#but it's so fun to watch because everyone else on the show sucks way worse than they do. Except for Mercedes she was genuinely good

[docholligay]

Oh that's why I was clowning on myself for 'falling for it" and saying "I think roy is easy to like" and then having the audacity to be shocked that people like him. But to be honest I had no fucking clue! None! The only person I had ever seen in passing was Ed and I could not have told you his name.

I don't know what fanon says about them though I can guess at least one aspect of them and that I know I do not like. I don't get too salty about canon v fanon in my old age, for starters.

*PLEASE SEE NOTE BELOW SINCE I REREAD THIS*

But also I kind of don't care. It's one of those things where I feel very "Your boo means nothing, I've seen what makes you cheer" for me. I have had, by and large, very negative interactions with the FMA fandom before I started doing this liveblog. I got a really fascinating barrage of abuse around I think it was episode one or two, which I did as a one off years ago. I had the largest and most sophisticated cheating ever around FMA for Eight Days of Content. It was actually for a very long time banned from even commission. I wouldn't do it. It wasn't until @automatuck9 came along and basically ran the long con of "See how normal I am how good my book recs are how I regularly engage with adult stuff but also I love FMA by the way your hair looks terrific" and I was like, 'We'll give it a shot."

So I have basically no interest in what fandom has to say about them, because for me I'm coming to everything with my own frame and understanding of the world and I'm not interested in regurgitating the most palatable version of how you're 'supposed' to take this show for the most people. If everyone wants to mama bird pass the best takes to each other for the rest of eternity that's fine by me.

To take a step the fuck back because jesus christ holligay, one of the hopes I have had for doing this show is to sort of get this bad taste out of my mouth re: the fandom. The loudest members of something are not a good representative of the whole. And I think this is something that's starting to prove true MOSTLY. For starters, there are a whole bunch of very nice followers I have that it turns also liked FMA ahaha. And then a couple new people have started to show up that are also cool. So, I'm hoping to come away with, if nothing else, a more positive view.

WOW SORRY ABOUT ALL THAT THIS WENT DOWN A ROAD. Tl;dr, whatever fandom says is fine and can't hurt me.

I love nothing to be simple and for everything to be worse ahaha. "Everyone sucks here" is my absolute favorite position for fiction. I was not joking when I said I think I would like Ed more if he just told Roy to fucking kill himself ahahah. I wish Al were as passive aggressive as he occasionally comes off as being. I PERSONALLY find that I can like a character more when they are a person you are allowed to dislike.

And I too am absolutely a human person and get stuck in ruts and have dynamics I like and can fall into. I'm not here to play, "my read is the only valid read ever" I'm too old for that. But yeah! Like, a domestic couple is the most boring take on something that is more akin to two shattered fucking plates someone made a mosaic out of. Separate things that are also one. Only made possible because something broke. I just do not think that romance is the most fun you can have here. Love, sure, I guess. I'd call it that. In the way a vine and a rotting fence love each other. But hearts and flowers? Pledges of adoration? Hm. Do what thou wilt but it's not for me.

I mean if you want a boring couple I presume Ed and Winry will be right there.

*Eta: This all ended up coming off a little more chip on my shoulder than I realized initially. I am apparently still mad about this. Which was interesting to learn about myself, especially since I don't feel mad at the show when I watch it. Hm. Sorry this is so aggressive. I'm not going to say, "I don't mean it" because I clearly do but I recognize that I'm coming out of the gate hot here

[thewildernesschooses]

My Man, a readerxtravis oneshot

a criminal lack of travis content. he’s so fun to write! oh well, i guess i have to be the change i want to see in the world and whatever.

reader and travis knew each other before the crash. You weren’t friends but something changed out there.

Travis was a dick, there was no denying that. You knew that before the crash and you had no expectations that a freak accident would make him kinder. But this was beyond the pale.

He didn’t get to be a dick to Javi like that. You understood that he was grieving, even understood how his complicated relationship with his father was making this worse, but he needed to buck up.

Javi was a good kid, he was stubborn sometimes but who wasn’t? You cared about that little boy, you babysat him back when you were JV. When Travis was recovering from his surgery there were so many appointments and hospital stays. Coach didn’t want to cancel any practice and god forbid he let his assistant coach assist him in coaching a varsity game.

You guys would order pizza and watch Pixar. You didn’t even have a license yet so you couldn’t do anything fun. Javi was always nice though, a sweet boy who listened well and never wanted to cause any fuss. You weren’t ever particularly good with kids but Javi was an easy person to be around. That’s why when Travis started to wrestle Javi too roughly you lost your shit.

You stormed out of the cabin to hear Travis yelling at his brother to spit something out, you can only assume he’s talking about that stale gum Javi couldn't let go of. You were actually going to talk about it with him after lunch, about coping with grief, but of course, Travis was too impulsive to move slowly.

“Hey, dickwad, let him go!”

But it was too late, Travis had forcibly opened Javi's mouth and made him spit out the gum. You were hoping he would be able to voluntarily release it, that it would help Javi psychologically accept the loss like how you talked about in AP psych. Obviously, Travis could only get into the bullshit health class where they don’t teach you anything about being a normal, decent person.

Javi didn’t react well. He stormed off and you were going to follow him until you looked at Travis and your heart broke for some reason.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” You knew he knew that. “The world is only going to get harder on us, the least you could do is be gentle with him.”

Everyone still seemed to be committed to rescue but you knew it had been too long. You went a weird way on a sketchy private plane. Nobody knew where you were and it increasingly looked like you only had each other.

Travis looked up from the ground with his big, sad eyes. “I…I just wanted him to stop smacking on that gum and…I don’t know.” You believed that he came in with no solid reasoning or plan, that sounded on brand for him.

You stepped closer because he was talking quietly. You kept going until you were closer than you had been in the four years you had spent catching rides home with Coach Martinez because your mom worked late. “Listen, you should find him in a little bit and apologize. I know you don’t mean to hurt his feelings but you need to cut all of this out.” Travis didn’t even have the heart to argue with you. “I know this sucks worse for you than for anyone else but with coach Ben’s leg, you’re the man here. You need to be level-headed and strong. Not just for Javi, but for all of us.”

All of Travis’s life, he had only wanted to feel like a man. Out there in the real world, he had failed. He wasn’t athletic and for a good portion of his adolescence, he was literally medically advised against exercising or lifting weights of any kind. When all the boys in middle school were doing push-up contests, he was going to orthopedic specialists for back brace fittings.

But Travis’s spinal fusion was successful, even if the healing was brutal. And he was seeing a place to prove himself. He needed to show his dad he could step up and be a man. He could take care of Javi and the girls and he would go back and take care of his mom too. This is the last time he and his dad will be in the same place and Travis will leave here a man if he can help it.

He oddly wanted to prove it to you too. You were around when he was worse off. One of his father's little pets he liked to keep from the team. You saw how debilitating the pain was before the surgery, saw how recovery was slow and isolating. And you saw all the in-between at school. Flex.

He never quite put together that you would have a lot of insight on him but now that he thinks about it, you may be the person to know the most. Which is sad because you don’t even seem to like him that much.

He takes your advice, though. Javi doesn’t accept it immediately but it seems like they eventually figure it out from your point of view. Of course, Travis is the same angry boy but he’s trying to temper himself into something stronger, less likely to break.

Travis keeps coming to you for advice. You’re not sure why, you never got along. You spent fifteen minutes with him 3 days a week (at the very least) for the last four years and you had developed no camaraderie during that but desperate times, you guessed.

It started with just his relationship with Javi. You were his babysitter after all and the kid talked about you like invented the Lion King DVD. You were more sensitive to him than Travis naturally was. Neither of you would acknowledge that this was the dynamic Coach Martinez and his wife had but you both felt the weight of it. You were the closest thing Javi had to parents out here. It didn’t matter if either of you liked it, you were mom and dad.

After a while, Travis started to ask you about more things. What plants were edible, how you mended things so well, what you did to make his dad like you so much. You didn’t have a clear answer for the last one. Travis seemed to know what you meant when you said you had no idea how Coach felt about you except for the fact he trusted you enough to watch over Javi. He was a man that spoke more with actions but that meant so much was left unsaid. You wished you had asked him why he took a shine to you. You weren’t the best defender. Was it pity for not having a dad? Or a mom that worked too much? You’ll never know now.

Then things got complicated when he started coming to you about a girl. He wouldn’t say who he needed advice about but you could assume. He had spent so much time alone with Natalie, it could only be her.

It made sense too. They both had a compatible jaggedness that seemed to slot together well. They both had to feel the pressure of being hunters, and the judgment when they came back empty-handed.

You weren’t expecting for it to… affect you. You couldn’t tell what it was at first. Initially, you thought you just didn’t like the idea of some poor girl being subjected to Travis’s courtship. Then you realized that he had grown and someone out here could maybe have a lovely relationship with him. Then you thought it was an extension of that irrational judgment, that the hunters should be focused on game and not frivolous crushes but even that was off base. You thought he and Nat deserved some respite.

It wasn’t until you were making sure Javi was tucked in well on a cold, rainy fall night that you realized it was because you were jealous. Travis slept one spot away from you with Javi in the middle and you looked at him already looking at you two. You thought about how glad you were he wasn’t closer to the door with Natalie.

Neither of you looked away for a minute. It felt so domestic like you were over at his house while his parents were out. Watching Bambi after Javi had fallen asleep halfway. What it maybe could’ve been if either of you had given the other one a chance.

You looked away first to make sure Javi was breathing deeply. You went to bed with the heavy feeling that you were helping push the boy you liked towards a much prettier girl, with more experience and bravery than you would probably ever have the chance of gaining at this rate.

The next day, you and Travis were stringing up herbs to start drying them in the meat shed when he asked, “How do you let a girl know you like her and not have it blow up if she doesn’t like you back?”

“Well, I don’t know how to answer that because no one’s ever liked me like that.” It was painful to say out loud but if you weren’t willing to admit that here and now, where would you?

He stopped what he was bundling and looked incredulous. “You mean, you’ve just never had to tell someone you don’t like them, right?

And man did that make you feel like a loser. Even perpetual virgin Travis was in disbelief at the lack of play you got back home. “No, that’s not what I meant,” you said quietly, cutting off some twine.

It was silent for a minute. God, he was awkward. Why did you even like him? He was just looking at you all weirdly and he hadn’t gathered the next bundle so you had idle hands.

He obviously deduced that you had a slight (massive) thing for him. You were too obvious last night, forcing him to play house with you. You were practically Misty Quigley-level delusional.

“I’m sure some guy has been pining after you and you just don’t know.”

“Oh yeah, that’s why I wasn’t rejecting boys left and right back home, I’m just too intimidating for anyone to ever confess to me.” The sarcasm was plain in your tone. “I’m just too pretty and smart for anyone to ever believe they could have a chance with me, is that right?”

“I know you’re trying to joke right now but you’re not wrong.” He said it all fast, like the words tripped out of him. He made his eyes go all big and soft which made it impossible for you to continue being aloof with him.

“Shut up, you don’t have to lie and make me feel good.”

“What if I’m not? What if I know for a fact that I’m right? That there is a guy out there pining over you.”

You laughed. It was torturous because the delusional part of you believed he must be talking about himself but you knew better. You didn’t get the boy in the end. You don’t get what you want.

“Yeah. Who? Sean from trig? I watched him pick his nose and put it under his desk like two weeks before our plane crashed, I’m good.” Joking usually helped you out in situations but it seemed to frustrate Travis further. He must be really weirded out by your liking him.

Travis took the twine and the knife from your still hands, the task abandoned long ago. He got close to you, the way you had gotten close to him that first time. “No. Not Sean. Me. I’ve been pining after you in these stupid woods and you’re the only one who can’t see that!”

“You mean Natalie? You’ve been asking me for advice on how to make her like you for weeks!”

Travis started pulling at his hair. It had gotten so long out here and had made him unfairly attractive. He shouldn’t distract you like this during serious conversation. “I’ve been asking you for advice on how to make you like me! Jesus Christ, aren’t you usually smart?”

“Oh.” Wow. That was not what you were expecting at all.

“Oh? What does that mean?” You never told him how to tell the girl without making it awkward so he didn’t know what to do after this. You just frustrated him into transparency like you usually did.

You were looking at his face for a moment, checking if this was a trick or something. When you only saw sincerity, you said “I like you too.” He exhaled, apparently waiting on bated breath for your answer.

He took the hand that was holding the twine and held it between his, just holding it, warming up your fingers. He stepped more into your space. He whispered, “I…I don’t know how to do this.”

You returned his intensity with your eyes, really just dropping down the walls you had built around letting your feelings for him show.

“I don’t know how to do any of it either. I was telling the truth when I told you no one has ever liked me like that before.”

He scoffed, “Their loss.”

“Yeah,” you quietly laughed out. Anything louder would’ve felt like yelling.

Then he kissed you. It was both of your first kisses, but he kissed you like a man. He put one hand on your hip and another caressed the side of your neck as he dropped that last physical boundary between you too. You couldn’t go much further because of your mutual inexperience and general breathlessness but it was more than satisfying to you both.

You would both have to leave the shed soon. You needed to check on Javi and talk to him about his whittling. You were trying to talk to him about historical events and books you remembered from school. Fall had come and he should be back in school.

You both lingered. Finally having some type of resolution to anything felt significant out here where things get started but never properly finished.

“So…Are you my girlfriend now?”

You grinned a little. At least this thing between you was good, sacred.

“Yes, and you’re my man.”

[11queensupreme11]

Batman might accidentally adopt one of Percys Kids if it's one of the good ones that somehow end up in his universe... like one of the Cu daughters if they accidentally exposed what he'd percieve as 'metahuman powers' or smthn which would make him inclined to take them in before the government could or something. Percy would probably be very appreciative and greatful they were looked after!! And maybe have a bit of hero worship because.. That's BATMAN!! .. depending on their father.. daddy not so much tho ☠️ Batman would have to watch his ass.

(Superman would snatch up little Baldurvæn tho. No way such a precious angel would belong with the gloomy bats no matter how fun of an older brother Nightwing would be)

If it's one of the freak kids poor Batman's intellect and intuition would be a curse because Percy would be so happy prattling om about how she's glad her darling children were being looked after 😊 and the kids getting.. just a little.. to close and touchy w/their mother.. (thinking Dory specifically.. He'd be 'good' enough on the outside and might remind Batman of Dick/Nightwing enough to warrant the suprise adoption impulse, but Bats would probably also have the sense something was off.. which might only encourage him to keep a closer eye on him.. The adoption becomes a little more like 'on a government watchlist' kind of supervision) and she clearly doesn't sense anything wrong with it but Batman never turns off the sus so.. He would be.. 🗿 but on the inside he's 🤢🥶 Bro didn't get to grow up with parents but he knows damn well this isn't how children interact with their parents 😭 he sleuths out the dynamic immediately and its actually WORSE because Percy just doesn't get it. It hasn't even occurred to her. What does he do with that. Most cases this would stem from abuse, which is still possible if the dad sucks (It's Poseidon, he does suck, unless the kid is Percy) but. What intervention can be done here 😭 No justice to be had, poor mother is oblivious and the kid is the freaky menace what is there to do. There's no protocol for this??

���

(💫 anon!)

FOR BATMAN'S SAKE IT BETTER NOT BE ONE OF THE SÉCY DAUGHTERS!!!! a majority of the ppl living in the wayne manor ARE MEN/BOYS. cú chulainn would NOT want those bats even BREATHING near his precious daughters and he doesn't want his precious wife praising him or showing gratitude 👹👹👹👹👹

he'd be like "why are you THANKING HIM????? I DON'T CARE IF HE'S A SUPERHERO IDEK WTF THAT IS. OUR DAUGHTERS HAVE BEEN LIVING WITH SOME WEIRD, SPANDEX WEARING BAT FUCKER ALONG WITH HIS EQUALLY WEIRD SONS".

genuinely, percy's admiration for superheroes is gonna have the man thinking she's been brainwashed or something LMAO 😭😭😭😭😭

balduervæn with superman would be perfect. percy would be even HAPPIER with this set-up. she loves batman, but lets be real, he would've given her baby a bat suit and sent him out in the wild to fight criminals 😭😭😭 pls baldurvæn just wants to play with bunnies and read his books, do NOT have her baby fight 😭 loki would HATE it tho cuz why is this weirdo with his panties out doing near THEIR kid??????

as for the incest freaks..... and since you specified DORY....... oh my 😭

"The adoption becomes a little more like 'on a government watchlist' kind of supervision" 😭😭😭😭😭😭 yeah this fits lmao

rip batman he's gonna spiral when he pieces all this shit together (which is gonna be very quickly). dory looks to be around his mother's age (18) so he gets along with the batkids who are teenagers more tbh. but bruce notices that while he gets along splendidly with everyone else, he's VERY attached to percy. the kid is constantly touching her and staring at certain parts of her body that he definitely shouldn't be. and saying REALLY weird suggestive things like wanting a kiss? wanting to sleep in bed with her??? WHAT?????

it's weird cuz since percy and eudorios physically appear the same age, outwardly, it doesn't LOOK bad. they don't look alike so to the public, it genuinely looks like a boy with a HUGE ass crush on a girl, but bruce knows that this is mother and son so he's even more disturbed 💀

and percy's sooo oblivious to it 💔💔💔 doesn't have the heart to tell her. it'd be easier if she actually looked and acted like an adult, but she looks like a kid too and he literally doesn't think he can bear telling her such heartbreaking, awful news 💔💔💔

THE FACT THAT THERE'S NOTHING HE CAN DO ABOUT IT IS WHAT HURTS THE MOST 💔💔💔💔 if these were regular humans he was dealing with, he'd put the kid and mom in therapy (separately), but what therapist specializes in godly families and their complexities?? NONE. plus, there's also the fact that it isn't really wrong for the gods. incest doesn't matter to them, but he knows that it bothers percy but he has no idea how to help her 💔💔 he could tell her, but how does he HELP her??? how does he make it go away??? 😭💔💔💔

[khristie16]

Blindfolded Desires

about: Charles can't resist you any longer, and your party takes an unexpected turn into a dark closet warnings: cnc, fingering, humiliation, tie up Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

“WHAT??!!” You watched your best friend with a mix of confusion and embarrassment. You never thought those feelings could coexist, but they did. After yesterday's fiasco, you bid farewell to Nicole and headed back to your dorm. Your plan? Forget about everything, bury your nose in books, and let your problems sort themselves out.

“I’m sorry YN. He really had his eyes open. And you looked so… eager. It was weird to look at that.”

Frustrated, you sat on the couch in your shared room, holding your head in your hands. This situation was worse than you could have imagined. Your arch-nemesis had left you feeling eager for him while he remained unbothered.

“It was a setup. He did it to make fun of me again!” You reclined on the couch, gazing up at the ceiling, searching for solace.

Realizing it was nearly time for your first class, you hastily reached for your phone. “I'm so sorry, YN. I'll never ask you to come to another one of these ridiculous parties with me,” Nicole said.

You exhaled, torn between frustration and laughter, feeling like a complete mess. “Yeah, I'm never going near him again.” However, it seemed your worst enemy had different plans.

As you walked down the corridor, your gaze fixed on the ground as you passed strangers, someone unexpectedly grabbed your attention.

“Hey,” a guy said in a high-pitched voice, nearly causing you to back away. You tried to place his face as he stood there smiling at you. He seemed familiar.

“I’m Stephan. I was at the party yesterday.” Perplexed, you kept your cool and replied with chilly reserve,

“Oh, hi.” You expected the worst, but his next words caught you off guard.

“I'm sorry for yesterday. My cousin can be a pain in the ass sometimes.” Scrutinising the differences between them, you scrunched your eyebrows. They didn't look alike.

Seemingly attuned to your thoughts, he smiled and said, “Yeah, I know.”

Your tension eased a bit, and you sighed quietly. “Yeah, sorry, but I have a class in a minute, so I've got to go.”

You tried to sound apologetic and gave him a simple smile. You appeared reserved, not unfriendly. “Yeah, sorry. I could catch up with you later, if you don't mind,” he said shyly. You just smiled and waved before continuing on your way.

As you turned the corner, you overheard a deep, slightly angry voice that you didn't want to hear. You hadn't encountered him at school until now, but things were different. He either had a strange interest in you or wanted to make fun of you again, and you weren't sure which was worse.

“Getting your claws into another virgin?” You abruptly confronted him, staring into his eyes. “One more word, Leclerc, and I'll teach you not to mess with me.”

He laughed, his dimples deepening. “Yeah, you're going to teach me how to fuck?” “Maybe,” you retorted, “because those bimbos you have can't tell you that you pretty much suck at it.”

His expression darkened, and he contemplated grabbing you by the neck, but instead, he stood taller and spoke from above.

“Careful, jolie. You should watch your mouth.” Your gaze flared with anger as both of you breathed heavily. A sudden clap of thunder broke the tension between you and Charles as you walked away, leaving your scent behind, something he longed to bathe in.

A few days passed, and you were preparing for another party, a Halloween one. You didn't want to dress provocatively, so you considered going as the Grinch. However, your best friend Nicole disapproved, saying, “You cannot be serious.” Rolling your eyes, you explained that you had no interest in showing off your body just because everyone else did. Nicole understood but suggested you choose a different character or actor to dress up as.

The next evening, you walked beside Nicole and her boyfriend, all dressed up as you reached the main entrance of a big hall where the music resonated through the walls. At that moment, you were second-guessing your decision to attend the party.

“Oh, come on, YN, you'll have fun,” Nicole assured you. She was right; you just didn't know it yet.

“Pulp Fiction?” You turned to see Stephen, and you smiled and nodded as you observed his Dracula costume.

“You know, I almost thought I wouldn't see you tonight.” You chuckled in response and began to pour yourself a drink. Stephen promptly took your cup, saying he would do it. You appreciated the gesture and decided to strike up a conversation.

“Do you like Halloween?” you asked. “Not necessarily, but Charles wants me to socialize.”

As you talked, you felt someone's touch on your shoulder. “Nice outfit,” Charles said. You eyed him with arrogance, and he asked if you thought he was a CEO. "007," he clarified. You nodded, unimpressed, and turned away to go to the restroom.

“Wait,” he said, his hand on your bare arm, making you feel a burning sensation. “Dance with me.” You burst into laughter, “Go bully someone else.”

A few hours passed, and the alcohol had definitely taken its toll. The room spun as you danced on the parquet floor with strangers, having lost sight of Nicole in the crowded venue. Numerous hands grasped at your waist, shifting around depending on opportunity. You were lost in the music, feeling it pulse through your entire body.

Suddenly, the music came to an abrupt stop, and you snapped back to sobriety in an instant. You quickly pulled away from the hands that had been holding you and made your way toward the exit. But as you approached it, something or someone grabbed you, and darkness enveloped your vision. And a hot body against you.

Your wrists were swiftly bound, and the sensation of a cold wall against your cheek intensified as the mysterious person spun you around. He held you firmly by your hair, and the pulsating music from outside surged back to full volume. His fingers trailed down your spine, gripping your buttocks with a determined force that caused a slight discomfort.

With a calculated move, he used his foot to part your legs and he went lower with his fingers to your core. He acted without hesitation, as if he were determined not to waste a single moment with you. He massaged your bud and you responded in arching your back toward his tight hot body. His skillful touch conveyed an intimate bliss of your desires, making you unable to contain your moans. He leaned in closer to capture every sound from your mouth and increased the pace of his movements. You were soaking wet it was all over his hand and getting down your thighs. The combination of alcohol and overwhelming sensations left you unable to think rationally. When he began to caress your breasts, you lost all control and climaxed, releasing your pleasure over his hand. All you could hear from him was a loud groan. As he helped you remove the belt from your wrists, he spoke to you,

“Desperate for my fingers as well, huh?” In that moment, you felt as if you could vanish into the ground, fully realizing the intensity of the situation.

[physalian]

What No One Tells You About Writing #5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Shorter list this time, but longer points. I expect this one to be more divisive, but it is what it is, and this is what ‘no one tells you’ about writing, after all. This one’s all about feedback and how to take it, and give it.

1. Not everyone will like your book, no matter how good it is

I’ve said this before, granted, but sometimes you can have very arbitrary reasons for not liking an otherwise great story. For example: I refuse to watch Hamilton. Why? Because everyone I knew and their dog was trying to cram it down my throat when it came out and I still don’t really like musicals, and didn’t appreciate the bombardment of insisting I’ll like it simply because everyone else does. I’m sure it’s great! I’m just not watching it until I want to watch it.

It can be other reasons, too. I won’t read fanfic that’s written in first person, doesn’t matter how good it is. Someone might not watch a TV show because the primary cast is white or not-white. Someone might not watch a movie because an actor they despise is in it, even if the role is fantastic. Someone might not watch or read a story that’s too heavy on the romance, or not enough, or too explicit. I went looking for beta readers and came across one who wouldn’t touch a book where the romance came secondary in a sci-fi or fantasy novel. Kept on scrolling.

Someone can just think your side character is unfunny and doesn’t hear the same music as everyone else. Someone can just not like your writing style with either too much or not enough fluff, or too much personality in the main narrator. Or they have triggers that prevent them from enjoying it the way you intend.

How someone expresses that refusal is not your job to manage. You cannot force someone to like your work and pushing too hard will just make it worse. Some people just won’t like it, end of story.

2. Criticism takes a very long time to take well

Some people are just naturally better at taking constructive criticism, some have a thick skin, some just have a natural confidence that beats back whatever jabs the average reader or professional editor can give. If you’re like me, you might’ve physically struggled at first to actually read the feedback and insisted that your beta readers color-coded the positive from the negative.

It can be a very steep climb up the mountain until you reach a point where you know you’re good enough, and fully appreciate that it is actually “constructive” and anything that isn’t, isn’t worth your time.

The biggest hurdle I had to climb was this: A criticism of my work is not a criticism of me as a person.

Yes, my characters are built with pieces of my personality and worldview and dreams and ideals, but the people giving you feedback should be people who either already know you as a person and are just trying to help, or are people you pay to be unbiased and only focus on what’s on the page.

Some decisions, like a concerning moral of your story, is inadvertently a criticism of your own beliefs—like when I left feedback that anxiety can’t just be loved away and believing so is a flawed philosophy. I did that with intent to help, not because I thought the writer incompetent or that they wrote it in bad faith.

I’m sure it wasn’t a fun experience reading what I had to say, either. It’s not fun when I get told a character I love and lost sleep over getting right isn’t getting the same reception with my betas. But they’re all doing it (or at least they all should be doing it) from a place of just wanting to help, not to insult your writing ability. Even if your writing objectively sucks, you’re still doing a lot more just by putting words on paper than so many people who can’t bring themselves to even try.

As with all mediums subjects to critique, one need not be an author to still give valuable feedback. I’m not a screenwriter, but from an audience’s standpoint, I can tell you what I think works. Non-authors giving you pointers on the writing process? You can probably ignore that. Non-authors giving you pointers on how your character lands? Then, yeah, they might have an opinion worth considering.

3. Parsing out the “constructive” from the criticism isn’t easy

This goes for people giving it as well. Saying things like “this book sucks” is an obviously useless one. Saying “I didn’t like this story because it was confusing and uncompelling” is better. “I think this story was confusing and uncompelling because of X, and I have some suggestions here that I think can make it better.”

Now we’re talking.

Everyone’s writing style is different. Some writers like a lot of fluff and poetic prose to immerse you in the details and the setting, well beyond what you need to understand the scene or the plot. Their goal is to make this world come alive and help you picture the scene exactly the way they see it in their minds.

There’s writers who are very light on the sensory fluff and poetry, trying to give you the impression of what the scene should look and feel like and letting you fill in the missing pieces with your own vision.

Or there’s stories that take a long time to get anywhere, spending many pages on the small otherwise insignificant slice-of-life details as opposed to laser-precision on the plot, and those who trim off all the fat for a fast-paced rollercoaster.

None of these are inherently bad or wrong, but audiences do have their preferences.

The keyword in “constructive criticism” is “construct”. As in, your advice is useless if you can’t explain why you think an element needs work. “It’s just bad” isn’t helpful to anyone.

When trying to decide if feedback has merit, try to look at whatever the critic gives you and explain what they said to yourself in your own words. If you think changing the piece in question will enhance your story or better convey what you’re trying to say, it’s probably solid advice.

Sometimes you just have to throw the whole character out, or the whole scene, whole plot line and side quest. Figuring out what you can salvage just takes time, and practice.

4. Just when you think you’re done, there’s more

There’s a quote out there that may or may not belong to Da Vinci that goes “art is never finished, only abandoned.” Even when you think your book is as good as it can be, you can still sleep on it and second-guess yourself and wonder if something about it could have been done better or differently.

There is such a thing as too much editing.

But it also takes a long time to get there. Only 10-15% of writing is actually penning the story. The rest is editing, agonizing over editing, re-editing, and staring at the same few lines of dialogue that just aren't working to the point that you dream about your characters.

It can get demoralizing fast when you think you’ve fixed a scene, get the stamp of approval from one reader, only for the next one to come back with valid feedback neither of you considered before. So you fix it again. And then there’s another problem you didn’t consider. And then you’re juggling all these scene bits and moments you thought were perfect, only for it to keep collapsing.

It will get there. You will have a manuscript you’re proud of, even if it’s not the one you thought you were going to write. My newest book isn’t what I set out to write, but if I stuck to that original idea, I never would have let it become the work that it is.

5. “[Writing advice] is more like guidelines than actual rules.”

Personally, I think there’s very few universal, blanket pieces of writing advice that fit every book, no exceptions, no conditions, no questions asked. Aside from: Don’t sacrifice a clear story for what you think is cool, but horribly confusing.

For example, I’m American, but I like watching foreign films from time to time. The pacing and story structure of European films can break so many American rules it’s astonishing. Pacing? What pacing? It’s ~fancy~. It wants to hang on a shot of a random wall for fifteen seconds with no music and no point because it’s ~artsy~. Or there is no actual plot, or arc, it’s just following these characters around for 90 minutes while they do a thing. The entire movie is basically filler. Or the ending is deeply unsatisfying because the hoity-toity filmmaker believes in suffering for art or… something.

That doesn’t fly with mainstream American audiences. We live, breathe, and die on the Hero’s Journey and expect a three-act-structure with few novel exceptions.

That does not mean your totally unique or subversive plot structure is wrong. So much writing advice I’ve found is solid advice, sure, but it doesn’t often help me with the story I’m writing. I don’t write romance like the typical romance you’d expect (especially when it comes to monster allegories). There’s some character archetypes I just can’t write and refuse to include–like the sad, abusive, angsty, 8-pack abs love interest, or the comedic relief.

Beyond making sure your audience can actually understand what you’re trying to say, both because you want your message to be received, and you don’t want your readers to quit reading, there is an audience for everything, and exceptions to nearly every rule, even when it comes to writing foundations like grammar and syntax.

You don’t even have to put dialogue in quotes. (Be advised, though, that the more ~unique~ your story is, the more likely you are to only find success in a niche audience).

Lots of writing advice is useful. Lots of it is contradictory. Lots of it is outdated because audience expectations are changing constantly. There is a balance between what you *should* do as said by other writers, and what you think is right for your story, regardless of what anyone else says.

Just don’t make it confusing.

—

I just dropped my cover art and summary for my debut novel. Go check it out and let me know what you think!

[spaceagebachelormann]

HIHSISHSISJSBSNHIHEYHEY

may i please request ocean, misha, and jane/penny with an s/o that’s very short, like 5’0 and everyone assumes they’re rlly nice and they are… when they wanna be. just a very overall fiesty person in a tiny body :)

ocean, mischa and jane/penny with a short s/o!

✧ warnings: none

✧ additional info: erm this has been rotting in my inbox for months mb pookie 🙏 these might be shit but i’m on a rtc kick rn so trust in me!! also i kinda struggled with the angry but short part 😔 also ocean is kinda ooc

✧ m.list — nav.

ೃ༄ ocean o’connell rosenberg

ugh this is so real i’m 5’1 😒

ocean herself is also very short,, like 5’3-5’5

so she prob finds ur height rlly endearing cause she’s used to people being taller than her

would 100% baby u

probably says some shit like “awww ur so cute!” if u get annoyed cause she’s a little shit oblivious

would like seeing in like slightly bigger clothes cause a) she likes knowing ur comfy, even if she SUCKS at showing it, and b) she thinks it makes u look saur cute

and also she makes it abundantly clear she is the only mf who gets to bring up ur height and she’ll be passive aggressive to anyone else who does

and she’s the type to scold u if u get pissed at someone for making fun of ur height but she also doesn’t stop u

she’s secretly so proud but scolds u anyway

the scolding is worse if u swore at the person

ೃ༄ mischa bachinski

this BITCH is so mean to u abt ur height (lovingly ofc!)

purposely puts things on higher shelves so u have to ask him for help (he gets offended if u ask literally anyone else GOD FORBID ocean)

he def argues with u if u get annoyed but in like a teasing way

he thinks it’s endearing

gives u his clothes alot (obviously cause he likes seeing them on u)

so goddamn protective omg.

has encouraged you to yell at ppl for making fun of u

“HIT THEM!! HIT THEM!!” — mischa <3

fake cries and hugs u on the first day of december because santa needs his elves back

also says “don’t fall in a hole” when ur literally just walking

ೃ༄ penny lamb/jane doe

pennys like a mix of ocean and mischa

lovingly bullies u but also thinks ur so so cute

would love watching u yell at people and obviously encourages u

even joins if she feels like it

LOVES picking you up for no reason

jane though also thinks ur height is super cute but doesn’t know how to express it

she’s like immediately intrigued by u cause ur noticeably shorter than everyone else

she randomly comes up behind u and puts her arms around ur shoulders or js on ur arms or something

don’t get mad at her she gets confused cause she doesn’t know what she’s doing wrong :(

[musclesandhammering]

Unpopular Phase 4 & 5 Opinions

Quantumania is the worst Phase 4/5 movie. And it wasn’t even because “kang got beat by ants.” (I liked kang in this movie). It’s just that the Spy Kids aesthetic & bad acting & overall weird vibes just weren’t for me.

Love and Thunder is no worse than Ragnarok. I would argue that it’s better in a lot of ways, actually. I really liked it.

Taika Waititi ruined thor with bad humour all the way back in Ragnarok tbh, but y’all weren’t complaining about it then 😒.

BuckySarah is better than sambucky every day of the week.

The Marvels was a good ass movie & they’re one of my favorite teams in the mcu. I’ll never forgive cbm sites & online dudebros for killing the hype from the moment the film was announced.

I adore America Chavez & Kamala Kahn and I want to see them in everything. They must be protected at all costs.

Multiverse of Madness had shitty characterisation & basically just copy-pasted the ‘grief made me go off the deep end & hurt people, then I realised and stopped myself’ storyline from Wandavision… but Wanda was extremely selfish & apathetic to other people’s suffering from the time she was introduced in the mcu. MoM didn’t make her like that.

Wanda should’ve been looking for Vision (her actual real life boyfriend whom she spent years with irl) in MoM instead of the kids that weren’t even real that she spent like a week using as characters in her sitcom.

Making everyone forget Peter Parker wasn’t profound or poetic in any way- it was just frustrating and needlessly cruel.

I’m begging marvel to understand that heroes don’t have to be in constant suffering to be heroic & villains don’t have to sacrifice themselves to achieve redemption. Let characters heal and atone, you absolute weirdos.

What If…? is the most boring show ever. I’d rather watch Secret Invasion or She-Hulk.

Season 2 of Loki is, in a cinematic & artistic sense, the best marvel project period.

Loki season 1 was meh- more of a fun au than anything because his characterisation kinda sucked. Season 2 fixed it, though, and made it way easier for me to incorporate this version of Loki back into the larger mcu.

Having Steve stay in the past with Peggy was stupid af.

I don’t hate Peggy (or Captain Carter), though. I actually think she’s pretty cool.

I don’t really love Steve. He’s arrogant & they never really let him have flaws & something about him being a perfect metaphor for the American military industrial complex (and marvel painting that as a good thing) doesn’t sit right with me.

The Illuminati got done dirty and the only reason they went down so fast was because Wanda had all that plot armor.

I thought the retcon of having Wanda be “destined” to become the Scarlet Witch since birth was an annoying cop-out. Her powers originating from being experimented on with an infinity stone was way more interesting.

Loki & Wanda have almost the exact same powers.

Nebula deserved a bigger rule in killing Thanos & everything else moving forward.

I love Kathryn Newton but her acting as Cassie Lang was the worst acting I’ve ever seen in the mcu, like it was outrageously bad.

I’m glad Sam is the new Captain America and not Bucky.

The fact that Bucky probably isn’t gonna be one of Thee lead characters in the upcoming avengers movies feels sick and twisted.

Secret Invasion was actually passable until the G’iah scene at the end. That ruined it. And Nick Fury deserved way better for his solo series.

Kang is so much more interesting than Doctor Doom. I really hope they just recast him.

Carol Danvers does NOT deserve the hate she gets.

I actually disliked Carol until The Marvels. That movie made me a stan.

The way people treat Monica as Wanda’s little inferior pet creation or smth & then brag about it is uhh very sus.

I don’t like sylvie (bc she’s an amalgamation of 3 different comic characters- which killed any hopes of them appearing individually in the mcu, the creators used her existence to butcher Loki’s genderfluid rep, & she was written poorly) & I HATE sylki (bc it’s weird & unnecessary).

Marvel isn’t dead. I actually love where they’re taking things. But that’s just me.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for trying to make everyone’s lives easier? 🚗

Cast of characters: Me (32F), my mom (68F), my brother Robbie (37M), my daughter (2F), my friend Bea (31F). Sorry it’s long, this one has lore.

Me and my friend Bea were going to a party about an hour away from my house. Bea is on my way so I picked her up. I thought my husband would come too so I arranged for my daughter to stay at Mom’s overnight; he backed out but I still dropped my daughter at Mom’s on the way so he could have a night to himself. Bea needed to give her parents something and they live 5 minutes from my parents, so I dropped her off, then brought my daughter to Mom’s, then picked Bea up and went to the party.

The party was fun, we played some games, had a good time, then around 10:30 Bea and I left. I started thinking about how I would have to wake up early to go get my daughter the next morning, and my Mom’s house is between the party and Bea’s house, so I called Mom and said I would pick her up on my way back. But when I was driving, I kept thinking about how if she got woken up my daughter probably would cry all the way home and then not sleep well and then tomorrow would suck, and maybe my husband would come get her so I wouldn’t have to. So when I pulled up to Mom’s I called my husband to see if he would, and he agreed, so I decided not to take her home.

Since I was already at my Mom’s I went inside to let her know my daughter would stay. Unfortunately Mom had decided to wake my daughter up to go home and she was crying and Mom was really annoyed that I wouldn’t be taking her home after all and it was all just a lot so I stayed for a while to get her back to sleep. After about 10 minutes, Mom got a call from Bea, who was in the car, asking her to have me come back out.

Brief background: Robbie has schizophrenia, and when he’s getting bad he tends to fixate on people. Usually it’s family, but sometimes it’s also Bea, because he’s had a crush on her since she and I were friends in high school, and a few years ago he found out where she lived and started showing up and banging on her door. He wouldn’t remember being told to leave for more than an hour. Eventually we had to call the cops to tell him they would arrest him for trespassing if he didn’t stay away. He’s only been violent a few times, I don’t think Bea’s in real danger from him, but the paranoia makes him think Bea’s in danger from someone else and the way he talks we were concerned he was going to like break into her house to protect her. The whole thing just really freaked her out, she had no idea about the crush before he started showing up at her house and she usually goes out of her way to avoid him, she won’t come to my daughter’s birthday parties or anything.

So anyway I guess Robbie was going around and looking in the car windows. Bea said she locked the doors but couldn’t figure out how to turn off the lights in the dash (it’s electric and her car is old) but she ducked her head and doesn’t know if he recognized her. She was shaky but not crying or anything and I couldn’t find my phone (that's why she called Mom) so I showed her the door lock button and went back inside to look for it.

Mom had been annoyed with me before but she was really mad when I came back in. She kept saying how she hadn’t been able to sleep in days because of Robbie and I was just making everything worse and why I came back when Bea was with me when I knew Robbie was having a bad time. Basically she was blaming me for everything and it was giving me anxiety so it took me a while to realize my phone was in my pocket. But I figured it out and went back outside. Bea was in the footwell with her jacket over her head. She said Robbie had tried the doors and banged on the windows, but everything was locked and eventually he went back inside.

Anyway Mom has been mad at me ever since. I told her that she should have said if she was really too tired to watch my daughter, and she said some really hurtful things like how she’s never known anyone to need a break from their baby as much as I do. I don’t think she’s being fair because she always talks about how much she loves to see her, and it takes a village. Anyway if she hadn’t woken my daughter up the whole Robbie thing wouldn’t have happened because I wouldn’t have been inside so long.

So, tumblr: AITA?

(FWIW Bea isn’t mad or anything, she knows I can’t control what Robbie does.)

What are these acronyms?

[pucktoxicity]

Hi, I really like your blog! I was wondering if you've met any wags and if so have they been kind? (i've read awful things about a lot of wags in tumblr and i refuse to believe everyone sucks)

hi! thank you, i’m so glad you like it here! this is gonna be long, i’m sorry, but here it is!

i’ve met a lot of WAGs. for me, the general conclusion i’ve drawn is that it’s the younger WAGs (in their early 20’s aka my age group) that are… not too nice. 😬🫢 they’re young, that frontal lobe isn’t fully developed, and instead of being humble and just appreciating their boyfriend or their boyfriend’s fan that knows hey, that’s my fav’s girlfriend!, they come across incredibly entitled, and even worse, they’re pretty condescending. there’s a sense of superiority that they have over everyone else at a game in younger WAGs, even though they’re normal as fuck. they’re not celebrities, they’re not important (sorry, but it’s the truth), and most, if not the majority of fans in attendance and staff at the game have no idea who the fuck they are. it can be pretty off-putting and honestly, laughable, to be that way, because fans all talk. everyone will find out that someone’s girlfriend was making fun of fans in the arena quickly, if that makes sense.

ironically (and i said this a while ago), the girls hooking up with a player that aren’t even actually dating them but show up to games, are the worst of the worst. i’ve had several, and i mean too many than i care to admit, abhorrent encounters with that group in the devils’ tunnel, where they’re loudly making fun of fans and girls who are at games with signs. they’ll loudly say it’s embarrassing to be standing in the tunnel with fans (and say fans with blatant disgust).

older WAGs, in their late 20s or in their 30s, and the WAGs with children, are always nice. they’re all incredibly sweet women, very respectful of fans of every age, and they appreciate when people compliment them or say hello. they know their living the fucking dream life, and they appreciate it all, appreciate the people who show up to the arena multiple times a week to watch their partners play, they’re just on a different level compared to younger WAGs who don’t understand any of that yet. 😁

[screamintoad]

  Continuation of this! These two are so tragic and I love making them even WORSE @kawaii-queen-kaiju

Mira shrugged. “The bleeding stopped. I’ll live. It doesn’t matter, I’ve got some things I want to say to the fucker that instigated this fuckery." Atticus laughed bitterly, offering her a hand and hoisting her up. “Damn straight. Bitch tried to eat me, he ain’t getting out of anything.” His face fell as he looked out at all the destruction that had happened. He gingerly approached the door and saw Bertholdt struggling to pull Reiner out of the nape of the Armored Titan. Mira placed a hand on his shoulder as he attempted to speak. All that came out was a mumbled, “Sorry…” 

  He despised Marley but, those were still his friends that he’s been through hell and back with. He finally processed the faint sniffling coming from Gabi and Falco. Atticus sighed as he approached them, he knelt down to closer inspect them for any injuries they might’ve gotten. 

  “They’re all dead.” Falco mumbled. “Who, Falco? Many people have lost their lives tonight so be clear.” Atticus’ voice softened as he spoke to the kids. “Zofia…and Udo…they’re dead because of the island devils!” Gabi specified. Tears stained their faces with their eyes red and agitated. They were only kids. 

  Atticus’ eyes widened, every memory that he’s had with the young Warrior candidates in the past 4 years came back to him as he tried to keep his breathing calm. “Maybe they got out of the crossfire fast enough that you missed them in the crowd?” He suggested but from their faces, he knew the answer. Gabi shook her head, “No! Zofia got crushed by debris in the stands and Udo got…TRAMPLED on.” She sucked in another hard breath while Atticus stood up. 

  He took off his Marleyan coat and arm band and threw them out of the airship. The others in the cabin gave estranged looks as they noted his blank expression. Ever since he was a cadet they knew how calculated he was and how violence was always his last resort. He watched the pieces fly into the wind and shut the door for good. Atticus turned to look at Mikasa examining Eren for any external wounds. He already wanted to yell at him for attempting to eat him but now he has an even bigger reason. 

  Mira’s face contorted into a mixture of disgust and shock. She barely knew them but no child deserves to die, especially in such horrific ways. She could only imagine how Atticus must feel. It only took a second for her to learn that he shares a rage with her. 

  Atticus ran forward and attempted to punch Eren but was quickly grabbed by Connie and Jean. “Calm down, Tybur! They obviously got caught in the crossfire, there’s no changing the past.” Atticus seethed as Connie spoke. “Calm down? They were KIDS. They’re my kids and now they’re gone with barely anyone to remember them!” His breathing became ragged as he glared at Eren, “Dammit Jaeger, I should’ve killed you when I had the chance!” 

  Mikasa shot up from her spot in an attempt to mediate the fight when Mira came up and kicked Eren straight in the face. Hard. Her face now showed pure anger, “All of this because you ‘remembered’?! All these people, DEAD, because you thought you had to? That you had no choice? Because you wanna be free?!” Tears began welling up in her eyes as she imagined her own family in the middle of all of this. “You’re not free! You’re a slave to a future that was never certain. You damned yourself! You damned yourself and everyone else with you for no reason at all in the end. Are you proud of yourself? Was it worth it?!” 

  “That’s enough.” Finally, Captain Levi stepped between everyone and dragged Mira away from Eren, who’s face was now dripping with blood coming from his nose. “You’ve had your fun now, relax. It’s been a long night for everyone.” He glanced at Atticus who was still seething as Jean and Connie held him in place while Commander Hange approached him. They reeled back and headbutt Atticus hard enough for him stumble backwards. Jean and Connie let him go and he just…crumbled to the ground.

  The pain from Hange headbutting him isn’t what caused Atticus to slump to the metal floor of the ship. Instead, his own self defeat. “I failed them…I told them that they didn’t have to worry and that we would be there to protect them but I failed.” His mind flashed to earlier that day at the festival.

  The open sky and breeze felt nice after a restless night. Bertholdt and Atticus walked side by side as they discussed various topics. Atticus forced a laugh, “My brother has a speech prepared. For everyone’s sake, I hope it goes terribly wrong.” He joked. Bertholdt shook his head as he chuckled, he took a puff of his cigarette. “You’re terrible to him.” He said. Atticus shrugged, “He deserves it. My whole family does.” He paused in front of a porcelain shop and eyed an intricate tea set on the window display. Before Atticus could get too lost in his thoughts he heard the sound of a group of kids debating back and forth about the war’s final battle that Marley won. 

  Gabi and Falco quickly walked by but, Udo and Zofia stayed. “Gabi is as worked up as usual.” Bertholdt commented. “Even though what she did was completely brash.” Udo spit back. Atticus stood up straight and gave both of the kids a pat on the head. “You all fought well. Now quit worrying about some war and have fun like kids should! Us Warriors will protect you all from here on, no more battlefields for a group of twelve year olds.” He laughed as Zofia pushed his hand off of her. He’ll never say it out loud but he’s grown to truly care about the new generation of Warrior candidates. Especially Zofia and Udo, unlike Falco and Gabi, they didn’t have many family left and Udo personally knew firsthand the prejudice that Eldian’s face. “What are you both doing? You’re not usually the types to enjoy crowded festivals.” Zofia wondered. Bertholdt stomped out his cigarette, “We’re enjoying our free time.” He replied nonchalantly. Atticus ushered them both to catch up to Gabi and Falco with a half hearted smile. 

  The adults watched them run off and continued to walk down a different street. Bertholdt broke the silence, “I think the higher ups are wrong. Udo isn’t a worthy candidate of the Colossal.” Atticus quirked a brow. “What brought that on so suddenly?” He asked. A moment of silence passed. “Just thinking. You need complete emotional control to fully harness its power which-“ “Udo doesn’t have. But, Zofia on the other hand does.” Bertholdt nodded at the statement. Atticus looked out at the port. “I share a similar sentiment. I don’t want to have a kid just for the sake of passing on the Warhammer so I’ve been watching them train and I actually believe Udo is a better fit for it than any of my family members.” 

  The wind grew harsher and Bertholdt’s voice became muffled. Atticus’ head spun as he remembered watching Eren eat Willy Tybur. How weaponry lit up the sky brighter than the city’s lights. How he thought for a second to return to his house and grab the numerous notebooks he’s written in about everything that the rich and powerful in Marley have done and plan to do. 

  Levi’s voice finally broke through to Atticus. “Stand up. None of my scouts stay down.” Atticus focused on his breathing as he got thrown back into reality. “My notebooks…everything that I’ve recorded since returning is all gone. My mission was all for nothing.” Sasha helped him up to his feet, “What are you talking about?” Hange replied, “That was the whole reason he left. To record and catalogue information that we could use.” Jean’s face looked like he was personally hurt but, he couldn’t find any words to say. 

  Mira guided Atticus to sit beside her, both of them appeared equally defeated and exhausted. “Now what?” Atticus questioned. “We’ll figure it out. First we need to get back to Paradis and lecture the kids.” 

[waveswallowed]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑. generate ten twenty-five headcanons for your muse and either agree or disagree with them.

lucerys wishes they were like, just an inch taller. at 6'1, i'm not sure why he would wish for that. so no, he's already pretty tall and very content with that.

lucerys crashed a riding lawn mower into their fence. yes, i definitely feel like he, jace and joffrey did that at some point as children in the modern verse, and had the most fun time riding that thing until they crashed it.

lucerys has a grandfather who is in prison. this made me laugh because corlys is imprisoned for a time in fire and blood, so yes, as a matter of fact, he does at one point.

lucerys has a sleeping schedule worse than everyone. definitely. there's not even any telling if he's a night owl or an early riser because he will stay up late and wake early, which usually means he didn't sleep at all or very little.

lucerys will just not die. nope, he won't. keep trying.

lucerys is oblivous to any and all romantic interest someone may show them. kind of, yes, although i think it's less that he's entirely oblivious, rather that he acts oblivious because he does not know how else to react.

lucerys only drinks sparkling water. when he was a child in modern verse, it was the best thing ever, now he rarely drinks it and usually goes for still/non-carbonated water.

lucerys gets road rage. yes, somewhat, but not in an extreme, genuinely aggressive way, more in a funny way with lots of sarcasm, dry ( and therefore funny ) insults and him pulling stuff like honking back at people.

lucerys avoids eye contact. no, but there was a time where he did that when he was around ten, until someone pointed it out. so he started holding eye contact until the other person looks away instead.

lucerys hates crabs. living near beaches, i feel like he definitely got pinched by a crab before, and probably not just once, but he doesn't hate them. he ‘ hates ’ the ridiculous crab decorations modern corlys has, though.

lucerys hates life(emo ass). lowkey he does, yes.

lucerys wants to see the world burn. after so many of his family die, especially jace who he watches die and can't save, yes, he does. and he lets it burn that day.

lucerys has a very low alcohol tolerance. he actually has a rather high alcohol tolerance to a point where he doesn't really get drunk, no matter what he does. or at least he doesn't feel all too different. this, however, does not make him immune to hangovers, unfortunately.

lucerys is in fact bisexual. yes, he is. and modern luke will tell you that whereas canon luke will very fiercely deny it.

lucerys knows the lyrics to Like an Angel Passing Through My Room by heart. probably? that song is very much him and he has a pretty melancholic kind of taste in music. and he's definitely into abba. ( that's another song going on his playlist, by the way. thanks, headcanon generator for reminding me of it ).

lucerys is overanalytical about the most random bullshit. yes. very.

lucerys is a psychopath but they hides it very well. i wouldn't call it psychopath, but he's definitely a lot more unhinged than he seems. and he sure has a way of keeping that air of ‪‘ innocence ‪᾿‬ to him when he's far from innocent.

lucerys is definitely into SOMETHING, but won't tell you. yes.

lucerys is deathly afraid of fire. lmao and dragons and the family motto itself. jokes aside, he isn't afraid of fire.

lucerys is banned from fishing. this one is also funny because this would really suck in some of his verses if that was the case. i also can't help but wonder what kind of ridiculous thing must have happened for him to be banned from fishing, of all things.

lucerys has an incredible long-term memory but an awful short-term memory. yes. he's definitely the kind of person who can tell you what happened on the seventh moon five years ago, who was there and what everyone did, and that in great detail, but be unable to tell you what he ate for supper two hours ago.

lucerys is damn good at staying hidden. yes. he could disappear without a trace if he wanted to. he's just very good at sneaking around and slipping away and hiding in general ( in a physical and emotional sense, but i'm just gonna get into literally hiding here ). only not with jace. jace always finds him and vice versa.

lucerys can beat you up if deserved. yes. and worse.

lucerys holds their weight on one side when standing. yes, he does, actually. not all of the time, and it's pretty subtle, but most of the time.

lucerys can't make the voices go away. no, he cannot, as much as he wishes he could. and the worst of all of them is his own.

[mdhwrites]

Do you agree with the idea that Luz is a people pleaser? Or is it just something the fandom made up to make her seem more likable/relateble/interesting with no real basis in canon?

GOD NO! But that's not necessarily a bad thing as the protagonist archtype she's hailing from normally isn't. The problem comes from the fact that she is so ANTI people pleasing that it clashes with her backstory, rare moments in the show and she also just NEVER LEARNS ANYTHING.

This is also a problem for Randy Cunningham: Ninth Grade Ninja. Him and his best friend make a declaration at the start of the year to be popular. They don't care if they're liked or disliked, the goal is for EVERYONE to know their name. This fuels a bunch of teenage shenanigans that are meant to impress people or make them look cool by the definitions they have in their brains rather than what reality is.

Cookie from Ned's Declassified did stuff like this a lot, Danny and Tucker from Danny Phantom are also prime examples of it. It is just a teenage protagonist archtype for them to be trying to live out a fantasy of being special when the reality is that they're just nice nerds who should be happy being who they are. This is Luz. Period.

And there's two sides of this archtype. The first is the FIRST THING WE KNOW ABOUT HER. They will do things to stand out from a crowd because they think it's cool regardless of if it's right. We are literally shown FOUR instances of this back to back from her book report to the montage of her fuck ups. Each time, she is actively looking at what others are doing and going "Nah. Hold my beer and watch this." I mean... She brought fucking SPIDERS to school and looked at best confused as to why everyone ran off screaming and that's not talking about the play she RUINED.

This is then reinforced in Episode 2 when she tells King and Eda to go suck eggs because she is totes a chosen one. She does save them at the end which brings the other half of this archtype when it comes to their fuck ups. When they fuck up, they fix it, commonly so as to not get people killed but also to make sure that either people in general or those closest to them don't HATE THEM. Now, that might sound like a people pleaser... But it's not. It's seeking forgiveness, not permission. I mean in S1 alone you have her explicitly ignoring Willow's wishes in both Understanding Willow and Wing it Like Witches so that she can have her fun before then someone gets hurt or upset and fixing it in someway.

As a note: The moment you realize that SO MUCH of Luz's character is motivated by tropes she likes or be special, a lot of actions she takes take on way worse connotations. A perfect example of this is when she declares in Lost in Language that she'll be friends with Amity come hell or high water... A minute later she's fucking around with Amity's siblings who Amity has shown clear disdain for. Or you can go with Adventure in the Elements where despite her trying to get along with Amity and impress her, she STEALS FROM HER so that she can get the instant gratification of casting magic. And this sort of recontextualization is ALL over the first season especially of Luz just doing bat shit crazy things because it lets her be cool and she never really learns to stop, even PROUDLY stating in Reaching Out that she'll always choose the option that leads to the most chaos. The most adventure, the most tropes. A season and a half in and instead of growing at all, she is still defiantly against reality.

This is also all inherently AGAINST being a people pleaser. A people pleaser wants everyone to LIKE them. Sprig spends half an episode being a people pleaser like this, even if I don't think it's quite who he is. What Luz is after is just to make sure people don't hate her. At best, she doesn't want people to actively dislike her but she mostly cares about if you remember her name. If she left an impression bigger than anyone else.

But I don't blame the fandom for making her a people pleaser. All of what I've said is based on her actions. By her words, she's meant to be someone who has had to hold back who she is. Who has hid from the world so as to be liked by society. Being a people pleaser IS a part of that archtype and that's where we get "Oh no teenagers" and "I'm gonna get made fun of again" and... That's about it. It's actually why those lines annoy me so much because they happen over a season into the show and she has NEVER held back on who she is for even half a second during that ENTIRE TIME. Even Adventure in Elements isn't about pleasing others, it's about not being embarrassed. Being brought low.

But those are literally the ONLY moments in the entire series where she gives a fuck. The Collector and Belos angst? It's not about how no one will like her anymore, it's that they'll hate her because it needs to be that drastic for her to care. It also makes her less of the paragon hero that she sees herself as. And that's laughable because she only has like TWO moments in the entire series where she actively seeks out a way to help someone without them asking. The cure for Eda's curse at the end of S1, where she's trying not to have Eda die in return for watching over her which is just kind of basic kindness and going after King's stuffed rabbit in Titan Where Art Thou. At that point though, the show claims they're siblings so it's just being kind to your family... You know, right before she effectively tells Eda to go rot because she won't let her go fight Belos.

All the while, she is learning NOTHING. The teenage dumbass archtype is GREAT as a main character because it allows so much room for growth. It's part of why Anne is such a good protagonist because while she embraces the lazy side of it more than trying to appear special, she is still a teenage dumbass. As such, S1 spends time teaching her morals and making her grow up so she can be better.

Luz never grows up. Then again, she'd either have to actually face consequences for her actions or care more deeply about others for that to happen. That isn't going to happen though, not when she, and everyone around her, are solely focused on letting her live the isekai fantasy that she's always wanted.

=========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

Hey guys! Didn't ever get around to making a post for The Rookie 7x14, so here's a little one!

Only a tiny bit of Wesley <33 💔. But he ate up those few seconds he had 🥰 lol. I love him <3.

Angela of course did great <3 loved her gossip with Tim, how she's not one of the guys xD and her trying to bribe Wesley lol 💀 insane, love her <3. And of course she was great at her job :).

It took me several days to watch this episode so I'm kinda struggling to remember everything lol, but the whole hired assassin thing o.o. Certainly interesting! And while Tim was recruiting Miles xD or trying to, anyway. Also YAYY Hi Lauraaa :DD 🥳🥳!! It's been too long :)). Also the short hair is eating!! Anyway, it was interesting, and I'm glad the FBI's on it now!

Even if no one else did, I'm glad everyone (of the gang) showed up to Nyla and James's meeting :'). Even if none of them could stay xd. And I love how Miles went back through the training videos and volunteered to do them! The originals were iconic lol, but definitely inaccurate lol. Still, that guy was certainly determined, so I'm glad Miles is too :). And starring Tim LOL, iconic xD. Plus as a trade for the football was great lol. Also, I'm assuming the coach was a football guy, but at first I thought he was the guy from the training videos xD.

Glad everything worked out with Malvado :O *phew face idk*. It certainly was way suspicious though and you guys should be careful xD. Also the prime product placement this episode was 💀 could've been worse though xD. Looking at you Warehouse 13- lol. Anyway, so sorry Bailey 😔, but I'm glad we won :D 🥳🥳. The cops I mean lol (though normally I wouldn't want that, irl or in my other shows xD). Good job everybody :D! And Miles really did do well as a ringer lol! Also, Nolan and Bailey trash talking (or pranking/stealing lol) the entire time was great xD. Gotta agree though, getting me up in the morning to trash talk is crazy 😭 xD. Still, love em :). And how Nolan was still like sending her hearts and stuff and kind of staying out of it all xD lol great.

Gosh, Lucy and Celina's case was so dark :(. And poor both of them, honestly 😭 they went through it for that. It was awesome seeing Lucy support Celina though, and Celina getting to help someone else rescue their sister was <3. It just sucks when she couldn't do anything to save her own 😭 :((. Her staring at them, kind of looking through them, tears in her eyes but a slight blank smile expression on her face - gosh, wonderful 😭😭🥺💔❤️. My poor darling <3. But I'm so glad they're both okay, as well as the sister and her baby :'). I hope those sisters can make up, but I think they'll be okay in the end <3.

Also Chenford once again 👀👀 we'll seeee I suppose. Also I'm glad Angela pointed out that Tim will be very lucky lol - fair point xD.

And Grey was great as always this episode :). Him at the game too lol.

It was super fun to see them all play flag football together 🥰🥰 :D. And I love me a good police vs fire sports event lol. Or any event xD as long as it's not TOOO tense xD. I do wish Lucy was there too, but yk :') and of course I get why she wasn't. But everybody did great this episode :D, at their jobs and at the game 🥰. And I'm so glad everyone's okay right now :)).

And of course. . .

YESSS THE NEXT EPISODE'S A DOC EP!!! WHOOHOOOOO 🥳🥳🥳🥰🤩👏!! Idk what people on IMDB are talking about because the doc eps are so fun lol, and they have so much rewatch potential/ability!! Love watching them.

Worried for Abigail though o.o I think she'll end up alright, just more that she got them to look into it more and was involved than that it's literally about her specifically/only, based on what we saw in the promo. But she'll be the start of it, yk? Anyway! Super excited, I'm a bit nervous o.o and it looks dramatic 😬👀, but it looks so good :D.

See y'all next time!!

[humorisstoredinthetits]

The Heathers+Veronica go to the Mall

I have returned because I actually had an idea for once

I also got too busy watching another show about a group of 4 color-coded girls who are all (probably) gay, guess correctly and you get a cookie

Its no secret that they like to shop

Between Chandler's massive ego forcing her to have the newest fashion trends to ensure she looks better than everyone else and Duke and Veronica's gremlin hordes of collectibles, they do alot of shopping

At least once a week they end up at the local mall and don't leave until they come out with just tons of unnecessary bullshit

Do they have a problem? Probably.

Is it a massive drain on their finances? Lol not even close, they have just obscene amounts of money, between their three incomes and the fortunes left behind from the Heather's parents they can afford to buy whatever the hell they please

Even with the amounts they donate to various charities, they still just have so much of it

This ends up with them buying just the dumbest things

By 'them' I mean Duke

Like once she rented one of those bouncy castles from a party company bc Duke always wanted once but her parents sucked and wouldn't get it so she said fuck it and rented one

Mac and Veronica quickly joined her on it and they all started fooling around in there (not in the nsfw way, ik some of you dirty people were thinking that)

Chandler was just like 'whatever' until she realized that it was crushing some of her flowers

The stakes planted in the ground to keep the castle in place were not meant to withstand the forces of 3 childish adults bouncing around in there so they came out and the forces of them jumping moved the castle onto her flowers

Chandler got pissed, grabbed a knife, and stabbed the castle, deflating it

Everyone was pissed at her for ruining their fun and she had to pay the company for the damages

But back to what this was actually about

The Sherwood Mall really isn't anything that spectacular, but there really isn't much to do in Sherwood so they'll take what they can get

They'll usually drive in Duke's Jeep, as its the only thing that will be able to hold all of their crap

Once they get to the mall they split into two groups

Duke and Mac go off on their own while Chandler goes with Veronica

This is because they usually look for clothes first, and if Chandler doesn't supervise her Veronica will get non-Chandler approved outfits and she will not stand for that

And she still can't accessorize for shit

Chandler will go into a store, grab so many different clothes and spend literal hours trying them on while asking Veronica her opinions

Veronica still sucks with fashion, even after all these years with her fashionista gfs, so she's clueless when Chandler asks her for her opinion

"Which Skirt do you think looks better on me"

"This is a trick question, they're the same fucking skirt"

" No, this one is black and this on is very very dark gray, God Veronica how can you not see the difference, it's clear as night and day!"

"Whatever you say Princess"

What's even worse is when Chandler is done and starts picking out shit for Veronica

She feels like a doll while Chandler argues with herself over very minute differences in clothes

Sometimes she will take pity on her and let her pick out a few outfits that she doesn't approve of, which usually ends up with Veronica at Hot Topic getting band t-shirts and ripped jeans while Chandler tries not to gag at how unfashionable it all is

Veronica used to get severely annoyed by this, especially when she first joined the Heathers, but she then realized that she does it from a place of love, she just wants her gfs to look good

Chandler is just very very very bad at expressing her feelings in ways that don't make her look like a controlling bitch

Plus she also appreciates it deep down, she knows that she would not be able to pick them out herself

Hell if it wasn't for Chandler she would probably still be wearing that stupid scarf she used to wear with literally everything no matter how badly it clashed

Duke and Mac, on the other hand, are having a good time

Chandler trusts them enough to know what looks good on them so they are allowed to go out on their own

They take things a whole lot slower, taking their time browsing and seeing what looks cute

And don't get them wrong, they love Chandler, but she can be a bitch sometimes when it comes to these kinda things so they're glad that Veronica is the one who has to deal with that

Once they finish buying things they bring them to the Jeep before heading back inside for lunch

Being a small mall, the options aren't great but they make do with what they have

Chandler doesn't like most of the options, being mostly unhealthy fast food, so she usually goes to Subway

She gets the Roasted Chicken 6in with a tea and Miss Vicke's Salt and Vinegar Chips

Yes, Chandler is one of those horrid people who likes Salt and Vinegar Chips

The employees there put extra toppings on her sandwich because she comes there so consistently

Duke goes to the Panda Express (Ik I'm saying the Asian gets Asian food and all that but I have like no ideas for Duke)

She gets the Orange Chicken Bowl with Fried Rice and a Diet Coke

Mac goes to McDonalds

She collects the Happy Meal toys so she'll get 3 4piece McNugget Happy Meals

She doesn't like the apple slices so Chandler will usually eat them

The employees know to give her 3 different toys bc one time they didn't and Mac was disappointed so Chandler went over there and demanded they exchange them out for different ones

Veronica goes to the local Pizza shop

Its called Smokey's and its one of those restaurants where if you eat the big slice in a certain amount of time they'll put your picture on the wall and give you free pizza

Well the first time they came to the mall Veronica decided to try it for the hell of it

She devoured it in half the time of the previous record holder

The Heathers were watching and were horrified at how she just inhaled it like she was a black hole

Now every time she goes she gets the big slice and just for the hell of it tries to beat her best record

Her current record is 2min 12sec

After they finish eating they'll get ice cream because they are responsible adults who only eat healthy things to ensure they are in the best health

Mac gets Vanilla bc she's basic af

Chandler gets Strawberry

Duke gets Chocolate Chip

Veronica gets Pistachio

The Heathers are once again disgusted by their gf's food taste bc who tf likes pistachio?

After finishing their ice cream they go shopping for other things

This time they don't split up and go around in a group

They often go to Earthbound Trading Co.

Mac likes the incense so she'll stop by and see if theres any new scents or just to replenish her stock

She also likes the animal diagram wall art they have

One time Veronica found these rainbow butterfly wings there and as soon as she saw them Chandler said "Veronica Sawyer I swear to God if you buy those I am going to kill you"

She wore them to pride that year

Chandler refused to acknowledge her the whole time

At BoxLunch Mac and Duke will go through the pin stand and show each other what stupid ones they have and laugh at them while Veronica looks at the anime figures

Duke will buy the enamel pins for her office at work bc they're more fun that the boring regular ones

They go to Gamestop and Veronica tells herself that she isn't going to buy any more Pokemon Cards, its just like gambling, she isn't guaranteed to get anything good, she should just order what she wants off of Ebay

She comes out the store with bags full of packs and no regrets

Of course they go to the Candy Store, they get so much candy that the owner insists on giving them discounts

Duke buys all of those weird sodas like atomic waste or whatever

**Line break bc Tumblr is Dumblr**

She never likes any of them and never takes more than a few sips from each before spitting it out

One of the few good things their mall does have is a Lego Store

Mac once made custom minifigures of the four of them

Chandler acted like she thought it was stupid but she actually thinks its really cute and keeps hers on her desk in her office

Chandler has to drag the three of them out of there sometimes becuase they cannot make up their minds on what sets to get

They have a Build-a-Bear too, Mac usually looks to see if they have any of the Pokemon ones in there and gets them if they do

Its also where Chandler and Mac had their first 'date'

They call it a date but they were 7 and it was Mac's Birthday Party and Chandler gave her bear to Mac who was upset that she couldn't get two

Mac still has those bears to this day

They go to Spencer's and head straight for the back after checking out the pride stuff in the front and seeing if any of it is good

They don't buy anything most of the time they just go back there and laugh at all of the stupid shit they have there

One time they found a skirt that was red with a heart that said 'bitch' on it and they made Chandler get it

Duke also got a lava lamp

I just think she would really like lava lamps

Finally they stop in Sephora bc of course they do they're the Heathers

They go there last bc they spend forever looking at makeup and nail polish and shit

On their way out Mac coerces them into riding on the carousel bc they are definitely mature adults

Mac rides the Unicorn bc of course

Duke rides the Tiger

Chandler rides the horse

Veronica rides the ostrich

She just thinks its funny that there are all these majestic creatures and then there's this giant bird

After that the leave and everyone is exauhsted, especially Chandler bc she just had to babysit her 3 gfs for the past several hours even through they are grown adults and should be able to handle themselves

Unfortunately for her, none of them are mature adults, not even her

[blackjackkent]

Moving past the weird terrifying door, we fought some more of Ethel's playthings controlled by weird masks. (We had the option to loot and, presumably, wear these, but that seems like a terrible idea.)

One of them, somewhat depressingly, was carrying this:

Yeah, I don't think that worked out very well. :(

This was followed by a fun little obstacle course around a bunch of noxious gasses which cost everyone a bunch of HP, but finally we've made it to the "Ancient Abode" - and look who it is!

Whoohoo, we found her, and she's not dead! (Yet, anyway.)

Ethel, needless to say, is NOT happy we're here.

"you come to my home, interfere in my business, and now have the gall to face me in the heart of my lair? You petulant bollocks. I'll rip your spine out your arsehole! I'll use your blood to spice my stew! I'll keep you alive until I've sucked the marrow from your bones! And then I'll bring you back and do it all over again!"

Hector, show us how you feel about this.

Damn right.

This turned out to be a bit of an annoying battle. Ethel had the ability to disguise and duplicate herself and used it several times, and there was an additional threat for a while of Mayrina's cage burning and getting dropped into a pit. But we whittled her down.

She tried to make a deal with the group (specifically Karlach, who happened to get the conversation for some reason), offering an ability score increase in return for letting her go with Mayrina and her unborn child.

Obviously Karlach (and everyone else) was not letting that happen, so we finished her off.

Mayrina...surprisingly, does not seem particularly grateful for this effort on her behalf.

"You bastard! You ruined it - you ruined everything!"

Hector, covered in blood, soot, acid burns, and a general air of exhaustion, just stares at her and slow blinks for a few moments. "This is an interesting way of thanking me," he finally says.

"You want thanks?" Mayrina screeches. "A slap is all you deserve! Ethel was going to bring my husband back. Back from the dead! And now I'll never see him again - because of you."

Ah.

Hector frowns. "Hags don't work for free. What did you promise her?"

"This." Mayrina looks down at her swollen belly. She's very far along; her back is hunched with the weight of it. There's a sort of mad desperation in her eyes. "Just a bit longer and my child would have been born. And all this - all this would have been over."

Hector swallows. Selune's grace...what a terrible bargain. He has certainly had no shortage of naive mistakes himself, out here in the world away from the monastery, but even he can see that this could not possibly have ended well. "With hags, nothing is ever over," he says bluntly.

"This was the best chance I had, for me *and* my baby," Mayrina insists. "Auntie Ethel promised to give this child a good life - teach them magic, even! More than I could have done."

Hector feels a surge of compassion for the young woman. Clearly she felt trapped in her existing situation - husband dead, left to raise a child alone in what must have been less than affluent circumstances. The hag's promises must have sounded quite enticing. But there was also no doubt they were false. "Is that what Ethel told you?"

Mayrina just stares at him for a long moment. "She said I'd make a bad mother. I-- I think she was right." She turns away, beginning to stalk deeper into the cave. "Now I'll have to drag Connor's coffin all the way home. It's the only way this child will ever meet their father. I hope you're happy."

----

Hector watches her walk away and sags wearily, running a hand down his face. "Did I do the wrong thing?" he asks, not really expecting an answer.

"You 'n I both know that hag would have done terrors 'n worse to her," Karlach grunts matter-of-factly. "Better this way." A pause. "You're all right, Soldier. We had to stop her. Wouldn't be you - wouldn't be us - if we left her to that fate."

Hector takes this in for a long moment, then forces himself to straighten up, squaring his shoulders. "Yes. Yes, you're right, of course. Of course."

"Besides," Gale adds darkly, "she's not that creature's only victim. There are a lot of souls that will be able to move on to some more verdant pasture because she's dead. And I think we can all agree that's a worthwhile outcome."

[bitch-butter]

but also havve you Seen this is us, because that film felt like notes from ross' therapist turned into a script i was like 👀👀👀👀 sir we really gonna put our mommy issues out there? for everyone????? to see????? Alright. ok sir. alright.

anyway. i also would like. to know your insight. about the Back Packing Trip. because. well. i am. Curious.

i Have seen About Us and it was a sad bad film that made me feel sad and bad for ross as a person, and i thought it couldn't get any worse for him but then i remembered he made A Violent Man, and i was like that's the actual worse thing but Then i remembered it was originally called Ire so not only is he Bad but he's also Stupid.

let's talk about the backpacking trip

first of all, the whole thing is really giving the one scene of call me by your name i can recall where they're like romping in front of a waterfall, and i feel like this trip Also had like a soft malevolent energy from the beginning. 

(also not to be this way but like who backpacks, let alone as a pair? that's like, a front for something else lol. i knew like Peers who Had Money who backpacked together after high school and college but i Earnestly can't imagine what one Does backpacking across Europe together besides finger each other.)

like, it's very sad to imagine in hindsight because Young Ross probably thought this was the beginning of his new life and he was going to take his HBO money and his hot psycho and retire the both of them to Miami Beach or wherever gay people went in the late 90s to Settle Down. it Truly was probably like signed, sealed, delivered at the beginning of that trip, and the waves of young love carried them off on their journey like seraphims or whatever the fuck.

and on a level I'm sure eion Liked him, bc even though I think he should be thrown down a well i just can't Conceptualize him fucking ross, staying homies with him, agreeing to go on a homosexual backpacking trip together, and still seeming to be somehwhat cool with him if he Didn't. the dif is just that i think eion legit was fucking around and refusing to find out, like clearly he had a lot going on at that time and ross was probably just his friend who he fucked on occasion and that was it. it's not technically his fault that ross thought that eventually he'd stop fucking other people and only fuck him, it's trap we've all fallen into on the long road to self actualization. when people tell you who they are, believe them (i learned that watching Vanderpump Rules).

so in my onion this all comes to a head at the end of the trip, after they've been having this like fun sexy time for like a month and a half, when they hit up The Club in Prague and eion is Enjoying himself and ross demonstrably is Not. by now eion is like ok we've had fun c'est la vie and ross is Deeply betrayed by the fact that the love of his young life is making out with other people in The Club and is not being apologetic in the fucking slightest about it. but, again, you knew who this bitch was when you met him. 

and he subsequently has to place a drunken collect call to the area beneath an isolated demilitarized zone, which is where matt settle lives, sounding like - as @airsigns knows - the lyle menendez 911 call where he's screaming crying blowing his nose into the receiver begging for help getting flown out.

suffice it to say, eion stays on his european vaca prob getting fucked and sucked all day and ross has to flee (not unlike Taylor Swift on that boat in the blue dress). and deeply darkly he does think eion might come after him, and guess what? he didn't!

and like their whole relationship ever since has been fraught with the insane tension of eion thinking he did nothing wrong and they were just friends who had An Experience together, and ross who still looks at him like an incubus who ruined his life but who he can never be free of, not only because Band of Brothers became an iconic show and this fandom exists to praise them, but because as hard as he tries young love and first heartbreak doesn't ever Really go away.