#Heartfelt Conversation

[multlizka]

It's a strange paradox: focusing solely on work, career, or a solitary lifestyle often leads to depression, despite the seeming independence. 🤔

While everyone's different, the irony is that many find solace in games with social interaction, or in comics featuring human connection.

We're social creatures, and that's part of what makes life wonderful. The joy of friendship and community is a powerful antidote to isolation.

Forcing someone into socializing, however, is counterproductive; genuine connection can't be manufactured.

[wickedzeevyln]

Bottleneck

[chococara25]

A fix-it au where one night Buck was so heart sick thinking about Tommy, tired of people leaving him and thinking how he doesn't know his damn heart and most importantly, tired of baking, went out, not to clubs to find people to fuck with (cos he's so done with that, fuck you Tommy) but to a quiet bar Tommy once took him for a date and lo-behold, there was Tommy at the corner, looking sad while nursing his beer.

Instead of storming away or yelling at him, Buck just sat in front him and said "Room for one more?" Before ordering his drink.

Tommy, tired and heart-broken too, surprisingly didn't leave and stayed and both of them talked.

___________

"I need you to stop looking at me like that." Tommy said sadly.

"Like what?"

"Like you see a future with me."

Buck set down his drink and look at him with such sincerity. "And what if I do? Because I really do, I want a future with you where we live together in a house, complaining to each other about our terrible rescues and support each other on our bad days, raising pets and maybe kids one day."

"I'm not anyone's happy ending Evan." He said softly, as if he's trying not to hurt his heart anymore. "You need someone whose less broken unlike me."

Buck scoffed. "That's just stupid. I don't want anyone else. You're my happy ending. I don't want to find any other ending if you're not in it."

-----------

"Wait a minute," buck pulled away from his drink, staring incredulously at him, "They didn't speak to you after the break up?! But I told them to check on you?!! I even asked Chim to drop off some cookies I made to you?!!" By now, Buck was feeling tipsy after their 6th beer together.

"You made me cookies even after our breakup?" Tommy said mournfully, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol too,

"They were your favourite triple chocolate cookies too."

Tears began pooling in Tommy's storm blue eyes. "You're too good for me, Evan."

"Hey,don't cry, ill make you some more ok?" Buck awkwardly pat him on the back.

[skateboardtotheheart]

y'all acting so upset over a daddy kink being brought up in a CANON RELATIONSHIP with Buck looking PERFECTLY HAPPY ABOUT IT as if we didn't all see that look on Buck's face when Maddie asked him why he had a ring cutter

[hopeless-eccentric]

i dont do a lot of book recs on here (i think ive done one before?) but the Henry Rios books by Michael Nava are so criminally underrated!

They're these mystery novels from the 1980s-1990s about a gay, Latino lawyer (Henry Rios, our protagonist/narrator) solving mysteries--usually while trying to prove his client's innocence. He's a long-suffering idealist written as this kind of hard-boiled detective.

This is actually something the whole series tackles, subverts, and deconstructs in a really interesting way! Instead of being this stoic detective, the archetype gets broken down in a lot of really fascinating and human ways earnestly discussing love, grief, intergenerational trauma, racism, homophobia, illness/disability, toxic masculinity, and substance abuse.

What I love is that these books realize that the hard-boiled detective is stuck in a point of hurt and trauma, and so the Henry Rios series makes a big deal out of fighting tooth and nail to GET BETTER--whatever it takes to improve yourself and your surroundings. While the books maintain a lot of the dark and morose vibe of the original genre (especially given the looming, perpetual grief of AIDS-era queer lit), they always come back to a death match against apathy. It's really moving stuff, especially as the books take this approach to Henry's recovery from alcoholism.

if you're interested in queer history, the books are in touch with queer legal/political history during the HIV/AIDS crisis. The first few books have been rewritten/published as well since Michael Nava's retirement, so I think a comparative reading could be really interesting. For the record, Nava was a civil rights lawyer, so this is all done REALLY well (not to mention the legal drama is engaging, theatrical, petty, gutting, and sometimes hilarious).

if you're interested in detective fiction, they're brilliant deconstructions of the genre. instead of taking the depressed alcoholic white guy with repressed desire for male companionship at face value, the series considers a gay Latino man struggling with machismo, racism and homophobia, intersectional identity, and processing/recovering from grief, childhood trauma, alcoholism, and Catholicism.

Stylistically, the books are smart, poetic, introspective, dark, and witty. There's a lot of suffering, but there are also a lot of intense moments of joy and catharsis that feel really earned.

Also, if you read the rewrites. uh. there's a lot of smut! Happy retirement, Mr. Nava!

[limewatt]

kamikou cheer squad “you’re not stuck on that rooftop anymore, rui” -> ena5 mizuki side story 2 “welcome to this side, mizuki” what if i cried. they’re finally both free of that rooftop……. they’re not friends in solitude anymore… they’re friends!!!!! that have each found their people!!!

also, in cheer squad, rui's “there's something i want to say, but i'm scared that i'll drive everyone to the other side again if i say it” was craaaazy. such a direct parallel to mizuki... and mizuki reassuring him (and having asked him to direct the cheer squad in the first place) being why he was able to gather his courage... “you'll be fine rui. seeing you at the culture festival made me believe you're not stuck on that rooftop anymore. i'm looking forward to seeing what crazy idea you'll direct!” i'm not caught up on all of wxs's stories so i can't say if it has an impact there, but rui's success in getting his feelings across in cheer squad being how he's able to reach out and make new friends in pandemonium/spirited affair... gwah.

rui's effect on mizuki is obvious. he's in a fair amount of her focuses / side stories / + picnic and ena5. and RIBBON... the shadow his absence casts on her... being the reason she was hesitant to reach out to niigo because she was scared niigo would leave her eventually like he did... but also the reason she wanted to reach out at all... because rui made her see that there are people in the world who will understand her... the 1 in “25:00:01” on kimi no yoru wo kure’s cover being rui’s colour… all so awesome. but mizuki's effect on rui is subtler/less focused on. so cheer squad where mizuki is unequivocally a key part of rui's growth is so special to me.

[pumpkinrootbeerart]

haters always got shit to say about my girlfriends

[minimalist-quotes]

There is nothing that attracts me more than a deep, honest, serene, and truly meaningful conversation.

[snackleggg]

It's crazy how Lotor and Keith were (in my opinion) the most strongly paralleled characters in the series and they never had a single proper conversation.

[obstinaterixatrix]

I think strohl’s been so isolated from genuine peer relationships with any degree of intimacy that he thinks he’s just saying normal shit when he goes like “there’s nowhere I’d rather be than by your side” and during the first chunk of the game he only really has hulkenberg (guilt-stricken knight that lives & breathes devotion) and the protagonist (also no point of reference for peer relationships) so he thinks he’s being so normalguy about everything. and the rest of the party members also have wild extenuating circumstances so he just keeps thinking that. and since all the other party members enter a while later they’d be like ‘well I guess that’s just normal for them’ without realizing that he thinks he’s just having a normal time with his normal friendship. the only party members who would have awareness to eventually clock that strohl’s kinda actually desperate for protag would be gallica, junah, and basilio. hulkenberg: knightpilled; heismay: generation/culture gap; eupha: also down bad for protag and thinks it’s reasonable. meanwhile even though junah’s an idol her whole thing is Understanding People’s Hearts (sort of; but she’s definitely interested in and aware of people). basilio is True Normalguy (somehow, despite everything). Gallica has more perspective since she’s there at the beginning and can see protag’s different relationships more objectively. I do think strohl’s too deep into the noble’s mindset/culture to ever clock it himself. also I think he’s been too focused trauma/revenge/justice/the greater good to be in tune with his internal schema of romance. plus to him the idea of marriage is inherently tied into political contracts and strategic agreement. I think without oversight strohl would trap himself in a loveless but cordial marriage that emotionally decays to an unbearable degree unless it was literally only a business contract and nothing else. I think he would have to get divorced

[bliz-lol]

Sometimes even the most bloodthirsty maniac needs to talk to at least someone. Well, [redacted] tells the funniest stories from life to its participants. Most often, the nerd becomes a listener, since he listens carefully to everything and answers, although sometimes he can get smart :_)

[multlizka]

As a child, I never wanted a car, but my mom convinced me otherwise! 😄

She made some compelling points: it’s like a second home on wheels; a quiet, private space where I could enjoy a delicious burger with a friend while listening to MC Poho without judgment; excellent protection from the rain; and the cool movie vibe of having my coffee or hot chocolate in the car.

Ultimately, whether or not car ownership is for you, the best way to know is to try driving without an instructor.

I remember people laughing at me for driving with my mom for a whole week. They felt the need to show off about driving since childhood. But my mom has 20 years of driving experience, and I hadn’t driven much before. And guess what? I’m actually a better driver now! 😉

So, trust your own judgment on this, not the "experts" who don't even own or drive a car.

[monsuta127]

I cannot stop reading this fic of a human using Chaoseater to revive War. Tho today i read it and the song Fable by Gigi Perez came on

And now im crying and suddenly want to make an animatic based on it or a comic at the very least

[thethornofcamorr]

exciting!

[acaptainbyanyothername]

Even at his best with a goal in mind, Phineas still has a moment of indecision and weakness—except this time, Spahr is able to break through his own crippling indecision to break the cycle and finally be there for him. They’ve come full circle

[skyloftian-nutcase]

@smilesrobotlover @skyward-floored help I’m being plagued by blorbo AU mix thoughts! 👀