#julia just sucks. she was pretty good in s1 but she had no substance in s2

[semiconducting]

more bitching about td23 season 2 lol

i think the thing that bothers me the most about the recent total drama season is just that there was absolutely zero desire for characters to grow or have a complete arc of any kind. emma got to do nothing, just started the season broken up with chase but didn't really get to form any new relationships (or make up w her bestie from last season.......bowie and emma i miss u) before she left. the cheating in challenges arc between bowie and raj never got solved. priya's entire storyline revolved around caleb and there is no conclusion to be had from their plot, they got together even though caleb is a shitty spineless noncomittal boyfriend to her. caleb Has this issue and nothing comes of it except for like cheap "tension" in the ep where priya gets eliminated. julia has Nothing going for her except that she's Mean and she's Good At The Game and is the reason behind HALF of ALL THE ELIMINATIONS and it all happens OFF!!! SCREEN!!! like heather had mad plot armour in her seasons but god at least she was fun to watch. zee did nothing, not nearly as entertaining as he was last season. they set up a GREAT opportunity for scary girl to come back for Vengeance after being eliminated in the first ep and then do Nothing to follow up. mk is literally glued to julia at the hip and gets no time to shine on her own. BOWIE gets eliminated IMMEDIATELY when the teams merge???? axel and ripper having nothing going for them after they get together and overstay their welcome. DAMIEN! DOESN'T! GET! TO! KEEP! HIS! IMMUNITY! IDOL! and we don't fucking see julia actually take it from him!!!!!!!!!! it's just like they didn't bother with Any interesting plot decisions for any character just to prop up julia who herself doesn't even get to be entertaining. she has some funny lines, sure, but she takes up so much gaddamn screentime and for WHAT.

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

13 Queliot recs 3/4

Just Lay in the Atmosphere by veganshailseitan

I know not everyone is willing to try a WIP -- I’m not always myself, but there are several really fucking amazing ones going on in the fandom right now.  This is probably the one that has the furthest to go before it’s done, but damn, it starts strong.  An AU where Quentin is a YA novelist and Eliot produces FuzzBeat videos, and they’re forced to work together in spite of a brief but deeply awkward past affair.  It really is barely underway in terms of plot, but oh my god, it just lands punch after punch -- Quentin’s mental health stuff and Eliot’s substance abuse stuff, and trying to patch together a stable life while the whole house of cards quivers under the weight of the things you regret.  If it does keep going, this could really be one of the special ones; all the pieces are in place, and the writing hits on every cylinder.  Get in on the ground floor!

* He’d itemized his List of Problems with Eliot Waugh in the following way:

1. Almost his entire production portfolio seems to consist of videos where people get intoxicated and try various foods and/or activities (Drunk vs. High: Drag Makeup Challenge had been especially entertaining; he was reluctantly starting to understand why these videos were so popular)

2. He hasn’t made or been in anything at all in the last couple months

3a. Somewhat in the face of 1 and 2, he has a massive fan base of people who would probably watch him read a phone book and still leave thirsty comments on the video

3b. There will thus definitely be a huge audience watching Quentin embarrass himself regardless of their interest in his books.

4. Quentin has seen him naked

That last one he didn’t learn from Google, but he’s including it on the Problem List for completeness. *

Just Like the Movies by anotherdoor

Short and funny and sexy s1-era story about possible-hazing-victim Quentin playing truth or dare with Eliot and Margo.  Honestly, I feel like this shouldn’t work?  Truth-or-Dare stories are pretty easy and often have the feel of the ephemeral, but the voices are so good in this that it just landed for me in a way that really outstripped its “they goof around and then have sex” premise, and it stuck in my head for the long term.  It’s just very tight and very college, and it makes me sad that they didn’t get to hang around Brakebills longer and have those experiences.

* Eliot sinks down off the couch and onto the floor in front of him, their thighs just barely touching. He pours himself another drink, settling in and fixing Quentin with a heated look that makes him feel like he might spontaneously combust. “What kind of distraction are you looking for, exactly?”

There’s nothing to explain the next words that fall out of his mouth, except perhaps that he’s already embarrassed himself past the point of inhibition. “Well, I don’t think a blow job story that ends with me getting dumped really shows my skills in the best light, so…”

Eliot’s mouth goes wide in shock and he lets out a laugh. A flush of pink graces his cheeks, but it could be the alcohol. “Wow, what a come on,” he says, leaning forward onto his knees. Quentin’s heart pounds in his chest. “Well, if you’re looking to redeem yourself…”

The weight of Eliot's gaze makes him falter and he struggles to come up with a response. Fuck, the mood has shifted quickly. A small grin tugs at Eliot's lips as he presses into Quentin's space.

"I, um." He burns hot from the shame of being teased all night, of reliving such an embarrassing memory, of the intensity of Eliot's attention. It's so much, he's slightly crazed with it. *

Not Always Folly by HMGfanfic

Look, as a writer, I’m extremely laid-back and hippyish -- I celebrate you all!  I want us all to flourish and succeed!  But every now and then, even I have that moment of, Jesus fuck, how do they do that, why can’t I do that?  This story is so good it makes me temporarily jealous.  But how can I be mad?  I get to read this!  It’s an Emma/Clueless homage (I wouldn’t really say an AU -- technically I guess, but set at Brakebills, they’re magicians, etc), and I have a mild antipathy toward Regency stuff and all things Jane Austen because, I don’t know, I suck.  It’s just a thing I don’t like.  AND YET THIS IS SO GODDAMN GOOD.  Every character is perfect, every *note* is pitch fucking perfect.  Eliot swanning his way around campus with his flashy self-satisfaction masking his need to be loved is perfect.  Quentin’s soft, grounded do-no-harm-take-no-shit wryness is perfect.  Margo pretending for all she’s worth that she’s not in love with Julia is perfect.  *Alice* is perfect, all sharp elbows and awkward honesty and pent-up frustration with life.  I want to just roll around in this fic.  It’s another WIP, but you’d be a fool -- AN ACTUAL FOOL -- to let that stop you.  Honestly, if you have even a second’s worth of interest in this fandom at all, I would urge you to read this appallingly good story.

* “Do you ever wonder,” Eliot slowly spilled out, his legs stretching long on the couch and into Q’s lap, “if there’s more to life than parties and booze and merriment?”

“Nope,” Quentin said, jotting down notes in his book. He didn’t look up. “You should know my motto by now. Let the good times roll.”

“Charming.”

“End of summer blues?” Quentin asked, stretching his arm over his head. It lifted his shirt to reveal a sliver of torso. His light brown hair trailed downward. Eliot glanced away.

“More like end of life,” Eliot sighed, hand on his forehead like he was fainting. “I’m dying. Of boredom. Makes brain talky-talk.”

“I’ll send Margo a condolence card.”

“Please,” Eliot said, leaning his head back against the arm of the couch. “You’d be devastated if I died. You’d cry so hard.”

Quentin smirked and returned to his work. “Eh. I mean, at first, sure. But then with all the newfound peace and quiet? I think I’d get by.”

Eliot kicked his thigh. “I’m actually being halfway serious here.”

“Jesus,” Quentin huffed, pencil squeaking against the paper. “Yes, El. I’d cry if you died.” *

(Hey, y’all, I couldn’t find any of these authors’ Tumblr handles on AO3.  If you know who they are, and they are in fact on Tumblr, can you let me know so I can @ them and shower them with love? Thanks!)