reposting my list of elmax headcanons because my blog where I reblogged them as additions got deactivated!! ahem:
max has road rage and el does not get the concept so anytime max starts cursing under her breath while gripping the wheel super tight the average conversation goes something like: el: why are you angry at that car? max: because he’s an idiot el: but he cannot hear you…?
max is actually a pretty good cook, she just usually doesn’t cook often or maybe just does quick meals when she’s in a hurry meanwhile el got super into baking at one point but she’s really slow and methodical because she wants to get it right and ‘it takes the time it takes’.
max always hangs out nearby just walking around eating stuff (she would love to help but el will float stuff out of her reach if she tries because it’s something she’d like to do for max + she’s really precise and has a specific way of doing things and doesn’t like her process being interrupted lmao)
max ragequits when she isn’t good at something and she’ll become dismissive pretty fast or claim ‘this thing is stupid anyway’ (she’s very pissy about it basically) meanwhile el is #notaquitter but when she gets stuck on something she keeps repeating that step obsessively and making the same mistake again until she gets so frustrated max has to take whatever it is away from her for her own good
if max is better than el at something they’re doing together she’ll downplay it a little because she doesn’t want el to feel bad but if el is better than her at it she’ll be all playfully competitive and ‘no way wtf how are you so good at this’
el can tell when max is just bluffing about being fine vs. when she actually is e.g. when max has a bad day at work and she’s clearly pissed off but brushes it off as ‘whatever, just people being stupid’ but keeps ranting sideways or coming back to it in conversations, or when she’s hurt by something so her jokes get sharper and she shuts off, gets dismissive/apathetic (she cares DEEPLY)
el gets super into pottery at one point when they’re on a trip together and they’re at an outdoor crafts market and there’s a bunch of stalls on the street and el is drawn to the pottery one in particular and just hovers asking questions and observing
max brings up how she was ‘really into that clay thing earlier’ and suggests she could look into something similar back home. which!! el is really excited about but also kind of anxious (she’s all ‘what if I’m not good’ before her first hobby class and max has to reassure her)
anyway el loves it!! she likes creating things and working with her hands and the feel of the clay (everyone in the byers-hopper family gets pottery related gifts that year)
but also initially she’s kind of sensitive to messing up (max can tell because she comes home kind of mad and basically ignores her and replies shortly until max walks in on her later either doing that exact thing or just sits there glaring at an object while the lights flicker dimly but they talk it out and all is well <33)
I like to think when they’re like in college or just studying they have really different study styles? el picks up her’s from watching nancy and she color-codes, loves using various colors of sticky notes and highlighters, clean if slightly wobbly handwriting and flash cards (she LOVES learning) + el is very adamant about not highlighting something until she fully understands it and she reads out loud to herself sometimes because it helps her process language better
max makes messy notes which are mainly just a lot of abbreviations and keywords and mostly studies in intense bursts, not sessions + she can’t go more than 10 minutes without talking shit and complaining about the subject material (they can’t study together for this reason and el has to shush her constantly because max forgets they were trying to focus after like five minutes of work) which is not to say she isn’t smart lol she’s just not the biggest fan of slow repetition
I like to think that when el puts up notes or little reminders on the refrigerator she always puts a little heart at the end of the last sentence and signs it love, el (so when she’s coming home late max sees ‘remember to eat something even if you are busy ♥️’ in the kitchen and it’s her favorite thing ever)
I also thought it would be so funny if el was just accidentally really good at card/board games after she understands the rules and the boys lowkey lose their mind about it (max is incredibly smug about this and bullies them relentlessly while being el’s number one hype woman)
On the flip side she’s very literal with it so she somehow catches loopholes that no one would have thought of without meaning to + will point out really dumb logic which makes her kind of infuriating to play with sometimes lmaooo
