#Yearning again I guess

[zaacataac]

I want to rest my head in someone’s lap while they play with my hair

[xochimillilili]

Date idea: I spin and roll around your bed going fucking insane over you for hours, giggling, making out, nuzzling, and cuddling you, rambling about worms and cooking and stickers and everything and anything in between, running around your room stimming while smiling and letting out little I love yous before crashing down and napping in each others arms

[juniemunie]

Don't you have anything better to do?

Just let them go.

(Yes its based off that pic from Veil)

[thescoutgaymer]

Being a hopeless romantic and aromantic SUCKS :(

[egginfroggin]

Well he's yours now

(Program: Krita; time taken: about 3 hours [more than intended ough :/])

[howlsmovinglibrary]

You mentioned in the tags of a recent post what you’d change about Funny Story to make it a different book. Would you mind elaborating on what you meant by that? I’m curious!

hey anon, thank you for being a massive enabler bc this has in fact been my special topic for the last 48hrs.

I want to state off the bat that I still gave this book 4.75 stars. I really, really enjoyed it. That being said, I'd literally rewrite the entire thing to get it to 5.

Answer under the cut to avoid spoilers! (also shout out to @eldritchcow bc these ideas are not formed alone but through a series of ranting voice notes lmfao)

The premise of Funny Story is that two exes move in with each other after their partners run away together - the main character, Daphne, has her wedding cancelled as a result, and Miles, the love interest, also gets a pretty crap deal bc his girlfriend literally breaks up with him via A NOTE ON THE KITCHEN COUNTERTOP, before running off on holiday with another man (after they hook up AT HIS BACHELOR PARTY. DAPHNE AND MILES DESERVED TO DO VIOLENCE). Miles and Daphne move in together, a series of circumstances means that Daphne tells her ex they are now dating, and that Miles will be her plus to the NEW WEDDING that they have been INVITED TO.

Personally, I think this - two exes move in, fake date, develop feelings - is such a juicy set up for a novel, that it could carry the whole plot. But at about the halfway mark, a bunch of other stuff - family drama, friendship drama - is bought in for the third act conflict. The exes and all their drama fades to the background, and its no longer about this Very Juicy Set Up, which I think is a shame. I think that the premise could've carried the entire plot and that there was no need to bring in additional conflict... except that Emily Henry is known for adding conflicts outside of romance to her novels (creating well-rounded, 'feminist' characters - I'm not being mean, that is just the perception of it and what she is known for) and that this is thus more brand appropriate. By the same logic, it is 'less feminist' of me to argue that the book should've been more about the romance.

But it should've been more about the romance.

If I rewrote/re-edited this book, I would do the following.

Make Daphne and Miles be messier people. These two characters behave like FUCKING SAINTS, while their exes are awfully and affably evil. I've had multiple friends say that Daphne should've hit Peter (her ex) with a car. I don't necessarily think that would've been the way, but I think she should've made much more spiteful decisions. I think Henry is very concerned in stressing that these are Two Very Goody and Utterly Blameless main characters, but I think they should've gotten a little spite as a treat, actually.

And the spite they should've gotten as a treat is - fucking each other.

As is the way with romance books, there are certain 'acceptable thresholds' for smut/romance scenes. So I get it, I really do. But Daphne and Miles only bang once it's a healthy decision... and I'll be honest, it would've been sexier if they had had sex in an unhealthy place. (for the people who've read the book: kiss at the drunk night out with Gil, sex at the truck or before the truck, then Sex With Real Feelings at the point where they actually have sex)

If they had had sex out of spite/petty revenge first, then the entire plot of the book could've been around 'catching feelings' and this would still have been a totally valid character arc. I would've liked to have seen more questionable decisions that are still somewhat about the exes - more of the 'are we doing this for them or for ourselves?' conflict which is microdosed at the midway point - and then feelings developing, and then making the 'no I actually really like you so we can't do this for the wrong reasons anymore' be the final sex scene before the third act conflict

Two things would be vastly improved by this change: 1. a weird scene where Miles sees Daphne in her former wedding dress, and they really should've fucked? but they don't? because that would be the tiniest bit weird??? (like, slightly weird and messy, in such the smallest way, but I think it was sanitised down for that reason) 2. the fact that their exes break up and call-off their wedding off screen. Have them break up at the rehearsal dinner that Miles/Daphne are attending, actually. Then you have your third act conflict.

The third act conflict of Funny Story is insane, convoluted, and unrelated to the story, IMO. Is it still well written? YES. Emily Henry, you will always be famous. But my favourite parts of it were 1. both Miles and Daphne get caught in their exes' orbit as they break up, and this causes them both to doubt their relationship (shout out to Miles having such low self esteem that he automatically thinks they're back together, I understand you king) 2. Daphne fucks up a promise she made to a friend (but bc she's not allowed to be a bad person - see the first point - it's for totally understandable reasons), leading her to wonder if she's just become part of another couple, where she's swapped one man and his house for another man, and his house. I personally think that these VERY MINOR FOOTNOTES in what is ACTUALLY the third act conflict... are a third act conflict in and of themselves. And... if we go back to what I said about Emily Henry being known for Feminism™, the second part of that is a totally valid trope/feminist critique to dig into in depth that would, if given time to breathe, be 'on brand'.

In this book, Miles drives 2hrs to try and get Daphne's shitty dad to come back to her. Where is this energy, for Peter? I think, Miles should've punched Peter, as a treat. And Petra should've had more scenes, so that she actually had a personality beyond 'being hot'.

I think we should've had a messy wedding scene. Daphne and Miles are each others plus ones, but they never get to attend bc the wedding is called off. But that wedding?!!! or that rehearsal dinner?!!! IS THAT NOT THE STUFF THAT THIRD AT CONFLICTS DREAM OF???

TLDR - I think Funny Story should've had more sex, and been more about the romance premise and the kind of fucked up, messy choices and weird feelings that premise engendered. I think the third act should've been connected to pre-existing conflicts, instead of creating new ones. I think Miles and Daphne could've had a little revenge, as a treat. They should've allowed to be sexy and weird about it.

[lavend3r-stardust]

Us fr

[enden-k]

According to the leaks Kaveh and Alhaitham will appear in Cyno's story quest.

Kaveh has 71 lines and Alhaitham has 49.

people already told me abt 4ggravate appearance enough, its no news but thanks anyway.

[rat-prophetess]

So back on my "distract yourself from your problems in the name of education by playing through patho classic but in Russian this time" bullshit and I'm trying to catch where there are interesting translation choices.

For instance, in English, what Aspity says about Katerina is "Rumor has it, she needs daily morphine injections and welcomes cold-skinned visitors in her alcove at night..." whereas in Russian it's "Ходят слухи, что колет себе в бедро морфий и принимает по ночам визитеров с холодной кожей". (Disclaimer: I have not slept in 2 days and I might be stupid, so someone tell me if I'm wrong! however) I think the only significant difference is that instead of saying "she needs daily morphine injections," what she originally said was "she injects morphine into her thigh" [hip? idk I assume meaning like the femoral vein]

Which is only funny because h. hey Aspity. hey Ms. Aspity "I know all the local bitches" Pathologic, do you want to share with the class exactly where you got that specific piece of information? Did you see it or—

[nymphoutofwater]

I don’t want a romantic relationship. I don’t want a romantic partner. I want is someone in my life who’s willing to go on long walks with me. someone in my life who would sit on the porch with me late into the night. someone who would watch my old favorite movies with me and share some of their own. someone who would go to see live music with me. I want someone who’d travel with me. someone who’d go down to the beach for a weekend with me. someone to sit next to while I read or write or craft. someone who’d let me fall asleep on them.

all I yearn for is companionship. in the most mundane and beautiful ways. all I want are people in my life who love being there as much as I love having them.

[remyfire]

You rotten scoundrel!!! I just read your fanfic “Like a Silent Song” and I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!! YOU SCOUNDREL!!! You write Radar so good, how DARE you!!!

I am attacked by insults and praise at every angle and do not know which to believe!!!! /j

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! ;v; I'm still not entirely confident in his voice, so hearing you say you thought it worked well means a lot to me. Thank you so much!!

[shousato]

reunion…?

[caprigender]

Im looking up concertina prices again

because that’s something I can definitely learn to do with all of this free time I’m just swimming in

[managodess]

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[bangcakes]

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[egginfroggin]

So like I know that きみでないのなら has romantic undertones due to the context and who it's being sung by in Itoki Hana's story (Phantom Aria), but like. I keep associating it with like. tragic siblings (especially twins separated through time/space, hm, gee, wonder why, hmmmmmmmmmmmm)