#heartstopper episode two crush

[juniper-dandelion]

I’m not even done with the episode but the way that Crush Culture by Conan Gray is playing in the background of the scene where issac talks to the person who explains their experience being aromantic and asexual is so genius. Like the way issac felt like there was something wrong with him for not liking James and that he hasn’t had a crush on anyone yet because he’s waiting for the right person to come along and then when he understands that there is nothing wrong with him, Crush Culture plays in the background. A song all about how it sucks feeling pressured into having to like people just because it’s what everyone else seems to be doing.

[reggieslocket]

just finished season two of heartstopper and you guys have no idea how i felt when i heard the words asexual and aromantic and how i related to everything isaac went through: the confusion, the constant feeling that something is wrong with you because you don't feel the same as people your age, society's obsession with relationships and isaac's burst of anger because he felt like the group only cared about the romantic aspect of his life as if it's the most important one... i'm so so grateful to alice and the show for the aroace representation and i can't wait to see more of isaac's journey in the next seasons because this one made me feel seen and valid and i actually teared up a couple of times especially when he picked up the ace book from the library in the final episode :,) ALSO can we talk about how iconic it was to use "crush culture" by conan gray when that man was explaining the meaning behind his artwork to isaac? i was literally smiling from ear to ear

[aroandawkward]

I can't stop thinking about Isaac Henderson in Heartstopper, and the inherent isolation of being an aroace person in a romance story. Because, at the end of the day, that's what Heartstopper is - it's about the romance between Nick and Charlie. Even when the narrative has expanded outwards to focus on other characters, their plotlines are primarily about romance: Elle and Tao, Darcy and Tara… It's true that Isaac has a loving friend group and the show doesn't devalue platonic love in the way that many romance stories do. But nevertheless, as an aroace person, Isaac is at odds with the genre of the story in which he lives. The tropes that shows like this are built around don't work for him.

Something that really hammers this home is how the scene when Isaac and James kiss mirrors Charlie and Nick's first kiss. In both scenes, two boys are sitting on the floor away from the main action of a party, one admits to having a crush, the other nervously wants to know whether it's them, and then they kiss. In his version of that scene with James, Isaac is experiencing a moment that - for another character - could be a beautiful moment in a romantic storyline.

For viewers who weren't aware of Alice Oseman's promise of an aroace storyline for Isaac, his interactions with James in the early episodes of Season 2 could easily have been interpreted as the beginning of a romantic love story. The rest of the main Heartstopper group have certainly been viewing his friendship with James through that lens, as shown by the way they tease him about it. But those plot beats of a romantic story don't work for Isaac. Trying to fit into the romance genre pushes Isaac in a direction that feels wrong for him. He is the one person in his primary friend group who can't make himself at home in a romance story.

I don't mean this as a criticism of the show. There is a lot of value to love stories like Heartstopper and there is a lot of value to having aspec representation in a show like Heartstopper. But I think this is the reason why Isaac's plotline felt particularly heartwrenching for me. Sometimes being aroace does feel like being out of step with the genre of story everyone else around you is living. Sometimes it feels like trying to find a place for yourself in a narrative that wasn't built for you. Sometimes it feels like trying to prove to yourself (and the world) that you can still have moments that feel like swirling leaves.

[lover-of-mine]

Hello and welcome to me being crazy about colors in media. Again. I feel like during season 7 there was the whole blue and yellow thing going around Buck and Eddie and I offered the theory that it could be like the blue and green thing, but for queer couples, since the show tends to use that color combo with Hen and Karen (here's that post if you want to see it), until @stagefoureddiediaz told me about a trend in media as a whole to use those two colors for queer coding, she mentioned red, white and royal blue and heartstopper as more recent examples but that this has been going on for a while. I'm gonna be honest, I don't watch a lot of movies, but the other day tiktok started to show me clips of Crush, it's a queer high school romcom, I had it on streaming, I was bored, I sat down to watch it, the movie is ridiculously blue and yellow, like, it's almost funny, I'm not gonna write a meta on that, if you get curious and watch the movie, there are blue and yellow elements to pretty much every scene, just pay attention lol. But that got stuck in my head and I was thinking about Love, Simon, and well, that movie also uses blue and yellow elements, in a more subtle manner, but it's there, rwrb also has details, like the lighting or color of ties, the same way they hide pride flags with elements of the scene. I never watched heartstopper, so I can't comment on that one.

Why am I telling you this? Well, if this is a pattern in media in general, then we have ourselves a solid theory. Crush and rwrb are more recent movies, crush is from 2022, rwrb is from 2023, but Love, Simon came out at the beginning of 2018. This makes the choice of making henren scenes blue and yellow very interesting.

You know me, I'm the blue and green person (extremely detailed meta on the blue and green), but I turned off the blue and green switch in my head and was going around wondering what counts as yellow. Because if we count warn lighting in general, the way it reflects in the background, Buck and Eddie are constantly surrounded by blue and yellow elements. There's a lot during under pressure, including the way the dialogue during the ambulance is "Practice rounds have blue caps, gold caps are live." while we have blue and yellow lights in the ambulance ceiling.

The blue and yellow elements are real, but while making my buddie in every episode series, I was watching season 3 with the blue and yellow goggles on, and I realized the lights behind Eddie during the tsunami are very much yellow, along with the blue tents and Eddie's uniform.

And once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.

They even have blue and yellow beers.

So the blue and yellow during season 7, has to mean something. For both of them.

And with the way that Buck, Bothered and Bewildered is a blue and yellow episode, I kinda wanna say that the blue and yellow IS about queer themes.

But the reason I'm making this post is actually more insane than just making this point again. Buck and Eddie have 2 undeniably blue and yellow scenes before season 7. Scenes where they are dressed in blue and yellow. And those are very important scenes in my humble opinion. Because the first one is the will reveal.

This scene is one of the most important buddie scenes. And that makes the colors here very interesting if we add things like the way they wanted to make Buck bi in season 4 but fox didn't let them, and this scene reads as a love confession anyway. Having Eddie in blue and Buck in yellow could very much have been the way they found to add more significance to the scene.

But there's also the way that Eddie's shirt is to yellow the same way Buck's is to blue during the presentation of the couch theory (rip you will always be famous), which is, again, a choice, we also have the notepads Eddie and Chris are playing with are yellow and the beers are also yellow, and the way Chris is a blue element.

Everything here keeps getting me more and more convinced that they will go canon while in blue and yellow, not blue and green like other couples, because green is both their breakup colors, if we count the conversation with Kim as a breakup.

And personally, I think we can, because by my own standards, their first conversation is blue and green.

So buddie going canon in a blue and yellow scene makes more sense because it would be unique to them.

This is a very long way to say, let's be on the lookout for both of them wearing blue and yellow lol.

That's all for today, if you reached this, I love you 💜

[bengiyo]

Good evening 😊 What were 5 hidden gems/underrated series for you this year and what made them special in your opinion?

Josi! So happy to see you playing the game!

Jack o' Frost

This show was a beautiful close to the first year of Drama Shower. After five shows about people getting together for the first time, we got a show about a couple trying to stay together. I love the reveal that a big part of their problem was both of them were holding back because of some notion about losing the relationship. We did not give this show enough flowers.

The Day I Loved You

I am part of the problem on this one. This show is fundamentally tragic, but it was so beautiful along the way. I don't think I've seen a show handle a young person facing a debilitating terminal illness better in recent years. This show was truly special, and I think all of you should go watch it.

Wedding Plan

I know y'all are tired of me talking about this show, but I will never get off my soapbox about how we actually should engage with work from creators we've criticized that show that they're taking the feedback and incorporating it into their work. This has one of the strongest queer narratives of the year that also involves lesbians in a meaningful way.

Love Class 2

I barely remember Love Class 1. It had little staying power with me. This show isn't necessary the best of K-BL this year, but it's way better than I expected and does a good job of balancing heat and drama with the relative fame of the talent. I also really enjoyed J-Min's performance overall. This show also did Friends to Lovers, and so it gets a nod from me. I also think this show captured the exact amount of friendliness and knowledge of each other that a college friend group and acquaintances would have.

Sing My Crush

I think those of us who watched it really appreciate this show, but iQIYI caused so many problems with the way they dropped all of this for premium subscribers the same week as Heartstopper and then dolled it out two episodes a week for VIP users. I think this show generally got overshadowed by everything else airing around it at the time, but the way Han Baram was bullied into the closet and then couldn't express how much he loved his friend was one of the best executed homophobic storylines of the year. It also let me write about male anger, so that's a huge plus.

Ask Me Top 5 BL 2023 Anything

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

I finished the second episode of Heartstopper last night (wanted to post about it yesterday, but I was too tired from work), so here are some of my thoughts in no particular order for you now.

Good on Nick for checking up on Charlie after what happened. I found it odd, though, that he seemed more emotional about it than Charlie, but I guess they're in two very different places, mentally. One being 'why do I seem to like this guy way more than my other friends?' & the other being 'omg stop being so nice to me, your straight!' lol. Plus, I get that everyone deals with stuff in their own way & poor Charlie is probably so used to being mistreated that he might just be repressing the full weight of how his feeling as a copeing mechanism. It was also probably very cathartic to finally tell someone everything that happened between him & Ben (as I'm guessing he kept most if not all of it a secret from his friends & sister).

WE FINALLY MEET NELLIE!!!! And she is as cute as I'd hoped (though for some reason I expected her to be a different colour).

Sorry, Charlie, but Tori's right. Your hair looks exactly the same. Also, love that they kept the gag from the novel about her scaring him with her, always showing up suddenly without warning.

Nice to see that the outfits are on point for our boys so far with the plaid/black jeans (trying to impress someone, I see Charlie) & T-shirt/joggers (also what product is Miss Nelson using coz Nick's tops look soft as hell).

Wait, what season is it supposed to be because it looked really sunny when Charlie was walking to Nick's house (I know he was wearing a coat & hat but Charlie is always cold) but then suddenly it's snowing? Idk when Alice first came up with this story, but as a Brit, I haven't seen proper full on Snow since I was probably around eight years old. But hey, maybe in the Heartstopper universe, global warming doesn't exist.

I don’t care what anyone says, I will never get the fun of a snowball fight. If I go somewhere with a friend & they start throwing stuff at me, I'm leaving! Also, picking it up with your bare hands? One, it's been on the ground 🤢, and two, where are your gloves? Do you not feel the cold? Snow angles do look fun until I think about how my entire behind would be frozen/damp. Sorry if that makes me a "stick in the mud", I don't care 😝.

Damn, that is one photogenic dog & and aww, they already look like a couple. Also, give it up for Nick's freckles, the real star of the show 👏.

Omg, being in the same group as someone you hate must be so hard, but I get why Nick can't really say anything about what Ben did, at least not right now. Also, what is up with that Imogen girl? Mind your damn business.

I think it's good we get to see Elle longing for a bond with other girls that she just can't get from her male friend group. Makes her transition feel more fleshed out (for lack of a better word), you know?

Yay, we finally meet Tara & Darcy & they're exactly how I thought they'd be (except I imagined Darcy with brown hair for some reason). Ooh I didn't know Elle was artistic. I wanna decorate pencil cases now. Tara's pink puffa coat is so cute. What is up with adults dictating how long kids' hair can be? Like who gives a fuck! Also "gal pals" had me 😆.

Oh, thank god, it's just misinformation. For a second, I thought Tao was making shit up just to make Charlie get over his crush. Are kids really like that, though? I can't imagine kissing someone once & having people insist, I'm madly in love with them to this day, like move on already.

Ok, I officially really like the gay teacher, lol.

Love Charlie's sweater & Nick's coats are also very nice. Where are these kids getting their clothes? Coz I'm embarrassed by most of the stuff I wore as a teenager.

The big hoodie moment should be cute, but I just can't help thinking about how skinny Charlie is, which makes me ☹️.

Ok, so I didn't care much for the leaf animation in the first episode, but omg, the little fire crackles when Nick was trying to hold Charlie's hand? Screaming, crying, throwing up!!!!!!! & the hug before he left? Fucking crops watered for life, bitch!

Was digging Elle's outfit, very 70's vibes.

Ah, so their "secret" is out. Also obligatory: 🗣 LET'S GO LESBIANS LET'S GO 🗣

Can't wait for the next episode, but I practically passed out after watching episode 2 (manual labour is hard, kids 😭), so maybe I hallucinated, but did that Imogen girl ask Nick out? I thought she was daiting Ben? Or is that a different girl?

PS. I found out Aled won't be in the show, which I accept & the only reason I haven't talked about Isaac is because he hasn't really done much yet

[fullyvisible]

I found it interesting/useful to make a list of all the songs in Heartstopper Season One paired with what's happening in the show while the song plays, so I decided to do the same for Season Two! Obviously, spoilers ahead:

1. Shatter - opening scene, Charlie and Nick texting and meeting at school

2. Out of My League - sleepover!

3. Pressure to Party - sleepover dancing!

4. The Beach - Charlie telling Tori he'll make sure it's better for Nick; end of episode one

5. Coming of Age - beginning of episode 2; parent teacher conferences

6. Paradise - playing with Nellie in the park and then kissing and looking at the photos

7. Welcome to the Sidelines - Elle at the art school open day making friends

8. You Wouldn't Like Me - sad texting about being grounded and it being hard to come out; Nick's reassuring voice message; Tao looking at posts of Elle and her new art school friends

9. Retrospect - exams, easy writing, Tao looking up how to ask out Elle

10. Things Will Be Fine - cinema date

11. The Sound - arriving at the end of term party

12. Le Temps de L'Amour - in the cinema

13. Miss U - the party continues; Tao and Elle are sad, Nick is unwell

14. Lovesong - Charlie holds Nick; end of episode 3

15. Obsessed - beginning of episode 4; loading up the busses

16. Trésor - arrival in Paris and driving past the sights

17. Un Peu Plus Souvent - wandering around Paris in pairs

18. Mona Lisa - Tao and Elle explore the museum

19. Freak Out - Charlie sees the hickey and almost says fuck; end of episode 4

20. Nobody Really Cares - beginning of episode 5; Nick texting his dad then checking on Charlie; resumes to go down to breakfast

21. Doesn't Matter (voleur de soliel) - climbing the Eiffel Tower

22. Fall in Love With a Girl - first kiss!!

23. Never Be the Same - Nick and Charlie run through Paris to meet Nick's dad; end of episode 5

24. On Était Beau - beginning of episode 6; Nick and Charlie meet Nick's dad

25. Bros - Paris Gang explores together

26. 3D Feelings - Tara's birthday party

27. Then It All Goes Away - Party continues; Tara is unhappy, Tao and Elle are in the bathroom, Isaac is surrounded by couples, Nick and Charlie see Ben

28. Hot & Heavy - Isaac goes back to the party after kissing James; Nick and Charlie on the balcony

29. Pretty Girl Lie - Charlie shuts the door on Harry; party plays spin the bottle/truth or dare

30. Deep End - Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk talk; fade to black; Nick and Charlie sleep; bus back to England; end of episode 6

31. We Can Be Anything - beginning of episode 7; Tara and Darcy have a sleepover; Nick looks through his photos and worries about Charlie; Charlie looks at photos and gets message from Ben; Elle gets into Lambert; Tao dances around his room

32. People Watching - prom outfit shopping

33. Cry! - the gang arrives at the art show and they find out Elle got in

34. Crush Culture - Isaac looks at the piece on being aro/ace and gets his leaves moment! Continues through Imogen arriving and Darcy leaving

35. Skin - background while Tao and Elle talk

36. Blush - Nick googles eating disorders; Darcy's mom yells at her and Darcy leaves; end of episode 7

37. Colors Of You - beginning of episode 8; Nick wakes up and looks at pictures of him and Charlie and posts about being boyfriends and bi

38. Run Away With Me - Tao and Elle agree to be boyfriend/girlfriend; prom setup

39. Young - the gang arrives at prom

40. Happy New Year - prom; Tara is looking for Darcy

41. Just Like Heaven - Tao and Elle dance, Mr. Farouk arrives, Isaac takes the ace book, Imogen watches Sahar play

42. All the Things - prom continues; Nick and Charlie hold hands and decide to leave; Darcy arrives

43. Seven - Tara and Darcy say "I love you" and the gang has their own prom party

44. UR So Pretty - Charlie and Nick kiss and Charlie leaves; contemplates texting "I love you;" end of season 2

[rocketturtle4]

9 people You'd Like to Know More

Tagged by @wen-kexing-apologist thankyou! @waitmyturtles tagged me literally as I was writing this too lol thanks!

Last song:

*opens spotify in trepidation* okay not bad

Choose Your Fighter by Ava Max

The barbie movie had a bunch of great songs but this one was my favourite. So it got added to my most transient playlist for at least a little while (I basically add and remove songs at random lol)

Currently Watching: you ready for this?

Hidden Agenda

Be Mine Superstar (1 ep behind) (I am struggling with how well Ja is portraying awkwardness in this, my second hand embarrasment has always been unfortunately high and even though I like the show I am not sure how much more I'll watch)

King the Land (On ep 12, I fell behind a little but it's finished now so I'll catch up soon)

Minato's Laundromat 2

Wedding Plan (1 ep behind)

Jun & Jun (My current fav ngl)

Be My Favourite

Stay by my Side (1 ep behind)

Laws of Attraction

Not Airing

Gay Ok Bangkok (I'm on S2 Ep1)

The Warp Effect (I'm on Ep 2)

Until We Meet Again (I'm on episode 11)

Our Skyy x Star In Mind (Ep 1)

(For the record except Our Skyy x Star In Mind I am literally paused partway through these episodes lol)

Just Finished (this week)

Heartstopper Season 2

The Witcher Season 3

The Eclipse x Our Skyy

Starting Soon(ish): *takes a quick breath*

Good Omens S2

Only Friends

Sing You Crush (this one's airing weekly as I'm not premium IQIYI so I'll be adding it into rotation)

Theory of Love

Wish You

I am not sure about I Feel You Linger In The Air or Dangerous Romance so I'm leaving those two till at least a few eps have dropped though I'll probably join in in September

Also I am kind of curious about The Jungle

Currently Reading

Vertebrates: comparative Anatomy, Function, Evolution

and

Analysis of Vertebrate Structure.

I thought about just listing a couple papers lol but I am reading both of these books at the moment for thesis reasons, just not really cover to cover.

(the bits I am reading are FASCINATING Though)

Current Obsession

Ah, I'm pretty sure all of BL is my current obsession if that wasn't already clear.

I haven't been this interested in something to the exclusion of all else since Doctor Who...and that is not a comparison I make lightly.

Tagging @shouldiusemyname @thegalwhorants @dribs-and-drabbles @clairificusrex @plantsarepeopletoo @sparklyeyedhimbo @callipigio @grapejuicegay if you want!

[wigglebox]

I’ve watched episodes 1-6 of Heartstopper season 2 (I wanted to finish the Paris arc before going to bed) so I still have to watch episodes 7-8 but UGH GOD I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH it’s like the gay gods (Alice, the creator of the comic and show really) was like “listen you’re gonna get your overdose of sugar intake” as a reward for being queer lol

I just love this show. It’s so chill. Problems are realistically mundane, it’s “wish fulfillment queer storytelling” I guess, which is a detriment in some peoples eyes bht damn if I had this show in high school I probably would have accepted my queerness a lot sooner than I did.

Also I love how Alice had Charlie explain his ED in the comics and I’m happy that so far, it seems to be on track in the show. As someone who has a restrictive ED this is what made me connect so hard to Charlie and him passing out in the Louvre is what happened to me in New York once so — I’m happy this show and comic series addressed it how it did and I can’t wait to see how they progress.

And god damn again I’m left lamenting the fact I wish I had a Nick Nelson in my life

Ugh I just love all the characters ugh ugh

(Except for you David and Ben)

Two more episodes!! This is just such a comfort show even if it makes me cry sometimes but not in the soul crushing way like other shows do (which, other shows are perfectly fine in doing that, but I like this one where I know no matter what they will be together)

[retrieve-the-kraken]

Heartstopper Season 2 play-by-play analysis

I’ve already written all these thoughts during the last rewatch, but since I’m rewatching again to figure out which gifs I want to look for, I always end up rereading or rewriting something, adding more thoughts, etc. There’s always something to add, something new that I noticed. The next few rewatches will be all about the music, probably.

EPISODE 2 - FAMILY

- “LION FISH VERY TOXIC THEY HAVE STINGERS THAT ARE DEADLY TO THE TOUCH” “THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF FISH. HERE ARE A VARIETY OF FISH” “THAT LIVE IN THE SEA. I LOOKED UP PICTURES OF FISH ONLINE FOR THIS PAGE” “UNICORN FISH TYPES OF DEEPSEA FISH” I died reading Tao’s drawing notes.

- Why does Mr Farouk always look like he’s about to either give the scolding of a lifetime or give terrible news???? Even when he’s saying nice things. I love him, though.

- Isaac looking down at his book as he gets told to participate more.

- IS THAT DAVID THACKERAY telling Ben’s parents that Ben is wonderful? Poor thing.

- If we get Spanish-speaking Charlie at some point, I will cry.

- “I know getting your first boyfriend is very exciting, but…” Charlie’s parents will never know about Ben. The only ones who know are Nick and (somewhat) Tori, and that’s how it will stay. Was it Charlie’s first boyfriend? Technically, maybe, but in all the ways that matter, Nick is the true first, Nick has changed the game for Charlie forever. He shouted it at the sea and everything.

- Here we have the first time that Jane takes a very extreme approach, but of course she doesn’t know that Charlie has bigger problems than being distracted by his new boyfriend. Jane’s approach is complete ban, complete cut off, no in between.

- Olivia Colman, in yellow, like the ray of sunshine she is. But how Sara managed to raise someone as shit as David, when she’s so wonderful and Nick turned out so wonderful, is beyond me.

- The actor who plays David is so good, you just want to punch him.

- “the universe is pulling us apart” “we are tragic starcrossed lovers” “we should run away to paris together” “bring nellie though” “of course”… two dumbasses in love.

- Ugh, Ben seeing Nick approaching so he pulls Imogen closer and kisses her because he knows it’ll piss Nick off… And Imogen being so oblivious that she thinks nothing of Nick’s frown and not waving back. She does look a bit sad that he doesn’t. And Ben looking so smug.

- New favorite character unlocked: Sahar. We love her. I didn’t really get much personality from her in the comics, but here it’s much more fleshed out.

- “Still as desperate as ever”, excuse me? Who’s the true desperate one here? Ben gets this wistful, googly-eyed look every time Charlie appears and looks equally as murderous at Nick every time he sees them together. None ya business, Ben.

- Nick seriously telling Ben not to talk about Charlie, because that’s as much as he can do, or ignore him, but Ben won’t let it go, like he’s not even a little bit afraid of the boy that could snap him like a twig.

- “It’s not my fault he liked me before you”. EXCUSE ME, for one thing, what does that have to do with anything??? And for another thing, you really think that Charlie liked you? I don’t think Ben realizes how much Charlie’s crush on Ben was just that, a crush, but actually liking him would have probably made it harder for Charlie to break things off, and it wasn’t… I think Charlie authentically had a crush on Ben, because he’s handsome and because he took an interest in him, and because there was no one else. But liking him? Nah, that was just wishful thinking.

- “I hate you because you literally assaulted him”. YES NICK, TELL HIM.

- “I was going through personal stuff”. Everyone is always going through personal stuff, you dick. But you chose to “take it out” on Charlie.

- “You hurt him and who knows if you’ll do the same with Imogen.” Sweet Nick. “Do you even like her?”

- “Sorry, am I not allowed to like girls as well as boys?” This might be the first time that he’s been this honest with someone over whom he doesn’t have any control whatsoever. Also Nick’s face when he realizes that him and Ben are both bi, or at least that’s what Ben is telling him. And it reinforces the fear that Nick’s had since last season, that he’s just like Ben.

- “I’ll believe that when I see it.” Ben also thinks that being queer means having to tell the world, otherwise it’s not real.

- Ben saying that Charlie thinks that Nick is perfect, like… sir, you do not speak for Charlie, and you do not know Nick, and you are just trying to make yourself not look as bad, and convince yourself that you could just be as good a boyfriend to Charlie as Nick is, and why don’t you just go to therapy, SIR??? But Nick for a moment looks like he believes him, because it’s been hard for him to come out, he’s only managed to come out himself to two people, his mum and Imogen, and he knows it’s hard, and maybe Ben is right, maybe he’s just like him, maybe he’ll hurt Charlie too by keeping their relationship a secret… Him stroking the pen that Charlie gave him.

- “I’ve had the worst day haha” aw baby, the haha just makes it worse.

- I just realized how much I relate to Nick’s relationship with his brother. Not that my sister was ever as bad as a David, but I wish she had been more of a Tori… Being the youngest and having to deal with an invasive older sibling who just waltzes into your room and looks at your stuff and thinks they know you better than you know yourself… yeah… In retrospect it’s funny how siblings can be so unbearable to each other, and often it gets better when you don’t have to live together anymore, but it’s amazing how we can tick each other off, like no one else can… they did such a good job at capturing that dynamic…

-“If you do have a girlfriend, I want to know about it, she needs my approval”, sir fuck all the way off back to uni, please.

- “We could meet at the park”, and then they meet there and it’s so obvious that their homes used to be their safe places, but now, now they know that it’s each other, they’re each other’s safe place. Recharging!

- Listen, that hug, that spin hug, with the music playing, the joy on their faces as they realize that home is wherever the other one is, it’s just soooooo… it rewired my brain, it was like a deep breath, it’s the epitome of all NickxCharlie hugs. It’s one of my favorite scenes, if not the most favorite.

- I love how we got to see the beginning of Charlie’s serial hoodie thievery. This whole scene is so soft. And Nellie just makes everything ten times better.

- Nick leaning in for a kiss in an open space, and Charlie looking around nervously, because last season Nick was flinching with nerves at the idea of anyone, even strangers, seeing them kiss, and Nick knows this and he has moved past that and he pulls Charlie on top of him and just kisses him like crazy… seriously the amount of kissing this season is magical… And Charlie feeling euphoric as he walks home and sees Nick’s instagram post about him…

- Elle’s new friends are as stylish as her… Naomi’s eyeliner is perfect…

- I love that we get a little more insight into Elle’s experience, and why she wants to pursue art, and why Lambert would be a safe haven for her…

- Tao’s mum being the biggest fan of Elle and being the biggest TaoElle shipper… I’m glad we got a bit more of her, and other parents. Elle’s parents were excellent too (more on them later).

- Nick gathering up the courage to confront Imogen about Ben, because he wants to protect her, but not being able to tell her why, and Imogen getting defensive because she’s just afraid of being alone. And the whole thing affecting Nick and causing him such anxiety that he can’t really focus.

- The big hug and lift, priceless move. (I've lost count of all the times that Nick gives into his urge of picking Charlie up in any way he can).

- “That boy of yours is here”. Elle’s mum being a bit of a TaoElle shipper too. Elle trying to put distance between them.

- Charlie not being a fan of Marvel movies, whilst Joe Locke is starring soon in a Marvel streaming show… poetic. Methinks that, when the time comes for Nick to watch Agatha Coven of Darkness, he’ll have a massive crush on that actor who plays (presumably) Billy.

- “I’ll have something when I get home”, and then when he gets home “I ate at Nick’s.”

- Fucking David, snooping around, disrespecting Nick’s privacy. And Nick’s little “you okay?” at Charlie. David is such a perfect asshole, and I love Nick calling him a homophobic prick, but not being intimidated or anything. “You left a picture of you two kissing on your bedroom wall” “WHY DO YOU KEEP GOING IN MY ROOM?” Yes, David, why?

-Some people pointed out that Nick seems to unfairly take it out on his mum, when it was David, a grown man, sneaking in as he pleases, but I didn't see it that way. Nick's yelling at David, but looking at him mum, or looking to her for support, like going "do you see what he's done??? do you see what a dick your other son is???? please tell him to stop!!"

- Nick telling Charlie that it’s not his fault, and telling him that he’s fine and he doesn’t care, but Charlie had really thought he’d be able to protect Nick from the things that happened to him when he came out.

- Tao’s talk with his mum, it was so sweet.

- Charlie and Isaac being so serious, but also not arguing when Tao said “I know you’ve been laughing behind my back because I’m so oblivious”. And him asking for their help.

This episode was brought to you by HOODIES™.

[ani-bunnie13]

scene-to-scene #4

sooooo i have a surprise for you!! only for this episode, i'll be posting 2 consecutive s-t-s, today and tomorrow!!

scene-to-scene #4: the question scene, chapter one Meet, episode one Meet

omg the little details!! im screeeeamminggg

this is one of the most popular "heartstopper moments" and i'm so grateful that i can share my opinions on this wonderful scene with you!!

the scene is all about charlie getting his hopes up about his obvious feelings about nick. but back in reality, nick is just asking him if he wants to join the rugby team. i highlighted in pink where nick is flirting, i mean come on! "that's okay i'll teach you" "i saw you run in p.e you're really fast" ??? thats basically saying "i wanna hangout with you more" and "i love it, u run speedy" AAHH. cuties.

i love alice's depictions of emotion. it's so comedic yet relatable to feel that devastating feeling of your hopes getting crushed by mearly a quick second. the show however, did an amazing job with thier animation!! i've always loved the leaf animation and this romantic-type backlit editing just makes the whole scene more atmospheric.

lastly, the tiniest details!!!! really what makes this exact scene so popular are the details that change on nick's blazer. if you watch the scene (or look at the 5th frame) u can see that at the beginning, nick's blazer has the winter truham logo and the next, HEART TRUHAM LOGO MAKES IT'S GRAND APPEARENCE!!!

speaking of appearance, i can officially say that APOFO's grand finale will end with two final episodes. these will come out the week of christmas i promise!!!!!!!

i love and appreciate you.

stay tuned for tomorrows edition of s-t-s🤍🤍

xx ani-bunnie

[the-one-where-casey-watches-tv]

Heartstopper episode 2.03 "Promise"

Joe Locke and Kit Connor in Heartstopper. Image courtesy of IMDb.

This is the most I’ve looked forward to a new season of a show in a long time. I watched it all in a day and it filled my heart right up. To be a YA romance about two high school boys, it hits strikingly close to home. I was instantly enamored with season one, and my experience with it made me realize that I had actually never seen this part of myself on screen so completely before (I’ve been clinging to Olivia Wilde’s Thirteen on House for a decade). They’re high schoolers with high school problems, yet everything they go through feels significant without veering into melodrama. In fact, I think the reality of what they’re facing is so challenging, and all of these characters deserve so much credit for how they face them.

Especially Charlie. Charlie’s the unspoken protagonist of this story- when we watch this show we step into his shoes- and I think that sometimes leaves him overlooked. We empathize with all the characters on occasion- the show is really good at that- but Charlie was the one with the crush, the constant victim of unwanted attention; it’s easy to imagine ourselves in that position. But like no one’s favorite character is Harry Potter (except mine), I think Charlie can come across as two dimensional if we get too caught up in the self-insert nature of the story; like everything happens to him without him doing anything. But he’s a great dude, tbh.

And in this episode, he’s taking care of everybody else. The term is finally over- everyone in Nick’s year has just finished exams, and Charlie is ungrounded, just in time for a big party in the woods. Before leaving school, Tao declares his feelings for Elle with a new haircut and flowers, asking her on a date to the movies before the party. Elle accepts, and he takes her to see Moonrise Kingdom, a movie he hates but she loves. They both have nervous butterflies, but Elle is thrown off by the tension in the air and doesn’t like that Tao isn’t acting like himself.

They awkwardly agree to go to the party, where it’s revealed that Elle has invited her new friends, fellow prospective art students. Tao explodes, declaring that she’s forgotten all about him, and storms off (we’ll confirm later that Tao’s fear of abandonment stems from the death of his dad when he was 12; not everyone’s behavior is excused, but there is a reason that every character acts the way they act). Still reeling, Tao bumps into Charlie, who’s been separated from Nick in the chaos of the bonfire. Tao bursts into tears, declaring that he “tries too hard and talks too much and ruins everything”. Charlie wraps him in a fierce hug, and Tao sobs into his shoulder.

William Gao and Yasmin Finney in "Promise". Image courtesy of IMDb.

Nick, meanwhile, has been struggling with this night from the start. He’s plagued by the pressure he’s put on himself to come out, supplemented by Ben whispering in his ear all term that he’s treating Charlie the same way Ben used to. Nick’s taking his own promise to Charlie from season 1 very literally and feels increasingly guilty with each passing time he tries and fails to come out to someone in his life. Today, he’s promised again to come out to the rugby team, and Tori pulled a big sister move, threatening Nick if he didn’t look after Charlie tonight. The stakes are high, and he’s feeling them. He tells Charlie he just has a headache and can persevere.

But they quickly lose each other in the crowd, and while Charlie is comforting Tao, Nick is getting more and more distressed. While looking for Charlie he finds Tori instead, who skeptically points out that he’s not doing a very good job looking out for her brother. More broken promises… He finds his way into the center of the crowd, being jostled by a bunch of the rugby boys. Thoroughly disoriented, he’s endearingly still trying: “guys… there’s something… I need to tell you”. But suddenly Harry is next to him, throwing an arm around Nick and asking what they’re talking about.

Nick loses what’s left of his nerve at this point, but before he can find anything to say, Charlie appears and pulls Harry off of him: “Nick doesn’t want to talk to you, Harry, piss off!” Surprised, the other boys give them enough space for Charlie to ask Nick if he’s okay, and for Nick to say, “I feel really unwell”. Charlie declares that he’s taking him home and leads Nick out of the crowd. In the end, he’s not the one who needed looking after tonight. In the previous episode, Charlie apologized for not standing up for Nick when his brother started harassing him. In this episode, he proved that he actually learned from that moment and changed his behavior.

Joe Locke in Heartstopper. Image courtesy of IMDb.

I want to give Charlie so many points for the way he treats not only Nick, but never forgets about his friends while in the throes of his first real love. He gives Tao his full attention tonight, just like he will in Paris when he clips the Charlie + Tao lock onto the bridge, and just like he will at prom when he pulls Isaac into a group picture.

But with Nick especially, he is so genuinely supportive. Nick isn’t anything like Ben, and maybe it wouldn’t be fair for Charlie to express it, but there’s definitely something a little triggering for him about having another secret boyfriend. Nonetheless, Charlie not only takes Nick home and tucks him into bed with a cup of tea, but he makes the executive decision that they should stop trying to come out right now. He sees what it’s doing to Nick (and ignores what not doing it is doing to himself), and the relief in Nick is palpable.

But as selfless as it is, Charlie’s right: it is Nick’s coming out. He should be able to do it on his own terms. The tea is just that being gay is hard, and being in a relationship where one person is more out than the other is going to have painful moments for both people involved, and it isn’t either of their faults. And even though not everything is going according to plan, Nick is moving mountains himself. He really didn’t bat an eye before abandoning his entire friend group, not even caving for the more auxiliary members of the rugby team until they apologized and earned their way back into his life. Instead, he fully embraced Charlie’s friends, forming his own relationships with all of them.

And I’m really glad that the show doesn’t minimize the all-consuming fatigue involved with coming out. Nick doesn’t just want to do it for Charlie; he wants to be out, holding his boyfriend’s hand and kissing him whenever he wants. There are moments throughout the season where we see his own frustration with himself. But it just isn’t something that comes up naturally in conversation. It’s always awkward. It’s always at least a little bit scary. You have to bring the conversation to a stop and make an ‘announcement’, something that feels self-important and overdramatic, while doing nothing feels like keeping a cowardly secret. Struggling to come out doesn’t make Nick a bad person, and Heartstopper shows us exactly how and why.

Kit Connor in Heartstopper. Image courtesy of IMDb.

I love the way this show romanticizes all the right things, depicting both gay pride and gay struggle without one diminishing the other. Heartstopper is ultimately so full of love; this entire friend group is made up of really good people, and for everything that gives these kids a hard time, there’s something else propping them up. For every Ben Hope, there’s a Nick Nelson, for every overbearing brother there’s an overprotective sister, for every absent father there’s a perfect mother. It’s both guttingly relatable and rejuvenatingly hopeful, and while I personally will never get tired of a wholesome story, we still have far from enough queer content in this world that just makes you feel nice. If you love Heartstopper, please tell me everything you like about it and why :) <3

[butchcaseyjones]

tao xu is autistic and has adhd

welcome to my tedtalk

i just rewatched the entirety of heartstopper and took notes with the dsm-5 next to me because i’ve always had a suspicion that tao has autism and adhd simply because i relate to him so much. so naturally the neurotypical thing to do would be to go through the whole show and take careful, organized notes to see if he meets the dsm-5 criterion for the disorders

and he does! here is my proof (please note that some of these are based on assumptions, but assumptions that are fair to make)!

Autism

Episode One

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity - unusual affect

Rigid thinking - fixation on arbitrary rules (four is a group, three is just a trio)

Rigid thinking - cannot see past social differences with their group and Nick’s group or imagine that Nick could be different than his rugby friends

Episode Two

Rigid thinking - insistence that Nick is straight

Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviours/deficits in understanding relationships - could not work out that Charlie was gay before

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity - called loud by Elle; cannot regulate volume 

Special interest - room covered in movie posters, there are very few other decorations

Rigid thinking patterns - cannot see past the notion that Nick has a crush on Tara

Episode Three

Insistence on sameness - shows distress when Charlie cannot come to film night specifically because film night is ‘sacred’ and things will be different

Insistence on sameness - upset that film night is not like it usually is

Insistence on sameness - shows repeated distress at the notion that Charlie is changing and that the group is not like it used to be, and insists that his relationship with Elle does not change no matter what else changes

Episode Four

Difficulties with emotional regulation - reacting strongly to Charlie not sitting with them and throwing the ball aggressively at Nick

Potential hyperreactivity to sensory input - almost always seen wearing loose, soft, comfortable clothes (although this is not necessarily indicative of sensory issues)

Deficits in understanding relationships - believes their friendship group is falling apart because of the suggestion that Charlie might be friends with Harry 

Episode Five

Tunnel vision - obsessing over Nick and Charlie to the point where Elle tells him to stop

Potential repetitive motor movements - strange and frequent dancing even though he knows he is bad at it (dancing is not necessarily stimming but he seems to dance a lot more than other characters, just for fun, and this is also something I do as an autistic individual)

Adherence to routine - planning the events of Charlie’s birthday party very carefully, more actively than Charlie is planning

Difficulties with emotional regulation - shoving Harry

Deficits in communicative behaviour - Nick tells Charlie that Tao being rude is ‘just the way he is’

Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviours - rarely seen smiling beyond moments of clear excitement 

Insistence on sameness - again unable to see Nick beyond his preconceived notions of him while talking to Charlie in the bathroom

Difficulties with emotional regulation - reacts more strongly than Charlie does to their argument

Episode Six

Potential repetitive motor movements - strange and frequent dancing

Special interest - claims that the concert is not boring if they play film music, and only for that reason

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity - does not pick up on the clear cues that Darcy is trying to set him up with Elle and does not notice Elle has a crush on him

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity - clearly feels awkward entering Nick and Charlie’s conversation

Adherence to routines - reminds the others of the exact time that the concert starts

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity - still does not pick up on the fact that Nick and Charlie are dating despite seeing them hold hands and otherwise act like a couple

Episode Seven

Rigid thinking - declares that friendships don’t matter once you get into a relationship, jumping to extreme conclusions regarding his friendship with Charlie and telling Charlie they’re barely friends anymore

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity - his retort to Harry obviously does not do what he intended to do, and comes off as strange

Difficulties with emotional regulation - reacts drastically to Harry’s offense

Episode Eight

Potential hyperreactivity to sensory input - unlike Charlie, he is never seen wearing his jacket, sweater, and shirt, usually just his jacket and shirt or shirt, which could possibly be a sensory aversion to wearing too many layers (this could be reaching, I personally have an issue with wearing too many layers)

Distress at small changes - the fact that his friend group can’t all do the same sport event like they usually do is implied to be one of the reasons he is upset

Repetitive motor movements - holds his arms similar to ‘dinosaur arms’ during Charlie’s race

Special interest - tells Charlie he has a very long list of movies he will force him to watch, an experience many autistic people have regarding their special interests

ADHD

Episode Two

Fidgeting - moving his head and bouncing on his feet while watching rugby with Charlie

Cannot be quiet - called loud by Elle

Episode Four

Fidgeting - playing with his hands by his side while talking with the others before Charlie’s game

Talks excessively/cannot be quiet - lovingly called loud and annoying by Elle

Fidgeting - bouncy and moving around a lot while talking with Elle

Episode Five

Fidgeting/restless - moves emphatically with his hands while talking to Elle at the sleepover

Impulsivity - shoves Harry without thinking and is told by Charlie after that he shouldn’t have done that

Rejection sensitive dysphoria - strong reaction to being terrible at bowling (this could be sarcastic but it does not seem like it)

Episode Seven

Impulsivity - fights back against Harry and does not see until later that it just makes things worse

Fidgeting - bounces his leg when upset after finding out Nick and Charlie are dating

Episode Eight

Potential executive dysfunction - shown in his text messages with Charlie that he was procrastinating starting an essay

Fidgeting - swings his legs while sitting in the art room with Elle

[emilygail]

Heartstopper Season 1, Episode 3

Welcome back to my Heartstopper Feelings Diary, the series where I list all the moments of this beautiful show that give me ✨ feelings. ✨ We’re up to S1E3, and it is a DOOZY. Let’s gooooo.

1. The entire opening sequence breaks my heart. Nick has realized he might have feelings for another boy, so he decides to do some research. He is googling signs he might be gay and ends up down a rabbit hole of really depressing stories: a gay bashing, why people are opposed to marriage equality, and conversion therapy. He finally ends up taking a quiz and cries when it’s 62% homosexual. Meanwhile the song is saying, “I don’t feel like i’m my own person. i just feel like some other version of me.” My poor baby is just so confused.

2. Nick being so brave when he says, “That’s homophobic, Harry. And I really don’t like you. Happy birthday.”

3. When Nick sees Tara and Darcy kissing, it makes him brave. And then he goes to find Charlie.

4. Charlie tells Nick he ran into Ben but he handled it by shoving him into a wall. Nick, still feeling so brave, grabs Charlie’s hand. And the look on his face is just so proud and also heart eyes. I just love him.

5. The whole first kiss scene was perfect. Nick started out so confident when he teases he might have a crush on a boy, but then he completely panics when Charlie starts asking questions. It’s Charlie’s turn to be brave now, and they have just the sweetest first kiss. Nick grabs Charlie’s hand and initiates kiss two. The fact that this is a perfect recreation of the comics is the cherry on top.

6. But of course, things take a turn. Nick hears Harry down the hall and completely panics, running out of the room. Charlie thinks Nick regrets kissing him, and ends up crying on his dad’s shoulder. WHY DID YOU RUN, NICK?? I could not find this moment in the show, so pls enjoy this frame from the comic of the same moment. It will break your heart.

7. Charlie wakes up so sad to have no messages from Nick. But then who is at his door, completely soaked? NICK. ❤️ What a cliffhanger ending, amirite?

Up next: episode 4 where the boys finally talk. 🙊

[assembledpress]

I binged Heartstopper and now I can't stop crying 🍂

After a recommendation from a friend, I started Heartstopper. When I started the first episode, I expected to discover a fun binge-watch with cute characters. What I didn’t expect was a series that would consume my entire weekend and lead to an emotional breakdown on a Saturday evening. 

For those unaware, Heartstopper tells the love story between Nick and Charlie, two teenage boys who are learning to navigate school, friendships, and love. While the first season of the show came out last spring, I was too distracted by Bridgerton’s second season. As a former teenager myself, I have long been a fan of teen dramas of all different varieties; from The Vampire Diaries to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (HSMTMTS) to Never Have I Ever to The Summer I Turned Pretty to Euphoria. I love the music montages, the fashion, and often, the drama. However, after season three of HSMTMTS, I found myself a bit disillusioned, as the show felt in many ways to be throwing random storylines to the wall to see what might stick. It ended up leaving a bit of a bad taste in my mouth for the entire genre.

But then, my trusted friend’s recommendation of Heartstopper led me to sit for nearly eight hours straight in my papasan chair wondering how I functioned for so long not having this show, its characters, and its storylines in my life. You may be thinking “So you found a show you really liked that is quite popular right now and had a proper binge of it. So what?”. 

For context, I’m a woman nearly two years post-grad who recently married her high school sweetheart, and therefore, I find myself at a point in life where I greatly miss my college friends and am super sensitive to any trope or story about first love or high school romance. What do you mean Peter Parker doesn’t stay with Gwen Stacey forever? In my head, she survives that fall and no one ever mentions MJ. Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez? Definitely happily married living in the suburbs with their athletic singing kiddos. Despite that hopeful romantic side of me, I’ve been informed throughout most of my life by almost all media and a variety of different statistics that first love doesn’t last. During the first several years of my relationship, I felt like people around me were waiting for the other shoe to drop, wondering how long we’d last before breaking up. Needless to say, I approached Heartstopper with a pocketful of caution and an expectation for the show to be just like any other melodramatic teen soap I’d seen before. 

Boy was I wrong. Heartstopper approaches its main relationship with the utmost respect for how genuine those teenage butterflies are. It builds slowly, allowing time to focus on the sparks felt when your finger touches your crush’s at lunch, or when you brush shoulders in the hallway. It never takes the cheap way out, never having a character reconnect with a toxic ex, or forcing a drawn-out love triangle. Instead, the show opts to dissect the wholesome nature of a crush turning into an early relationship and eventually, through commitment and care, evolving into a deep love.

Almost as importantly though, Heartstopper emphasizes the love not just in Nick and Charlie’s romantic relationship, but within their friend group. Charlie and Tao’s deep friendship spans years and has equally as deep ups and downs, and the two friends, despite never having any romantic connection, talk about their feelings openly, never being afraid to say “I love you” to one another. 

And thus, my emotional breakdown. I realized through the show’s supportive and loving friend group how much I missed the people who know me best. I found myself reminiscing over the early days of my relationship rather than being present over dinner with the same person. Piled on with the nostalgia and butterflies, I found myself crying with the littlest of provocation, and just feeling in a funk. 

It wasn’t until I finished my first re-watch of the show that I properly processed that it was okay if the show deeply impacted me, and I didn’t need to feel guilty for feeling all those emotions. Despite there being a near-infinite amount of quality content available at my fingertips, this show spoke to my heart, which is an undeniably special thing. Further, Heartstopper is the first show in a while that has prompted me to want to create - to create videos, sketches, paintings, short-form content, playlists, and this written piece. 

To be fair, maybe I’m biased toward the show because my compulsive nature led me to read all the graphic novels and research everything I could about the cast and creator to learn that *spoiler* Nick and Charlie canonically stay together forever. It feels comfortable and safe and representative to me to see a relationship start with a first glance in a classroom and end with 'til death do us part. Regardless, I feel that the show exists to honor how pure first love is, and how much that can impact and shape a person for the rest of their life. Whether it lasts decades or only a few months, first love has a way of irrevocably changing you. It’s something I’ve experienced firsthand and something Heartstopper reminded me of - for that, I couldn’t be more grateful.

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

My final thoughts about season 1 of Heartstopper

Was surprised by how little they changed from the books (despite being told as much by a very helpful fan).

It just felt like there was....more. Not saying Alice is a bad writer (she literally created one of my newest obsessions & is helping make the show), but the graphic novels are almost exclusively Nick & Charlie focused. Which isn't bad, persay. I literally love them as individual characters & as a couple, but it definitely makes the story feel "smaller" & a little rushed at times, to me (but I know she originally created Heartstopper when she was very young so I think stuff like that are very understandable flaws) & I'm sure tons of people don't have a problem with the pacing of the books & might even find the show too slow or "bloated'. I, however, personally appreciate the changes made (minus not getting to witness Nick whine to his mum about his boyfriend not being allowed to come on their holiday because that was hilarious). Most storylines were neither dragged out for too long nor so quickly resolved that things ended on an anticlimatic note, with most characters being given enough time, with the amount of episodes they have, for characters to doubt/second guess themselves & argue like obviously they're teens & are going through difficult stuff (I know haters wanna act like this series is "too perfect, that it's boring," but most of the characters are lgbtq+ & are shown facing at least some kind of struggle because of that). Which just gives the series a little more time to breathe. I think this is clearly shown/felt with the supporting cast.

The big moments in the book seem to be solely Nick or Charlie's. The other characters, much more secondary, only getting snippets of focus/attention tacked on at the end of volumes or their situations already being pretty much established by the time they're introduced. Theres little discovery for them, no getting to see the stirings of them first developing/realising a crush. Instead, Elle & Tao already like each other (even if they won't admit it) & their friend group already knows. Tara is just tottally open about being a lesbian from the get go (seemingly suffering no scrutiny) when we meet her in the book & so we never get Darcy feeling bad about how the change in their relationship is difficult for the person she loves.

I guess it's so we, the audience, can strictly focus on the development of the Nick x Charlie relationship. Which again isn't bad, but I definitely prefer it this way. Changes the serise from having two leads & the rest just being supporting characters to it feeling much more like an ensemble cast of genuine friends who all have their own lives & issues to sort out.

Also I actually kinda love the addition of Imogen like yeah she was annoying with the 'who your texting' thing & just how oblivious she was about Nick clearly not being into her (she over came that though, thank god) but even when she was at her most problimatic (I'm an ally) she was at least hilarious. I've said 'Come on Nickalous' to myself at least once a day since I watched that episode & you're gonna have to rip that habit from my cold, dead hands! In conclusion, some of you are a little too eager to hate on teen girls sometimes (like, at worst, she's cringey). I do hope she's more respectful in regards to LGBTQ+ stuff moving forward of course, but like character development is also a thing & unlike Harry & Ben (self haiting though he obviously is) she wasn't shown to be an actual bully. I just think the internet, which woobifies toxic male characters on the regular, shouldn't judge her as harshly as I've seen some people do (though I will admit a lot of them are probably doing so mostly as a joke, its just a little weird hearing adults refer to someone who's supposed to be like 15, as a bitch/slut). Anyway, rant over, lol.

Can't wait to continue this lovely series.