial problems. Also sex can be a connection if you allow it to be, after all she is the first person he ever had sex with. Ruby showing him her house and allowing him to meet her dad is a connection, a raw and vulnerable one. I believe that Otis really liked Ruby and his feelings could’ve grown deeper with time, but I understand Ruby not wanting to involve herself deeper with him because emotions are scary, especially unrequited ones.

I like Maeve and Otis, I know they’ll be endgame but I think they’re in very different places and I enjoy them more apart than when they are paired romantically with each other, at least this season it was like that for me.

[craftygalaxyspyfrog]

sex education tickle headcannons that nobody asked for, but i feel is necessary

i have not actually seen a whole lot for this fandom, but it is one of my favourites, so i am going in. hold onto your socks

(i am just going to stick to the fab four for now, may expand at a later date)

OTIS

our poor little ticklish baby

has a very squealy laugh

can hardly control his laughter when any spot is targeted

his worst spots are his neck, his ears and his tummy

his thighs are also a pretty good spot

is the target of many attacks

eric and him used to get into tickle fights all the time

it was their little way of lightening the mood

it started after otis' dad left and they just never grew out of it (thank goodness)

eric likes to poke his side whilst they are biking to school and can't help but cackle when he falls off of his bike with a thump

he enjoys being tickled if he trusts the person

bonus: maeve tickles him alllllll the time. she just loves to see his smile. honestly, the moment that she found out he was ticklish; he was doomed

ERIC

not as ticklish as otis but he is still pretty bad

his laugh is full to the brim with snorts and loud cackles

he tries to hold in his laughter for as long as possible but it never usually gets him pretty far

he is a wizard in a tickle fight, but will tap out as soon as somebody moves towards his feet

if you are able to make it that far

skilled fingers

like he is playing you like a french horn (it sounded cool in my head)

his worst spots are his feet, the backs of his knees and his armpits

he tickles otis all the time

he tries to tickle connor all the time, too, but that doesn't usually end well for him

he is way more ticklish than connor

he is not used to losing a tickle fight

it was very humbling for him

MAEVE

is the second most ticklish of the group after otis

she wasn't tickled much as a kid so her friends are making up for that now

her laugh will usually start as quiet snickers but before long, if you are able to get her good, she will be a squealing mess with tears and her lovely smile

definitely more of a ler than a lee

her worst spots are her ribs, knees, and her hips

her hips are soooooo bad

aimee tickles her when she is in need of a good laugh

otis tickles her when she is being annoying

eric tried to tickle her once and almost lost a finger

she is a merciless taunter

but teases work just as well on her

tickle fights with elsie that end in snuggles

she would rather be forced to talk to her peers than admit to anybody that she actually doesn't mind being tickled

AIMEE

our little sunshine girl

she isn't as ticklish as you would think

if you hit enough bad spots at once, however, she will be like putty in your hands

is definitely a squirmer

maeve tickles her the most out of everybody in the group

they live to hear each other's laugh

her worst spot is her armpits

she will try everything in her power to keep people out of there

she is not above bargaining her goat

is definitely in this situation more to make people laugh than laugh herself

she gets more joy out of tearing maeve to pieces

especially after her friend is being so grumpy

her finger nails are deadly

and her teases are above everything else

BONUS: LILY & OLA

tickle fights between these two are almost a daily occurance

like maeve, lily wasn't tickled a whole lot growing up

ola likes to make up for that now

ola was tickled a whole lot as a kid

her dad used to wreck her alllll the time

kisses that lead to cuddles that lead to tickle fights that lead to more kisses and cuddles

lily is more of a ler in this scenario because ola's laugh is just her most favourite thing in the whole world

ola is a screecher

if you hit a good spot, she will scream the house down

lily has more of a quiet laugh, but there are a few snorts mixed in there

ola lives to hear those snorts

ola's worst spot is her feet

lily's worst spot is her sides and hips

sly pokes in the middle of class to see who can keep their reactions under control the best

basically just couple goals

[theodorebasmanov]

O, MY GOD! The second season of “Sex Education” is finally out and I even watch it when it’s still actual and not a year after – today is the seventeenth of January 2020 10:20 p.m. and I’ve just watched the first of episode of the second season of “Sex Education”. O, MY GOD! I missed all the characters so much! I love them all and they are all relatable but Eric is such a mood – every time he laughs – I start laughing. By the way – I laughed so much! I had a chap on my lip and it almost started bleeding again, because of how much I smiled and laughed. This series is just so amazing and courageous – the opening scene proves it – (Spoilers!) the series begins with Otis masturbating. A lot (“Mucho masturbation” hah) – too much. Then, he tries to have sex with Ola and when she starts touching his penis it “doesn’t work” and Otis starts thinking that he masturbated too much. Oh, about their sex – active consent: before each action, they ask each other if it’s okay – it’s so hot, so sexy of them! They also accidentally find out about their parents’ relationship. The other part of the plot – the hysteria at school about chlamydia. Students think that there’s an outbreak and that it can be transmitted by airborne droplets. A parent meeting is organized and now parents want Otis’ mother to teach students Sex Education. Jackson hurts his hand on purpose because he feels too much pressure from his mother. Maeve works in some food chain, meets her mother who on her way to recovery from addiction, after that meeting he decides to get back to school and by blackmailing headmaster Groff of revealing that most of the award-winning essays at his school are cheating (written by her). Adam is in a military school that doesn’t seem like hell. There’s a new student from France at school and everybody thinks that he’s very handsome (I don’t…). Otis is still asked about for sex advice all the time, so, after he helps to resolve the chlamydia problem (by finding the person, who was infected first), he asks Maeve to get the “clinic” back and she agrees. O, MY GOD!

[galactichoneybee92]

Disorganized Thoughts on Sex Education Season 3

I binge watched the entirety of season 3 on Friday, and after sitting with it for a couple days, I have composed myself enough to offer some thoroughly disorganized thoughts on what I’ve seen. 

     While I did enjoy many things about this season, I don’t understand the people who claim it was the strongest. In fact, I believe that it was the weakest. I don’t know what exactly happened during the delay, but I swear they have to have lost staff. Writers, perhaps editors? Whoever usually reins things in a bit, keeps the show grounded, and everyone in character. Whoever had that job, they’re either gone, or they’ve just stopped giving a fuck which, while relatable, is unfortunate in regards to this show. Now what do I mean by that? Let me elaborate:

1. This season was gross. And I don’t mean in general, like I didn’t like it. No, I mean that the writers decided that being sexually explicit wasn’t funny enough and decided to add just a fuck-ton of fart jokes and toilet humor. And I get it, okay? This show prides itself on being crass. But you can be crass without being disgusting. I acknowledge that this comes entirely down to personal preference, but I can’t stand toilet humor and I feel like this season really ramped it up. Every episode was someone farting or talking about shit, or that god forsaken thrice cursed bus scene. Sex doesn’t gross me out, talk about sex all fucking day I don’t care, but I don’t need to watch an extended scene of someone digging their own shit out of a bus toilet in a sock and chucking it out the window onto someone’s car. And even just smaller things, like Aimee talking about the flour constipating her or her taking a massive shit in Jean’s toilet when she and Maureen were there. Those scenes weren’t necessary for the plot in any way, which leads me to believe they were just there because someone thought they were funny and if that’s you’re thing go off, but it most definitely isn’t mine. 

2. Ruby and Otis. And more importantly, what was the point of Ruby and Otis? Now don’t get me wrong, I like Ruby as a character and I found their relationship interesting. And I think that it would have been even more interesting if the writers had devoted more time to properly developing it- Ruby was getting better as a person but she wasn’t there yet. I liked it once Otis started standing up for himself more, and demanding respect in the relationship and as she started to actually care for him she did come to treat him more respectfully. I think with more time they could have been really good. But they didn’t get that time- she said she loved him and they didn’t even work through that fiasco before he was kissing Maeve at a gas station. Overall it had a lot of potential but the way they played it left me just sitting here like...why? Like from a narrative standpoint what was even the purpose? Because from where I’m sitting it really only served as yet another roadblock standing between Otis and Maeve and even though I shipped them like CRAZY in season 1 and 2 the constant unnecessary roadblocks are getting a little old. Which leads me to my next point...

3. Why was Maeve and Otis so unsatisfying? That’s not actually a rhetorical question, I can tell you: Because the writers put so little effort into what is supposed to be the main couple on the show. I feel like they put more effort into keeping them apart and then when it comes time to put them together they’re just kind of like NOW KISS, they only talk like once after and then they ship Maeve off to America. Now I’ve heard rumors that Emma Mackey might not want to return to the show for season 4 so if I had to guess at all of this I would say that both this point and the last was a sloppy attempt to cover their asses in the event that they can’t get her to sign back on. If she does return, they can explore the relationship between her and Otis in season 4. If she doesn’t, they’re probably going to put him back with Ruby. But they couldn’t just write her off without at least touching on the relationship they spent the past 2 seasons building, even though Otis and Maeve barely interact in this season, which is frankly another reason why it felt so shoddy. They spent exponentially more time talking to other people and then half the time when Otis was talking to her he was super cringe. 

     Overall, despite loving their relationship initially, the characters have changed so much from their original dynamic, and have interacted so little, that I really don’t even know what’s pulling these characters together. It’s disappointing to admit that I’m kind of over it but honestly even the writers don’t feel invested. it kind of feels like they put them together because the audience expected it and after 3 seasons of anticipation the payoff was generally underwhelming. 

4. Otis. Just...Otis. I understand that Otis was introduced as being a very nice helpful character in season one. He was the quintessential good guy. And then in season 2 he got to explore being a douche for a bit- which is fine. He is a teenager and he was going through some shit. But I really felt that by the end of season 2 he should have resolved that particular plot point. And he was a little better in season 3 I guess? But he didn’t really progress until the end of this season and from a writing standpoint I feel like they really dragged that out for too long. 

5. What’s with this show and it’s hard on for cheating? Like seriously, why does almost every relationship have some kind of infidelity. Like, were Otis and Ruby officially broken up when he kissed Maeve? Maeve certainly hadn’t broken up with Isaac, and this was almost directly on the heels of their very emotional sex scene. There was the issue with Jean and Jakob last season, and Eric cheating on Rahim with Adam. And then Eric (for some reason) cheating on Adam this season with random Nigerian dude whose name I can’t remember. Just...why is this a thing? 

     But also can we just talk about how weird the break up was? And out of left field? Like they literally spent the whole season developing their relationship, and then they get to Nigeria and after hiding the whole time he is subtly able to talk about Adam to his grandmother. And he sounds so proud, and so nice when he’s doing so, and not at all like he’s planning to end this wonderful relationship he’s describing. And then when he gets back, guilty after cheating on said boyfriend (like he should be) he asks Adam, seemingly as a test, if he would go out to a club with him. And Adam says no because that isn’t his scene and like...Eric knows that isn’t his scene. But at the same time, I feel like if Eric had sat him down and been like “You don’t have to wear makeup or dress outlandishly, just come to the club with me because it’s important to me” I really think Adam would have gone. And if the clothes and make-up were a dealbreaker like...why? You know who you’re dating. And while wanting him to tell his mom isn’t an overwhelmingly outrageous request, when you start getting into his physical appearance then that’s just actually trying to change him as a person and that’s just a really shitty thing to do. 

6. I promise there will be some positives in this list at some point but before that...what the fuck Eric? Like, I understand that Eric wants to get out there and explore his options, find someone more comfortable doing the things that he wants to go do. That’s realistic I guess, your high school relationships don’t work out and just because Adam came out for him he still isn’t obligated to stay in a relationship with him. But from a fictional narrative standpoint? What the fuck is this? Adam and Eric were one of the most popular ships on the show. They have been foreshadowed since season one, and had so so much effort put into developing them both as characters. Adam has come such a long way. They have brought him so far out of him comfort zone that Adam in season 3 is almost a completely different person to Adam in season 1. They spent so much of this season further developing the relationship they established last season, and for what? To break them up at the very end? WHY? 

7. Following on the heels of point 6, Aimee and Steve. They didn’t need to break up. I understand the direction the writers were taking this- Aimee wants to be single for a while to fully process her trauma and get to know her own body again. And that’s valid. I just don’t like it because I very strongly suspect that she will have a new love interest next season and that all her stuff about being single isn’t going to be shown. It will all happen off screen during whatever time skip they employ between seasons and then they’re going to use the fact that she is single to introduce a new more dramatic love interest for her since golden retriever boy Steve wasn’t interesting enough for them. Maybe that’s just me being cynical but if anyone can come out of season 3 NOT feeling a little cynical it would probably be a miracle. 

8. A positive! Finally a positive! I love the relationship between Adam and Rahim. Do I want them to date? Not particularly. I wouldn’t be mad if it happens, but I really just like them as like awkward begrudging friends. Some of my favorite scenes this season were the interactions between the two of them (Once again, the disgusting bus ride notwithstanding) I like Rahim a lot more when he isn’t interrupting my ship (which is a habit of mine. I liked Ola a lot more once she broke up with Otis) 

9. I don’t think Viv was out of character. Some people have been saying that she was, but I don’t think so. She has always been ambitious and even Jackson understand that about her in the show. And even when she was working for Hope and carrying out her rules, she was never an antagonist because she never gave up her personal morals to do it. For example, when Hope had them divided into boy and girl lines, Jackson asked her where Cal should go. She told him that boys went to the left and girls went to the right but as soon as Cal was like “Im not a boy or a girl,” Viv was immediately like, “ Oh! Right! Let me ask Hope.” She approached the situation in a way that made it clear that she recognized this issue as a legitimate problem and when she went to Hope it wasn’t framed like “This person is being an issue refusing to choose,” but instead like “We didn’t account for this possibility, that was our bad. How should we fix it?” Later on, on the class trip, Viv even lied to Hope and told her everything was fine because she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Viv took the opportunities presented to her, but I never interpreted it as her being an antagonist in any way. 

10. I love that Viv and Jackson remained friends, and I love that Viv has her sexy long-distance boyfriend who sexts about wheat XD Her sexting was one of my favorite scenes- well written, laugh out loud hilarious. No complaints. Sexy boyfriend was indeed very sexy and honestly, Viv absolutely deserves him. 

11. Mr. Groff better apologize to Adam next season, or at the very least have any kind of fucking conversation with his son at all or else why the fuck did I watch SO MANY scenes developing him as a sympathetic character? They could have spent that time developing ANYONE, but instead we were focused on him so like...I’m going to need some kind of payoff. Make it relevant

12. I want more bonding scenes between Adam and Maureen. I love Maureen- I love her friendship with Jean and I love how she always chooses her son over  her estranged husband (as she should) I especially love her very loving and supportive relationship with Adam, even though Adam is terrible at communication. It’s a self indulgent wish, I’d just like to see more. 

13. Isaac. I made many posts after the season 2 release, about how much I despised Isaac. Unlike Ola, I find that I didn’t have a complete change of heart but I don’t hate him AS MUCH as I did before. I still don’t like him though and while you might think “Yeah but you hate anyone who stands in the way of Otis and Maeve” no. This is historically accurate and yet, this season? Not true. For example, I don’t hate Ruby. Do I think her inclusion in the story was handled poorly in a way that made the entire plot point unnecessary? Yes I do. I also feel that way about Isaac, but less so because I feel like the relationship between him and Maeve deepening was better foreshadowed and was kind of the natural conclusion given the events of the previous season. As a character though, I still don’t really like him, and after 2 seasons of him I don’t think it has anything to do with him interfering with Maeve’s relationship with Otis- I just legitimately don’t like him. And I don’t like him with Maeve. I think the biggest irritant this season was the way that, after confessing about deleting the message he was like “yeah I fucked up but only because I like you so much, just forgive me” And then at one point I believe I remember Maeve apologizing to him for her reaction to everything. But then when he found out that she kissed Otis (admittedly a shitty thing to do) he got so mad and like, held a fucking grudge about it. And I get it, he has a right to be mad, but also boy you were the one groveling like 2 episodes ago get over yourself. They both fucked up in different ways but he acts like he has the moral high ground all the time and it gets really annoying. I don’t know, maybe I’m letting my general dislike of the character color my perception of events, but this show has managed to change my opinion on characters before but it still hasn’t made me like him so I think it’s just not going to. 

14. What the hell were they trying to do with Hope? Like legitimately, what? Because I can’t quite figure it out. And that’s mostly because I feel like they were trying to make her a nuanced and sympathetic villain, but they broke a cardinal rule- To make a villain sympathetic you must also ensure that nothing they do is inherently irredeemable. For example, principal Groff. He was a grade A dick for the past 2 seasons but I still feel that, now that we have a sympathetic backstory, if handled properly he could still come back from this. He can see the error of his ways and if he works really really hard to make amends to his family he could perhaps have his character turned around. In Hope’s case however, I would argue that they did makes her nuanced, but failed to make her sympathetic because as a character she went too far. If they had stuck to her just being a general tyrant of a headmaster - enforcing strict rules and regulations but doing so out of insurmountable pressure from her own bosses -  and then softened us towards the character by showing us her willingness to help Maeve get a scholarship, her troubled marriage, and her inability to conceive, it could have worked. The trouble is when they brought in her racism and general bigotry. Those weren’t flaws brought on by stress, those were deeply rooted character flaws that the character isn’t going to overcome because by the end of the season the character hasn’t even admitted them to herself. The issues were addressed by others, but not by Hope herself, leaving me to believe that the character herself still views them as a nonissue. I would be very surprised if she even appears in season 4 and moreso if they manage to even half-way redeem her. I’m relatively certain we won’t see her again, which makes me question the effort put into her character development. 

15. I like Jakob as a character, I don’t like him as a love interest for Jean, but I LOVE him as a father figure for Otis. It’s very conflicting because I want him to stay in Otis’s life, but I don’t like him as a romantic interest for Jean. also it’s pretty clear he isn’t Joy’s father so that’s going to be an awkward fucking conversation. If she even tells him. The way the show is going I kind of feel like she won’t, or will at least put it off for as long as possible. 

16. I want more interaction between Otis and Jean. Positive interaction, not just her being intrusive or Otis being a little bitch. I like their mother-son dynamic when they’re getting along so I just generally want more of it. 

17. Adam. Adam has become my favorite character in this show and I just generally want more of him and his relationships with others. I love his relationship with his mother but I want more if him and Emily, and him and Ola and now him and Ruby. I want to see him and Ruby discussing the Kardashians. I want him to train Madam and enter her in more competitions and just ultimately grow his social circle. Get all the love and support for god’s sake this boy needs it. 

Im sure there are plenty of things I’m forgetting and you can ask me about them if you like but for now it’s late and I’m tired. 

[catty-words]

can you please tell me how you interpret otis' relationship with jean?

mm, so, while i don’t always find it enjoyable on a minute-by-minute basis because jean’s boundary issues touch a nerve and because i’ve imprinted so completely on my boy otis and hate to watch his autonomy challenged, there can be no denying that otis and jean’s relationship is incredibly rich and complex. there’s So Much to talk about, it’s kind of hard to pick a starting point.

but the aspect of their relationship i find most fascinating, i think, is the way both jean and otis’ number one priority is to mold otis into/become a man who doesn’t at all resemble remy. jean tries to accomplish this by constantly reframing otis’ reactions to her in the female point of view. like, think of the moment in 1.02 where otis says something to the effect of “you're stalking your son” and jean responds “that word carries a lot of weight, young man, don’t misuse it” or even the scene in the pilot that establishes their relationship for the audience, where otis takes jean’s latest sexual conquest to task and jean points out the sexism inherent in the argument otis is making.

and i like how years of this kind of guidance, this encouragement to see the broader cultural consequences of the worldview you’re imposing on others, has both helped otis flourish as a compassionate person and given him a crippling self-consciousness. he can both offer useful and mature sexual education to his peers, and fail to step outside his preoccupation with his insecurities in order to forge sexual relationships of his own.

also, one of the compelling consequences of the fracturing of their family and their subsequent preoccupation with remy’s part in it is the way jean’s unwillingness to be emotionally available to a partner affects otis. he’s watched her hedonistic approach to sex and leaned that sexual intimacy can - and perhaps even should - be developed only with people you don’t care about on a deeper level. it’s a way to invite intimacy into your life while maintaining steady boundaries around your heart. even remy’s absence, and the reason for remy’s absence, reinforces this for otis. having sex with someone you care about, with someone you’d willingly adopt as a life partner, gives them the power to hurt you beyond repair.

we see this guiding life principle take its toll on otis throughout season two, where he struggles with the idea of jean dating jakob and chooses ola over maeve again and again because he sees her as the safer alternative to being with someone he cares for deeply and in a way that’s already painful without it being as intimate as it has the potential to be. otis’ lashing out during the season comes from the fact that he’s unprepared to deal with his mom changing the foundation upon which she’s built their lives. that foundation being suddenly called into question by jean willingly becoming emotionally intimate with another person post-remy only makes otis’ latent anger more pronounced. now that he actually has a sexual life of which to speak, he’s building it in jean’s own image. so if she changes her mind about what makes physical vs. emotional intimacy worthwhile, that means otis has to deal with the fact that he could have followed his heart all along instead of choosing the closed-off and pragmatic option. what he’s missing, of course, is the way emotional intimacy after all this time doesn’t come naturally to jean. she’s working very hard to go against her nature in order to maintain - or fail to maintain, as it were - her relationship with jakob and that, in point of fact, the effort is what speaks to the relationship’s worth. relationships are the work of two people, they don’t magically spring into being by nature of intense chemistry and they aren’t time bombs that blow up in your face at random. for all jean’s preoccupation with keeping her dynamic with otis open and communicative, she certainly fails to pass along the idea that, above all else, passivity is the worst thing you can bring into any relationship.

which brings us to the other aspect of otis and jean’s relationship that’s of most interest to me: the aforementioned boundary issues. both otis and jean are very internal and largely private people. for otis, we see it manifest mostly in his relationship with jean. he doesn’t want to tell her about maeve, or the sex clinic, or his fight with eric. for jean, it’s in her consistent shutting down of anything more than sex with her various suitors and, most notably, in the 1.06 scene about otis’ thrashed wardrobe with jakob - “do you always avoid questions like this?”

but even while jean shares otis’ preference toward self-reliance and contemplativeness, she battles against his every assertion of privacy, wandering into his room to look through his stuff both when he specifically asks her not to and at random. the kid doesn’t get a lock for his bedroom door until he’s sixteen for crying out loud and, when he finally does, jean kicks open the door in a violation of what the lock symbolizes - namely, otis’ ability to choose when and what he shares with her.

so while this parent-child dynamic is far too close to home for me to make me particularly warm toward jean or identify with her, i do appreciate the way it brings endless complexity to the character. her whole persona is built on respectful and direct communication. it’s her greatest tool as a therapist, and it’s her greatest pitfall as a mother. because for every spoken “let the negative energy dissipate” and ‘let’s have a calm and rational discussion about this,” there’s a choice she makes to actively violate otis’ spoken and unspoken requests for stronger boundaries.

aside from her practice, otis is jean’s whole life. and you can clearly see the ways she’s done an exceptional job at raising a compassionate and thoughtful human being with all the energy and time she’s focused on doing just that. on the other hand, otis is jean’s whole life and you can clearly see the ways him behaving similarly to her both reinforces jean’s perception that she’s entitled to his life on her terms and creates tension around the fact that all otis wants is to assert the self-reliance she’s instilled in him.

[sweetcresta]

things i liked about sex education 3:

• the relationship between ruby and otis. when i saw the trailer i thought they would just be friends, but was pleasantly suprised to see that they’ve continued to hook up. ruby falling in love with otis and her dad saying she talks about him all the time were such perfect details. ruby was a stand out this season.

• the development that shows Ruby’s friends actually care about her and they aren’t just popular kids who hang out at school.

• the fact that they continue to talk about Amiee’s assault and have not brushed it off after one season.

• we see maureen standing up for Adam, being genuinely caring towards him and not letting him get hurt again.

• the addition of non binary people. it made me realize a lot of things about myself.

• hope was a great villain who made the stakes feel higher

thing i did not like

• when lily and ola ended up together last season i expected their relationship to be more explored but it felt really boring, uninteresting and heartless from lily’s ends. and by the end any emotional investment was lost on me.

• not every character needs a redemption arch. some people are just shit people (cough cough Adam’s dad). it really bothered me how they attempted to redeem the character and justify his actions by showing his dad was abusive, whilst not once trying to mend things with adam. it truly still feels like he only cares about maureen. i find it hard to give sympathy to fathers who carry on the legacy abuse, especially when they know how much it effected them as a child into adulthood.

• meave and otis. boring. over it. chemistry is gone, if it ever was there.

• apparently making jakob not the father. what the fuck? this one actually really upset me. i’m tired of jean and jakob being punching bags.

• we did not see enough of ola’s and adam’s blooming friendship.

• i’m getting tired of meave’s stank attitude. honey, everyone’s not out to get you and yeah you don’t have you parents around and your life is hard but you do have A LOT of people who care about you/want you/help you. there are people in meaves situation with a lot less. please cry somewhere else about people loving you/believing in you enough to pay for you to do things.

• the fact that adam’s development felt like it was at the expense of eric’s character. i do not think eric was patient at all. before adam could even get a full senstence out it felt like eric was always rolling his eyes and running away.

• the ending felt rushed.

[honeybee-babe]

Ficlet: Adam+Eric and Ruby+Otis on Another Double Date and Adam’s Allergies Act Up

(brief glimpse of Lily+Ola at the end)

Another cute/fluffy fic featuring sneezy Adam, this time with lots of cute Ruby bits! Canon compliant.

2,018 words

The second time Adam and Eric went on a double date with Otis and Ruby, they had decided to go to the park down the street from the Milburn residence for a picnic.

It was still September pollen count was manageable, so Adam thought he could handle it. He'd been meaning to stop taking his Claritin for the season and decided last night would be a good time. If he took them too much, he found that they became less effective.

What he hadn't been expecting was that Ruby would be wearing so much freaking perfume.

"You two excited to chat more about your terrible taste in reality TV?" Otis teased as he poured everyone a solo cup of pilfered red wine from his mom's pre-pregnancy stash.

"Most people like to stay updated on pop culture," Ruby said, flashing him a condescending little smile and taking a sip of wine.

"Plus, it's wicked funny!" Eric defended, elbowing Adam to get him to agree -- which he did, nodding before taking a long sip of his wine to try to cover up his nose twitching, indulging in a few scrunches in that time. He'd never had wine before. It was weird but oddly delicious. "We watch it together sometimes now. You should try watching it with Ruby, y'know it can't hurt to show some interest in the things your girlfriend likes.”

"I will watch the Kardashians when she plays Smash Bros."

"I am not playing a stupid video game, especially not one with a disgusting title like that."

"...what do you think Smash Bros is about?"

For some reason, the wine seemed to be making Adam’s nose more itchy. He set his cup down and rubbed at it a bit, while everyone else was thankfully too invested in the argument to notice.

He still hadn't sneezed in front of anyone except Eric, and even around him he still stifled, occasionally managing an half-stifle (well, more of a 3/4 stifle). This was just not an insecurity he could fully conquer overnight.

Unfortunately, the red wine was really setting him over the edge. Normally in this situation, he'd just excuse himself to the bathroom for a minute to go sneeze in peace and take his meds. Or if he really couldn't hold back in the middle of a class or something, he'd just find some time when the teacher wasn't looking to stifle into silence. He typically sat in the back so that wasn't an issue.

But unfortunately, he didn't have either of those luxuries at the moment. And it was a double allergen -- something he wasn't used to. Maybe now was the time for him to push his phobia a bit further.

Eric's explanation of the game and Ruby's unexpected curiosity and interest in it (maybe it was the wine talking?) proved another distraction, as he finally indulged in a silent stifle, turning away from Eric just in time.

As usual, the force rocked him to the side quite a bit, and his wine sloshed in his cup from the force, and Eric immediately grabbed it from him before it could actually spill, knowing there were at least two more coming (and Adam spilled shit on himself enough when he wasn't involuntarily and repeatedly convulsing). Thankfully, Adam managed to squash them both into silence too.

“Gesundheit,” Otis said casually as Eric and Ruby went on talking. Adam nodded his thanks to him as Eric handed him back his cup and squeezed his hand. He knew Adam was weird about sneezing around other people and he was glad that he was making steps to get over it.

The conversation dragged on, Adam offering little grunts and one word answers of agreement with Eric. Otis and Ruby (begrudgingly) agreed to try watching the show and playing the game, respectively.

Adam's nose was still itchy, but he could keep it at bay with occasional (and well-timed) rubs and sniffs -- and by avoiding the wine. 

All was well, until they started in on their pizza gluten free pizza. It really wasn’t that bad, and Ruby really appreciated that no one had made a fuss about it. Otis went to refill everyone's wine cups.

"Adam, you've barely touched your wine." he observed, seeming disappointed. “Usually you finish your drink before everyone else. Do you not like it?"

"No, uh. It's really good. It’s just, uh," Adam hesitated. “...wine gives me the shits sometimes, so. Probably shouldn’t risk it.”

Everyone exchanged a mutual look of disgust, Ruby in particular.

"Well, there goes my appetite.” She tossed down her pizza slice and went for another sip of wine. "TMI, much?"

"So, uh," Eric cleared his throat. "What about that assembly today, huh? Quite the disaster."

"I'd rather not bring Hope Hadden into my safe space, thanks.”

"This is your safe space?"

"Wherever there's wine and gluten free pizza, I feel safe." Just as Ruby said that, Adam took a rather large bite of his own slice, leaving a big splotch of sauce on his chin. Out of habit, Ruby went in with her napkin. It wasn’t her fault, she was used to cleaning up for her father, and he and Adam both radiated the same fuckwit energy.

"Uh... thanks?" Adam commented, a little bit embarrassed. Ruby's hand flew back down to her cup as soon as she realized her mistake, hiding her face in her cup.

"You trying to flirt with my boyfriend, Ruby?" Eric joked.

"No, it was just disgusting to look at!" she insisted, flushing a bit red, maybe not due to just the wine. "You should really invest in an etiquette class," she said rather condescendingly to Adam, who wasn't listening because he was gearing up for another sneeze. He’d been set off a second time, this time due to the unexpected proximity to Ruby’s heavily perfumed wrist.

He indulged in another triple, this time punctuating the first two silent ones with a more substantial half-stifle.

“hh’MPtsh! Fuck,” he vocalized on a heavy sigh in the aftermath. Eric rubbed his arm tenderly, which he’d been doing since the second sneeze in this set. Ruby and Otis shot each other a look.

"Babe," Eric started once he was sure that was it, removing his hand from Adam's arm to instead tilt the sniffling boy's face to him. He was clearly flushed and his eyes were a bit watery. "Did you forget to take your meds last night?"

"Uh, no. I didn't." Adam muttered, sniffling rather loudly. Sneezing in front of them was bad enough without Eric commenting on it, even though Adam knew it was from a place of love. "I stopped taking them last week, remember?"

"Why would you not take antihistamines before a picnic if you've got allergies?" Ruby asked, clearly unimpressed.

"The pollen count wasn't supposed to be high today."

"Well, clearly it is.”

"Actually, it’s not," Otis cut in, showing off his phone screen. "I just looked it up.”

"Are you getting sick, babe?" Eric asked, putting a hand to Adam's forehead. "You do look a little flushed."

"No," Adam backed away from him, swatting his hand away from him. He really did not do well with everyone staring at him. "It's, uh, I think it's the wine. It was, uh. It was kinda bothering my nose."

"Why wouldn't you just tell us that?" Ruby asked. "That's a much better image than you shitting yourself."

"I've heard wine can bother people with hayfever," Otis commented, taking the bottle and moving it away from Adam as if that was going to help. "But you haven't been drinking any. You sure you're not sick?" Otis asked, inching away from him a bit now. Eric had mentioned he could be a bit of a germaphobe.

"Uh, no. Not sick," Adam said, trying for an awkward little smile. "Just the wine... and I think Ruby's perfume, a bit.

There was a moment of silence, as if Adam had just said something highly offensive. Ruby tensed up the moment he said that.

"It is Ariana Grande," she defended. "And it's quite expensive!"

"Well," Eric said tentatively. "You are kind of wearing a lot of it.”

Otis shot Ruby a sympathetic little grin. Before Eric and Adam had gotten to his house, he had commented on it himself. Ruby embarrassedly admitted that they’d had to run in a mile in gym class today, and she hadn't had time to shower in the time between getting home from school and driving up to Otis’ house was because she had been literally bathing her own father instead. Hence, the perfume bath.

“It smells really good," Adam explained through a mouthful of pizza, “it just bothers my allergies.” He sniffled again for good measure and rubbed his eyes a bit.

"Your eyes are all red, love," Eric pointed out, rubbing his shoulder again. "Maybe we should go back to yours and get some meds in you."

"I've got some at my place, actually," Otis offered. "We could go back and watch a movie or something? Wine's almost done, and it is getting dark. Hey, maybe we could watch the Kardashians." He smiled at Ruby.

"And you can teach me Smash Bros," Ruby offered, returning his smile and then turning to Adam. "As long as Sneezy here is okay with it?"

"Y-yeah. I'm good with that," Adam offered, actually chuckling a bit at the silly name-calling, and turned to Eric. He was relieved that no one made a big deal about, and pleasantly surprised at how eager they were to accommodate him. You good with that, babe?"

"Of course.” Eric kissed him on the nose mischievously, thankfully not causing another fit. “My second and third favorite things."

And so they walked back to the house, Otis and Ruby chattering away and holding hands, passing the wine bottle between the two of them and taking swigs of it until it was finished, the latter getting increasingly less unpleasant to be around the tipsier she got.

Adam and Eric trailed behind, also holding hands, mostly quiet except for the latter occasionally commenting on how much of a lightweight the other couple in front of them both were. Adam sneezed silently a few more times as they walked. Eric, knowing how uncomfortable he still was about it, chose not to bless him and alert the others, but rather to squeeze his hand and shoot him a sympathetic smile each time, leaning his head on his sniffly boyfriend's shoulder as they made their way up the steps to the Milburn-Nyman residence.

Ruby showered, and put on one of Otis' t-shirts and a rolled-up, comically too long pair of his sweatpants. They'd never seen her without makeup before. She was somehow prettier this way. And also a lot more talkative.

Ola had Lily over, and they tentatively came downstairs to grab some crisps halfway into the group's chosen episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians (the Viagra one, of course -- what else would this group have chosen?). Surprisingly, Ruby was the one who asked if they wanted to join in, claiming she was getting “testosterone poisoning” from being around the three boys for so long. No one bothered to correct her and tell her what the term actually meant.

Adam got a little tense again when she explained to the two of them why they'd had to cut their picnic short and why she was wearing “loser clothes,” but he relaxed again when they didn't make a fuss about it either. Lily even said that perfumes bothered her too, sometimes. Who woulda thought?

But the party didn't really start until they started playing Smash Bros, which is how they spent the rest of the night -- boys vs girls, of course. Girls team reigned superior most rounds, mostly thanks to Ola's mad skills (and Otis and Adam letting them win -- Eric was way too competitive for that, of course).

All in all, it was a great night, and Adam walked Eric home feeling a little bit more comfortable with himself. That was a recurring theme with him, these days, after all.

[jamiedc-they-them]

Being Otis’ sibling would include:

AN// Spoilers for whole show. Also, sorry, this one I kind of ran with? Hope you like it :))

 You are a bit on the socially awkward side like your brother.

However, you’re more of an introvert; you let the world go around you and be a background extra rather than be a main in it’s story.

You’re more closed off, more defensive than your brother.

Your opposite on a lot of things, but balance each other out.

Your creative, he’s more academic

It’s mainly just the two of you and Eric. Best pals.

You, like him, are knowledgeable on sex, from your mother, even if you aren’t into that (the sex part or the other part)

Your mother always could tell with you, and assured you there was nothing wrong with it:

“Y/N, darling, you know there is nothing wrong with not wanting those type of relationships, right?”

“…Thanks, mum.”

Although it isn’t spoken, you both hold resentment for your father.

When Otis is picked as Adam’s partner, he gives you a panicked look. You, however, shrug; what can you do?

You are paired with Maeve, which is something that does annoy your brother:

“Trade?” He asks

“What? No. I’m not trading Maeve for Adam.”

“Y/N.” He pleads in a whining tune.

“Sorry, mate. Good luck though.” You wish him, leaving to follow Maeve.

For some reason, she gets the idea she can trust you and allows you to go to her house, knowing that Adam and Otis will not be a good pairing.

“If you tell anyone about this, I’ll kill you, got it?” Part of her is kind of silently laughing at your scared face. You are quick to assure her this secret stays with you, to the grave.

As you talk, and do find out you have a few things in common.

Of course, you both don’t tell each other everything. But you get a decent reading on each other.

She can tell that, compared to your brother, you’re holding a lot more in.

“How is it?” She asks

“How’s what?”

“Being siblings with him?”

“Otis?” She nods

“It’s nice, knowing you have someone that kind having your back, you know? You can cock up horribly and he’ll still be there. He’s loyal.” You answer.

She considers it, “Not many of those people left.”

“Not as many as I’d like.”

Fair to be said, when you come in happy, and actually almost getting along with Maeve, Otis isn’t the most happy about this.

When the news about your mum comes out, you and him both storm out.

That leads to an argument;

“Why couldn’t we swap?” He asks

“You think it would’ve fixed anything?”

“I don’t know?! Just…”

Maeve is quick to stop your arguing, she knows how bad sibling arguments can get.

When it comes to Adam, you and your brother play rock, paper, scissors to see who it’ll be.

You win, doing the nerdy fist pump as he has to do it.

You see Maeve roll her eyes at your antics.

So, with Maeve bringing in clients, Otis doing the talking, and you doing the PR (in a way) the clinic is born.

However, there is a point of contention between you and your brother; Maeve.

He see’s that you both are genuine friends, with you going out more and more at night.

“Where have you been?” He asks you, whenever you come in (after your mum has asked you of course. Your honest with her)

“To see a mate.”

“What mate?”

“I have other friends, Otis.”

“I know, Y/N. It’s just –”

“You think I’m,” Cough, “Doing…that, with Maeve, don’t you?”

“Wha—No?!”

“It’s ok, Otis. I get that you like her and all. But, just to assure you, no, we’re not together. We are just genuinely friends.”

“Oh…right.”

He seems happy for you, but you can tell there is a bit of jealousy.

However, you don’t hold it against him. You understand that he has feelings for Maeve, and do support him with it.

However, Maeve can read you well, so you try and be careful when you bring up your brother.

When the party at Aimee’s happens, you try and drum up business as well.

You get split up from the group, desperately escaping to the outside, only to see your mother outside:

“Mum?”

“Oh, Y/N, darling, hello.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, just in the area.”

“…You were spying on us, weren’t you?” You accuse her.

“I – yes, darling, I was. I’ve already had this talk with your brother.”

Being in a house of constant sex therapy, and being the way you are (asexual, aromantic) can be a bit of a contradiction of times.

For example, when Otis has his wet dream, the topic does make you a bit uncomfortable.

Maeve calls you, asking you tom meet her. She tells you a time and tells you to get there on-time.

And you do, you go to the clinic just as she goes into the room. You get yelled at by the protesters, but you walk it off.

“Don’t you care about the poor child living in there?”

“At this stage? To be honest, more about the woman.” You’re honest, but not horrible to them about it.

You come in your casual clothes, just sit there and wait.

Otis joins you, flowers in hand and wearing a suit.

“Oh, bloody hell, you thought it was a date, didn’t you?”

“…Maybe.”

“Classy first date.”

“Piss off.”

When Maeve comes out, you both great her and walk with her.

She texts you later: Maybe your brother is not so bad, after all.

Otis comes to you about the whole Jackson thing:

“I can sabotage him.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course I am, Y/N. I need your help –”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m not the talking guy, you are.”

“Yeah, but your more convincing.”

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.”

“I’ll give you the money he’s given to me and that I can’t seem to bloody lose.”

“But I thought you wanted to give –”

“I can’t lose it, Y/N! I’d rather not stare at it.”

“Then don’t?”

“Take it?”

“No, you take it.”

However, you do see how it ends, and do feel for your brother.

As much as you may not have supported his methods, you could see why he did it.

You both find out what happens to Eric, and both take the blame for it.

“Seriously, Y/N, you too? You’d rather pick this girl you’ve known for a few weeks at best over me?”

“It’s not like that –”

“Then what is it like?!” Words are exchanged, and he leaves.

However, then you meet Ola and Jakob.

Ola’s nice; friendly, sincere. You like her.

“So, you’re Y/N.” She says as a greeting, shaking your hand.

“That is I, madam.” She laughs at it.

You become good friends fairly quicky. But, she respects your boundaries about the past.

You see how close your mum is getting to Jakob, and it just doesn’t sit right with you.

So, you call Maeve. She’s quick to answer:

“Pisshead?”

“Hey, uh – can…can we talk?” She detects the tremble in your voice.

“Where are you? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t really tell you over the phone.” You tell her to meet you at the bridge.

She meets you there quite quickly:

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

You take a breath to collect yourself, “My mum’s met this new guy…” So, you tell her about how your mother seeing someone new feels off to you. And you confess to her that you don’t know what the fuck is going on with Otis and Ola. She just lets you ramble the whole time.

At the end, she grabs your hands in hers, “Have you told Otis any of this?” She asks, softly.

“…No. No, not yet, anyway. He’s got his own issues and –”

“You have needs too, Y/N. You can’t go running around for him, forever. He’s your brother, a good one, he’ll listen. But…I’m here too.” She vows.

“Maybe he can give me a freebee on a session?” You joking say.

“Yeah, have to pay, of course, but I can slide you in for a meeting.” She fired back in the same manner.

“Thanks, Maeve.”

She hugs you, not saying anything.

Then the dance comes around.

Starts off well enough, you say hi to all your friends.

You and Otis both make up with Eric. It’s nice to have your best mates back.

Then you both save Liam, both convincing him not to jump.

You, however, see that Maeve looks at your brother differently. You always hated that “friends don’t look at each other like that” bollocks. But, you see that she has it read all over her face as well.

Then Jackson talks about what Otis did.

You get out just at the end of their confrontation, and Maeve turns to you in anger:

“Did you know?”

“Maeve –”

“Did you know?”

You go to speak, but Otis speaks for you;

“Y/N had nothing to do with it. It was just me, Maeve.”

She just looks at you, waiting and watching for something to confirm the words are a lie.

However, when she see’s that nothing has happened, she accepts it and storms off.

Now you’re in an awkward situation; between your brother and a close friend of yours.

Both parties don’t want you to be forced to choose, so they leave you out of it.

However, there is a bonding moment with you and your brother; mainly learning about the book your mother was written on you both. Well, more Otis, but there is a chapter on you.

That’s when it all just explodes:

“You can’t just do that, mum!”

“Can’t do what, darling?”

“Can’t just – can’t just put our entire lives in that bloody book! You gonna mention dad? You gonna mention how you make your other child feel uncomfortable with all the sex talk? How the world wants them to conform to some fucking normality, but they can’t because they just don’t feel that way?”

Your mother can do nothing but watch as you breakdown in front of her, how it all comes bubbling to the surface.

Time goes on, however. And you start going to therapy sessions in school.

Maeve contacts you every so often, but you don’t really reply too much.

Your brother and Ola help you as much as they can, helping you get up in the mornings and including you if they go out for something.

Ola and you become closer friends as well, despite the weirdness of your mum dating her dad.

You bring that up to your therapist a lot.

The two (especially Otis) support you during this time. They encourage the therapy and talking to them when needed.

When school restarts, Otis keeps a close eye on you, knowing that you burned yourself out last time, and he won’t let it happen again.

When Maeve comes back, he makes sure to point it out, hoping that can help in some way:

“You seen Maeve’s back?” He asks, as he gets some books from his locker.

“Sure.” You answer, almost apathetically.

Eric sits with you on breaks and when Otis can’t be there, doing what he can.

Otis ignores the tension between himself and Maeve when he pulls her aside one day:

“You have English next with Y/N, right?” He asks her.

“Yeah.” She answers, already being able to tell where this is going.

“Can you –”

“Of course I’m going to keep an eye on him.” She finishes for him (ha)

And she lives up to that promise, doing just that as you write some things down whilst not listening.

When the teacher gets pissy at you, she stands up for you:

“Sir, Y/N is going through something, lay off.”

Otis thanks her for that after the lesson

Then you are off on the trip with your father Remi

You both find out the real reason for the trip. That he was using it as a way to get away from a newly broken up relationship and to find another.

Then comes the party.

You, in your state that has (sadly) been declining, drink till your hearts content. Eric and Rahim try to warn you, but you keep going.

You brother also spirals. Although, out of the two, you are way more wasted.

Ola arrives, and she is pissed. You haven’t exactly been keeping up with affairs.

You vomit in the sink, with your brother drunkenly trying to help you by patting your back, but he only ends up falling over.

It’s Eric who helps you.

Then he does his speech; in it, he includes you as he rambles (apparently being “on a roll”)

“And then there’s my sibling, Y/N. They’ve been struggling for a while, guys, and has anyone noticed? No, but I have, because I’m a good brother. So, even if I can’t have those two (Maeve and Ola) than at least I have, Y/N.”

The next day, before leaving with Ruby, he remembers parts of what he said, but to him it’s a blur:

“Y/N, I’m so sorry.”

“So, what? I’m just a second fiddle to them?”

“No, of course not. You’re my sibling, Y/N. That comes before anything. I was drunk, and pissed at them. I didn’t mean to leave you out or make you feel that way.”

The day out with Ruby actually helps your bond repair, as you both go back to old times; doing the weirdest shit together. In this case, helping a girl Otis had sex with.

Still, Ruby comes around to liking the two of you.

You both go to your father, united as one.

You both confront him on the pain he’s brought you, and how it hurt you both and how you both carried a part of the blame.

He’s quick to try to dissuade you, but you both move on.

However, you see that your brother has a revelation. He calls Maeve to explain it.

Then, he goes with you to therapy.

Despite it all, despite the things you could and do say to each other. Despite the way you both are different in many ways, you’ll always come back home.

You both care about each other. You’ve been through a lot.

You have each other. And, sometimes, that’s enough.

[ladyjune]

Sex Education Season 3

Finally finished the season, my thoughts?

The first couple minutes of the first episode? Good for them, good for all of them.

I thought Otis and Ruby was an interesting dynamic, but also ship Maeve and Otis so win win for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

Hope just because you can’t have your own kids (lots of people have fertility issues, me included) doesn’t mean you get to bully/shame other peoples

There needs to be a Colin and Emily wedding next season.

I get Mr Groffs story ties into Adams journey but weird he got so much screen time? Like he wasn’t even trying to make things right with Adam

Ola I feel you girl my parents had another kid when I was 17 and it was wild. Also love the sibling dynamic of Ola and Otis, fits them a lot better.

Someone posted how the Groffs named their son Adam and their dog Madam and now I can’t stop laughing 😂

Did I love Jackson and Cal? Yes, Did I love Jackson and Viv? Yes, Did I love Viv and Eugene? Also Yes, so jury is still out 😂

I don’t think Otis can do casual, but I think Eric needs to do casual

Lily’s story line was kind of random, but also I was kind of hoping for aliens to show up in Moordale?

Glad my girl Maeve is finally getting some wins

High Jean? Hilarious

Maureen and Aimee being the besties I didn’t know I needed?

What is the point of Jakob not being Joys dad? To cause me pain?

Adam the poet? Adam and Rahim when?

Otis giving Hope honest and thoughtful advice about her situation even though she was abusive to him and his friends speaks a lot to his character but people aren’t ready to talk about it

Eric being in the tree house while Maeve and Otis had their goodbye scene was actually so funny and very on brand 😂

[milkpuddjng]

sex education s3 thoughts!

oh my god. so many thoughts. i’ve never been too into sexed just cause. but i have SO many opinions about this season and they NEed to be heard. i think i’ll also be making a post about young royals later on so. yes.

i think i’ll just. start off by saying. what the fuck was that? the only enjoyable characters to watch this season were Adam, Ruby, Aimee and the adults. the rest of the cast (that I had originally really enjoyed watching the first two seasons) were absolutely butchered and made to serve extremely boring, there-for-the-sake-of-it ideas. like?? huh?

for one, Otis felt like. an absolute loser this season. not just because he is the archetypical “loser”, but also because he was just so. bland and had such little zest. i understand that the whole point of the season was that he had no more clinic and couldn’t help people and therefore felt like a dampened version of himself, but wtf? his excuse was terrible. that in no ways would make you as different from your original self as you are in this season! the way he went about his relationship with his mum was good though - that was quite nice to watch. but his friendship with Eric this season just felt.. forced. it didn’t feel like it really did anything with the narrative, they were kind of just there for each other as fodder. and and GOD the character just flip-flopped between being spineless and an asshole, and it really didn’t read well with me. I thought the delicate kind of balance and characterisation of Otis they had in the first two seasons really fell through and it’s honestly a shame they let him ‘develop’ into this in this season.

and don’t get me started at ALL on Eric. to me this was the worst and most cruel character DECIMATION this entire season. my reading of Eric was as someone who had only recently developed into his gayness. he had only recently reclaimed his own identity and found pride in his gayness and flamboyance. this being a way-too-overdone gay trope aside, I had originally rooted for him lots in the first two seasons because it felt like he was doing it at his own pace and slowly getting comfortable with that. in s3 though, it feels like he is condescending BECAUSE of this confidence, and frankly that really just did not sit right with me. they made Eric out to be cruel, tone-deaf and insensitive. throughout the entire s3, even in his scenes with Adam, he’s uninterested, and really doesn’t show much interest in Adam apart from wanting a relationship and all its physical and social perks. he’s so preoccupied with having a Perfect gay relationship and takes no interest in actually knowing more about Adam, and that honestly really rubbed me off the wrong way, especially with the way their relationship was portrayed as being more emotional and something vulnerable in the last seasons. Eric this season felt like he was making use of Adam the whole way, and what was originally something I was looking forward to a lot in this season ended up being the thing that disappointed me the most. and i’m not sure if it’s the writing or not, and the lack of material for them to work with, but the chemistry between them this season was so lacklustre. really really disappointing.

fk i hate tumblr. i wrote a whole thing about adam and how much i love that his line was written in a delicate and sweet way, but it got deleted. rip. anyway i liked his relationship with Rahim, Ruby and interactions with Ola far more than his relationship with Eric, and I enjoyed how he became sweeter and more delicate towards Ms Sands and his own mother! to me this season was about him unlearning and trying better to relate to the people around him, and connect with himself on a deeper level and it was really very sweet to watch as that panned out. would have loved to see more interactions of him and Ola and them confiding in each other, but I swear if he and Rahim’s friendship develops into a romantic relationship I would lose it. ok but i love stoic boy learns emotions for people around him trope and the scene of him crying on the bridge really fucked me up :”) OH and i also enjoyed how the entire Groff family had their own individual developmental arcs this season, and i really hope that means something for them as a family unit later on and their reunion as a healthier, albeit un perfect still family.

on the topic of people who deserved more! i think viv for sure. i frankly don’t understand the point of giving her a hot boyfriend and of not exploring her friendship with Jackson more. not TO mention the own blandness of Jackson’s character,,, god. they had so much to work with and truly just abandoned it all. it made sense to me that she would engage in such ‘treasonous’ behavior with Hope and all, but I didn’t understand what the sexy boyfriend and sexting did for her character. i would have much preferred deep emotional talks between Jackson and her, and of the three of them solidifying as a solid friend group. would also have appreciated her becoming better friends with Cal but. wtv. very disappointed with her character this season, especially because her and Jackson’s friendship last season was done so well.

and on Jackson and Cal, i like Cal lots. really. but i really didn’t see the narrative function of their character in the show this season. while I really respect and enjoy the show’s decision to have more diversity of representation etc., i thought Cal as a character was quite unnecessary, especially because this season proved that the writers were struggling a lot to develop everyone’s characters and their backstories etc. Cal, while fun, just distracted from existing relationships and characters the show would have benefitted from exploring more. and i just didn’t see the chemistry between them and Jackson, idk at first I felt it but after a while it didn’t seem very genuine or legit to me and it felt even a bit forced. idk if this is unpopular but i honestly really enjoyed Jackson with Maeve a lot more. this was in my opinion, quite a disappointing match-up. also i missed Jackson’s mums - thought it would have been nice to spend more time thinking about that and showing that relationship as well. also didn’t think Jackson doing drugs was like. necessary. it was nice but like. ? i didn’t see the character development with that.

Maeve and Isaac. i really started off season 3 hating Isaac’s guts, but i thought that as the season went on, I really saw the chemistry between them which I truly thoroughly enjoyed. I also don’t know. why and how Maeve is still attracted to Otis - frankly, Isaac understands her way more, and allows her that much independence that I felt was necessary for her growth. Oh but I did like Maeve’s growing into accepting help and setting down her pride - especially in her relationship with Anna. i felt Maeve was more or less stuck in the same place as last season save for her letting down of her pride though. although her and Aimee as usual! were very enjoyable to watch.

ok i think this is all i have to say for sexed for now, when and if I do find more to talk about i will uPdate this!

[doyelikehaggis]

for the wip game: 2, 17, & 35?

Ahh, good choices!! So, “Sex Education Goes Camping” is... kind of exactly what it sounds like. The students of Moordale High are going on one last school trip before their school is closed down for good. Organized and supervised by Colin and Emily, of course. But there’s more than just the tension of the inevitable goodbye they’ll all have to say at the end of it; Adam and Eric haven’t talked since they broke up. Ruby is completely avoiding Otis, who feels terrible about hurting her. Maeve is leaving for America the moment they get back, and doesn’t want to make the goodbye any harder by letting Otis try and convince her to stay. Aimee and Steve have just broken up, but they’re working on being friends. 

Jackson's eyebrows furrow. Maeve frowns. Otis and Eric share another confused look, as do a lot of others.

Spreading his arms, Mr Hendricks loudly says, "You are all utterly fucked! As am I, and so is Miss Sands! Well, I mean we can obviously find other teaching jobs, but it's not exactly easy, so, technically speaking, we are all very much fucked, you're right, Jackson."

Jackson just raises an eyebrow, then looks away. Miss Sands quickly joins Mr Hendricks on the stage as the students chattering gets louder around the room.

"What Mr Hendricks means to say--" Miss Sands shoots him a quick glare as she leans into the microphone, making him take a few steps back from it (and her) "--is that it doesn't have to be all bad!"

"No offence, Miss," Ruby interrupts, "but you're not the one about to have your entire future turned to shit without your consent." 

Miss Sands nods, and says, "No, you're right. I'm only losing a job, but you are all losing the chance to finish your education comfortably -- or maybe at all. And I am... so incredibly sorry about that. I truly wish this wasn't happening to any of us. But it is. And we have to deal with that."

"We have to make the most of the time we have left together," Mr Hendricks chimes back in, taking a cautious step towards the podium. "Which is why us teachers and some of your parents/guardians have banded together to give you lot one last Moordale High experience!" 

More murmuring. Eric and Maeve are already groaning, while Otis looks cautiously hopeful. Many more of them are apprehensive, including the likes of Adam and Ola, but they're sitting up a bit straighter in their seats, waiting to find out the rest. 

They've all experienced many things at Moordale High, not all of them good, but not all of them awful, either. Some of them have been the best time of their lives, like the performance they put on just a few weeks ago to rid themselves of Hope. And some have an utter disaster like their trip to France.

Most of them are assuming it's going to be leaning more towards the latter. And it feels as though their fears are confirmed when Mr Hendricks excitedly, and dramatically, yells, "We're going camping!" 

I completely forgot I hastily named it “Uncle Shawn the Icon” for this asjkdhajksh okay so. Auggie starts experimenting with feminine clothes, something that Cory, Topanga, and Riley are more than supportive of. But, unfortunately, people at his school aren’t as supportive. When he starts acting different (like Riley in that one episode where she was being bullied), they know something is up, and Cory happens to mention it to Shawn. Uncle Shawn who, after spending that week as “Veronica” realized he actually liked presenting as a girl sometimes, and came out as genderfluid. He comes over to have a proper talk with Auggie, and let him see that it doesn’t matter what other people say about them. Bonus: Riley mentions it to her friends because she’s worried about Auggie, and most of them jump to Auggie’s defence. 

"Auggie's being bullied."

Maya blinks. Farkle sits back in his seat. Stunned into silence. Lucas is shaking his head, and Zay and Smackle share a confused glance at each other.

Then comes the eruption.

"Give me names and addresses," Maya demands, voice like sharp ice and scalding lava at the same time, retracting her hand from Riley's arm. Ready to storm out right now to track them down.

That's exactly why Riley doesn't answer her, but she does look at her like she's crazy, and she says, "Maya! They're kids!"

"I'm going to kill them, what do I care if they're twelve?"

Riley's about to tell her she should very much care, because when they were twelve, they benefited much more from being talked to rather than killed. At the same time, they never did anything even remotely like the kids bullying Auggie.

"Did he tell you why they're bullying him?" Lucas asks, sounding like he can't think of a reason why anyone would want to.

"We already had an idea, and Ava told us this morning. He wants to wear skirts. Not just that, but more feminine clothing in general." She drops her head back onto her arms. "He was so excited to wear one of my old skirts on the first day of school yesterday, and now he won't even come out of his room. I don't know how to help him because he won't talk to any of us."

"Those little b--"

"Language," Riley says flatly, not even having the heart to really care if she finishes her sentence or not. Honestly, she feels like doing it for her. "I know, Maya, I'm mad too. I just don't know what to do about it."

"Say something," Farkle says.

Riley lifts her head and turns in her seat to look at him curiously.

"Your parents could say something to the school," he suggests. "I can't guarantee it would stop them, but if we were vocal enough about it--"

"We?" Riley asks, eyebrows raising.

Farkle looks at her seriously, and says, "My dad could make the loudest noise, and I know he would do it if I asked him to. It's Auggie, Riley. Of course I'm not just going to stand by."

"Yeah, and besides, no one should be bullied for what they wear," Maya adds, throwing Farkle a small smile that he gratefully returns. Then she turns back to Riley. "Seriously, Riles, your parents should say something to the school."

Riley agrees with them. It had crossed her mind this morning, and she's sure her parents are already thinking the same thing. She looks to Lucas, Zay, and Smackle.

Without a question asked, Smackle is nodding immediately, and firmly, a look similar to Farkle's on her face.

"They're right," she says matter-of-factly. Then, with a softer note, adds, "It's unfair for them to get away with trying to stop him from expressing himself. People don't like different and it's..."

"It's wrong," Zay finishes for her. "Auggie doesn't deserve that. Going to the school about it might not help but at least it'll make some noise, right? That would do something good, make people aware that it's unfair the way he's getting treated."

Riley's heart is ready to burst from how apparant their support for Auggie is, and just how serious they are about wanting to help. She smiles at Zay, and he smiles back, reaching forward to pat her hand on the top of her chair.

Her eyes slide to Lucas. He hasn't said anything yet.

I really need to hurry up and finish “Clash of the European Boyfriends”, I feel like I’ve been writing it for years. I feel like I’ve summarised it before, but I’ll give another quick one just in case -- There’s a dinner party being hosted at the Salvatore household, set up by Stefan, Elijah, and Lexi. It was more a way of forcing Damon, Enzo, Klaus, and Stefan to get along, but also a good way to get Hope more familiar with the house for the longterm future. Some awkwardness and tension ensures because you just can’t have those four in a house together and not expect something to go wrong. I would love to be able to give a snippet for this but I’ve been rewriting it so much that I can’t decide on anything that might actually make it into the finished fic, so I’m going to skip this one if that’s okay. Hopefully I’ll actually decide where it’s going and what I’m doing with it soon. 

Thank you for sending these, I’m really having so much fun with it!! 

[doveleah]

yeah i have a lot of Thoughts™️ about Sex Education S3 but we would be here for hours if I thoroughly discussed it so here is a bulleted list of my complex thoughts simplified;

note: aimee and eric are my fav characters and theres some criticism of them, dont take it that i hate them thanks

Otis/Maeve had been drawn out too long that it was boring as hell and the actors had chemistry in s1 but did not in s3

Otis/Ruby breakup was actually good because it was foreshadowed in s2 when Ruby said "Sure you are." in response to Otis saying he wasn't in love with her.

Mr. Groff had a cute little redemption but I am waiting for more.

If Eric wanted to fucking fly then he should have stayed with Rahim.

Adam was out to literally everyone except his mother. He went out of his comfort zone a billion times this season. I don't know what Eric meant about that walking shit because it seemed like Eric was sprinting and Adam was also sprinting but not enough to catch up.

Rahim and Adam have this cute chemistry that I hope they expand on because that would be nice I think.

Eric cheating was not cool. Both times. What the fuck.

His storyline in Nigeria was really nice though, minus the kissing. It was great to see Ncuti act his heart out there. I still like him a lot but that boy has serious commitment issues.

Jakob not being the father is shit storytelling just like Jean being pregnant. Just fucking useless drama.

Ola/Lily is boring to me. I feel as though it was random in s2 and it still feels just as random. Glad they worked things out though.

Feel bad for Steve a little bit because not once was Aimee communicative at all and he was left in the dark for literally all of it even though he was trying to be good for her. He was trying to understand. I won't knock Aimee for not being able to process trauma and it's valid but she should have taken a break from him because it seemed like she dragged him along.

Isaac is likable and he was good. Hate that he was used to push Otis/Maeve together.

Adam still has some ways to go when it comes to bettering himself but I'll be damned if he isn't truly trying.

I'm on the rahim/adam train now