Heartstopper Spoilers - Tumblr Posts
charlie being like 'everything is perfect, we're out and we're a couple and nothing can ruin it' and nick is googling eating disorders bc he knows charlie is sick and he wants to understand and help bc he's really worried and you know season 3 is going to go deeply into this and charlie eventually being admitted into the mental health facility
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
"my parents would never accept who I truly am so I want to make others feel like I feel and have control over them"
Vs.
"my parents would never accept who I truly am so I want to do my best to accept others and myself"
OK BUT IN THE NEW SEASON OF HEARTSTOPPER I NOTICED SOMETHING I NEED TO TALK ABOUT AS AN ASEXUAL
They portray queer sex the best way ever omg. I just- the way you can feel the love and the trust through the screen is just so fucking amazing. I’m ace and I don’t want to have sex, but this was the first time I’ve seen sex (ESPECIALLY QUEER SEX) portrayed in an appealing way in a teen coming of age show.
Instead of it being two cishet horny teens having sex in a closet at a house party 20 minutes after they met, it was loving relationships, QUEER relationships, where they talked about sex and what they were comfortable with and their concerns and everybody was completely on board and-
Just…, the way that the show portrayed Charlie really having to think about it instead of it being a split second decision. The way Nick didn’t take Charlie up on his offer when he was drunk. The way Tao listened to Elle and what she needed and her concerns. The way Tao stopped as soon as he sensed Elle was uncomfortable. The way the Tara and Darcy giggle and smile between every kiss-
It’s just portrayed as a way to be closer to your partner. To have a moment with them where you’re not completely in control and you’re in a vulnerable situation. It’s never been shown as something you should rush into or something that should be shamed and I just love it so so so much.
*read this user’s DNI’s before interacting*
I don't even know how to begin to express how incredible and affirming Isaac's storyline was in the new heartstopper season (not surprising, given that Alice Oseman has written multiple ace-centric books), but like. wow
it was especially amazing seeing him pick up Ace by Angela Chen, which was extremely influential to me as well!! not to mention iconic aro ace book Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman. and Alice Oseman's Loveless is lurking around in the background all season, which is the BEST kind of cameo imo!
this is how it went right
I just want to talk about Charlie procrastinating at school for a second. Because this storyline was everything I could have ever asked for.
Season 2 spoilers below
Charlie is an excellent student. This is an established Charlie Spring Fact™️. He’s the nerd, he’s good at “all school subjects, especially maths” (-Nick Nelson). Even as Mr. Lange prepares to skewer him at the parent-teacher conference, he starts it off by saying, “Charlie’s always been a high-achiever.” In the comics, he’s even listed as being at the top of his year.
So, it’s a big deal that Charlie’s grades are slipping. Arguably, that’s why such a big deal is made about it: his teachers expect better from him. They’re waving the red flags so that Charlie realizes he needs to get his shit together or his probably prestine academic record will be tarnished. And it’s gotten to the point where they have to do it in front of his parents because it’s pretty likely that (as we see later), Charlie has not been engaging honestly with his teachers up to this point about his coursework.
Charlie’s parents believe this is solely because of Nick. Charlie has been distracted, he’s been going around to Nick’s house for weeks, he’s excited about his boyfriend - it’s no wonder he’s not doing his work. We also see Charlie deliberately avoiding doing his coursework to hang out with Nick, so we assume his parents are right. After all, that’s an understandable teenage experience, getting swept up in the throes of young love and other exciting things, and just not prioritizing enough time for schoolwork. So even though a complete ban might seem unreasonable, most viewers can probably agree that the smartest thing for Charlie to do would be to finish his coursework essay so he can see Nick. Surely it can’t be that difficult to just do it, right?
You know what makes schoolwork really difficult? Obsessive thoughts. Particularly if schoolwork becomes a source of anxiety, especially if Charlie has missed one assignment and then suddenly everything is out of whack. Now it’s not perfect. And procrastination can become a compulsive behavior in its own right. It can be strangely addictive to start skipping assignments. Which doesn’t make any sense. It’s not logical.
And Charlie’s behavior toward his coursework slowly spirals from “distracted by boyfriend” level down to “this just is just illogical” over the two-episode mini plot-line. After he gets grounded, surely nothing should be stopping him from doing his coursework now, right? And yet it’s the last day, and Charlie still hasn’t turned it in. He’s lying to Mr. Lange and saying it’s nearly finished (it’s not.) He’s lying to Nick saying it’s done (he hasn’t even started).
Then in the last couple hours of the day, he finally sits down at a school computer, and forces himself to write it. Getting stuck at first, but then once he gets on a roll he cranks the entire thing out. Which looks hefty when he slaps it on Mr. Lange’s desk (google indicates it would probably be between 1,000-2,000 words, please let me know if that’s not right). We’re meant to think this is a victory, Charlie finishing in the nick of time - but is it, really? That’s a large part of his grade, that he put off for weeks and finished at the last second.
This is such a common occurrence amongst people with mental illness, particularly those who have been considered “high achievers” at certain points. It’s a sign that things are not okay with Charlie. He’s starting to let things slip between the cracks, and his facade of perfection and control is beginning to fall. And that facade is everything to him. He feels like he has to be perfect, because otherwise he is worthless. The people around him can’t find out that he’s not perfect, or everything will fall apart. If he admits that he’s struggling then he loses control.
I’m just really happy we got to see this, even if it was a subtle plot in the background, because we are watching Charlie’s story mostly from the outside this season. We’re just like Nick observing small logical inconsistencies and concerning behaviors and slowly piecing together that maybe something very serious is going on in Charlie’s head. Which is a brilliant way to introduce a mental illness storyline, because it helps train people to recognize behaviors we’ve never thought to question as signs that someone is struggling.
TLDR;
Charlie’s procrastination this season is such an excellent depiction of how mental illness can subtly derail even an “excellent student” in school. And I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing how they carry on with Charlie’s mental health journey. Because so far this is probably the most personally relatable portrayal I have ever seen on any tv show, ever.
me seeing everyone talk about how great it is that isaac is bringing more asexual rep to tv while completely forgetting that he's also aromantic and that the word aromantic was probably uttered for the first time ever in mainstream television: this is absolutely fine🥲
he is so iconic
ISAAC HENDERSON in HEARTSTOPPER ↳ for the lovely @malyen0retsev
i'm so in love with him😭
#nick nelson being the bravest boy ever
Heartstopper s3 episode 6 (Body); Charlie has self harm scars
Goddamn did the make up dept do a good job, they were RAISED in places, gods. I know what they look like lmao.
#I'm not immune to lgbtq lighting
One of my favourite aspects in the season 2 of Heartstopper is how unapologetically intolerant everyone is towards homophobia. Like.
Harry showing up at Tara's birthday party and Charlie shutting the door in his face despite that apology.
Nick freely calling out his brother's biphobic behavior. Tori literally sinking her nails in David's arm when he was mocking Charlie and Nick and planning to out them.
It's so refreshing. There's no moment where someone asks Charlie or Nick to be the "bigger people" and forgive anyone who undermined, mocked, dismissed, and harassed them for their identity.
Because that shit shouldn't be tolerated ever and it's not acceptable. Queer people aren't here to be your redemption arc.
just finished heartstopper s3 and i kid you not i cheered whenever they said fuck
exactly 4 f bombs in all of season three and 2 of them were directed at david, i think that's perfect
"i hope you get your sex sleepover" michael holden is my spirit animal, everyone