Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw,’ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn’t. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.
ok so to me the magic of The Secret History is that for the first several pages you assume it’s like….the 50s. bc Richard talks very verbosely and the first few times he mentions the Greek clique they’re dressed in suitcoats, they listen to Josephine Baker on vinyl and have Sunday meals and are repressed beyond human comprehension. And then Judy goddamn Poovey queen of the earth just barrels into the book wiping coke off her nose saying “AHHH FUCK Richard if you don’t like the Thompson twins you’re nothing” and you realize these classics major fucks are acting like this in the nineteen fucking eighties
wears glasses for reading but he doesn’t actually need them
touch-starved all the time
“don’t touch me”
really likes dark chocolate
takes thirty minute baths but all he does is sit and stare at the wall, muttering
one time bunny got him to wear a very dark blue suit instead of his usual black but no one in class noticed and he was very annoyed afterwards
richard
loves the smell of fresh-cut grass
gets nauseous at the color orange because that’s what the walls of his room were painted in california
kissed a guy or two (or a lot) in california
actually knew what “cubitum eamus?” meant when francis said it
gets very handsy when he’s tired and/or drunk
but not in a sex way in a like “please hold my hand and kiss me on the forehead and tuck me in” way
francis
braids camilla’s hair a lot
practices pretty crying
would die for all cats
can never leave his furniture the same way for more than a week, so the greek class sometimes walks in on him pushing his couch around the room whilst being super sweaty
on that note, he hates sweat so much
posts lots of notes wherever he goes
but it’s nothing comprehensible, just shit like “life think men haunt milk” or somethin idk
charles
appreciates a good hug
falls asleep on literally anyone, but especially francis or camilla
terrible at using matches
“do you wanna hear a joke”
keeps the coat he wore as a kid under his pillow at all times
takes naps at 8:00 pm but also always complains that he can never fall asleep at night
camilla
really likes being alone and in somewhere like a museum or library
cuts magazines up and makes collages that she hangs up around her room
gave herself bangs when she was five and has never tried to grow them out again
favorite fruit is strawberries
says the same affirmation to herself every day and night
probably something like “i will be in control of whatever is happening around me”
bunny
keeps a journal full of doodles
constantly cracking his knuckles and neck
makes a lot of mouth noises when he’s stressed and/or anxious
tried meditation with henry and it went kind of like that vine with the grinch where the lady says “let all your feelings out :))” because henry just straight up yells the entire time
hates hats
always steals roses from henry’s garden and then tries to give them back to henry as a gift
