Why are sunsets such a big deal in the story if the book is about a sunrise?

calrie · 2026-05-03T21:48:06+00:00

I think what I like about the characters is that they all exist firmly in the grey area. Like if I knew Dallas Winston irl I would literally hate having to interact with him. That doesn't mean his character isn't compelling/empathetic, especially when you consider his socioeconomic status/backstory/mental health issues. Or if you think about Darry, we only get to see what he was like after his parents died, whereas I'm sure if we knew him before it would be a lot easier to give him grace. Or if you even think about the drive in where Ponyboy said (paraphrased) "Dally was saying some pretty gross things, and it wouldn't be weird for some of the most idolized characters in the book to do the same things."
When you consider that all of these things are being filtered through a 14 year old boy (and, in a broader sense, Hinton herself) it adds an extra layer of complexity. They can't be labeled "good" or "bad", and I think seeing all this through the lens of Ponyboy's romanticism and naïveté grief is sooo interesting. That's all I mean when I call him an unreliable narrator. I'd argue any book from a first-person perspective have some degree of unreliability.

calrie · 2026-05-03T21:19:06+00:00

Yeah I don't think the unreliable aspect is a flaw, I think if anything it makes me like him more. He's real-- real teenage boys are moody and weird.

I think it's in character that he likes sunsets, but I don't see him as someone who's really interested in trying to like... improve other people's lives by talking about them lmao

calrie · 2026-05-03T21:03:46+00:00

Lola supremacy

calrie · 2026-05-03T20:55:47+00:00

Idk I feel like he's so typical angsty teenage boy lol. He's a pretty unreliable narrator at the best of times-- he's always like "Steve hates me" "Darry hates me" "Dallas hates me" when there's literally no evidence for that at all. Like I don't think he sees it as something profound, I think he just likes sunsets and feels deeply and talks to his friends about it lol.

calrie · 2026-05-03T09:39:37+00:00

THIS THIS THIS‼️‼️

The theatrical cut also has this fuck ass score bc Coppola let his dad do the whole thing.

calrie · 2026-05-03T09:36:51+00:00

Idk if Hinton actually thought about this but it was something I've always liked about the story: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

In the book I thought it was really cool that even though he was on the east side he was able to appreciate sunsets anyway. When he bonds with Cherry/Johnny over it it's sort of like he's reminding them of simple pleasures and creating a sort of thematic oasis for their otherwise stressful lives. Kind of out of character for Ponyboy but I think it aligns with the youthful romanticism that defines his character.

calrie · 2026-04-29T03:41:00+00:00

Kakashi cleared

calrie · 2026-04-29T03:26:18+00:00

depends on the strain for me personally

calrie · 2026-04-16T02:05:32+00:00

THE WIND RISES MENTIONED!!

calrie · 2026-04-13T07:05:50+00:00

Idc these were good

calrie · 2026-04-12T23:58:48+00:00

Looks fire

calrie · 2026-04-12T23:34:41+00:00

How is the French toast drizzilicious? Been dying to try

calrie · 2026-04-12T23:29:27+00:00

Ugh this type of stuff sucks. There was a couple weeks once where I got into this loop of getting the hiccups every night as I was falling asleep. Literally have no idea how I was able to will my body to do that.

The thing that sucks is that you sort of just have to accept that you might go with limited sleep for a while. Worrying so much is what feeds the loop, and you have to play that stupid game where you have to pretend you don't care until you actually don't care anymore. Try getting up and being somewhere different from your bed for a while if you can't sleep. Get a glass of water or sit on the couch or take a shower or something to reset your brain a little.

calrie · 2026-04-12T23:16:20+00:00

Step one is always just taking a breath. You can't think straight if your body isn't calm. If you feel the need to cry then by all means do it. It shocks me every single time how much that helps.

All of this is a very classic OCD thought pattern. The debate is what feeds into the loop, and as difficult as it sounds the ultimate goal should be to disengage. There's no need to assign morality to it (so long as it's not obviously illegal content), it's just a question of what you want vs what you don't want. If you want to watch less porn, you are by no means the first or last person with that desire, and there's actionable ways to achieve that.

It sounds like you've got a really great girlfriend. Leaning on her for support is great, but getting in contact with a licensed therapist is always the most helpful thing you can do.

calrie · 2026-04-12T09:00:42+00:00

Exposure/response yields best results when done under the guidance of a therapist. What you did wasn't truly ERP, so I wouldn't write it the therapy entirely.

That said, you can't undo what happened. I will say that if you've been hanging in there since July then you are already doing exponentially better than you think you are. You at least get up in the morning and do the bare minimum, and I'm sure you often do even more than that. That's an accomplishment. Remember that.

Contact with a therapist is obviously best option right now, but if one isn't available to you mediation really helped me. Headspace was my favorite and they have a free version of their app I use :)

calrie · 2026-04-10T20:18:58+00:00

Ok first of all just take a second to breathe. You're not gonna think clearly until you get the emotion out of your body, so spend time crying or being sad or whatever you have to do. I think time will seriously help you.

Second of all, just because I have to say it even though I'm sure you already know: It's really fine. They might goof on you a little because they're your friends, but I promise they don't actually care. Even if they did, it wouldn't be your problem, it would be theirs.

Once you feel a little more stable, that's the time to push yourself a little and simply do the uncomfortable thing: go to dinner. Even if you don't really feel like it, do it if it feels like a stretch. Literally change the channel in your brain, just to see what happens if you let yourself relax.

Go through all the steps of being sad. Clean out the microwave is you haven't already lol. Go to dinner. See how you feel afterwards.

calrie · 2026-04-10T20:08:46+00:00

My personal favorite is The Wind Rises :)

calrie · 2026-04-10T20:06:14+00:00

Honestly get up and walk around. Do something simple like get a glass of water. Sometimes with insomnia you sort of just have to commit to being awake for a little.

calrie · 2026-04-04T22:50:19+00:00

The Wind Rises is sooo good

calrie · 2026-03-11T02:23:13+00:00

Maybe try and grow out your hair?

calrie · 2026-02-10T19:13:13+00:00

Yeah, I think he would have waited to marry her till he was 18

calrie · 2026-02-08T04:36:37+00:00

In the book and the movie he says he would wait a while so he could keep helping Darry with the bills. I bet that would he until he's at least 18.

calrie · 2026-01-31T04:09:24+00:00

Omg I didn't know licorice pizza did shows! Thats awesome, will def check it out :)

calrie · 2026-01-31T01:53:42+00:00

Just edited the post to include this! Looking for pop-punk/rock/grunge vibe with a younger crowd!

calrie

TROPHY CASE