#oh god i love it BECAUSE of that angsty ass total drama song.

[fucked-up-mover-shaker]

I feel like if you liked This Is How We Will End It, you like punk rock now.

[mcustorm]

Thoughts on Love, Victor Season 1

PSA: If you think that you might be gay, don’t get a girl emotionally invested! Please!

Ya know, at first when I thought about what I was going to write about this show, I thought that I should split the writings into the first half/last half of the show. Now I’m thinking “screw it”, if only because if I was going to go that route I should have stopped, parsed through my feelings about the first 5 episodes, and written those thoughts before proceeding with the next half. That, of course, did not happen, so to prevent the back half of the season’s events from miring the first half, I’ll just write about the whole shebang. There’s probably a joke about that word somewhere, I’ll try not to make it.

Anyways, let’s start by saying that on the whole, I really liked this show. It was not as good as Sex Education season 1, yet in my opinion waaaay better than HSMTMTS season 1. Most of the characters were likable and felt developed enough, it moved at a nice pace, and you can tell that a lot of heart went into this. Perhaps because we all watched this in a day, it felt like a 5 hour movie rather than a 10 episode tv show.

Additionally, I of course like the Latinx representation. The intersectionality of the Latinx community and the LGBTQ+ community has been presented on at least five TV shows to my knowledge: Ugly Betty, One Day at a Time, Diary of a Future President, The Baker and the Beauty, and now Love, Victor. Let’s keep it up!

As for the premise of the show itself, I *love* that this show acknowledges that Simon’s journey, at least at his house, was leaps and bounds easier than many other people’s. Victor’s parents are more conservative and religious, and they don’t have their shit together, so this is not the best environment to drop that bombshell in (which is why it was so incredible when Victor decides to do it anyway). Simon and Victor’s DM’s being a framing device for the show was a great way to tie the universe together.

The hook of Love, Simon was that you know all those cheesy and cliche rom-coms that straight people have gotten since the dawn of time? Well LGBT people deserve those stories too! Love, Victor is sort of presented with that same thesis in mind, which is why watching these episodes felt like different things I’ve seen before all over. The whole season ironically feels like Alex Strangelove: The TV Show, right down to the often cringy relationship with the girl, the openly gay love interest who conflicts our protagonist, and the goofball friend who chases after a girl who is seemingly out of his league.

Mia’s character felt a lot like Laila from All-American, being a black girl who is ordained as the hottest girl at school (which I feel like is a title only given in fictional schools), who also has a missing mother and problems with her rich dad. Pilar, on the other hand, feels like Casey from Atypical, in that she is openly rebellious in large part because of her mother’s infidelity.

Victor’s story this season sure was something to watch. The biggest question for me was, just how much sympathy should he be given? The world is inherently unfair to Victor. None of us should have to go through the agony and anxiety that so often comes with being in the closet and coming out. But for Victor to have visited those problems on Mia, who is going through things herself? That makes him pretty morally gray.

But he was still finding himself! But he loves Mia, just not like that! I get it, which is why he should have cut things off as soon as he got back from New York, no he should have cut things off when she asked him if there was “anything else” in her bedroom, no he should have cut things off when he literally felt like he and Benji were the only two people in the room at the concert, no he really shouldn’t have done this to begin with.

The line between Victor finding himself and him deceiving Mia is the conflict of the show, but the moment for me when I was like “Damn, Victor” was after he intentionally derailed Mia’s shebang-ing that she planned, he found the gall to lie to Benji and plan a seduction! That is why the season finale was so glorious. Because yes, while the world is unfair to Victor, he’s being unfair to the people around him.

I have made it a point not to read other people’s opinions extensively so as not to bias my own thoughts, but is Felix everybody else’s favorite? Felix’s character and arc was great. He was a supportive friend yet still felt like he had a story and stakes of his own, something which some TV shows get right (Sex Ed) and some TV shows get various shades of wrong (Jamie Johnson, Andi Mack). I like that he knew his worth and cut things off with Lake, and I like that she realized that her happiness with him should take priority over what others think of her.

I was soooo sympathetic to Mia. Her world is being turned upside down at home. Clearly, she has not even processed her mother being out of her life, and now her Dad is “replacing” her Mom while the baby is also “replacing” her! In Mia’s eyes, at least. Mia just needs to know that she is loved and appreciated. Which she *thought* of all people she’d be able to get from her boyfriend. Shucks.

As for the rest of Victor’s family, I also thought the parents’ storyline was pretty interesting yet unfortunate. Armando just can’t come around to trusting Isabel, which I actually kind of understand. Isabel, meanwhile, is being prevented from doing the thing she loves to do, which sucks especially because she’s in a radically new environment. Adrian is of course great, protect him at all costs. Pilar’s seemingly permanent mode of “angsty” is completely justified, as her friends back in TX are moving on just fine without her, she’s having trouble opening up and fitting in, and her family is WYLIN.

Some things that didn’t go so well for me was Andrew’s character, who feels like he’s just there to obstruct at any given moment. Y'all knew that when Victor and Benji were having that convo in the bathroom, someone was in the stall and someone was Andrew. Also, my guy, how are you not even somewhat aware that you are a total douchecanoe? I liked Benji, but Venji didn’t quite work for me because of all of the cheatation that it took to get there. Benji was pissed and ready to stay away from Victor permanently after the [attempted seduction], but once his relationship was over he was completely fine with putting his tongue down Mia’s boyfriend’s throat.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show. Some of these teen dramas I’m admittedly only watching for the LGBT content, so to have that be at the forefront of a show for once was amazing. The conflict was realistic if frustrating, and to me most of the characters seemed fully realized. Thankfully, the show didn’t even feel too “spin-offy” even with Nick Robinson being all over it.

In any given multi-season serialized show, the trajectory of the show goes one of two ways: the first season puts your feet on the ground of the series, and then later seasons go above and beyond with the storytelling (The Office, Breaking Bad, Bojack Horseman, Jamie Johnson) OR the first season is pretty great TV, and the following seasons fail to live up to its glory (The Good Place, Dear White People, really most every Netflix show ever). Which category Love, Victor ends up in is something to look forward to. Where do we go from here now that Victor is taking his first steps out of the closet?

Stray thoughts from the episodes:

The soundtrack on the whole, was not my cup of tea. I still liked a couple of songs, so that means somebody out there liked more of them.

I completely forgot Natasha Rothwell was in Love, Simon. More of her! More of Ali Wong! More of Beth Littleford! They were all great.

So Roger got his ass beat by Armando, and he still wants to get back with her?? Roger is reckless, man.

Speaking of reckless, Victor’s closet skills completely fell apart towards the end there. Assume somebody’s always watching!

Lake’s mother is a trip.

Good for the family for standing up to the grandparents.

Oh my god, Simon and Bram. Those guys are mine, and now they’re growing up and moving to the Big Gay City. They’ve come a long way.

Speaking of the Big Gay City, we were in Atlanta for a season and got *0* acknowledgement of the vibrant gay community there. More things to look forward to.

Was anybody else singing Selena along with Isabel? That is my favorite Selena song!

By rule of Felix being a male and Pilar being a female close in age, I immediately thought they were going to be a thing. The writers didn’t pull that thread too much...

That moment at the end there when we all thought Victor was going to hold off on his announcement only for him to go “fuck it” and say it anyways? And then he got to exhale? Perfect. chef’s kiss

What with June being Pride month, the SCOTUS ruling a couple of days ago, this entire show premiering today, and Delliot things going down in less than 24 hours, this will likely be the gayest week of the year. I suggest we all enjoy it.

Stay Peachy!

[cvmisado]

ryden fic rec list

ahh so over the years i have read some AMAZING ryden fics…and some not so amazing ones. here, my dear friends, is a masterpost of some ryden fics that are definitely worth reading. make sure to read the warnings that the links give before reading please!! (there are 41 as of now, i update it like once a month)

 ♡ = favorite

one shots:

1. Falling is Like This: So, Brendon is madly in love with a boy from the candy shop. The boy from the candy shop. There’s only one. 

“I bet he’s sweet,” Pete cracks, and Brendon rolls his eyes and groans.

ryan is so cute in this. and the story line is so fluffy and adorable i mean,, c’mon. 4,571 words.

2. let the good times roll: A college/barista AU. 

ryan’s kinda obsessed with fall out boy. i love how this ends. also slight joncer. 3,650 words. 

♡ 3. Love, Sex, and Parachutes: Spencer owns Decaydance Skydiving and employs many of the bandom boys. 

this fic is kinda like the office and it’s so funny and i love it okay just read it. lots of ships. 3,847 words.

4. Purple Is Not A Christmas Color: KID!FIC Brendon has a problem with the fact that Santa put Ryan on the Naughty List.

i live for kid fics and this one is no exception. so fluffy. 5,657 words.

♡ 5. If I were stalking you then I’d know your favourite cookie flavour (Oatmeal Raisin, by the way): Spencer’s a video game addict, Jon’s kind of an ass, Brendon’s in Fall Out Boy and Ryan, uh, well he has a stalker.

ryan and jon work in a coffee shop. brendon’s kinda creepy but he has good intentions. trust me, it’s good. 6,011 words.

6. Sleepover Princes vs. Goodnight Girls: Ryan totally has a thing for Pete Wentz. Brendon should be happy for him, right? 

ryan’s a slick motherfucker and brendon’s a jealous one. 5,487 words.

♡ 7. Love In A Letterbox: AU. He’s always found a sanctuary in books, a protection almost. A world of your own where no one else can change things you don’t want to be changed.

so deep and well written. really cute library au. 6,007 words.

8. From A Pretty Mouth: “Are you wearing lip gloss?” Spencer asked as he passed by the two boys right when Brendon pursed his lips in the mirror. “Damn right I am!” Brendon exclaimed, and grinned at the drummer.  “It tastes like strawberries.”

ryan has a brendon’s lips kink. hot make outs. really short though, 2,000 words.

♡ 9. This Is Halloween: Brendon turns into a four-year-old just before Halloween.

the CUTEST. baby bren is so so great and has a lisp when saying spencer’s name. 2,981 words.

10. Candyboy: There is an urban legend about how a boy can get the most spectacular and orgasmic kiss of his life, if he dares to try it. 

this fic is pretty hot with an interesting story line. i’m pretty sure it’s a crack fic. 1,700 words.

11. Like A Magic 8 Ball, But You Can Only Ask One Question: Jon has the power to know whether someone’s gay or straight or somewhere in between.

jon saved everyone’s lives. just like irl. 3,689 words

♡ 12. Every Night You Stay: It wasn’t Ryan’s fault that Brendon had, apparently, taken everything he said to heart and decided to make Jon his new best friend and secret boyfriend. 

ryan is so weird, jealous, and hilarious in this. i felt so bad for jon hfshjfsdj. it’s by one of my fav authors. 5,342 words.

♡ 13. Best Laid Plans: Brendon had a three-step plan to make Ryan Ross fall in love with him. He didn’t write it down or anything (and if he did, the tiny, shredded pieces of paper were scattered across some highway between Wisconsin and Indiana, so no one could prove it), but it was a very specific plan. 

THIS IS HILARIOUS. i love this fic sossoso much cause brendon tries so damn hard to get ryan. featuring octopuses playing pianos (it’s not crack i promise) 4,600 words.

♡ 14. The Theory of Infatuation: Brendon’s the drama geek with the voice of an angel, and Ryan’s the socially crippled boy on the newspaper staff who loves him.

o!!!!m!!g!!!!!!!! the perfect high school au, ryan is too cute for his own good.  5,896 words. 

long fics:

♡ 1. Eccentric Times At Barrington High: The Office/High School AU: For some odd reason, a documentary company decides to document the daily lives and struggles of the teachers and students of Barrington High.

(OR: Music teacher Patrick Stump is hopelessly in love with his best friend trademark emo English teacher Pete Wentz, valedictorian William Beckett may or may not have had sex with the new Spanish teacher Gabe Saporta over his summer break in Jersey, pretentious and Coldplay-addicted Ryan Ross hates the lively and optimistic music teacher Brendon Urie, and more scandalous and weird things happen)

oh. my. god. this fic made me laugh so hard. mikey way is kind of an asshole and the description isn’t exaggerating when stating “Coldplay addicted Ryan Ross” because he honestly is. I’m pretty sure he fantasizes about Chris Martin on a daily basis. tyler and josh are the camera men. oh yeah, and halsey is in it. they are teachers except the tai guys and halsey. 75,032 words. 

2. Two Weeks In Hawaii: After being left at the alter the night before his wedding to Pete-fucking-Wentz, Ryan cashes in his honeymoon tickets to Hawaii where he finds that maybe not all men are complete assholes. – features pretty much every relationship ever, tons of characters, a bunch of relationships, and more butthurt and angst than any one story should. 

william is so great in this story. brendon’s such a sweetheart too. the beginning is so sad. i may have hated pete wentz for three days after reading this fic. lots of drama and angst. 112,075 words.

♡ 3. Two Vatos Locos Full of Carnalismo and Inamoratos: You dream with your soulmate. That’s how you learn who you’re meant to spend the rest of forever with. It’s simple, really, almost too easy. There’s no struggle unless your soulmate lives miles upon miles away. At least, that’s what usually happens. At first, Ryan thinks he’s sick. That he’s messed up or broken– maybe that’s why he didn’t dream with his soulmate for so long. But then he does, and fuck. Of course his soulmate is a fucking trauma case.

WARNING: WILL FUCK YOU UP. i’m not even exaggerating. it’s so angsty and sad and perfect and i love it so much. also, please read the tags before deciding to read this fic. some include: abuse, alcohol, suicide attempt(s). this isn’t the full thing so please take care and read the tags. 207,878 words.

♡ 4. Our Eyes Shine the Brightest When Our Faces Are Covered in Dirt (sequel to Two Vatos…): “Life isn’t a Disney Movie, and the world isn’t that generous. Sometimes, a story ends with an unsatisfying fade to black, and that’s all you have.”

Ryan struggles to teach his students this after taking a university teaching job to distract himself from his absent soulmate and his dying friend at home. He begins wonders if the ring on his finger means anything at all to Brendon.

read Two Vatos before reading this one. this may be even more sad and angsty, if that’s even possible. i cried a lot while reading this & the prequel. keep tissues handy. 104,062 words.

5. The One Thing I Never Expected: Ryan is Brendon’s best friend, they grew up together. But Ryan is different. An accident when he was a child left him deaf. Brendon has always taken care of Ryan, but now he’s starting to care for Ryan in a different way.

this is one of my all time favs. there’s a rape, suicide, and alcohol mentions. this is so cute and yes, they do have sex eventually. high school au. 91,000 words.

6. Star Shaped: Brendon’s not having the best holidays season ever.

you may want to read Forever, Now before reading this fic for it to make more sense. it isn’t ryden, but the story will make more sense if you do. 54,593 words.

7. Brilliant Smiles and Barely Scraping By: Brendon’s holding something inside of himself. It’s far from his heart; that’s where his favorite songs are kept. What he keeps secret is held in a place that Brendon himself doesn’t even want to try to find.

If Brendon couldn’t fight battles, Ryan was more than ready to fight for him

so so sad and worth reading. highschool au. there’s mentions of abuse and is quite angsty. this fic made me really angry. 73,600 words.

♡ 8. Rock Band Is (Not) A Synonym For Love: A mall AU. Pete’s head over heels for an oblivious Patrick, Gerard’s running out of ways to tell Frank he won’t date him, Ryan’s successfully trying to ignore his feelings for Brendon, and Spencer’s trying to make ends meet even as he slowly falls for Jon. On top of all that the big mall celebration is coming up and there’s all kinds of trouble keeping everyone on their toes.

so so cute. all your fav ships in one: peterick, frerard, joncer, and ofc ryden. pretty funny as well. 45,000 words.

9. Freaks: An accident lands Ryan in the hospital, and he meets Jon, who tells him of a mysterious patient on their floor.  There’s something not quite right about him, but then again, there’s something not quite right about Ryan as well.

ryan is so self concious and kinda an ass. jon & spencer are the best. 46,000 words.

10.  I Don’t Have a Library Card… But I’d Love to Check You Out: AU college. Brendon is close to flunking out of college, and his roommate and partner in crime, Jon, is not helping. He seeks refuge in the school’s library and finds a little more than a place to study. This is a story about finding love, taking chances, and being true to one’s self. 

ryan is adorable and sarah may seem like an ass at first, but she’s not. oh, spencer and sarah are siblings. 46,500 words.

♡ 11. How To Kill A Straight Guy: “Have fun eating your once-living flesh! I’ll be in here masturbating to girl magazines I got from my pot-smoking friends!”

the summary above is just for the first chapter. this fic is AMAZING and soooo much angst. it’s unbelievable. you will probably end up crying. it has a kind of sad ending, just warning you. 75,766 words. 

fics that are too long to be one shots, but too short for the long fics:

♡ 1. Just A Dash Of Fairy-maldehyde:  Brendon had never expected to even meet a real nymph, let alone fall for one.

so so so cute!!!!!!!!!!!! the story line sounds weird, but honestly it’s not at all?? the author totally works it. ryan is flustered so easily and it’s adorable. it’s written by the lovely @buttercupross give her a follow and check out her writing! it’s amazing, and so is she. 14,914 words. 

♡ 2. What We Invented: Now Brendon really doesn’t mind having boys in his bed, especially pretty ones and the one currently occupying his sheets seems quite pretty. It’s just…he likes to know who the boys in his bed are and he has absolutely no idea who this boy is.

ryan is so strange in this but it’s a good strange so it’s okay. the joncer is also so cute like? bill beckett is ryan’s roommate. 7,411 words. 

3. Let Me Down, Charlie Brown or How Jon Walker Saved Christmas:  Christmas time at the mall sucks, especially for those who work there. Brendon has given up on Christmas, Ryan is uptight, and Jon just wants to help. 

pete dresses up in a santa costume and patrick is in an elf one. brendon works in a pet shop and spencer always somehow always knows shit. 13,239 words.

4. Love in Bloom: Ryan Ross is a normal boy who struggles with his past. Can one rose seller at the side of the road help Ryan remember the past while still living in the present?

i’m pretty sure i had a revelation while reading this. i remember crying after reading this. a lot. 12,000 words. 

5. The Interpretation of Dreams: “I think something’s wrong with me,” Brendon tried to explain. “I basically have dreams so great that they kind of make real life pale in comparison. But not so great that I can tell the difference when I dream.” “And this… is a problem?” Spencer looked skeptical.

this fic was also really sad. very well written. so much pent up emotion. 20,000 words. 

6.  The Laundromat: Ryan doesn’t want to know the names of the people who come into the Laundromat. He doesn’t want to know what makes Tattoo Guy talk to Guy Who Never Showers. He doesn’t, but a new customer might just undermine all the work he’s done to distance himself from the world.

ryan’s names for people are pretty funny. features joncer, frerard, gabilliam, and peterick. 20,427 words. 

7. Silver Roses: Happiness doesn’t grow on trees - but maybe it grows on rosebushes. 

there’s slight william beckett/jon walker which was a first. spencer is evil. this is kinda a cinderella au. cute. 23,000 words. 

8. Brendon Urie: Pet Detective: Ryan Ross is the new kennel attendant at Thompson & Thompson Vet Clinic. When he meets his co-worker, Jon Walker, they begin to discover dogs disappearing from their kennels. When Ryan’s own dog, Hobo, goes missing, Jon Walker knows exactly who to call.

i almost gasped out loud when i found out who took hobo. pretty creative. 18,000 words.

♡ 9. Just One Of The Girls:  “Spence, I’m. Look, I’m going to prove this girl-thing to you, okay? I’m going to,” he held up his hands, “this is so brilliant, I’m going to become a girl.”

pretty hilarious. ryan turns into a girl. vicky t is amazing. 20,830 words. 

♡ 10. Every Speck of Dust Illuminated: “Z Berg.” Brendon pauses dramatically for effect. “Is a witch.”

Jon drags a spoon through the foam to draw a four leaf clover, complete with stem. Brendon admires it for a second.

“Brendon,” Jon sighs. “I know you don’t like that Ryan is spending so much time with her, but you don’t get to go around saying shit about people.”

Spine stiffening, Brendon responds as levelly as he can manage, “This has nothing to do with Ryan. Well, besides the fact that he’s hanging out with a witch.” 

Elizabeth Ann Berg is a witch. (and there is Charlotte the cat, Ryan the oblivious, and Brendon the hopelessly infatuated.)

you need an account for the link to work. it doesn’t take very long to make one and it’s free. but, this fic is pretty good and ryan is an old man. not literally, he just dresses like one. 15,931 words. 

♡ 11. For Whatever You Loose: You can’t always get what you want - unless you fish it out of the ocean.

mermaid au!! brendon and jon are mermaids and ryan and spencer are humans. brendon is so cute. 14,500 words. 

♡ 12. You’re Going to Recycle That, Right?: The one where Ryan is a hippie college environmentalist and Brendon just wants a better music auditorium. Featuring Ryan Ross chaining himself to a tree.

ryan is pretty hilarious and smokes a lot of pot with jon. the ending is really cute. 10,600 words.

13. Because You Looks Like A Jackass: Apartment AU! Basically: Brendon’s just moved into town. He courts Ryan Ross with flowery words and also a coat rack. He falls flat on his face. 

brendon is honestly so weird in this but it’s kind of endearing and cute. 7,600 words.

♡ 14. Serenade In Blue: Brendon makes Ryan stupid.

brendon likes ryan and ryan likes brendon but they both have no idea. ryan acts really weird when brendon is around and even more when he’s singing, it’s hilarious. z berg is the greatest. 8,013 words.   

♡ 15. This Happy Ending’s Just Beginning: The Disneyland parade has evolved into an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza and Brendon wants to be part of it. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of opportunities for the guy who sells knick-knacks by the park gates. Enter Ryan, the parade’s current star attraction, who might just have a plan to get Brendon everything he always wanted.

disney au!! my heart melted. spencer hates everyone, overall really amazing. 28,348 words.

  16. You Got A Crew? (I Got A Crew Too): AU. Every June, in the world of Las Vegas hair care, it’s all about one thing: the Annual Services Survey. Can struggling hairdresser Brendon Urie and his coworkers finally win over rival salon Cobra Starship? Shenanigans ensue as they battle it out, all while Brendon struggles to keep his eye on the prize—and away from that cute but prickly reporter.

i kept avoiding this fic for some reason? i wish i hadn’t though, it’s hilarious and the pranks are hysterical. one of my favorites. 24,000 words.

here, my friends are 41 of really good ryden fics totally worth your time. if you ever have any questions, don’t be afraid to hit up my ask box. oh, and i apologize for the sucky descriptions, i’m not good at summaries. i tried including fics that i haven’t seen everywhere, so that you can get some new fics. please let me know if the links aren’t working.

make sure to take care of yourselves and read the warnings that the links give before reading. happy reading!