pikachu is drowning

This ain't about him

My dad and I once had a disagreement over him using the adage "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I said, "That's just not true. Sometimes what doesn't kill you leaves you brittle and injured or traumatized."

He stopped and thought about that for a while. He came back later, and said, "It's like wood glue."

He pointed to my bookshelf, which he helped me salvage a while ago. He said, "Do you remember how I explained that, once we used the wood glue on them, the shelves would actually be stronger than they were before they broke?"

I did.

"But before we used the wood glue, those shelves were broken. They couldn't hold up shit. If you had put books on them, they would have collapsed. And that wood glue had to set awhile. If we put anything on them too early, they would have collapsed just the same as if we'd never fixed them at all. You've got to give these things time to set."

It sounded like a pretty good metaphor to me, but one thing I did pick up on was that whatever broke those shelves, that's not the thing that made them stronger. That just broke them. It was being fixed that made them stronger. It was the glue.

So my dad and I agreed, what doesn't kill you doesn't actually make you stronger, but healing does. And if you feel like healing hasn't made you stronger than you were before, you're probably not done healing. You've got to give these things time to set.

Halloween Tumblr at the stroke of midnight on October 1st

It’s that time of year again!!

Happy October 1st, everyone!

ABSOLUTELY NO ONE is talking about joe locke’s incredible performance in heartstopper and it’s so upsetting to me!! he makes the show, there is something so inexplicably charlie about him that makes the two of them work together !! you can’t have nick without charlie and i think kit connor was just as wonderful and incredible but EVERYONE is ignoring the intricacies of charlie’s character that joe has so expertly weaved into little moments such as the anticipative fear and anxiety that hides within charlie!! playing a character like charlie is hard and he did a bloody brilliant job of it !! BASICALLY a joe locke appreciation post

p.s. i love kit connor’s performance just as much but i feel like the love needs to be more evenly spread

queer character tropes that Heartstopper subverts:

- Queer character says/does homophobic things to repress their feelings and protect their straight image: Nick is confused about his sexuality, but he never turns to homophobia or toxic masculine behavior in order to ward off rumors about his sexuality

- Queer character breaks up with partner because they’re closeted: Charlie breaks things off with Ben because he doesn’t actually care about Charlie and is emotionally abusive, not because Ben is in the closet. When Nick and Charlie start dating, Charlie respects Nick’s desire to keep things a secret for the meantime.

- Queer character must be “flamboyant” or display “effeminate” or “tomboyish” traits: Heartstopper demonstrates that there is no “one way” to be queer or straight. For example, Tao (the “token straight friend”) is the most “extra” and dramatic character. Additionally, Nick’s interest in traditionally masculine activities such as rugby does not preclude him from being queer.

- Someone catches queer couple being intimate and outs them to everyone: Isaac walks in on an affectionate moment between Nick and Charlie but never says anything about it, even if he can detect the attraction between the two of them. No one walks in on Charlie and Nick sharing their first kiss in public at the bowling alley. They can just enjoy the moment together!

- Queer character pretends or tries to be straight by dating someone of the opposite gender: While Ben does fit this trope, Nick subverts it when he cancels his date with Imogen and tells her that he doesn’t have romantic feelings for her. And contrary to expectations that Imogen might be jealous and retaliate in some way, she accepts that Nick doesn’t like her and appears to be supportive of his relationship with Charlie at the end of the show.

- Parents reject their child when they come out: Charlie’s parents are seen being supportive of him and expressing concern about potential bullying. When Nick comes out to his mum, she is completely accepting, telling him she loves him, hugging him, and apologizing for saying anything that made it difficult to confide in her.

- Female characters kiss for the enjoyment of male characters: When Nick sees Tara and Darcy kiss at Harry’s party, he is empowered to pursue his own feelings for Charlie and be himself. He doesn’t objectify or fetishize them in any way.

- Trans characters can’t be in straight relationships: Tao and Elle clearly have feelings for each other, and her being trans doesn’t matter in the slightest!

- Queer character must signal acceptance of their identity through dramatic public announcement: Nick could have done this by kissing Charlie in front of all the other students after running off the field during Sports Day, but instead, his moments of self-acceptance are quiet, intimate celebrations (e.g., Nick telling Charlie he is “definitely bisexual” and saying “Oh my god, I like you so much. And I love liking you” to Charlie on their beach date)

 Feel free to add more!

yes kit connor is the perfect nick nelson, no arguments there, but i have not seen enough appreciation for how accurate joe locke is as charlie spring??? also william gao and yasmin finney ARE tao and elle and you can’t convince me otherwise. like how did they find the characters reincarnated in our universe

so...

No one is going to talk about how in Episode 1 Nick was already crushing because he heard Coach Singh just say Charlies name and immediately turned around? Like they weren’t even in the same PE class. He was already just so hyperaware 

Why is everyone saying that Nick and Charlie remind them of Wilhelm and Simon or Henry and Alex?

TJ and Cyrus are right there

I love them your honor 🤍

Alice Oseman: Yesterday was one year since we shot the photo booth scene! I actually wasn’t expecting this scene to be a fan favourite, but I’m very happy that it is. We thought you’d like to see the photos as well as some of the outtakes! #Heartstopper

i know i’ve been pretty unsure of everything for awhile, but, like, i’m definitely bisexual. and i don’t want to have to sneak around pretending we’re platonic bffs. ↳ NICK NELSON in HEARTSTOPPER (2022)

NICK AND CHARLIE dream vs. reality