#we need more manic pixie dream boys in stories
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This Week in BL - I'm Late, I know
Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.
Feb 2024 Wk 2
Ongoing Series - Thai
The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - we waiting 2 weeks I guess? Bah.
Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 13fin - I wasn't impressed by the last ep at all. Trash watch happened here.
My final thoughts:
Based on alittlebixth's omegaverse novel #พิษเบ๊บ’ set in the world of car racing omegaverse. Thailand brought us the world's first omegaverse BL but then failed to lean into the courage of its a/b/o convictions by not emphasizing the difference between our world & theirs, adding & subtracting characters & allegiances + a weak ending. With earnest performances, enthusiastic sex scenes, a fantastic side couple, and some delightful scenery chewing - the actors tried… poor things. It's just the story failed both them and their parent genre. Frankly? I just wanted it to be more outrageous and trashy, since I never expected it to be good. Instead, it was just… meh. 7/10
(Imma remind all the newbies that this is not unprecedented from me with hugely popular BL.)
Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - I like it but there’s a high % of this show that doesn’t interest me. Anything to do with the side couple, or the friend group, or the cooking competition drives me into a comatose state of UGH. That means that in this episode, I paid attention to about 5 minutes worth.
For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - I'm ready for this to be done. I think they were trying to be this year's Big Dragon, but they just aren't good enough. I really didn’t need a third couple.
City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - I'm warming up to FueangKrom a bit. It’s cute. I am finding the pacing interesting. That pacing might be bad, but right now it’s simply different.
Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 5-6 of 8 - I still love this show a lot, but this 2 ep installment felt a little disjointed. I’m not sure if that’s the narrative structure or the subs. The captions are shockingly bad for a KBL and I don’t have enough Korean to make up for their clear failings.
Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Oh the return of the manic pixie dream ex. This is all very high school drama for purportedly grown-up adults. But them both being jealous and then kissing was sweet.
AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - They remain adorable and the sunshine robot is very sweet. But it is a little slow.
Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - I prefer the episodes when we get more of them onscreen together. But this was fine.
Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 3fin - The ending disappointed me (are you surprised?). What can I say, not Strongberry's best as far as I’m concerned. High school besties that many could be sweethearts. I don’t like an ending that’s left up in the air. 6/10
It's Done but...
What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.
The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.
Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.
It's Airing But...
[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.
Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.
Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.
7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 12 eps - Gave me Luminous Solution vibes. It finished, is it worth it?
Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) 12 eps - finished, horror, supposed to be very philosophical, I think I'll give it a go.
Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.
Next Week Looks Like This:
Starting Up
2/16 My Strawberry Film (Japan Gaga) - not quite sure how much BL this one is, because... Japan, but we shall see.
2/17 A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year head hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through many girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance. Unless this is really good I probably won't I hate the WeTV interface...
Still Coming in Feb
2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy criminal breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…
Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.
THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS
We gotta talk about LFLS this week. Look at Korea go!
Talking about a dead fish kiss, how meta! This will end up on one of my best of the year moments. I could not have been more gobsmacked.
Also something rarely directly addressed, particularly for same-sex firsts.
And then, a claiming trope, a personal favorite of mine.
Thank you Korea!
I just love them. (Pit Babe)
(Last week)
#pit babe the series#pit babe review#alanjeff#cooking crush#thai bl#love for love's sake#kbl#korean bl#Perfect Propose#Although I Love You and You#Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka#japanese bl#AntiReset#Taiwanese bl#cherry magic thailand
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"The INFP Archetypes"
What makes INFPs different from each other? Well there are many factors. Obviously not all INFPs are the same, and other parts of typology like enneagram, ivs, and socionics do affect this. Some INFPs are also more in tune with their weaker functions (Si and Te) than others. Like the other types, INFPs also have different "archetypes" that are often seen as "general representations" of them. Obviously because mbti is so nuanced and complex, don't fret if you don't identify with any of these! They're very simplified, so not relating doesn’t mean you're not an INFP!
So now let's get into some of the most notable archetypes
1. The Dreamer
The most notable INFP archetype, one could call it "the INFP poster child." The dreamer is a pure, innocent, curious, sensitive, and idealistic INFP. The dreamer looks at the world with wide, starry-eyes, and wears their heart on their sleeve. Usually the dreamer is also very romantic poetic, and/or artistic, and they have a wild imagination. The dreamer sees the good in everyone and might often merge with/be present in tropes like the manic pixie dream girl, or the soft boy. They have a tendency to be portrayed as mysterious or misunderstood.
Examples of the dreamer: Belle (Beauty & the Beast), Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Amelie, Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables), and Celine (Before Trilogy)
2. The Mediator
The mediator shares the same traits as the dreamer (pure, sensitive, kind-hearted, etc.) but plays a different role in the story. Typically the dreamers are protagonists, while mediators usually have secondary roles. The mediator often acts as a voice of reason, to keep the protagonist in touch with their humanity or to just listen whenever someone needs to let it all out. The mediator is typically very quirky and non-conformist. The mediator is empathetic and usually soften-spoken, but they're not afraid to stand up for others or what they believe in.
Examples of the mediator: Silvermist (Tinkerbell), Mantis (MCU), Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter), Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury (Sailor Moon), and Lucy Pevensie (Narnia)
3. The Seeker
The seeker, once again, shares the same traits as the other two but has an emphasis on curiosity and imagination. The seeker is not afraid to ponder life's deeper, more complex questions.
As said by @dragonflymage, the seeker often asks themselves questions like
Why do I exist?
Who am I really inside?
How do I fit?
Where do I belong?
They also go on to add this explanation: "A seeker, continuously looking for answers that we never may find, but that we must keep searching for anyway. "
(If you wanna read more from her post I've reblogged it on my page) While they search for these answers, the seeker oftentimes will go on a "hero's journey" in hopes of finding the answer along their quest
Examples of the seeker: Merlin (BBC), Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts/HP), Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), Edward Scissorhands, and Frodo (LOTR)
4. The Emotional Villain
As you can see this one is a complete 180 compared to the other three lol. This pattern doesn't exactly have a name, so I just made one up.
Pretty much all INFP villains I've seen are driven by their emotions. Afterall, Fi is our dominant function. The emotional villain is driven by personal reasons and experiences, they're not just evil for the sake of being evil. Typically the emotional villain is very moody, disturbed, and/or unstable. They are usually the direct opposite of their other INFP counterparts: they are selfish, ruthless, and blood-hungry.
Examples of the emotional villain: Wanda Maximoff (MCU), Joker (2019 ver), and Kylo Ren (Star Wars).
5. The Angsty Teen
Another really common portrayal of INFPs in media is the angsty teen. This archetype is pretty self explanatory, an angsty hormonal teenager. The angsty teen often struggles with social anxiety, and/other another mental illness. They also might have trust issues, be really moody, or hurting from unrequited love or some other trauma. The angsty teen often copes through artistic means, like poetry or painting.
I feel the feelings on this archetype are very divided. While a lot of people don't like having that image as a representation of their type, some argue that it's a realistic portrayal of the darker side of being an INFP. I personally feel like the angsty teen represents my inner conflicts, while the dreamer, mediator, and seeker represent my outward behavior most of the time. What are your thoughts?
Examples of the angsty teen: Shinji Ikari (Evangelion), Will Byers (Stranger Things), Cassie Ainsworth (Skins), Kou Mabuchi (Blue Spring Ride), Violet Parr (The Incredibles), Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson), Charlie Kelmeckis (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Elio Perlman (Call Me By Your Name), Todd Anderson (Dead Poets Society), Fischl (Genshin Impact), Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice) and Cry Baby (K-12)
There's plenty more archetypes but I thought I'd just focus on these 5. Also remember that these archetypes don't represent all INFPs as a whole, they’re just like "INFPs in a nutshell."
What are your thoughts? Which archetypes do you relate to? Which one's your favorite? Which one's your least favorite?
#infp personality#infp#mbti types#mbti personalities#mbti#myers briggs#fictionalinfps#fiction#media#mbtiblogfun#infp archetypes#infp relatable#infp media
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I need ship art of Humanoid Star and Asha soo bad. A fantasy romance with a mute manic pixie dream boy and a Disney "princess" would've been awesome to see.
Oh my goodness, I really want to see more and I think we will. There's already some very cute art up in the tags I have on this post btw. Also I love that description! ^^
Same, I mourn what could have been. Idk, I really miss love stories and I feel like this would have been the perfect opportunity for one, especially for such a big anniversary. But on a positive note, it gives me so much to imagine. I haven't drawn much like I used to but I’m really trying to do it more. Actually, I’m trying to get myself to draw at least one thing every few days so this might just be one more prompt for me.
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I just wanna see the aftermath of Valen escaping—specifically, Priscus’s family’s reaction. I absolutely ADORE Sebastian’s hunting party and would kill to see more of his relatives
This gave me a bit of inspo so please enjoy this bonus chapter/snippet/ficlet! <3
Warnings: Valen is subjected not only to misgendering, but also a heaping helping of plain old manic pixie dream girl misogyny.
Story masterpost
MMSS: Aftermath
***
This was ridiculous.
It was made all the more ridiculous by the fact that Valen was absconding in her wedding dress.
She stood out a few feet from the door, standing in direct sunlight. She had her cat and her human–technically those both belonged to Priscus, but he doubted she would care anymore.
She flipped him off. “Real mature, Valen.” Why had he expected better? She was constantly acting like a child. It'd seemed like she was starting to settle down now that she had some sense of stability back at home, but…
Running off in the day? What exactly was her plan? She was going to get hurt again.
He thought about running after her. Trying to put on a cloak and hat and sunglasses and recreate that ensemble. But that was ridiculous. He couldn't even shout after her, because she wouldn't listen. Stubborn thing that she was, she never listened.
That had been charming, once upon a time. She was like a beautiful wild mare, refusing to be tamed. She had the right mix of fierce intelligence, quiet dignity, unconventional spirit, and charming grace to make something truly great in the Kithara empire. She would be an amazing mother, if she would just grow up enough to see it. You're in your eighties, you're far too old to be acting this way.
He watched her walk away.
Come sunset, he would be out looking for her. There was no way she would get very far like that.
***
He'd circled the neighborhood three or four times before he started to get frustrated.
How far could she have gotten? She wouldn't have been able to run like that, the carefully arranged garments the only thing keeping her from burning alive in the sun.
How was she hiding from him?
He asked around. No one had seen her.
He imagined her trapped somewhere, scared and hurt in the sunlight, crying for him to come save her from her foolish mistake, just like she had on that phone call. His heart twisted. His wife was out there somewhere, and she needed him to take care of her, but he couldn't find her!
He stomped back into the house and picked up the phone, finger slamming in the numbers and then impatiently waiting for the rotary to spin back so he could enter the next one.
“You've reached the Kithara estate,” said a voice.
“Put Sebastian on the phone,” Priscus barked.
The servant fearfully rushed to obey.
“Hello, this is Sebastian, with whom do I-”
“Where's Valen?” Priscus demanded.
Sebastian was silent a moment. Then: “How on earth should I know that?”
“You came back with her from human territory. Where are her hiding spots?”
“Hiding spots? Well, I guess there's that house with the two human females-”
“In human territory? She couldn't have gotten that far yet, surely.”
“You're the one who brought up human territory!”
Priscus rubbed his temples. “Fine. Where is the house?”
Sebastian was silent.
“You don't know.”
“It's human territory, you expect me to remember where things are? Why does it matter where individual humans are?”
Priscus slammed down the phone, then dialed again.
“Father,” Priscus said desperately. “Valen’s gone again.”
“Starting with a hello might have been nice,” Xavier said tiredly.
Priscus reined himself in. “I'm sorry, Father.”
“I told you not to bother me with your marital troubles unless it was important.”
“It is important, Father. She ran off and I can't find her.”
“How many times have I told you to keep track of your damned wife, boy!”
“I tried, Father, but she went outside during the day.”
“... During the day?”
“Yes, Father, I knew she was unstable, but-”
“We all told you marrying a commoner was trouble.”
Priscus's anger flared, just a little. “You all also told me marrying a commoner would be beneficial to the family, because someone without connections to another noble family couldn't claim-”
“All right, all right, settle down, boy. No need to mouth off about it.”
“I think she might be heading back to human territory. If you can help me-”
“Priscus,” Xavier said.
Priscus sat up straighter at the finality in his voice. “Yes, sir?”
“Give up already and find a wife you can handle.”
***
Tag list
@aceouttatime
@annablogsposts
@cc1010foxy
@darlingwhump
@dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night
@dokidokisadness
@emcscared-whumps
@gt-daboss
@melancholy-in-the-morning
@nicolepascaline
@oddsconvert
@pigeonwhumps
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@scoundrelwithboba
@some-thrilling-heroics
@soursagas
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@whump-cravings
@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump
@whumpycries
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In your reply about how L is written without a lot of inner world for lack of a better term, I totally agree. I think L is genuinely a hard character to write because he's both an enigma and highly specific in his mannerisms and speech. It's easy to both go really overboard with how he's strange and off putting and at the same time under write him as a person with ideas and desires. When I see L being essentially written to revolve around Light as either his gay awakening/nemesis/boyfriend/ force that shakes up his life I call it the inverse of a manic pixie dream girl. Depressed Goblin Nightmare Boy L who doesn't really want anything except Light and who exists to do something for Light's character growth. I personally love when fics take the time to give him a past, and a life outside of Light and expands on him as a person and not just a detective. This is a long ramble but anyway, do you have any head canons about L's past?
Depressed Goblin Nightmare Boy ahahaha so true
I think part of the issue that shippy fic writers might run into with L is kind of also that he's not the focus of the source material in terms of like. Having a character arc that needs to be satisfied somehow, really? It's not about L having an emotional journey because it's about Light having one, and L is almost more fun in some ways when he DOESN'T change a whole lot as a character (he's fairly iconic in how stubborn and arrogant and seemingly unmoveable he already is). He's there mostly to oppose Light and make things really difficult for him, as well as to represent things in the story that come up as part of the themes and ideas and whatnot - an equal/intellectual rival that Light can actually feel threatened by and come to respect, a person who already reached the peak of power for his job of bringing criminals to justice and yet does so without necessarily adhering to any sort of noble ideals or worrying about whether or not he's being moral or a hypocrite of some kind, etc etc etc. And a lot of the appeal of his character in canon can also be how vague and cryptic and difficult to fully know he is as well, hahaha. So you're right, he's pretty difficult to fully flesh out in terms of his life outside the Kira case and so on, especially if you don't find him easy to intuitively read.
In terms of headcanons about his past, I feel almost as though it might not be totally set in stone and change a bit for me just depending on what kind of fic I was writing? I might give him certain life experiences and memories and beliefs and so on that would serve a certain purpose in the story, like contrast or parallel things that Light has experienced or believes in or whatever else. So unless I have a specific story in mind I'm not sure I have a ton of them that I'd stick to absolutely no matter what.
However the broad strokes of things we were told about L's past and childhood in the one-shots do make for decent scaffolding to work from for L to me. Like I DO think he probably made himself useful and interesting to Watari at a young age with his smarts, and that he never quite knows if he would have been taken care of or protected or had his needs met properly if he wasn't exceptionally talented in some way, which would definitely be kind of fucked up for him emotionally to dwell on a bunch. I headcanon that he doesn't really like to dwell on the past or the future a whole lot maybe in part because he finds it pretty depressing stuff to contemplate, and that living in the moment is by far his favourite thing to do.
And I for some reason feel like he isn't maybe an orphan in the sense that he has no living relatives left so much as maybe that he was given up or abandoned by them at an early age or taken away from a rough/abusive home life of some sort, and maybe was thought of as much too difficult to care for by them. I think the tension between L's extreme and more difficult traits being both his biggest asset and thing people admire about him most, and also the thing that causes him the most alienation and trouble in his life, or his own belief/understanding that this is the case, might for me be the most interesting stuff to explore more thoroughly with him.
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I'm so curious about your personal Bob x Diego lore. Like, I can't stop thinking about it. Their dynamics, sexualities, and what they end up doing in the future. Ahhhhhh!! It's giving me sims brainrot. Do you have anymore crumbs of lore for them you'd be willing to share? If not that's okay too. I just love how you world build your sims.
yaa!!!! storytime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bob went to college because of his mom. she wanted him to, and he didn't know what he wanted to do w his life so he just went. he was an undecided major until he became a business major just because. shrug. he was also in a co-ed dorm where he met eliza, but they didn't start dating until the year after college. they were friends though
diego was an art history major and he was doing all kinds of odd jobs. he had really good grades, so he got in to college free, and his biggest goal in life was to move to nyc. he hated his small shitty town, he hated his college, he hated everyone there, and so on.
but yes, diego's gay, he was in drag when they met, he was coming home from a bar and just went to the dining hall late at night still in drag whatever he was hungry. and bob was there, he'd been doing an all-nighter, and he hit on him. diego thought it was funny but he also thought bob was hot so. long story short, bob is bisexual, and he had to figure that out in a small town in the early 2000s rip buddy
they started dating for real eventually, and it was a good relationship. for the most part. by this is the fall standards, they're the best couple (the bar is in hell). diego does have some...manic pixie dream boy tendencies though, and he's hot-headed, so they would have arguments, and diego's mood could change at the drop of a hat, but they did love each other.
graduation was getting closer, and diego was trying to convince bob that the city will be great and they don't need to get married or have kids and they'll be young forever. and bob just wasn't budging. they knew the end was approaching long before it came.
they were fighting a lot leading up to the break up, but when it finally was time, it was very quiet. and sad. and defeated. they kissed one more time, and diego packed a suitcase that night and left for the city with barely anything.
now, diego is a successful art critic and knows a lot of artists and influencer types like penny pizzazz and even established celebrities. he's kind of like a socialite. when we reach the tiktok era, i'm sure he'll start doing stuff there and get a following. he gets sad and lonely sometimes.
bob and eliza own a catering company together that does pretty well. their marriage is. well it's bob and eliza. she'll get pregnant w iggy soon.
i think sometime after iggy is born they'd go on vacation and bob and diego would meet again. you all know the christmas song same old lang syne? yeah that
#i wanna make them in their college days wearing TRUE early 2000s fashion none of this rose tinted y2k trendy shit djsfkdsjfds#but i'm writing this supposed to be paying attention to zoom class shh#this is the fall: extras#ask#anon
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Seeing people in the comments of the "A Sign of Affection" anime promo refer to it as "A Silent Voice Part 2" really demonstrates the need for more stories featuring disabled people.
"A Silent Voice" is two suicidal teenagers slowly realising that life is worth living. "A Sign of Affection" is a fish-out-of-water romance with a manic pixie dream boy. It's like saying "Given" and "Sasaki and Miyano" are exactly the same because they're both queer romances. They tell different stories and have different purposes!
You can't possibly hope to capture every single global experience with just one story. We don't expect it from able-bodied cishet stories, so why do we from disabled ones?
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some musings on manic pixie dream girls because i'm procrastinating
i watched scott pilgrim vs the world for the first time ever last night and. hot take. i don't think ramona flowers is the 'manic pixie dream girl' that people say she is. yeah she's quirky and she rollerskates everywhere and she has rainbow hair, but that's not the vibe. she doesn't exist SOLELY for the main character— like she clearly has a backstory and a personality and it's not HER fault that we see everything through scott's eyes, we just do because scott is the protagonist.
i feel like people are describing stargirl. in case y'all don't know who stargirl is, she's the deuteragonist of a book written in 2000 (it's called 'stargirl,' easy to remember), second in line to the main character, leo.
she's got everything. the 5 different names she changes every few years, the ukulele that she brings to school, a personality that is REPEATEDLY described as quirky and weird. i am of the opinion that THE ONLY THING keeping stargirl from becoming the MPDG mascot at this point is the fact that she's like sixteen. i think that sixteen year olds should absolutely be able to express themselves in whatever way they want to. however, this is a story about a sixteen year old girl, told from the eyes of a sixteen year old boy, WRITTEN by a sixty year old man. SIX ZERO.
(for my other formerly-sixteen-year-old-girls out there: would YOU trust yourself to be written by a sixty year old man? i'm just guessing, but probably not.)
as i'm writing this, i'm realizing that had stargirl gotten more of a real personality, she is absolutely someone who i would hang out with, and therefore the significant problem WITH this book is that it's written by a 60 year old man in an attempt to teach inclusivity or kindness or whatever, and that he didn't understand that sometimes 16 year olds like to be weird and express themselves. i think this book actually rewired my brain without me knowing because in eighth grade i straight up brought a ukulele to school with me every single day. however there was also more to me than the fact that i brought a ukulele to school with me every single day.
in conclusion i've decided that stargirl is a poorly written character who deserved better plot development and that men writing Quirky Female Characters need to just learn to avoid making them personality-less creatures exclusively there to teach others about Being Different. and this rant went nowhere and means nothing so now i'm going to do work
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Title: Destination Unknown
Author: Bill Konigsberg
Genre: YA Fiction | Historical | Romance | Friendship | LGBTQ+
Content Warnings: Terminal Illness | HIV/AIDS | Homophobia | Sexual Assault
Overall Rating: 9.2/10
Personal Opinion: I am in shock and awe. I am always for more stories that teaches the history of the AIDS epidemic and how it wiped out a whole generation of queer men because people didn’t care enough to do anything about it. This book is powerful and emotional. It tugs at your heartstrings. Micah is a flawed protagonist, there’s a lot that he doesn’t understand. But he keeps an open mind and learns along the way. I hope young people that read this book will learn too about our history and our present.
Do I Own This Book? Nope.
Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:
Likes:
- I’m sort of in shock and awe. I feel like I’ve seen so many romanticized versions of the 80s that everything in this book hit me much harder than usual. The fear, the casual ignorance, the promiscuity of gay men and their unwillingness to care about the age and comfort of their sexual partners. It’s real and scary and it was just so fascinating to read about this normal everyday kid (Micah) navigating through life. His emotions were just being tugged everywhere and it was a lot. But it was honestly very insightful and I feel like I’ve grown from reading this.
- Everything leading up to the epilogue was beautiful and well written. From the boys joining ACT UP to CJ meeting Micah’s parents to the AIDS walk. It felt like hope. Despite CJ and Rick suffering from this disease, despite having lost Walter, despite the disagreements between Micah and Deena, despite the things that Micah’s parents are still unlearning, it felt like hope. That is a feeling I strive for in my writing.
- The queer adults in this book acting as mentors for Micah and CJ was so wonderful to see. It is one of my favorite tropes. Felicia was one of Micah’s biggest supporters and even when he was forced to quit the Lortel, she promised to be there for him. Then we have Rick who supported Micah through his coming out despite how awkward it was at first. He was there when Micah and CJ got their test results, he was there at the dinner when CJ met the parents, he was there whenever Micah needed him. I respect that. Finally, we have Becky who didn’t show up much in the book but she gave CJ a home after he was kicked out by his dad. I love her so much.
- Micah was a very flawed individual and I appreciate the growth he went through in the book. He allowed himself to be used by Napoleon, he allowed his ignorance in AIDS to freeze him in fear, he allowed Deena to belittle him, he allowed his parents to control him. But he met CJ who was this free spirit and he learned to take control of his own life. He learned more about AIDS and learned to be safer. He learned that love isn’t a choice and he learned that he can love freely. Who gives a fuck what other people think? I just have so much respect for his character arc.
- CJ is a bit of a manic pixie dream boy but he’s also very kind-hearted. He delivered meals to people with AIDS and he tipped way more than 15 percent. He’s been hurt before but he doesn’t let it prevent him from loving Micah even though it scares him. He’s a bit of a pathological liar but he uses it to put people at ease around him. A new identity for every person. I have a lot of respect and love for a character like him. Even if he did leave Micah briefly in the epilogue.
Dislikes:
- Who is this Mark and how dare CJ leave Micah for him? I am livid. How fucking dare he. After Micah promised never to leave and he truly never left. I am just so disappointed in CJ. Worse, it wasn’t necessary for the story at all. It was a twist no one asked for. We could’ve just had Micah and CJ growing old together in Phoenix but nope. We had to add a little snippet of CJ breaking Micah’s heart. Why?
- Fuck all the ignorance. I know it’s the 80s and the AIDS epi- demic has caused a ton of irrational fear but oh my god. This is mostly aimed at Deena. The way she constantly shamed and ridiculed CJ for his profession is just disgusting. Sex work is fucking work.
- Also fuck every older gay men that went after CJ. At eighteen and before. Because ew. For obvious reasons.
#Booklr#Booksbooksbooks#Book Review#Book Blog#Book Rec#Destination Unknown#Bill Konigsberg#LGBTQ#Queer Books#Queer Lit#Queer Representation
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He saw me.
When I had decided that romantic love wasn't my lowest priority, he walked into my life. He saw me. And he didn't try to change me. But that's the middle of the story. Let's go back to the beginning.
When I was in high school, I dated someone in college. We started talking because I told him to stop asking my older but more innocent friend weird personal questions. Then he started grooming me instead.
We fought all the time. His family hated me. His friends hated me. I can't blame them for finding me obnoxious. I was a CHILD after all. And I guess it was easier to focus on what they didn't like about me than to focus on what the fact that he groomed a 14 year old into a relationship just before heading off to college.
It was only when I went off to college and found out that many people actually find me quite charming and funny that I realized that he didn't even like me. All of our fights were basically about how I had embarrassed him in some way or how insecure I was. So I finally broke off a 4 year long, emotionally abusive relationship.
Less than a year later, I was in a new, emotionally abusive relationship. I said he we shouldn't date because he wasn't over his ex. He aggressively pursued me. I gave in and entered a relationship only to successfully make his ex jealous enough to "want to talk about dating again." He broke up with me but continued to fool around with me while "talking" to his ex. When she decided she was done after all, he said he wanted to be with me again.
Two years and two expensive college transfers later, I was finally free of any emotional attachment to him.
Then, I jumped into a new, emotionally abusive relationship. This time, though, I was the older woman. He was an 18 year old virgin who had never had a real relationship. I was his manic pixie dream girl. I told him he didn't want to be involved with me. I told him that love makes me crazy. (I thought that was the pattern.) And he pursued me anyway. I gave in.
Oh boy, was that an absolute clusterfuck of a shitshow.
Nine months later... I drunkenly yelled what is, hands down, the most comically cruel thing I have ever said out loud in mixed company, "Have a great night! He fucked me on Tuesday!"
Even if it wasn't the kindest way to tell someone that their "boyfriend" had been cheating on her, at least it was honest.
I spent the better part of the next 10 months trying to understand how unbelievably sad and lonely I was. I couldn't fathom why I would miss him so much.
So, I wallowed. I searched my soul. I started writing about my ache and heartbreak on Tumblr. I made out with guys but never did anything. I couldn't be trusted. Something was wrong me. Love made fucking crazy. I was always my worst self in love.
So, I decided to actively avoid romantic entanglements.
And then I met him. I met a guy who made my heart skip a beat. We would only be in the same place for 8 weeks. I tried to ignore it. When he started flirting more overtly, I decided to skip the plesantries. I made myself completely vulnerable, risking proving how crazy I actually am, and I told him everything. I told him about how I liked him. I told him about my past and my reservations.
And he didn't call me crazy. He validated every feeling. He shared his own reservations. He didn't try to persuade me either way. And he let me be me. He saw me.
Which, of course, made me melt.
We had 7 really weird but sweet and lovely weeks together. We saw each other a couple more times. Each time letting go of each other a little bit more.
But not enough. He kept my heart for years. I learned what it meant to fall in love with someone new while still deeply, deeply loving someone from your past. And, it was only recently, when I finally decided that I needed to let him be the one to decide if he wants to remain close friends m, that I realized he accepted me fully, but he never saw me fully.
If he saw me fully, he wouldn't have let me go. And it made my heart ache, still does, to fully acknowledge the fact that he didn't choose me. I never mattered to him as much as he mattered to me. And even almost a decade later, that fucking hurts.
But, actually, I think he was exactly what I needed. He prepared me for him.
He prepared for the man I met at a totally screwed up time. The man who fell in love with me while I was practically juggling romantic entanglements. The man who told me how he felt and got a firm "No, I'm fairly confident falling in love with you will make me crazy" and said "Okay." That man saw me completely and accepted me as I am. And, when I was ready to choose him, he chose me too.
He chose me, too.
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A final poem for the sad white rapper
I once fucked a sad boy rapper who
Came fast inside of me
And afterwards he got up frantic,
Post-alarm ignored by sleep.
He said knew I would be thick but
Not THIS thick -
He’s so discrete,
As if his minor league rap schtick
Gives him the credibility
To hand select just like a butcher
Choosing his best cut of meat,
A dozen corpses in the freezer
Dangling hooked, ready to eat.
He landed in the frayed pink chair that
My black cat scratches with glee
And then proceeded
To spit his autobiography at me,
Divulging stories of
Ex-girlfriend
And his vast humanity
In the lengths he went to heal her,
Steal her sick identity,
Make it his own,
Like he’s so selfless,
Like a nurse working for free.
He took her pain
And made it his
In place of personality.
And now he’s using me like her,
My sacred body as dumpster
To discard of pent up jizz,
Like I was blessed to touch this nerd.
“You’re so much better than a robot therapist
And much cheaper.”
“It’s my pleasure,”
I’m always lying, distant forecasts for weather
A week away, will always change,
Just like the clouds that I capture.
In the back of loose screw head,
Beyond the pinball of his lips,
I’m repeating,
“didn’t realize that you would be this thick.”
Didn’t realize that I would be this thick?
Or didn’t think
That a girl with stretch marked hips
Would steal your fragile self-conceit?
Yeah, I’m thick
Like an aged tree
In a clearing of the woods
Providing shelter with my limbs,
Providing homes for nesting squirrels.
And my healing isn’t free
To steal from me like writhing worms;
Violent extraction from the earth -
No, sir, I save it for the birds.
My healing isn’t free,
It’s not some manic pixie dream
Designed for men in dire need
Of holy soul awakening
From a girl with neon hair
That she cuts, though she can’t see
What the scissors take away
Beyond her brain’s
Periphery.
I’m not a manic pixie dream
And my healing isn’t free.
Only a healer cuz I’ve hurt in ways
A man wouldn’t believe.
Wouldn’t believe but would gaslight
Starting another screaming fight;
He throws a wrench at the oven
And shatters glass;
I watch and cry.
I am not manic,
No, the truth is that I’m trying to survive
By throwing my adrenaline into
A state of overdrive.
I’m not a pixie,
Only seem it,
For I’m oft in states of flight,
Running from men who suck my soul out
Like the marrow they can’t bite.
They hunt for food, they hunt for sport,
They pose with me,
Bloody delight -
Exquisite corpse in camera lens,
Spent bullets glimmering in light.
I am a healer,
But not yours,
And I’ll make it mirror clear,
Showing you your own damn self,
Refusing you the chance to steal
From me my life source or my energy,
This well of gasoline.
I’ll flick my yellow cigarette
If you approach me just to drink.
There were so many
So damn many
There were 40 in one season
And reflecting on that summer
Gives me 40 more good reasons
To stay sober,
Stay connected
To my gods,
The one I choose.
They are not men,
Men aren’t my friends
Unless they love beyond
My boobs,
Beyond my thrusts,
Beyond my touch,
Beyond the trauma they can taste
When I come round
And loosen up,
They see an easy ass to rape.
They see easy
They see easy
They see vulnerability
They see a store
That they can loot
While the city is sleeping.
They steal TVs,
Leave fever dreams
That wake me up each night at 3,
No longer sleep,
No longer weep,
I just stare blankly at a screen
Marking my pins on Google Maps,
1,000 places I can flee
Sad white rappers who saw just saw trash,
Not my technicolor body.
So what, I’m chubby.
So I’m tattooed
With my own untrained right hand.
So what, I’m scarred,
So what, I’m childish,
So I can’t live off the land.
I see this universe in me,
The constellations so unique
That you wouldn’t recognize them
Lest I taught you to perceive.
And I reserve heavenly teachings
For the souls who do not seek
To wrap their tentacles around me,
Squeeze until I cannot breathe.
I reserve it for my ____
For the silence when we speak
Amidst the distance from
______ to Florence, Kentucky.
It feels like lightyears when we’re absent
From each other for two weeks,
Thank god sound travels fast as Flash
For children of technology.
And in the silence of the hours,
I can hear him piss and eat,
The little sounds of Stardew Valley,
Planting flowers on repeat.
So I pretend that I’m beside him,
Like there’s nowhere else to be,
And I relax within his grasp -
No nightmares,
Only reveries.
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Boy Parts by Eliza Clark - 2/5
Eliza Clark’s Boy Parts reads like a bump of the cocaine its protagonist is nearly constantly doing, but it falls short of some of the other “cocaine novels” I’ve read recently, Ellis’ Less than Zero and Didion’s Play It As It Lays. I think part of the reason Boy Parts fails where these others succeeded is that the former tries way too hard to make a point. Boy Parts tells the story of an art school graduate who specializes in increasingly extreme erotic portraiture of men who are not conventionally attractive. She states the thesis herself (Irene, the protagonist, is also an aficionado of extreme cinema, and yet all of the references are the most cliché; here, referencing Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom):
“I could train a camera on a man and look at him like a man looks at a woman; boys, too, could be objects of desire.”
Compelling, but not substantial to stand on its own, so Clark throws in every little cultural reference to indulge the Red Scare girlies. It’s like she read My Year of Rest and Relaxation, saw the BookTok comments about how we needed “more unlikable female protagonists!!!” and crammed every idea she had into one character. I wasn’t offended by any part of the book except for how desperately Clark was trying to offend, and how predictable the “twist” was.
Surely there is a point to be made, but at this point any subversion of the manic pixie dream girl trope seems more trite than the possibly overblown trope was in the first place. Why Boy Parts fails where My Year remained charmingly self-destructive is the latter didn’t seem to be trying too hard. I’d say I’m never reading any “BookTok sensation” again, but bad reviews are sooooo much more fun to write!
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BFF I’M BACK LITRALLY THE DAY AFTER AND BOY DO I HAVE UPDATES FOR YOU 🤭🤭🤭
1. I STARTED OUTLINING AND DRAFTING MY FIRST FIC EHEHEHE AND SUPER EXCITED TO START WRITING IT 🤭
2. I FINISHED READING [REDACTED] AND I THOUGHT ABT THE MOST HEART WRENCHING, TUMMY CHURNING, EYE BAWLING PLOT AND TBH IF I DO GET SO INCLINED TO STICK WITH IT THEN IT MIGHT COME OUT BEFORE THE FIRST THOUGHT OF FIC LMAO
3. I NEED TO KNOW ABT ‘A STUDY IN MONSTERS’ RIGHT NEOWWWWW 😫🙏 CAUSE I JUST THOUGHT OF LIKE 5 DIFFERENT GENRES BASED OFF THE VIBES/p
Ok time for a more calmer vibe LMAO
For the first fic I genuinely think that any member would be suitable for the ML? And so I decided to let you (my fav author and parasocial bestie) to bequeath which member this fic shall belong to 🤭 (uhhhh spoilers/insight: dream realm(?) but not in a soulmate way, angst, possibly abrupt/open ending but also happy in a way, v fluffy moments at the same time tho, manic pixie dream boy???)
And finally after adoring the movie I decided to go read [redacted] and LORD WHY DID IT HURT 39475629 TIMES AS MUCH AS THE MOVIE LIKE
Movie: light work, no reaction
Book: oUUuU, okay, its got a lil kick 😨
But I got an au perfectly inspired by this in a modern retelling typa way ig SPOILER ALERT THERE IS A LOVE CORNER, CHANHEE AND SANGYEON OR YOUNGHOON(???) we WILL be getting a lil Kevin up in here tho TRUST
And tbh it could go in 2 different directions rn but I’ll have to see which one will get a conclusive ending but the vision is definitely there dw
And DAMNNNNNN I didn’t know there were so many WIPs/nm/p like I know I got a lil snippet of 3 in the past but with each drop of a new WIP I get even more excited 😭 just seeing your creative process is motivating to me lolol and the banners AHHHHHHHH IT REALLY DID GIVE “graphic design is my passion 🤭” YUHHH YUHHHH
but wait also looking at the list again I wanna see more into the ‘bones (orig.)’ and ‘bones (remixed)’ 😳
OH AND BEFORE I FORGET TO MENTIONNNNNNN that Spiderman!Sunwoo and Spiderman!Eric did have me REEEEEEELINGGGGG esp since I finally got the chance to watch across the spiderverse PHEWWWW Spiderman!Eric is just so cheeky, so himbo, so smoochable like damn I do think he is capable of wanting to attempt the Toby Maguire upside-down kiss but then getting too nervous/excited/antsy that he lets go of his web and crashes on the ground AJNDJBVINWI
AND SUNWOO AS STARLORD WOULD ALSO WORK CAUSE HE REALLY HAS THAT SELF-DEPRECATING HUMOR THING GOING ON and then his cheesyness too omg I think Sunwoo is perfectly corny to be starlord 😫🤞
AND ALSO MY ATEEZ BIAS ISSSSSSSSSSSSSS -drumroll please- 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁
Wooyoung! 🥳🥳🥳
He’s just so sweet and caring and hot and beautiful and hardworking and loving and he’s so, he’s so, he’s so- ☹️☹️☹️☹️
Yeah, I love Woo with my whole being 😔🙏
Kk that’s it for nowwwwww talk to you soon!
- Toodles!, 🌷anon 
HI BEST FRAN WELCOME BACK 🤩✊🏼
OMG THE DRAFTING HAS BEGUN???? LESGO????? I AM SO EXCITED FOR U AND SUPER EXCITED ALSO TO SEE UR JOURNEY AND THE FINAL OUTCOME 👀✨
HELLO WAIT what is [REDACTED] 🤨 i need to know for research purposes and cuz im a nosy mfker and cuz i also scoured thru our prev interactions and don't think we talked abt it previously 🤨
AHHHHSHAHHAHAH A STUDY IN MONSTERS IS COMING RIGHT UP !!
ITS LIKE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST BUT EVERYBODY'S A BEAST ???? well, the main cast is all considered some kind of "monster," but ofc, the real monsters r the humans who have belittled them and villainized them. but reader basically has like,,, medusa powers??? and chanhee has like a demon trapped inside him and younghoon is like fae but THE SCARY fae you feel??? but any who, i've gotten some back story done and it's not meant to become like a 30k one shot or anything; i was trying to aim for it to be kind of like the length of simple gifts, but we'll see where i go w it !!
OKAY BUT WAIT U SHOULD TELL ME WHAT U THOUGHT OF WHEN U SAW THE TITLE CUZ IM VERY CURIOUS !!
okok i have so much to say abt the next part of ur ask 😭😭 1.) BEQUEATH 💀💀💀💀 2.) hello stop that rn flattery will get u everything u desire 🤧😌 3.) MANIC PIXIE DREAM BOY AHAH OMG IM SO HYPED 4.) eric, juyeon sounds abt right 😻😻
OKAY BUT LIKE books > their movie adaptations tbh lsnfkenfk there is so much that books can show that movies can't, and also vice versa !! but WTF DYM BY LOVE CORNER (´Д⊂ヽ GIRLIE BESTIE HONEY WHAT IS A LOVE CORNER 😭😭😭 w chanhee sangyeon younghoon AND beloved kevin too???? my /guy/ do u want me to cry 😃 wait don't answer that—💀 omg i feel like i almost never have an idea of what an ending looks like UNTIL I GET THERE LMFAOOOO like i really don't care abt endings cuz i can't get to the ending if there is not story substance, u feel 😭😭😭 but im sure the ✨right ending✨ will appear in ur horizons as u go forth !!
KANDKDNDKN i had to keep quite a few wips off the list 😭💀 it's embarrassing akdnkdnf BUT im so glad that seeing my process motivates u TT that's very cool to hear and i also like talking abt the writing process a lot so thank u for feeding into my self esteem /hj AHHH SHUSH UR GONNA MAKE ME BLUSH I LOVE MAKING BANNERS SO THANK U 😚 im too tech grandma to use canva or photoshop so i feel like a lot of mine r a little simpler and more minimal which isn't bad ofc but yeah, thanks so much :'))) BRO i wish i could go into graphic design skfnkdndk
OHOH the bones orig and remix ver LMAOOO
both versions r meant to be like murder mysteries yk?? and they're both set in time settings where it's not quite the future, but im also not a historian so they're also not completely historically accurate T-T they just take place in the past LMFAO but the original ver is more like dark academia centered where the murder takes place at this elitist academy/boarding school in the middle of nowhere, and reader is like a "charity case" whose uncle took her under his wing after her parents were murdered or something, and changmin is like studying to become a physician and they both get looped into the investigation. i have a some written of that ver but it's not very interesting 💀
AND recently like two days ago 💀 i went back to one of the ideas i had for the banner before i started writing the dark academia one (wow that's such a long sentence). anyways, said idea was to take place in like ,, not a school 🤡 but idk if you've read the stalking jack the ripper series but it's based on that !! AND a little bit of six of crows too 🤡 it's not fantastical or anything, but changmin is like a doctor in the lower end and someone's been out here murdering people and shit. changmin is also kind of inspired by daredevil and kaz brekker, but i'll have to get into that some other time 💀
that was one of my favorite parts lol i think this ver of bones has captured a bit more of my interest than the other ver? tho, i would love to see where the other ver went, just cuz i already put so much thought into the storyline and characters and headcanons and back stories, etc.
AHHHHHH YES I AGREE ABT SPIDEY!ERIC I LOVE SPIDEY ERIC he's just ,, yk Just Some Guy™ LMAO so he's a perf spiderboy !!! he's kind of modeled after tom holland's spiderman and sunwoo after miles morales ofc, but eric would TOTALLY try the upside down kiss and fail miserably 😭😭😭 but i think he's def the type to keep trying UNTIL he gets it down 🤤😋 and just crafting the different earths btwn sunwoo and eric was just so much fun cuz i was trying to figure out what i wanted each universe to have and ksnfkdndkkd ANYWAYS . STAR LORD SUNWOO HAS ME REELING CUZ LIKE AKDNKDMD i NEEDED this man to be w the raccoon it just didn't feel right if he wasn't. like he was either gonna be nova or starlord, and i feel like the only other boy besides sunwoo who can do star lord justice is hyunjae, but he's already IRON MAN lol
OMG UR A WOOYOUNG STAN??? that actually feels so right 😭😭😭 wooyo be snatching up hearts ALL OVER THE PLACE lately 😭🤧 like damn, get it bro 🥂 but i totally agree, he's such a sweetheart and so funny and so talented and just sknfkendn mwah wanna give him a big smooch !
WHEW what a long recap/catch up reply 🤣 but anyways, hope ur doing well as always 😚 love u lots, my honey bunches of pollinated petals 💖
#sungbeam strikes again#tbz </3#🌷 anon#ask games !!#works in progress#wip: asim#wip: bones (old)#wip: bones (new)
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fictional couples challenge
make a collage of fictional couples that remind you of your oc couple!
sorry I’m suuuuper late as always, but thank you @ariendiel, @lasswithumor and @follies-fixture for tagging lil old me ✨✨
Este x Henrik:
cameron x ferris, ferris bueller’s day off | céline x jesse, before sunrise | nick x winston, new girl | suki x sokka, avatar: the last airbender | sophie x howl, howl’s moving castle | jane x tom, broadcast news
#aka stubborn + sensitive person with their free-spirited himbo#we need more manic pixie dream boys in stories#and I know some are non-romantic hente is above all about the ✨companionship✨#everyone say ty mango for making this challenge <3#rr ship: hente#BOB MOSS#rr: tag game
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HSMTMTS 2x09 Review
Spring Break was a bit of an odd ep but helped move some key plots forward. Let’s dig in!
Well people can no longer claim that Portwell is one sided. We finally got Gina’s pov and she starts off the ep uncertain whether the shift in their relationship means that EJ likes her but by the end of the ep she seems sure of herself and that EJ likes her back. I liked that she didn’t try to pretend that nothing had changed or that she hadn’t noticed potential signs that EJ might like her; it always sucks when tv characters act like idiots.
Perhaps the most important reveal of this ep was that Gina has a much older estranged brother who left her and her mom many years ago. That certainly makes her backstory more tragic and is definite set up for her brother to eventually return.
The writers continue to give Portwell great tropes, capping this ep off with an airport rom-com trope that also calls back to EJ getting Gina the place ticket so she could come back in S1. Not only did Gina keep EJ’s Duke sweatshirt but she altered it to fit her better which is both sweet and bold in the assumption that it was hers to keep. Gina got her sign when not only did EJ show up to drive Gina home and take her luggage but he brought her the granola bar that she had wanted but forgot to pack. I wonder if her posting on her story that she was ubering home after her flight was cancelled was intended to see if EJ would show up since the camera focused on her posting it. Also sweet that she’s taken to calling EJ, ‘ Eej’.
EJ’s opening was good, shows a lot of his character growth from the selfish guy he was in S1 and how he’s learned to value other people which of course leads into his feelings for Gina. We got another great use of the camera as character tonight when Gina was laughing after her facetime call with EJ until she realized that the camera was on her.
Jack was a lot of fun. Though he didn’t really change Gina’s mind over anything like the ep description said he would. Seemed like Gina was largely over Ricky and wondering about EJ at the beginning and the end solidified her feelings for EJ but Jack didn’t really play a role in that, it’s not like he encouraged Gina to reach out to EJ or anything. There’s a vague sense in which Jack being nomadic linked him to Ricky’s unreliability in Gina’s eyes with her craving stability but that’s a stretch. Jack mentioned that the second most dangerous part of a plane ride is when the plane takes off, a hint to the blossoming Portwell relationship where in order to take off one or both of them has to risk a confession even though they could be turned down.
This ep might seem a bit weird in hindsight. The zoom parts probably won’t age well and five years from now people might be wondering why they had Gina hang out with a manic pixie dream boy of sorts for an ep.
The path is clear for canon Portwell in the finale with EJ being Gina’s second chance at romance and her first kiss since they clearly telegraphed it out of nowhere. I’ve been impressed with the great work the writers have been doing since 2x05 to build up Portwell as a ship but also work on Gina and EJ as individual characters; they’ve been the highlight of the season so far.
There was discourse this past week over how well or poorly Portwell has been set up. Objectively very few ships on this show get much in the way of set up or consistent writing. Redlyn and Kowie had barely any set up before getting together. Seblos had none (though in fairness that was due to Disney restrictions) and Miss Jenn and Mike Bowen didn’t have much set up either. Rini did get lots of development in S1 but that’s because they had already dated and were the main ship of the show. The show’s not really about slow burns, if Jenzzara canons in the finale they’ll count and if Rina ever got together they’d also count but neither of those ships have gotten consistent development with Mazzara not being in several eps and Gina and Ricky not even interacting for the past 3 eps.
Is Portwell a slowburn? In a sense since they did feature quite a bit in each other’s S1 plot lines and even had a fake dating plot but it is true that they were platonic and not that close in S1 so it’s a wash. There was clear set up for romantic Portwell in 1x10 with team wonderstudies and Gina staring at EJ (which interestingly enough looked more like set up for Gina to pine over EJ). I think the main problem is that even though we saw Gina and EJ hanging out in the background we didn’t get any scenes of substance between them until 2x05. It was a mistake and there should have been some scene, like EJ and Gina commiserating in 2x03 over being single on Valentine’s Day or something like that. Hell there was even that still from 2x01 of EJ and Gina looking at each other at the piano while they were in the frame between Ricky and Nini singing and having a moment which would have been good foreshadowing but that shot wasn’t in the ep.
Whether Tim just really wanted Portwell to be a surprise in 2x05 as a mid-season twist to throw the audience off of what looked like a Rini/Rina triangle or he was unsure as to whether he wanted to go with Portwell or if he just planned it out poorly we may never know. Regardless they’ve had great writing for 4 eps in a row now which puts them slightly ahead of the 3 eps in a row of development Rina got in S1. I’m sure if someone added up their screen time they’d find that Portwell has more screen time this season than Kowie and more screen time than Redlyn or Seblos got in S1.
Caswell cousins was fun and Ashlyn did in fact paint EJ’s nails.
Set up for Seblos drama next week, it’s refreshing to see Seb being jealous over Carlos flirting with other boys that’s definitely not something you see on Disney shows.
Ricky got some healing done with his mom. Enough to cover their issues? No but this is probably the best this show is capable of. There was a brief mention of therapy sandwiched between other options which sounds more like checking off a box then setting up Ricky actually going to therapy. I noticed Lynne was smiling at odd times like when she told Ricky she knew about his breakup with Nini; whether that was poor directing or acting I don’t know. Who knows if we’ll see Lynne again. As an aside still so wild that Tim named Lynne who’s been a kinda shitty mom after his own mom who he seems to be fairly close with.
Really liked You ain’t seen nothin as a song but not a fan of the Tiktok style vid. I’ll level with you wildcats, I’m too old to really get Tiktok, it just seems like a crappy version of Vine to me. Let you go was good, seemed better fitted for Joshua Bassett’s voice than some of his previous songs. A big sign that they’re not circling back to Rini for a long time for sure. Though on that note we got a bit of a hint that Ricky was Nini’s muse which may one day come back as a way to help bring them back together.
Looking Ahead:
If there’s only 3 weeks left till the Menkies, with only 2 weeks left for rehearsal due to spring break, it’s hard to see East High winning unless North High is disqualified or has to withdraw.
Lily is in a promo photo so she’s likely the unexpected facetime Ricky gets which is what I had theorized. Also makes it much more likely that she’s the party crasher Ricky re-evaluates in the finale though what Tim actually wants to do with those two I do not know.
There’s little point in bringing back the Valentine’s chocolate since there’s no real stakes. Rini are already broken up, Gina hasn’t spoken to Ricky since 2x06, and it’s not like Nini and Gina were ever close so even if they stopped talking to each other it wouldn’t really affect the show in any way.
Seems pretty likely that Second Chances refers to Gina realizing that her first try with Ricky failed but her second chance with EJ won’t and that leads to her sharing her truth and cue the Portwell confession and kiss, perhaps with an assist on EJ’s end from Mazzara. We’ve gone well past the point where Portwell can be brushed off as just a plot device to help Rina but Tim is playing with fire by getting the audience so on board with Portwell if he’s once again going to have EJ lose a girl he likes to Ricky in S3.
Gina certainly needs to talk with Ricky and I do think that happens in ep 11 or 12 and leaves them on better terms. As I mentioned last week, if Tim was smart he’d slam the door on Rina if he’s going with canon Portwell or vice versa. If he wants Rina to be a slow burn he’s really botched the writing this season, it’s been too one sided and too angsty to sustain any kind of momentum or audience interest. They haven’t even interacted for 3 eps now and not only has it not affected the show but it’s inarguably made Gina’s story line much better. Again I don’t think he’s smart enough to not try and do Portwell and then later Rina but he’s accidentally set up the Rina story line to quite easily slam the door permanently on them by having their conversation be closure for Gina who’s moved on and an apology from Ricky who never liked her back as much as Gina liked him.
Not looking forward to seeing Nini basically live out Olivia Rodrigo’s life in future seasons
Curious to see Carlos’ apology song to Seb. Ricky helping him with it is a great way to help start redeeming Ricky’s character in the audiences eye’s. According to Matt there is a bit of a Ricky/EJ rivalry this season and if it’s really happening the sleepover would be a good place to do it though I hope it’s not about Gina.
Until next week wildcats.
#HSMTMTS#Portwell#Gina Porter#EJ Caswell#Ricky Bowen#Nini Salazar-Roberts#Seblos#seb matthew-smith#HSMTMTS Reviews
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I feel like one of the things that made me think more ADHD, and why I didn't "seem autistic," was being streetwise. There is an older, probably dead horse narrative of the (male) ADHD kid that's got very, very different optics from the narrative of the ASD kid: the kid who can talk their way out of anything and can think on their feet, and sometimes gets in trouble because of mouthing off to adults, but they're nobody's fool. This stereotype isn't seen as sexually inept, they might even be promiscuous. This is a dropout, a cut up, a class clown, someone who could've been a doctor but got a blue collar job. I don't know how true this is of ADHD kids in general, but it's a very different stereotype from ASD kids. It also seems to be an older trope before ADHD was really seen as being that debilitating, and also ADHD coding had a huge amount of normie-cool imagery in the 90s. You didn't think it contradictory for an ADHD person to be a smart-mouthed streetwise dude who was probably drowning in ass and had a cool leather jacket. ADHD boys were the manic pixie dream girls of the 90s.
Thing is, I don't even remember being naive. My parents wouldn't let me be. They wanted me to know early on that some people did survival sex work. Finally, they dragged me into their bohemian nerd world kicking and screaming, my mom wanted me to become an advanced reader so she could nerd out about Steinbeck to me, my dad got me into computers and sci fi. I also got this early education about the pogroms, the Holocaust, and native residential schools like the one grandpa was in. Grandpa would tell his sailing stories when we saw him. My parents were into all kinds of weird esoterica and had people over to play folk music. We were atheists.
We lived in shit neighborhoods, so:
You knew that you walked down some streets and not others. That you didn't wear particular things. That girls needed to stay inside unless they could find a group of girls, because boys roamed the streets in packs.
You knew what not to say to social workers and school counselors. You knew the street names for drugs because your parents wanted to know what was going on in your world and they were concerned and involved. You knew about Stranger Danger, and you also grew up watching the news and Phil Donahue.
I was good at navigating the *adult* world relative to my age, I started working early, etc.
Sometimes I feel like there is no yardstick for what ND adults' lives even look like if they're not at least middle class normie WASPs
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