imogene_arant

Love what you said about writing what’s in your heart, regardless of whether others think the genre is played out. People talk a lot about trying to ride the wave of whatever genre is trending… to me that’s like trying to time the stock market. You could spend forever analyzing and agonizing about what genre is going to be next to explode, just so you can try to write something that’s on trend. But…. Yeesh, I’d rather write something I would enjoy reading, and that makes me happy. And I definitely agree with @Mrsgnomie, there is so much room to play within even the most well-explored genres. New takes on old tropes can be some of the most enjoyable stories out there!

Nope. It’s an inexplicable, weird, charming, delightful cartoon. The horse I posted is named James Baxter and only says James Baxter. If you like absurd, occasionally deeply silly yet philosophical cartoons, Adventure Time is peak… that. 😂

@James Baxter please tell you’re an Adventure Time fan. Your username makes me smile and I can’t not hear it in James Baxter’s horsey voice.

I’m leaving on a business trip so this will be fast and dirty. 😏 1. Loe drops everything to help Seamus fight his in-laws and insists on doing a full-court press. 2. Seamus gets him the minivan again and he loves it. Either it’s turning into an inside joke, or Seamus did it because he know Loe likes it. Either way is kewt 3. Loe thinks Purple Canary is classy and cool. This absolute tastemaker likes Seamus’ vibe. Alright crew, feel free to add your own observations and look out for icebergs. I’ve gotta hit the road today for work IRL and I haven’t done this ship justice.

Damn. I was planning to comment on the progress the SS Seaman is making, or @kboisgetting weird in Loe’s DMs. But I can’t. Wake up Jay! We love you!

Man… the comments today have me like

Enlarged? No need 😏😏😏

I groan at the thought. I love coming home and I love my parents, but it can be so dang exhausting. There’s a pressure that comes with being the first born, an expectation, a constant reminder that you need to set an example. It’s not something you escape from when you turn eighteen. It follows you forever, apparently. There’s a special bond between siblings, since you’re the only people on a bone deep level who get what it’s like to grow up with your particular parents. We know that there are some sibling rivalries, but I loved that when it comes down to it Jay and his brothers really love each other. They’re who he runs to when he’s sick of his parents. They’re the ones who he can open up to a smidge about Loren. It’s sweet how they support him, even if it’s not a perfect family it’s a good one. I am struggling at the thought of being close enough to a sibling to take nudes for them though. 🤢 This chapter had so many moments that made me smile though. Loren saying he wants to unplug for a few days… Jay calling Stratego Loren’s favorite game… finding Loe’s van in the garage…

Me, all week because Get Low is an ear worm.

@KristaYou might want to duck... I could see pitchforks coming for you for lumping the Beach Boys in with 90s boybands! 🤣

So before I get into N'Sync (as I was so rudely corrected about) I assumed you were trolling on people like me who thought there was a VERY big and important difference between Backstreet Boys and NSYNC during their formative years. So I didn’t even think to correct you. But since we’re on the subject… you really should know which is which. Because Lance Bass is the only out gay boy band singer that I’m aware of. And which boy band was he in? N-freaking-SYNC.

@C. HendersonThanks for the peek behind the curtain! I get all my good ideas either in the shower or right as I’m falling asleep. Or when I’ve taken edibles… but somehow those ideas don’t always make it to paper 😅 I should take a page from your book and get more disciplined about writing everything down in a more detailed outline!

I really love how you broke this down into different types of heartbreak and how you use them to engage your readers. I struggle the most with letting bad things happen to my characters. I don’t want their sweet little hearts to get broken 🥺 but I know that’s what good writers do. No pain, no gain…

Ughhh this speaks to my soul as a non-golden, zero-authority child. Jay also has Bossy Oldest Sibling vibes too. Don’t get me wrong, I love him still, as long as he uses his Golden Child power for good. Anyone else see the Darjeeling Limited years ago? It’s my favorite depiction of funny sibling dynamics lingering into adulthood.

Ok, now on the OTHER hot topic afoot in the comments today: I think the site admin may need to consider adding new reaction buttons. My feelings could not be expressed accurately by any of the available options (love, haha, wow, fingers crossed, sad, angry, like)… May I nominate 😵‍,🤢,🫣, and😏be added to the reaction options?

The family dynamics in this chapter were so interesting. I was expecting Jay’s mom to be over-the-top loving and welcoming toward Loren. I expected a smother mother based on Jay’s personality and portrayal of his family. Don’t get me wrong — the family was nice. But no welcome hug from the parents? That made me think Jay asked them to tone it the eff down when meeting Loren so they wouldn’t overwhelm him. Or, as others have pointed out, maybe Jay has a bit of an overly rosy view of his family. To @spike382‘s comments, I felt a similar disconnect compared to the Christmas with friends love fest. I wonder if everyone will click more upon the second or third time Loren sees the family. He seemed really in his head and nervous, and possibly the Petermeyers were just as nervous too. Again, not faulting the family at all. They just weren’t quite what I was expecting! Especially when it came to Jay’s brothers feeling unappreciated. I like how realistic that is — families can be loving and even look pretty perfect while still having issues. Sometimes it’s as simple as family members not speaking each other’s love languages, and sometimes we are just blind to how we treat those closest to us. Great chapter as alwayssssssss!

You bring up so many good points! I feel like there are hidden tidbits everywhere! I have TOTAL faith in the pay-offs on the horizon too.

I wonder what would have happened had Ases been separated from Garjah and Essell when he was invited to go alone to the dinner. It’s not clear to me what the Kardoval’s MO is when they’re threatened. Would they kill him? Imprison him? Study him? The worst they did to Essell was make him feel awkward if I remember correctly (and maybe I don’t)… I’m curious how bad things can and will get. 🤞We are in for some drama at that dinner and I’m very curious to see what! A group of world leaders won’t let themselves get outwitted for long.

S.S. Seamen coming in hot! All the reasons Seamus and Loren are destined besties (list is abridged and limited to this chapter): 1. Seamus owns a car dealership and always gets Jay the coolest rentals. This time he got a minivan. Either he’s teasing Loe or he’s testing him. But Loren rocked it and thought it was cool/funny. 2. Loren voluntarily took Aido to pick up Jay. Do I hear free babysitting?? 3. All the gifts Loe bought the Potato. You have to love someone who loves your kid! 4. Loren took Aido-tato when he couldn’t sleep. You know Matt and Seamus made good use of the alone time. Loren’s already acting like the best wingman. 5. And finally: They’re crowded around him, laughing and sharing funny anecdotes. Even Seamus. NEED I SAY MORE?!

“You know this is a dad-mobile, right?’ “I’m just sayin’—" keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he casually leans his elbow against the console. “—I can see the appeal.” 1. You to be genuinely confident and cool to admit you like a minivan when you don’t have kids. Loren is only cementing his cool dude status. 2. Is Loe talking about seeing the appeal of the van, or seeing the appeal of all the things he’s never considered having: husband, kids, extended family holidays… 👀 Love this chapter and seeing Loren getting comfortable in his relationship with Jay and Jay’s friends. I’ll need a whole other comment to go into all my Seaman* Ship fangirling. *It’s pronounced Shay-man, you immature louts!

☠️☠️☠️ Hope you’re ready for jail, because I’m dead.

Ahoy mateys! The Seamus-Loren BFF ship (yes, I’m platonically shipping them) has sailed into port and I’m the captain. Loved this moment: I look at Seamus in disbelief. “Is this really happening?” Followed up by Loren offering to use his clout to help Seamus, hosting them all week, being a FREE babysitter, and so much more. Loe knows Seamus doesn’t really trust or like him and he is trying so hard to win him over. I think that’s brave and big of him. And it shows how much he cares about Jay too.

“Guilty,” he sang. “But causing trouble is so much fun. And you’ve been having a lot of fun.” So far everything is going very smoothly. Maybe Ases will need to stir up some trouble if he doesn’t get enough naturally. Or maybe someone else can provide him entertainment to keep him on good behavior. Someone a little bit… Bouncy?