#I don’t hate Gen one I actually enjoy most of it but like. some of you need to learn to let people enjoy things?

[mangora]

Gen 1 fans stop saying cringe culture is dead and then making fun of every other type of fan for being bad or cringe challenge. I love you Pahkitew Island I love you Zoey I love you Emmas I love you Sky and Ella and Leonard and Beardo I love you Max and Sugar and how long you stayed in the game I love you fankid OCs I love you Lightning and Cameron finale I love you Vegans and Cadets and Geniuses and all your yuri potential I love you All Stars I love you Mal I love you background characters and joke characters and elimination fodder characters I love you wacky suspension of disbelief bullshit concepts that make no sense I love you Ridonculous Race I love you Ripper I love you crack ships and rare pairs I love you Juliayne and Nemma and Carritty and Skasmine and Scarella I love you fan series’ including ones with bad audio quality and choppy animation and most of all I love you having fun and doing what you want so long as you’re not hurting anyone god bless our troops (people who do not care about duncney or whatever Cody is doing)

[thatsdemko]

something bout you - p. o'ward

masterlist | pairing: Pato o’ward x Rossi!fem!reader summary: your love for him is different and he couldn’t love it more. warnings: 18+ content + mentions of Indy500 results + fluff + angst(?) + minor errors a/n: hiiii! Im back :) I’ve been working on this since the results of indy500 and while it’s not perfect I hope you all enjoy!

where your brother was a dark cloud on rainy days, you were the thunder and lightning that boomed across the sky alongside him. its enticing to someone like him.

he’s drawn to the identical to dark like storm eyes, black hair that sways across your back. you were rossi’s identical down to the bone. zak brown used to swear it was traumatizing, now Pato finds it adoring.

where Alexander was millennial humor, and minimal smiles, you were nothing but witty gen z comebacks and a smile once a month. Pato found your personalities jarring in comparison, but made it his mission to brighten your clouds.

“woah.”

it sounded more like a whoosh of air exhaling from his lips. seeing you in a dark blue floor length gown truly took the air and words from his lungs. it threatens the muscles in your cheeks to tug upward, but you refuse to give pato the satisfaction of a smile.

“what?” you whip your head in his direction. navy blue suit jacket, a white shirt that was slightly unbuttoned, and matching pants. he looks heavenly. you hate that.

“you look gorgeous, amor.” the nickname rolls off his tongue, a smirk tugging his lips as he watches red flicker across your cheeks. you didn’t need to show any other signs of affection for him to know that subtle weakness for him.

“and you look like a buffoon. not even a suit can help your case.”

a chuckle escapes his lips, and for the first time since sunday morning he’s actually smiling. leave it to a rossi to lift his spirits.

“you brighten my day, Rossi.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Alex comes up behind you. his black suit and dark blue tie matching your dress like twins.

right, he reminds himself, siblings. she’s not for you.

“other Rossi,” you reply turning to your brother, “you think way too highly of yourself.”

—

a permanent scowl formed the second Josef took the stage. it was a common look for you, though you masked it well during most days, tonight was one of those moments you let it rip.

Josef drove a hell of a drive yesterday, but seeing him on stage was all but a reminder of what Pato lost and for some reason that angered you. having to watch your brother, his sister, and his own team members lift him up from another disappointing loss trickles into your memory. it was a well deserved win for Josef, but your heart ached for somebody else.

somebody you definitely shouldn’t have feelings for, but you find yourself having. someone who opened up the dark cloud and made it a little brighter.

when Pato finally took the stage, all he could see was you. the scowl loosening from your face to a contorted smile. all energy from earlier drained out of him. having to be reminded of his failed efforts, but he did enjoy the view of you practically envisioning what it would be like to strangle newgarden.

“that’s two smiles this month.” Pato whispered into your ear when he passed you to his seat. he could hear a low grumble come from you, and the scowl was back, but aimed at him.

he reveled in it. taking in all your features and how hard you work to keep your vulnerability inside that hard shell. because for a split second when he took that stage he saw you for what you truly were; a fool in love with him.

—

“I like when you get defensive of me.” he says, coming up from behind you. he rests his chin against your shoulder, the hairs that fell out his gel slicked back tickle your skin.

“the scowl was out of annoyance. don’t think too deep about it.” you say, attempting to fight his touch, but it’s too much strength to do so. you just relax your body into his and allow yourself to be held.

“I like to think you actually do love me.”

you fight the urge to roll your eyes as you feel his lips graze the sensitive part of neck. you can feel your knees weaken, ready to crumble into his arms.

love was a strong word and emotion, but it never felt big and scary with Pato. love was different with him. different was good, different was better than whatever you’d read in books. you didn’t need the fairytales, you just needed someone to remind you to smile once a month. or not attempt murder when he lost important races.

“say it,” he mumbles into your skin, teeth running across your flesh, you can feel goosebumps scatter across your skin, “say you love me.” he takes a piece of your skin in between your teeth, the sound of your sharp inhale fuels the fire in him.

“I do,” you swallow, trying to steady yourself against him, “I love you.” you spin around to face him, your dark eyes stare into his chocolate ones.

he nudges your body towards the bed and you comply. seating on the edge of the bed, you watch him remove his suit jacket. the most mundane task, was such a turn on for you. you unconsciously open your legs for him.

“I love you too,” he presses his knee in between your thighs, gently dropping your back onto the mattress, “even when you want to murder me.”

“I’d murder for you,” you say pulling him by the collar of his shirt, “but if you don’t fuck me, I will strangle you.” you growl into his ear before sinking your teeth into the outer edge of his lobe.

“you always seem to have a way with the words.”

[industrations]

one thing about your art which makes me uncomfortable is you make remus conventionally attractive. the fandom all agree remus lupin is a wet noodle of a man but actually no artist draws him that and it's getting weird. make him unattractive and he can be loved by sirius. he doesn't need to be that tall and buff like why do you always make him so tall to draw him next to sirius. is it because you're aware of the fact sirius is canonically tall? if so it's baffling indi, you just had the surgery but if you have some time you'd want to read it - www.tumblr.com/carlav-blogs/741256502359228416/i-hate-joining-the-fandom-discourse-because-i?source=share - and look deep inside of yourself and think again about your art. i know you can't publish it but i gotcha. good luck /gen

Hello!

I have been thinking about responding to this at all but it seems like i have a lot to say, so here goes.

Due to contrary belief i draw for myself. I draw for me because i enjoy it and it makes me happy. And if it makes others happy then thats a lovely bonus. I draw because i love the bit of magic and creative freedom of being able to put that on paper.

What i don’t do is draw for other people to give me validation or to give them satisfaction. What’s getting weird is that you are so upset over characters that are written by a terf. Someone that is extremely harmful. Characters that DO NOT EXIST.

I’m sick of this endless debate of "oh but CANONICALLY sirius was taller" who the fuck cares. In the movies remus had like a whole head on sirius.

You know whats the one wonderful thing about this fandom? Every single artists and writers version of these characters. They take them and make them their own. I love the way i can read 10 wolfstar fics and all ten of them are wildly different versions of them. They fall in love with each other unconditionally and i with them.

I’ve been told I’m not valid, that i don’t deserve to exist, that i should have DIED in surgery. There is really vile and hateful people in this fandom but you know what. I’m not here for you, my art isn’t for you it’s for ME.

I would like to say I resent this fandom but it’s brought me so much joy as well. I’ve met some of the most talented and wonderful people. I met my very best friend because of this fandom. I traveled places to see people i love because of dead gay wizards. I have found a place that is so wonderfully accepting. A queer community that I will never have in real life. The amount of freedom and expression is something that drew me in and will make me stay.

I hope you get the day you deserve, and I will continue my life where I live it for me and no one else <3

[danyayeni2]

Fancy a Date, Dollface ?

Flirty!Jealous! Tybalt (modern/1996) x gn! Reader

(Divider made by @/cafekitsune on here ! Check ‘em out ! :D) (A/N: Just as the title says, this is a slightly Flirty!Tybalt x Gen neu! Slightly “Nerdy”! Reader ! Also, a tiny little background information for this, Mercutio is your best friend, nothing more, nothing less! Of course, Ty knows this, and still hates it !) Key Terms (yeah yeah very wattpad of me bring your pitchforks): Y/N-Your Name Y/N-N: Your Nick-Name

B/F/N- Best Friend’s Name

(Also, this was made for @ladyinbl00d ! I really hope you enjoy this one especially !)

(Anyways, without further adeu, please enjoy !)

“Hey, let’s go shopping !”, they said. “It’ll be fun !”, they said. And, could you really deny them? Deny him? The party-animal? The fast talker? The cousin of the Chief of Police? Your best friend?

  How could you deny the sparkle in his eyes? (Although, now that you mention it, did he really have a spark? Or, was it his eyeshadow?) Or, his nearly high-pitched, pleading, and slightly convincing, beg of a simple, yet exaggerated, “pleeeaaaaaaaaseeeeee”, as he got on his knees, and wrapped his arms around your waist? Or, his promise to get you that new movie you oh-so desperately wanted to see? The Night’s Opened View, starring Angelo Manovincine and Catelynn Ashins, solving a murder in their high-school party? Drugs scurried around the place, sugar coated toxins covered the tongues of the most bitter booze imaginable, and hands covering cold faces, and cold cases alike. No, it was an offer you couldn’t refuse. Besides, you needed a release from your dreary, and unfortunately comfy, apartment room, so what’s the harm?

“(Y/N), come on!” His pace quickened and the intertwined grip between his smooth, well-kept hands, and your hands, “I saw some really cute shoes for you!” “Mer, trust me, I really don’t need MORE shoes!”

He paused, turned around to look at you up and down, furrowed one eyebrow, and shot you a look with an “mmhm” following. “Mer, my shoes aren’t that bad!” “….” “I JUST GOT THESE SHOES YESTERDAY.” “Creased and deceased?” “Oh, shut up.” A goofy grin followed his face, before running off into another store, yelling, “I’LL GET YOU SOME SHOES IN HERE!” “WAIT, MER-“ And he was gone like the wind..like always. 

“Why does he always do this?”, you asked yourself, out-loud, in fact. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t, seeing you talk to yourself would make anyone run off.” Oh, God. It’s him again. His slightly raspy voice, his sarcasm, his…eyes. Those Dark brown eyes. Those dark, slightly lidded, brown eyes. 

It was him, it was always him.

“I’d be thankful that a pretty face like yours goes a long way.” You see him look you up and down, and give his signature toothy grin. You sigh, “What do you want, Tybalt?” He smirked a little, and simply tilted his head, “Awww, don’t wanna see me?” He leaned in close to you, much to your feigned annoyance. “Not here, and especially not up close. Not to say I can’t see your whiskers from afar, though.” The corner of your lips turned into a smile, and you could hear the ticking of a bomb, slowly going off. Tick, tick, tick, tick. And you couldn’t wait until it exploded. 

“You just love that little cat metaphor, don’t you?” “What? It’s funny”, you lowered your voice, hoping Tybalt wouldn’t hear, “and cute.” “Cute? That’s what you wanna call this?” An idea popped in your head, and you brought him closer by a little tie on his somewhat formal black adorned attire, “Maybe it is, what’s it to you?” Your fingers slithered up his tie, as you slowly undid it, and he hummed in response, looking into your eyes. “To me, it’s unfair.” You stopped tying his tie, his words catching your attention. “Unfair how ?” “Unfair because we all know who has eyes that you can stare into for days.” He smirked more, seeing you continue to play with his tie. “And from the looks of it, I can, with how alone you are.” “Actually”, you pull him in closer, your mouth to his ear, “I’m with someone.” The venom poisoned his tone, as he looked away, feeling a tinge of jealousy course through his veins. “Oh..? And, who’s the one…?” Please be a friend, please be a friend, please be a friend-

“Mercutio.” 

Oh God, it’s even worse.

  Not only is their “friend”, but it’s that flirtatious bastard. Great. You bent back, and yanked on the tie a little, just before patting on it. And, he would’ve given you a reaction, had he not been consumed with the thought of him joking with you, smiling at you, all things he can do for you. “So that’s who left you today, right ?” You groan a little, and nodded, which gave him a little more satisfaction.

“You know, I can treat you better, doll.” “Oh, please, and just what are you gonna do? give me some flowers and wow me?” “C’mon dollface, give me some credit. You and me? We’re in sync.” “Oh, yeah? What am I thinking right now?” He paused, looking away from you, reaching behind his back, and pulling out two tickets. “If I were to guess, I’d say you’d want to see…..oh, I forgot what it’s called….’The Night’s Opened View’?” “Tease.” You thought, yet still visibly excited, and quite shocked. You hardly mentioned this movie, except to Mercutio a few hundred times, but to no one else ! So, how did he- “When we went to the store, I saw you looking at the poster for three hours. Almost like how you look at me. Almost.” Bet he wouldn’t do that for you. You paused, then felt hot. “So, it’s a yes, or do I have to convince you ?” “What are you gonna do, kitty?” “What I have to.” He brings your hands up to his lips, and gives them a peck, all while looking at you..it feels way hotter in here than before. “Of course, you won’t break my heart, right, doll ?” “..What if I did?” “…You wouldn't do that, doll.” He gets closer, his lips hovering over yours, hand on your chin, “You know you want me. You, and those pretty porcelain lips of yours.” “I want to make you explode." He chuckles, "I'll cherish you too, dollface."

You playfully scoffed, but deep down, you knew it was true. You knew that your heart was his. You knew that no matter how much you wanted to push him away, tease him, maybe even judge him, you always loved him. “Fine, I’ll go see it with you, but you’re paying for everything.” “Not a problem, you know I like spoiling you. All you gotta do is ask, doll.” He holds your hand, his thumb massaging your knuckles, “Oh, and don’t bring him along. I just want it to be us, alone.” “Him?”, you paused, “Who’s him- Wait- What’s wrong with Mercutio ?” “.....” “..Fine, I’ll come at 5.” He smiled, then immediately heard Mer’s laugh, and the corners of his lips went south. “We’ll talk later, yeah?” “Maaaaaaaybe.” He chuckled, “Don’t toy with me like that, doll.” and walked off. “(Y/N-N) !” Mercutio’s voice trilled in the air as he skipped towards you. “I found these shoes, and they’re SO cute ! Aaaaand, it’ll be perfect for our movie night tonight !” He hugged you, but you felt both hot and cold. Chilly and warm. Conflicted. “Oh, Mer, I’m gonna be busy tonight ! I need to see (B/F/N) for their ‘newest art invention’.” You applied air quotes, trying to hide the fact that you’re lying to Mer, and acting as if your “(B/F/N)” wasn’t the man you’ve been smitten for since God knows how long. “Oh….aw man….” He lowered his head, but you quickly cupped his face, “Come on, after I help (B/F/N), we’ll watch a whole marathon of movies ! You’re pick this time too !” He quickly smiled, and kissed the palm of your hand. “Alright, alright, I forgive you.” “Good, now,” you tap his shoulder, and run off, “LAST ONE TO LEAVE’S GONNA HAVE TO SHAVE PRINCE’S MUSTACHE TOMORROW NIGHT !” “HEY, I DID IT LAST TIME !” He quickly sprints after you, cackling, while Tybalt watches.

“...Come on, Doll, make a better choice than him.” His eyes shut, as the question that plagues him infects him yet again: “…What does he have that I don’t ?”

(A/N: Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve made a one-shot, and even longer of it being an x reader ! I do hope that I made Tybalt seem flirtatious in your eyes (and in-character too) ! I also hope that it isn’t too bad or incomprehensible, and that you all have a wonderful day/afternoon/evening/ night ! :D)

[splatoonpolls]

fandom and negativity towards newer installments

So, I’ve seen a lot of complaints towards games I like, splatoon 3, Pokémon scarlet/violet sims 4 (okay I’m just fine with that game). Most are valid, however some feel a bit more like people repeated “x is bad, y is better” with 4 other people for 6 hours straight. It starts with valid criticism and ends up with people’s whole online identity become hating on a game. And that’s a type of negativity many don’t enjoy. One clear example of this echo chamber (mainly made of nostalgia) is me watching a video about sims 2 occults and someone commenting “the sims 2 beats the sims 4 in everything” despite vampires in the sims 4 being better than those in the sims 2. Or something really common with Pokémon fans. Putting down the story of the latest games when they come out. A few years pass, and now they’re seen as like a magnum opus of video game stories (like the hatred against gen 5 went it came out).

I understand, you can hate on something. You can criticize something. But once your whole identity is more about hating something than loving an older installment and showing other people how to enjoy it. Do you actually like the older games? There’s this sims YouTuber, who when he isn’t making some of the typical more chaotic style content. Is mainly talking negatively about the game, mainly brings up the newer games as a way to “ha! The sims 4 could never” which is more personal here but. You can talk about old media separately from the newer one. You won’t get shot by a bunch of genwunners if you talk about Pokémon platinum and don’t go “AND UNLIKE SCARLET”. And you know, maybe I come off as a bit petty.

anyway, to splatoon. I see this coming more and more apparent as time passes. Glazing splatoon 1 and 2 but ignoring some flaws it has. Repeating the same “unpopular opinions” to get top comments on tiktok and Reddit. Putting on nostalgia goggles when it’s needed. I love splatoon 2, but do not use the game ONLY to put down splatoon 3,

TLDR: criticism and hatred against newer installments is fine. But please when discussing it. Be reminded on how much of what you dislike is nostalgia. And you can enjoy older installments in isolation. You do not need to bring up the newer game to enjoy an older game.

[ketchup-chup]

Not the same anon, but why do you not consider the arcobaleno trials canon? Amano wrote them

Hello! So I first wanna preface this by saying that this is no hate to anyone who enjoys the fillers. While I personally do not like the arcobaleno trial fillers I do enjoy the one focusing on the Primo Gen! And to be frank a lot of this is just my personal opinion!

Now, onto the reasons I don’t consider them canon! Which is actually quite a few reasons but I’ll just discuss the major ones.

First, Amano did not write them! In fact, the rumour that Amano approved or had any direct hand in making them is just that. A rumour. This post by boxanimal does a lot better of a job at explaining it than I ever could so I highly recommend reading that.

But essentially. At most Amano may have given the anime staff some info about the arcobaleno’s personalities (and in the Primo Gen case probably info about Daemon’s whole thing) but there is no actual evidence to point to the fact Amano wrote or gave the fillers their stamp of approval to be considered canon.

(putting the rest under a read more since it got quite long)

Second: the characterizations are awful. I'm just gonna talk about Reborn here because he's my favourite because it's the most obvious and it directly contradicts what he’s said previously. I would make the argument the fillers write him very out of character.

What I mean by this is that during Reborn’s trial he says the following to Tsuna:

“The world’s done for if you don’t clear this trial. Don’t you care about what happens to Kyoko, Haru, and your mother?” He mentions saving the world a little later on in this battle as well.

THE THING IS!!! REBORN WOULD NEVER SAY THAT TO TSUNA!! He does not want Tsuna to play the “hero”! It was never about saving the world! This directly contradicts what he tells Tsuna at the start of the Future arc!

“Don’t try to act cool, Tsuna. You’re not the hero type, are you?” “Your reasons for enduring this training, to bring everyone back to the past, or whatever- they��re not you at all.” “Your feelings were a lot more simple at the time, weren’t they?”

Reborn knows Tsuna and knows better that this type of argument/encouragement(?) would not work! Being the hero is not what Reborn wants of Tsuna!!! it's not what he's been trying to teach him or to ever use as his main source of motivation!

So yeah. The characterizations are just. Not good.

Which brings me onto my last point. Which is the most “this is just my personal opinion” of the whole thing.

I do have the belief that the fillers are a large part the reason for many of the most common misconceptions of the arcobaleno. It goes into my previous point where the characterizations are just… not that great.

I do believe it’s why the headcanon that Luce is extremely manipulative and led the other arcobaleno (purposefully) to their doom is so popular and where it initially comes from. When we just don’t see that at all in canon nor do we see any hint or sign that the other arcobaleno hold a grudge against her.

And listen! I am a Luce defender till the day I die, I will admit this!! And I do also have the headcanon as well that she was aware of their fate. But to just water it down to “she misled and lied to the others therefore she is an awful person” does such a disservice to her and the tragedy that is being a Sky arcobaleno (and by extension the "curse" of having divination powers).

There are a lot of other weird things the filler implies (like Luce being pregnant as a baby) that I also won't get into. but yeah, I am just not a big fan of all the implications you get from fillers about these characters.

So yes. This is all to say you will never see me point to the fillers or use any information from them for any discussion regarding the arcobaleno.

If you enjoy the fillers and would like to consider them when you build your headcanons I think that's totally fair and great! You just won't see that from me personally, and I just ask that people don't point to it when discussing canon!

[kittencomicslol]

Gyutaro x reader requests :3

Requests are; Open!!

Hello hello hello!!! If u know me, u know I love Gyutaro (a concerning amount but hey we all have our struggles)

I most likely will not do full entire fanfictions but rather little headcannons/senarios. I’ve done these on my wattpad so for reference this is what I mean by that (no need to actually read this it’s just to show how i do my shit lol) but if you request something and I REALLLYY like the idea or if I’m pumped full of motivation, I might do a full one.

Edit; okay!! What the fart! The link won’t work ig no reference for yall

Here are some guidelines for what I will/wont write, and then under that I’ll set up a little master-List ^_^

Also sen I know you frequent tumblr and the ds tag aswell so helloo! Hello hello!! Ily!! :3

_______

What I will definitely write!! (If it’s not on here I can try, but this is stuff I definitely will do!!)

-Fluff, I love love LOVE toothrotting fluff

-Angst, depending on how mentally stable I currently am when writing

-Hurt comfort LOVE LOVE LOVEEEE hurt comfort

-Reader w disabilities

-Phobias

-Disorders

-Readers who have gone through past grooming/abuse (I feel u yall ❤️)

-Gore (it’s demon slayer like cmon it’s gonna happen at some point when it comes to something)

-Cannibalism (same sitch as gore, demons n stuff bro)

-Human reader

-Demon reader

-Yokai reader

_______

What I won’t/can’t do

-NSFW!! I am a minor :3 (ofc I can leave jokes or mentions of shit but I’m not gonna actually post nsfw as a minor)

-M! reader (sorry I just gen suck w it and I’m mostly writing these 4 me, I’m sorry 💔 this does not apply to mtf trans topics!! ❤️)

-Depictions of something unhealthy (grooming, gaslighting, abuse, manipulation, pedophilla, not cool stuff!! I can write this in hurt comfort/taking about trauma but I will NEVER make it something to actually do w the relationship)

-Yandere stuff (though I love this as a horror idea, a lot of ppl actually enjoy romanticizing yandere stuff which classifies as romanticizing abuse. That is totally not cool!! I hate writing that stuff bc it normalizes those topics to younger ppl reading which is dangerous!)

-Incell shit. I’ve seen too many ppl on here go ‘oh Gyutaro is an incell’ ‘I fought the incell accusations and lost’ well I DIDNT. I don’t care about the plot at all, Gyutaro literally RAISED A GIRL. IN THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT. He literally taught her to defend herself against creepy men!! Like cmon guys use critical thinking and common sense pls 😭😭

_______

I do not know how frequently I will be able to post/write. My life is literally in limbo rn and I am prioritizing myself‼️‼️

If you wanna ask just send it in as a question for my blog, I can work w it that way. Idk if that’s how ppl usually do it or not I’m new to tumblr but fuck it we ball 🔥🔥

And I am posting this 10 minutes before new years, let’s kick 2024 off with scribbles about our favorite demon boy!! <3

_______

Masterlist!! (Hc / fanfiction / imagines)

!Human Gyu with an !upper moon reader

Random self indulgent fluff fanfiction

How Gyutaro would like to cuddle

Comforting him with snuggles n praise

Braids

Gyutaro with an !artist reader who has Gyutaro as their main muse

Playful banter

He loves snuggles

What he likes about the winter

[smoothoperador]

K NO BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT IT.

cause yeah ttpd is SO boring. like i know most of the songs are 3+ min but tbh most of them don’t sound like songs! gun to my head i couldn’t tell you the difference between the prophecy the manuscript chloe or sophia or marcus or whateverthefuck that song is called.

i miss when she put actual effort into her albums, like red. like the tv of red is so amazing, but with 1989 tv it just feels SO lacking especially in the production, and the vault songs don’t even sound like songs! like with red and fearless and even speak now we got fully produced songs that felt special, but with 1989 tv and 80% of ttpd it sounds like scraps she picked up from the floor and glued them together to make a semblance of a song and it’s so disheartening from someone who has genuinely loved her music for years and the different eras but now it all sounds the same

yeah i've been vocal about how much I dislike her new stuff dating back to midnights. i really DON'T LIKE this stripped down, minimalistic synthpop where everything is the same note and there is not a single drum or guitar and i found midnights quite frankly very underwhelming upon its release, but i figured to each their own; besides, taylor's sound famously always evolves in between eras. but she never departed from that direction, which i honestly don't know who to fault for... is it because she genuinely likes it and thinks it's her forte? (it's not. her forte is dramatic storytelling and epic guitars. her forte is speak now and folklore!!) is it because jack and aaron pull her in that direction? is it because she comes to them with half-assed ideas and they're too reluctant to go against their wishes? is it simply mass production of songs? idk, but what she knows is that she could release out a voice memo of her singing the abcs and it would go platinum.

the 1989 vault tracks were the ones i was looking forward to the most, and they were truly disappointing... 1989 had a clear line of production that i loved, but all of the vault tracks were CLEARLY produced after (or during) midnights. now it all feels like midnights rejects that didn't make the cut, and to be honest the last release that felt like it really belonged on its original album is all of the girls you loved before (and sntv vault tracks i guess, i didn't like them tho)

but even THEN midnights was bearable because it had highs (songs that were different, like snow on the beach; or songs that were poignant, like yoyok) but ttpd ... ttpd is unforgivably BLAND. all the songs mesh into one another, even without the sour aftertaste of matty healy the lyrics are abysmal in comparison to what she's come up with before. theres a few good songs hiding in there (so long london and who's afraid are my faves (but once again im gonna hunt down the coward who couldn't make it an actual ROCK song as it shouldve been), i hate it here could also be cute were it not for the corny gen-z title and horrible horrible 1830s lyric), but theyre all undermined by this boring ass coating that envelops the whole album and also drowned out by the sound of 31 SONGS (!!!!) 31 songs is like thrice the size of some albums and it's TOO. MUCH. doesn't give room for the good songs to shine and also pollutes the air with tracks that clearly should've never left taylor's diary. (ttpd song, bdilh, guilty as sin etc are all SO BAD AND ICKY theyre unforgivable)

i've said this before but taylor is truly the mcu of the music industry: she has an incredibly strong and devoted fanbase, she's easily accessible (as in she makes fun pop and pop rock with easy lyrics and hooks which is something MOST of the general public enjoys), she comes out with several new installments a year (of varying quality...), and the longer it goes the more enjoying her and her music requires an encyclopedic knowledge of her previous works (with all the references, easter eggs, etc). and im really sad to think we'll never see the daring taylor that released red when everyone was highly skeptical of the mixed pop/country sound, or the taylor that has the range to make both better than revenge and ivy.

[hekate1308]

Fictober #21, We've Done Worse

Prompt: We've Done Worse

Fandom: White Collar

Pairing: Gen

The last thing he expected was that Peter’s – well, he doesn’t even know what to call it. Re-education seems a little harsh, considering the historical connotations, and everything else is just… wrong. Rehabilitation? He doesn’t think he ever really was one of those who needed that. Yes, he forged art and lied and stole, but that’s hardly worth a place in hell. Restitution? Not the proper word to use, and anyway, it’s not like he’s giving back any of what he stole. The FBI already seized most of it, and what little there remains is not exactly the most expensive of the bunch.

The point is, he really didn’t think he’s changing in any way, shape or form. He might have a nine-to-five, but he hates it (or so eh thought). It’s nice to have dinner with Peter and Elizabeth sometimes but it doesn’t take away the fact that he can only walk so far without being arrested (he was convinced). It’s one thing to be able to solve cases and help people, but another when one is forced to do so (he believed).

So, really, he was just a crook who flew too close to the sun, as Mozzie put it, got caught, then got lucky and that is why he is not in jail and biding his time. Easy, right?

As it turns out, not so much.

He’s been going through some files. Nothing big, nothing that needs their immediate attention, but if he doesn’t, there’ll be repercussions, mainly that Peter will have to do it on his own, he’ll be late for dinner, and Elizabeth will be annoyed, not to mention that Diana and Jones will roll their eyes, and anyway, it’s easy enough work for a few hours. Mozzie sends him a text that they need to talk, but that can mean anything and is not alarming really so he decides to ignore it until he gets home that night.

Mozzie is waiting for him, having opened a bottle of wine, of course.

“What is it?” he asks when her realizes his friend his unnaturally excited, even for his standards.

As it turns out, it’s a von Alt. Not extremely well known over here, but fetching a lot in Europe, so – perfect. Also, currently being house in one of the smaller museums in Manhattan, being on permanent loan from a millionaire how seems to consider it his duty to let other people enjoy works of art too instead of letting them rot in some vault or another which, from what he knows of that kind of people, is positively philanthropic. Also a bit stupid, but it just gives them the chance to… to…

He says no without even thinking about it. There’s just something that rubs him the wrong way. Also, it’s next week, and there’s an audit coming up, not to mention Diana and Jones will be in court, and Peter is –

“We’ve done worse” Mozzie say and he automatically opens his mouth to argue only to realize that in fact, they have, They have, as mentioned before, stolen and lied and cheated, and he has never even batted an eye, because it’s unfair that some people have nice things and they don’t. It’s just how life works – sometimes you have to help justice along if you actually want to see it done…

But this… well… this is not one of those times. This is literally just them being annoyed that another rich guy has a painting. If he were hiding it away, that would be one thing, but it’s literally on loan to the gallery, and so people get to see it. Everyone is happy with that, apart from people who want it for themselves or need the money, and…

Well… Neal does get paid. Not a lot. But there is compensation. And anyway, if something happened and Peter realized what was going on – always a risk, although until now, it just added to the gun of it – he’d hunt them down again because this is Peter they are speaking of.

“I know” he finally answers because he realizes Mozzie expects him to. ”It’s just – “ and then he realizes he has no idea what to say to even start to explain what’s going on in his head, because it seems that part of him is a law-abiding citizen all of a sudden and it’s a little bit too much for him to comprehend.

“Look I’m not saying never, alright? I’m just saying some other time” he tries to save himself, only for Mozzie to raise an eyebrow.

“Fine, fine, mon frère, just don’t expect me to join you on your new side any time soon.”

There’s no new side, he thinks, shaking his Hea. He’s just being careful and deliberately choosing what to do, that’s all.

If only he could believe himself.

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

I'm the weirdo who has always been into either f/f or m/f, in fact since I have memory, for me to enjoy any media was to hyper fixate into any girl character, didn't matter if it was well written, a main character or just a side character, I always did that, and when I started getting into online fandoms (I'm oooold xD) I was both surprised and sad that apparently no one paid attention to them and in the old days, some people were just brutal when talking about any fictional girlie, and here I am watching the new gen spitting the same rhetoric (that female characters can't be interesting) just with a different flavor and wrapping :/

Yeah people are so quick to demonize or sideline female characters! And of course it isn’t just fandom at all; I’m thinking of the broader reactions to Skylar White in Breaking Bad, and rn Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon. You’ll have these sensitively portrayed, complex and tragic women and all people can say is that they’re annoying bitches.

I tend to gravitate towards characters that fandoms hate, or that are narratively marginalized. I just get really protective of things like the “annoying girlfriend” trope. Like I immediately felt sooo protective of Misa in Death Note, and then a bit out of left field, perhaps, but also Harmony in BTVS when she’d reintroduced as Spike’s very ill treated girlfriend but it’s all played for laughs. They’re just treated so poorly and that really gets me.

I do want to stress though that I don’t mean to highlight m/f specifically as like particularly groundbreaking lol. Like it does take up most of the art that we have in the world. But again it’s about how people engage with the female characters and whether they’re able to care about them, and what standards they hold them to. Going back to fandom, it’s really so telling that the most popular m/f ships (obligatory Reylo mention) hinge so much on exaggerated and unexamined gender roles, and where it’s clear that the FMC is only incidental and what the fandom really cares about is the MMC.

It all comes back to the tendency to center men. And that’s really disappointing!

As is hopefully obvious by my blog content and fics, I do think that equating taste in fiction with irl morality is ridiculous. My favorite stories are about war criminals! But it’s also silly to act like actual biases and values don’t come through with how people talk about fiction and how they perceive it.

[child-of-hurin]

Fic author interview meme - tagged by @anghraine!

Apologies if you've already done this and I missed it, but tagging @squirrelwrangler @undercat-overdog @chthonic-cassandra @hoeratius @outofangband @seagodofmagic and everyone else who sees this and feels like doing it :)

1- How many works do you have on AO3?

58, more than I thought

2- What's your total AO3 word count?

146,888

3- What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Surrender, 615 words, The Mirror Visitor, 149 kudos 2. Locked, forgotten, 1,6k words, ASOIAF , 91 kudos 3. With imperious hand, Fate turns the wheel,  8,8k words, Queen’s Thief, 85 kudos 4. Simple fix, 2,8k words, Supernatural, 77 kudos 5. Tied: Cupid and Psyche, 742 words, Queen’s Thief, 66 kudos A flower trampled underfoot, 1,9k words, Silmarillion, 66 kudos

I have a couple of anonymous/orphaned works that I can recall that have way more than any of this: one Azula/Zuko that has over 350 kudos and a Wincest fic that’s currently on 289! They’re both pure E-rated kink, so I think it figures hahaah.

4- Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to, but sometimes I get a little stumped between a desire to respond in depth vs the conscience that ao3 comments are not really the place for fandom conversation…

5- What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

IMO, either my most recent Vinland Saga fic “Ordeal,” or my first posted fic ever, “Barren”, about Míriel and Pharazôn.

6- What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I’m thinking it’s probably “Washed Ashore”, a short fic that ends with Gil-Galad telling Círdan that Ëarendil is alive and returned with an army in tow.

7- Do you write crossovers?

no

8- Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I know I did but it was in an orphaned work and I can’t recall which, or what fandom it was for? But I think that’s why I switched to just publishing anonymously instead of orphaning it altogether, so I can still delete comments and stuff. Haven't had to, though.

9- Do you write smut?

Occasionally :) 

10- Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No

11- Have you ever had a fic translated?

I THINK so, because I remember someone asking me about it, but I can’t recall which fic or what language…

12- Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I wanna do that with Kate!!! Maybe one day

13- What's your all-time favorite ship?

The ship I’ve written the most for on ao3 is Irene/Gen from Queen’s Thief, and it’s definitely one of my top favorites!

14- What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I don’t usually post fics unless they’re finished or very close to. So the answer is something in my fic folder tentatively called "A Mirror, Cracking", which is an AU of Niënor in Brethil, if she remembered who she was! I'm suuuper fond of it and likely never finishing it, I plan to post it unfinished at some point, amnesty-style.

15- What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m good at creating a dramatic scene! Or let’s put it this way: it’s what I enjoy the most when I write

16- What are your writing weaknesses?

I’d like to write longer, more committed stuff sometimes, but I find it very hard! I also think my prose is very commonplace, but it doesn't actually bother me.

17- What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I avoid doing that at all costs. I either put a descriptive indicating they’re speaking another language, or I say the POV character can’t make it out. I don’t think it’s tacky and I don’t judge it in writing, I just don’t like doing it myself.

18- What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Tolkien <3

19- What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

My dream is to write a Mediana/Ophélie fic for The Mirror Visitor, simply I think this ship is insanely hot and there was just one meager 155 word ficlet for it last time I checked! I have some notes for a fic but lost steam; maybe reading the English translation of those books will do the trick.

20- What's your favorite fic you've written?

I’m super fond of “A haunting”, one of my fics with the least amount of kudos... which I understand, because it really is one of those “I wrote this for myself but you can read it if you want to” cases—in terms of themes, characterization, style and format, corny quote at the beginning, etc, super indulgent. I really just had a lot of fun with it and it still touches me whenever I reread it, and I think the language and characterization are pretty solid! I like it a lot and I'm super proud of it :)

[sofargoneao3]

(Same Anon that asked if you ship other ships)

What do you think of Scorbus (Scorpius/Albus Potter) and/or Scorose (Scorpius/Rose)?

Personally, I really like Scorbus, and I’m by no means a Drarry shipper, but I have enjoyed quite a few fanfics of them, and I think Scorbus is just a better version of them. Like, enemies to lovers or enemies to friends to lovers is fun and exciting to read about, but best friends/childhood friends to lovers has my heart. 

For Scorose, I don’t really ship it (though I don’t mind it). Like I said, I’m all for enemies to lovers or rivals to lovers, but he wasn’t even hating or anything. He was literally just being a little lover boy and was being hated on, that poor boy 😭💔 

I definitely find scorbus to be one of the more interesting next gen ships! I think it could be really complex and interesting - the dynamic of their families and how wizard of scary views mlm relationships, both of those combined with them being from two of the most well known families!

I think Scorose is really giving dramione (to me) which I’m just not a fan of personally :/ so I don’t really care for it (I find it kind of boring, tbh).

Harry and Draco as parents dealing with the publicity of their sons a) coming out and b) being in a relationship with a rivals son is much more interesting and would actually force some pretty dramatic character development imo!

I’m not sure how to word this but:

JKR writes with an extremely heterosexual view (unfortunately), so given the canon material there are few lgbtq ships that make sense to me (again, unfortunately). That being said, scorbus is definitely one of the ones that does!

[t1oui]

yet another next gen oc intro post. today’s subject: dominique’s friend group

so i found my original next gen character list with a bunch of ocs, most of which i don’t use anymore, while working on another post. while working on that post i realized i haven’t made any friends for dominique and she has no cousins in her year (with my hc ages) so i repurposed some ocs as her friends and here they are

btw when james sirius is 17 (this is what i’m basing age off of) dom js 16 and a 6th year, and so are all her friends

winter marzocchi

he/they • ravenclaw • chaser • half-blood

winter is an only child and a verrry quiet person. he’s an irish half-blood and has been flying since he was little, which made him fast friends with dom, an avid flier herself

he loves spending time in the library reading with his friends. when at home, he likes pottery and spends most of his summer break in his pottery studio.

devyn percival flint

he/him • ravenclaw • chaser • half-blood

devyn, like his father marcus flint, absolutely lives and breathes quidditch. if y’all have seen some of my past posts you know i ship marcus x penelope clearwater and devyn is the oldest of their two kids. (penny hates quidditch, but devyn followed her into ravenclaw, so she tolerates his rambling.)

devyn has a younger brother, cedric (named after cedric diggory, ofc), who’s a second year slytherin. devyn and cedric are two of percy weasley and oliver wood’s godkids.

devyn plays chaser for ravenclaw’s team and becomes captain after the current captain, aisley, graduates. he’s dating dylan and has been since 3rd year.

dylan merchant

he/him • ravenclaw • prefect • muggleborn

dylan is mr. unathletic goody two-shoes, but he loves watching quidditch more than almost anything.

dylan is technically muggleborn because neither of his parents are magical, but his mum is a squib and he grew up in her magical pureblood family.

dylan and dom were actually friends first. they met in the library and dylan dragged devyn and his naturally very extroverted personality into the group after that. winter was simply one of their dorm mates and another nerd who bonded with dylan over some history thing probably, and the rest is history.

• • •

if y’all want more oc posts i’d love to do them :) i think the ocs i have yet to introduce are:

zayne (hufflepuff quidditch captain / head boy)

aisley (ravenclaw quidditch captain)

cedric (devyn’s younger brother)

leilani (daughter that pansy & blaise co-parent)

expect their intros in the future, hope you all enjoyed this post

[krewekreep]

Introduction of Sorts + Interests

This page will really be for me to get back into writing, develop my writing and indulge myself. I’m open to requests though but ask people to definitely contextualize your Bias (person you’re requesting for—yes I’m gonna use K-pop lingo oh well) and/or the scenario cause otherwise I’d simply write for myself. Which is why I also am making this page because I’ve been on tumblr for 10 years (my main account turned ten this year) and I’m worn out of the smut fest no prose or story fics. Definitely has its place in the community but the older I get the more I need actual full blown delusion. I need scene, setting, set up, climax, denouement…and so I’ll fulfill the order myself. 🫡

My interests:

(Im a 2010s coded Tumblr user so uh, I mean I suppose Dr Who and Supernatural aren’t 😂😂😂😂lmao ew anyway (I was into supernatural I’m ewwing at you and myself) .

Too I usually am not following everything that’s mainstream (I know im so cool) so also if something isn’t listed I most likely know of it—but went no further. I also like older anime and media so if you have something super specific that feels out of place no worries. Im gonna end up writing Greek smut about Dionysus so…🤷🏾‍♀️

Anime: (I’ve seen actually too much anime to name so here’s the ones I have a bias or have an affinity for the characters)

JJK,

Chainsaw Man

Bleach

Naruto

Demon Slayer

Attack on Titan

Fate Series

Etc

Manga:

JJK

Chainsaw Man

Bleach

Attack on Titan

Spy x Family

DanDanDan

Berserk

Etc

Fave genres are horror/seinen, shoujo, and slice of life.

KPOP: (1st-mid 3rd Gen main but still aware of 4th gen pretty deeply)

I dont really want to do requests for idols but I don’t mind overall, explained further below

My fave boy groups (somewhat in order): Big Bang, Shinee, BAP, BTS (ex-army, long story**, don’t come to my page with that bullshit 💕) B1A4, IKON, EXO, 2PM, GOT7…I could go on. (I’m not gonna list them in an order but my heart can’t not include MBLAQ, Teen Top, U-Kiss, etc ugh those were the days😭)

Girl Groups (in definitive order): 2NE1, Brown Eyed Girls, F(x), Girls Generation, TWICE, 4Minute/Hyuna, Wonder Girls, Secret, After School, Global Icon (short lived), Tiny G ( VERY short lived), EXID, Ladies Code, etc.

Now 4th Gen…is cute…they got CUTE people that’s for sure. This list will be co-ed simply because I’m not feral for boy groups like I was younger. Really the boy groups don’t do it for me (4th gen overall criticism tbh) cause it’s really looks and kinda arrogant personalities I find obnoxious given y’all can’t even publicly date or be seen smoking…tone down the elitist vibe lol. But shade aside I do jam some things and have a playlist for my fave 4th gen songs so for sure no hate just a BOMBASTIC side eye sometimes. Anyway…

Stray Kids

Aespa

Lessaraffim (I’m gonna leave it like my mind spells it, enjoy)

NCT 127 (specifically them ((in reference to the units)) cause I enjoy R&B coded K-pop, they do too much Niggaboo shit (looking at Mark and Taeyong DIRECTLY in the eyes 👁️👄👁️)((BUT it’s a Soo Man thing cause him, YG, and JYP competing over who wish they were a born a Black man the most…Soo Man and JYP ✨fist fighting✨over the top spot IYKYK)

New jeans (they’re minors and if they all aren’t their def much younger than me so no requests for minors please this is for taste assessment only)

BIBI and other female soloists (Hyuna, Sunmi, Ga-in, Lee Hyori, etc)

IVE (they really got some bops tbh, this is another TWICE case of let these young women talk and sing how they naturally would…music and live performances will thank them for it)

Nobody really else I guess honorable mentions are Ateez, Fifty-fifty,

———————————————————————

*im gonna add that for Anime/Manga the double dipping means some combination of me knowing the material in both forms of media. Like Jujutsu Kaizen is an amazing example currently as of course the anime is ongoing but the manga is far ahead by a large portion of plot. So if your anime only, manga only, or something be sure to let me know so I’m not spoiling by accident. Don’t want the smut to spoil a character death or something….right? 😅

**the long story short and overall caveat of why I’ve fallen out of love for groups and K-pop are the fact that yeah as a Black person I genuinely started getting pissed off with colorism, n-word usage, appropriation, and mockery. The shit gets old and as a poor old super fan I’m happy I didn’t spend the money people do for folks who would literally refuse my hand…🫤 be fr. Likewise, the deaths of idols who were literally my biases really (of course) bothered me and took a toll on my enjoyment of the genre too. The more you love it the more you learn and that’s usually where the fun ends and now it’s numbers charts and placements. Lame 😭. I let the time I was fan be that but otherwise ? Eh I’m good I’ll bop from time to time and catch the tea but my bread in my pocket (besides my B1A4 What’s Happening and Twice Scientist albums😂)((and the other old albums I’ll get before they disappear forever or get destroyed🫠))

But yeah that’s that on that. I’ll be posting whatever ends up decent enough to be read by others. Otherwise wherever this ends up hope you drop a message🥸!

[argcicle]

7, 16, 24, choose violence ask game, dsmp :3

hell yea!! linny I always trust you to choose violence :} /lh

7: what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

boring answer, dream (his cc counts as fandom to me /gen). it’s also a little bit of canon due to the finale, but I realized before that when I found out how inhabitable 90% of his fandom is because they’re cc stans

however, for choose violence answer I’m going to say both fundy and ghostbur. I don’t really hate their characters, but I hate talking about them which is a large part of enjoying characters for me.

for fundy, he just doesn’t really get discussed outside of his comedic moments. it’s either that or a small group of people who hate him. before researching for an au (the election one we’ve discussed :]), i didn’t even realize fundy had lore besides being Wilbur’s failson /hj

for ghostbur, it’s very similar. except for discussions specifically about his dynamics with other characters, he’s mainly just an extension of tommy & rev1vebur’s arcs. I think his flaws and obsessions get lost in translation, which is frustrating because I think that concept of his happier demeanor vs how he weaponizes it in stressful moments is the most interesting part of him. this one is to a much lesser extent though, because he still gets analysis

16: you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

oh I talk about this a lot; WHOLESOME DAPDUO. I ship them, but there’s a lot of content for them that just glosses over how imbalanced the dynamic is. to me, it doesn’t feel like dapduo when they’re both so happy-go-lucky. I actually do like some wholesome stuff, but only if it’s like after a quackity redemption arc

24: topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

honestly, the debates on if phil’s a good dad. a lot of topics cause big arguments, but any time I see a phil apologist against a phil hater I expect an airstrike /j. I don’t follow his character much so I don’t have much of an opinion on it though lmao, I think he tries his hardest in the super important things but a lot still slips through the cracks and he might not realize how important they are.

[megameatboy]

I've already fucked it up.

I wanted to do a weekly blog, 1 post with 1 cocktail each week, give or take a few, and I'm already grossly behind. Oh well, too bad so sad.

Here's our first cocktail of the new year, the classic Martini. For better or worse (worse), alcohol has had a presence in most of my life in someway or another. But no matter the form its never been a topic where I've been particularly knowledgeable. I can remember the first time I got drunk, crying with my mom watching the Bruins win the Stanley Cup for the first time in our lifetimes. The memories are sweet but the beer was piss. My first good beer came 2 years later at a New Years Eve party. Earlier that same night I got rear ended at a red light. I got out to check the damage, saw none, and told the guy to have a good new year and took off. He seemed relieved. I had already been in 3 accidents since starting my driving career and this was the only one that wasn’t anxiety inducing. This will be a theme through all of my writing: fuck cops. They make every situation worse, including fender benders. Anyways, that firsdt good beer was bad, some stout from some country, but the memory was delicious. I pretended to like it. I think if I had it now I actually would. It mirrored a lot of my life, faking to enjoy things to enjoy the company of people who enjoyed the things I wish I could. I guess it worked, but I still find myself so often pretending to like things to...what? Seem cool, likeable, sociable, knowledgeable, smart, worldly, know-it-all, educated? Anything but the truth; I don't know.

So fuck not knowing. I want to learn shit. I want to be able to speak about something in my own words without pretending to already know. My first cocktail was something fruity from an Asian fusion place. I don't remember what it was. I don’t remember most cocktails I've had. Beer is easy. Wine likes to look complex. But cocktails have ingredients, variations, names that blend in my head with wrestling moves I already have so much trouble keeping straight in my head. If not ignored they defaulted into "make me something delicious". Which happened most of the time, but I could never tell you what was pounding the heck out of my liver. Through cultural osmosis I learned some names, liquors, drinks, terminology, but never mashed it all together into a weekly word vomit blog. Blogging was dead before I ever got a chance to really engage with it, so in true millennial fashion let's dive into a dead medium as our social media infrastructure crumbles around us faster than our actual infrastructure.

#01: The Classic Martini

Brooklyn Gin + Ransom Dry Vermouth

Couldn't tell you why I picked the brands I did. I never by the cheapest, or the most expensive thing. I'm sure this is some desperate yearning for the stability of being middle class. Or maybe saying that is. Or maybe writing cocktail review blogs is. Or, the classic martini itself is the embodiment of the yearning for middle class.

I don't think rich people drink this.

Maybe in the real life version of Mad Men, but not in *current year*. You can taste the lingering misery on your lips. The yearning for the idea of being well off. The fantasy of being James Bond saying "shaken, not stirred". Which, yes, this martini was shaken, not stirred. Now I know I'm painting a rich picture. James Bond and Mad Men are black tie affairs. But, the martini isn’t Bond and Hamm, its the wanting to be them that is the middle class desire where the martini is crafted and consumed. It's the memory of a more sophisticated desire. It's the overweight white boomer or gen x-er watching their favorite old spy movie avoiding their incoming divorce. With a stronger taste of lemon than you'd think.

My ex hated gin. My best friend wanted to take us to a new gin distillery than opened near her place. She was probably faking having a good time. The first time she got pissed drunk and vomiting (we all have our first) was after gin. She said the smell of Christmas trees made her sick sometimes. I love that smell. I tried at least 3 different types of craft gin. They only tasted like Christmas trees a tiny bit. It was disappointing. Brooklyn Gin however doesn't taste like a Christmas tree at all, which I think is really just my palate finally maturing 8 years later. I find it smoother than expected, I know what juniper is now from my job, and I like it a lot here. I took a look at some other reviews and some people can't taste lemon notes at all. I feel bad for them. Paired in a 5:1 ratio with the Ransom Dry Vermouth was good choice. I have no reference to go on here, Maybe next year I will. But the smell, "aromatics" of the vermouth were really nice, and while maybe not lemon specifically, it definitely had a citrus note that blended really well together. To be honest I made 2. One simple, nothing added. The second I added an olive. Its thee staple garnish of the classic martini. But there is no way I'm making my way through an entire jar of olives in any amount of time in my life. I substituted for a large garlic olive from the grocery store olive bar. It was 45cents. I didn't anticipate how much of a kick the sweat of the garlic shaken into that martini would be. It took the smooth but to be honest, ancient flavor of the martini, the dream for adventure from a dented leather sofa, and kicked it in the ass off the couch and made you want to grab it.

Already I've fucked it up. I wanted to embrace a simple cocktail and review it, and I'm already altering it, trying to make it weird. I guess I can't help it. Scorpion and nature and that whole thing.

Conclusion: The Classic Martini: The flavor of the fantasy of wanting for more. Recommendation: Garnish with flavorful olive. Rating: I would drink it when handed at a party I'm not fancy enough for.

On deck: Lemon Drop Martini