i know ex-jock is a really popular trop ebut im still thinking about it. not in the sense of like "oh he gets injured and never diets again" or something but like. Hey this guy's been working out his entire life working for the so-called perfect body, to push himself further to perform better, to be better. the only admiration and attraction he's ever earned from people is when hes fit and performing well as an athlete. and for whatever reason he stops playing, from an injury or getting cut from a team or whatever, he's at a loss. maybe a friend who's stuck with him since high school is there for him, a shoulder to lean into, a source of unconditional love and praise that gets him hooked on junk foods as a relief from the constant worried, frantic dieting he's done for years upon years. "Bro its okay to eat ice cream. no ones going to be mad at you" and then weeks pass as they just keep going about their lives and suddenly he's a couple dozen pounds heavier. he freaks out about his weight, about what he's supposed to do now, how he can never go back to the team how he needs to fix this, but in the process of screaming at himself, he realizes that, before he noticed his weight gain, he was the happiest, most carefree he'd been in years. so he puts off on getting on a diet. he takes a little bit to feel it out. he keeps going out to eat with his friend and he relaxes into it, and maybe feels himself for the first time in awhile. before his body was utilitarian, made to work and good at it. but now, a teensy curve to his stomach and a little hang on his arms, he feels... molded? made? he feels less like his body has a purpose and more that its just his body. he likes that feeling, he likes how it feels when there's no morals ascribed to his shape. his friend, of course, has been trying to hold it together this whole time while being head over heels for the change in his body, pushes him further. they have a conversation about this later of course, but for now its just his friend pushing him to eat more, to eat what he wants and to forget about the rules, while he for the first time in his life lets himself indulge. ive been thinking about this