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Elliot: Luke is so likeable. Everybody likes him. Wild that he chooses to hang out with with me when Serene’s gone since he could make friends with literally anyone else here. I should sit at a different lunch table to help socialize him.

Luke, who’s alienated and terrorized half of their class by regularly threatening to beat up anyone who’s mean to Elliot and Serene and who doesn’t even like the other half: great I guess today we’re sitting with the group of guys I had to actively tell not to beat up Elliot when I went off to war, some weirdos who hero worship me for no reason, and the guy I faked having a crush on bc Elliot was pestering me. Why not. Please, god, when is Serene coming back 😭?

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The only plot hole in in other lands is why Elliot Schafer apparently thought to himself before going off to school as a 14 year old: “hmmm, you know what I can’t forget to bring with me? These pamphlets my guidance counselor gave me in primary school when I had a crush on a boy. I can’t think of any reason why they would be useful, but I simply can’t part with them.”

Like it is objectively very cute that when Luke came out to Serene the first thing she did was go get Elliot’s pamphlets, but fr what was Elliot carrying them around for at that point?! Why would they be at school and not in some junk pile in his room at home 😂

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Elliot: I’m going to marry Serene someday

Luke: what an odd thing to say, we’re only 13, it’s not that serious

Luke, later, writing a letter home: dear mom and dad this week I met the most amazing boy at camp he’s so mean to me all the time he teaches me loads about other cultures he made me read this book ig he’s the reason I’m doing so well in history class I don’t understand any of his jokes and he can never tell when I’m kidding he gave me a pen yesterday and I’m keeping it he never wants to go to my trigon games we hang out constantly. He’s my best friend tied with Serene! Cant wait for you to meet him at parents day!!

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Listen, I get the Luke didn’t REALIZE he liked Elliot until the play take, I even understand that that is the authorial intent.

But what YOU don’t understand is that what if he did. The whole time. Since he was 13. Before Elliot and Serene ever went out. And what changed for him wasn’t just that he learned Elliot liked boys, but instead it was exactly what changed for Elliot: he realized liking him wouldn’t be emotional suicide.

To me he always knew he liked Elliot. He just woke up one day and realized that Elliot wouldn’t be cruel to him for it. That Elliot might even care about him as much as he cared about Elliot.

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still thinking about how elliot & luke are both entirely convinced the whole world is in love with their boyfriend. and also are both entirely right. elliot is funny & attractive & interesting & flirtatious & smart & a hero. luke is ALSO funny & attractive & interesting & smart & a hero. like those are the two most desirable men in the border camp tbh like they both catch your eye immediately and take up every room they walk into. and the best part is both of them think they personally are unloveable and nobody would ever want to date them because they’re not as cool as the other. dorks

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provoking

in other lands / wings in the morning

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Sarah I can't emphasis how much I love In Other Lands. It's definitely been one of my biggest sources of comforts throughout the years, since I was still exploring my bisexuality when I first discovered Turn of the Story on your website, and even after, when I bought the book as a gift to myself for Christmas. It never fails to make me laugh and cry and then laugh again, but I must admit that I've been dying to know since the first read: who taught Luke Sunborn about computers and the Internet?

One Elliot Jerome Schafer taught Luke about computers and the internet, without knowing he was doing so. Elliot talks a lot about a lot of subjects. He also talks often to keep himself company, in the habit of unloved children, and without the expectation that other people are listening or that they care to understand. A crucial part of active love is paying attention, and Luke does pay attention, even when he thinks he should be dismissing what Elliot says. If you care about someone, you don't dismiss them, and he can't. Elliot doesn't even recall his own references to the internet, but Luke does.

There are other kids from the other side of the wall in the Borderlands, and Luke garnered some additional information re the wikipedia from them, but he honestly would not have listened to, or comprehended, what they were going on about without Elliot. Loving Elliot means he loves and understands the world better, and that imperfect love and imperfect understanding makes him better, too.

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elliot schafer on a debate team would be very very good at it until he was up against someone he personally didnt like or was asked to argue a topic he had strong feelings about and then he wld be asked to leave for Not Shutting Up when its His Turn To Shut Up and for insulting the other person in the middle of his argument

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do u guys think every time luke made a Big Deal abt not wanting to do the play with elliot or not wanting to do this or that w elliot he was aware that he really did want to spend that time with elliot and knew it but didnt know how to just say i want to hang out with you. do we think he made a big deal of it so elliot wouldnt see through him. or maybe he wasnt aware and just was trying to justify it to himself by framing it as something he had to do, like he had to hang out with elliot when serene was gone because she would be upset if elliot got hurt. what good would it do i couldnt have you and all that. sorry im microscoping him again luke sunborn what is your Deal

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Luke, growing wings, having a crisis about it: I’m turning into a monsterrrr 🥺🥺🥺

Elliot, certified monster-fucker: no you’re not, you are a wonderful half-human boy and not monstrous at all. There there. People will surely love your beautiful face and golden wings

Luke, who is fully aware that Elliot is a monster-fucker and who has been in love with him for years: THERE IS JUST NO PLEASING U SOMETIMES

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Poor Luke in his building his vocabulary to impress Elliot era 😔

He went: okay so Elliot said Epitome is not pronounced epee-tomb, it’s eh-pit-oh-me so Trope must be pronounced Trop-ee

Then Elliot turned around and went stupid idiot who can’t pronounce words, and Luke said okay I will never learn another word again.

Like he actively tried to learn from what Elliot said, and then because English is a stupid, irregular language, looked silly again when he is trying so hard to look smart

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I recently read In Other Lands and I love it so much!! There is one thing I’m confused about that I’m wondering if you could help clear up— when Elliot, Age Sixteen, says to Luke “You’re ordinary? I seem to recall some sort of championship,” Luke says that that was a misunderstanding. I’ve been wracking my brain but I can’t figure out what the misunderstanding is! I know Luke considers himself more ordinary than his family because of his subdued personality and that he didn’t particularly want to win the championship (until someone asked him to and then immediately forgot about it, poor guy) but, nevertheless, he is the champion, right? So what’s the misunderstanding?

Luke meant that he thought Elliot was asking him to win, but apparently that was a misunderstanding, so the misunderstanding and being champion (which comes with attention!) is all Elliot’s fault.

Elliot would say a. I didn’t ask you to, loser, b. me asking you to do something doesn’t magically make it happen I’m not a SORCERER.

He then should add that Luke is a remarkable person and supernaturally gifted athlete who should believe in himself more but he won’t because he’ll be talking exclusively about sorcerers for several hours.

No other champion has been known in perpetua as the Sunborn Champion as a title to the outside world. Luke is appalled by this moniker and still considers it Elliot’s fault. Elliot still doesn’t know what Luke meant by misunderstanding so can’t argue with him (on this matter. He still can on many other topics).

I’m so happy you enjoyed!

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a self explanatory compilation

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VAMPYR (1933)

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Andrea Gibson, Lord of the Butterflies

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