#I dunno. whatever it is it makes criticism hard.

[bizarre-bullshit]

desire to make ask blog for or show off OC vs the fear people are gonna think I'm fetishmining

[seventh-district]

again and again i find myself lamenting that audio roleplay isn't taken more seriously by some people. like yeah, they often have a romantic element, and by nature they usually directly involve/address the listener- and i totally get that those things aren't to everyone's taste. no art or entertainment is universally appealing, and that's okay! but.. it still makes me a lil sad that the "cringe" reputation of asmr/audio rp precedes it. there's a whole lot of talent and creativity being poured into these audios by so many people that i feel goes unrecognized and/or disrespected simply due to the medium that the stories are being told through.

[ihavenothingtodo10220]

Jeong Jungkook NSFW reading

Quick PSA: I'm still going to do all the requests, this post is just kind of a test drive for a new format I want to try since the other really isn't doing it for me. So, yeah. Usual disclaimers to be added.

Position Overview

Many people say Jungkook gives off submissive and breedable boyfriend vibes from his chart, but with Jungkook's Libra Venus being a Cardinal Sign, he likes to be in a position of power in the relationship, or at least likes some kind of aspect of power play. And then with his Scorpio Mars, he definitely likes things to be done his way, playing more into the position of power thing. And then his Virgo Lilith definitely gives me the vibes that he's very playful in all aspects, including the bedroom. Though he's hard to hold onto, and with his heavy Virgo influences in general, leads me to leave he may have some fuckboy tendencies. Playful and hard to hold onto? I dunno.

His Virgo Sun definitely makes it so he'd try anything once, but if he doesn't like it he'll be very vocal about that. He'll also be brutally honest and critical, even in bed. Definitely vocal about thoughts and opinions even if balls deep in you. (Or the other way around who knows? Not me.) But he'll also tell you his needs, how you're doing, etc., etc. He also needs to make sure things are clean and you're clean. In more ways than one. I'm talking he needs to make sure you have recent tests for STDs before even TOUCHING you.

Heavy on his Scorpio Mars, as that indicates he'll have a high sex drive. Most definitely rearing to go almost always, and insatiable in a way though not as much as an Aries Mars would be. Has a lot of intensity and depth sexually. Definitely enjoys power and wants to break a lot of taboos. He's probably willing to do almost anything and enjoys full-body pleasures. On the flip side, he may show his need for control by being unavailable and just not having sex at all for long periods, definitely making you beg for it and giving in only when he thinks you deserve it. Whatever his nature, he will have a way that promises commitment and intensity in bed. He'll be provocative but private, and most definitely will never kiss and tell. Sex is intimate and personal for him, but his fantasies are full-ranging. Out of this world.

With his Libra Venus, he takes a lot of care to please his partners. He needs to make sure he's getting everything right, and giving just as much as he takes despite enjoying servicing you. Definitely into role-play, and most definitely likes learning and improving in the bedroom. Learning new things, changing, and growing sexually? Count him in. He'll definitely be very very picky and particular when it comes to the mood during sex.

Now, he has a Gemini Eros. Very very sexually. He likes to be knowledgeable in sexual matters and is probably turned on by words in all forms, whether written or spoken. Definitely writes letters to the person he's with, and is definitely a fan of sexting and phone sex. Because it is difficult for him to turn his mind off even sex, there is a voyeur within him during sexual expression, and it may be difficult for him to let go. Definitely enjoys talking, and being talked to, during sex. He puts a lot of weight into communications. Definitely a fan of full communication and very clear boundaries and consent during sex. Consent is sexy, especially with him.

So, with his Libra Venus, definitely likes asses. I'm talking about spanking, just squeezing the ass, etc., etc. Asses are the Libra erogenous zone. And with Scorpio? Literally everywhere on his body is sensitive and ripe for the taking. A few touches and caresses here and there will definitely get him going. And then his Virgo Stellium makes his torso especially sensitive. Especially his stomach and waistline. And then his fucking Gemini Eros means he also is sensitive at the arms. Kind of like light touches. Ghosting your fingers up and down his arms is a sure fire way to pique his interest.

His Virgo Mercury definitely means he's very focused in bed. Also very efficient and methodical when it comes to communication with his partner when it comes to sex. Always saying things like "Is this good for you, baby?" "Does this feel good?" "Keep going, just like that..." Essentially, he's going to communicate very straightforwardly, very bluntly, and very efficiently. He's going to make his opinions known, and he's not going to sugar-coat SHIT.

With his Aquarius Jupiter, he definitely can detach when it comes to sex, even though he'd prefer a strong emotional attachment. He can also view sex as a way to help build that emotional relationship and intimacy with someone. In relationships, he will also be prone to using sex as a way to communicate. Having problems? Sex. Basically, expect a lot of makeup sex, angry sex (From arguments), etc., etc.

With his Saturn in Aries I definitely see a lot of impatience. Now, not to say he would just breeze through foreplay and get down and dirty as soon as possible like an Aries Mars would, but that he want to at least start foreplay as soon as possible. Definitely can be very whiney because of it when mixed with his other aspects. This also makes him the type to take risks, especially in the bedroom. Do with that what you will.

House Placements

So, the eighth house represents emotional bonding and intimacy sexually. With his sun and moon in the eighth house, and his sun representing his core personality, sense of self, basic preferences, romantic compatibility, and just in general how he goes about the world, and his sun being in Virgo, this can mean he needs to know people on a much deeper level to be able to be with them sexually. He needs knowledge on them, so definitely more he wouldn't have flings but would have casual friends with benefits. There also needs to be a level of care. His Virgo moon in the eighth house confirms it. There need to be deep, intense emotions in that bond. Also, someone he can understand well.

Aspects

So, with his moon octile Venus he definitely needs a lot of communication, and will both be very vocal and would like a very vocal partner. He also needs someone he's comfortable with. Though...I also feel his purely sexual relationships are superficial and to boost self-esteem, even if he still needs that intimacy in them.

With his Mercury Novile Venus, he's very charming and courteous, including in bed. Definitely still the type to shower you in praise in bed, charm the pants off you and they're already on the damn floor. He also makes sure you're enjoying it too. Especially because it's a Libra Venus and Virgo Mercury. If it's good you'll sure as hell know it's good.

So he has a Venus semi-sextile Venus. Definitely need to watch out for sexual manipulation. What's the masculine version of Femme Fatale? Homme Fatale? THE POINT IS. Just...Watch out. Preferably.

With his Mars sextile Sun, he's definitely into any type of position or opportunity to show off how strong he is. Fucking you while standing? Thigh riding? Fucking you nice and hard? That's that good shit. He's also very competitive so he will MAKE SURE it's good for you. And if it's not? Well, he'll amp it up times one hundred. He's definitely got good stamina, meaning he can go for A WHILE. He also is good at controlling his desires, surprisingly. Mostly because his outwardness and his sexual desires are connected.

And then there's the Mars square Jupiter...Mars square Jupiter natal supplies strength, enthusiasm, courage, and sexual attraction. But he needs an outlet for this high energy. Usually, in the manner of fucking and fucking and fucking. Otherwise, restlessness can build up into aggressive, impulsive, or risky actions. But. this also needs to be safe, with a balance between caution and bravado. Definitely good in bed, I'll tell you that much.

Mercury sextile mars...Mmmm...How do I put this? He's...Fast. Fast as in, fucking jackhammering into you with the speed of the fucking flash and the strength of a battering ram from his other aspects. Definitely feisty. He'll have a fucking TONGUE on him let me tell you. He loves praise, but he'll sure as hell mix in some degradation in there because he can't not. Also seems the type to bully the hell out of you if it's not good. So there's that. Like absolutely demolish you verbally.

Moon conjunct Mercury definitely leads me to believe he's the type who can fall harder for someone during sex. Though again, he wouldn't have sex with someone he doesn't already have an existing emotional attachment to.

With his Sun conjunct Moon, again he has a lot of charisma. But he also has expectations that are high as hell, which is amplified by his Virgo stellium. Definitely expects the most from you in all aspects, including in the bedroom. The sex better be GOOD AS HELL or it won't meet his expectations.

Sun conjunct Mercury AGAIN makes him more dominant. Naturally wants to lead. Also very good with dirty talk, once again.

[chaifootsteps]

i agree with the statement of, "we shouldn't judge creative leads who are later revealed to be bad people based on their work because its unproductive and there usually is no secret messages that reveal they were terrible the whole time and everyone was too stupid to see it except for the Smartest Bestest critical analysis enjoyers who don't trust any piece of media ever if it has even slightly problematic elements, regardless of the execution or the fact that fiction is a playground meant to explore interesting and darker topics in any way you want,"

but i feel guilty becaus i also genuinely believe there's exceptions for this rule. the guy who made the room is the first one that comes to mind, but only because his depiction of women has been compared to stella in helluva boss, which leads me to the other exception in my eyes; vivziepop.

am i crazy for thinking that though? i just feel like part of why i can never take any charitable analyzing of either series seriously is because they're unaware of what kind of person she is and even if they can still come to a conclusion of, "viv has a problem writing women, abuse, coherent plotlines, foreshadowing and rape," they never seem to wonder WHY that is. it makes me feel like an insane conspiracy theorist when the way i sincerely feel is that viv just writes whatever she wants with no care of how the trials of time will age with it and no care besides indulgence and projecting whatever message she needs viewers to think about her characters so she can sell the most merch of them, thus leading to demons in hell never being allowed to be bad people or being the worst people ever thatre also loved by the writers to a ridiculous degree, without a speck of nuance or maturity in the narrative unless you squint hard with your rose tinted headcanon glasses and copium huffings that inspires statements of, "well, she'll probably address these things and make them better in the next season!"

do you get what i mean? or am i going too far down this rabbit hole? i just want people to open their eyes to this stuff when they notice these patterns, but i feel like it'll never happen until these shows end and NDAs expire so people behind the scenes making her half baked vision a reality with their actual talent go, "yeah she was bullshitting everything on the spot and just wanted to pretend she had broadway besties so that's why these shows suck lol" but i dunno if that'll even happen either. (and im not just talking jane, i mean people like sam and skye and brandon or even the expensive VAs themselves, although the last ones last likely since they gain nothing and arguably lose more by speaking out since they have successful actually professional careers they've worked their asses off for,)

Oh no, shitty people seeding their foulness throughout their works is definitely a thing. It's just when people go retroactively and say "It's obvious they were bad all along because they wrote X, Y, and Z." Because it's perfectly possible to write X, Y, and Z and be lovely in real life.

In Viv's case, she's not a bad person because she writes certain things...she's just a bad person in general and it comes through in the way she writes.

[phantominzie]

chat, chat did he actually pull up w/ this one?!

I've been making many a post lately about the downfall of the characters in recent episodes, but on this one he actually showed us that he's still in touch with these characters. Janus was faaaar less 'wine aunt' and has shown more of what he was originally which was shifty, and honestly a bit of a bitch but whatevs. Virgil was actually super close to his original ways where he's not over the top emo and cringey, but reasonable and funny when it calls for it. Roman, Logan, Patton and Remus were all incredibly funny in this!!

This is a good sign, because it shows that he understands his characters again. There was a dark period where the sides were all warped into their fandom personas (Janus + Logan being wine aunts, Virgil being over the top emo, etc.). If he keeps up with this, and continues to work on de-fandoming them and returning them to their original glory then by the season finale next year (or this year? it's unclear HOOLY SHIT THAT RHYMED) they'll be their true selves.

I dunno, maybe this was hard to make sense of, but TLDR: This video might prove that we're reaching the light in the tunnel, and that Thomas is listening to criticism and trying to de-fandom the sides

[fanganfessions]

I personally don't like Project Eden's Garden, and I feel like it's trying far too hard to not be Dangan Ronpa to the point that it seems frankly embarassed about having any association with it from its writing and its consistent attempts to try and subvert DR writing, from the characters to even the execution we've seen (that IMO, lacks the kind of "style" canon executions have in an attempt to be far more brutal and drawn out without anything actually interesting to it in an aesthetic sense. It feels gory for the sake of being gory, even moreso than another execution I'd criticize like V3-2) and like it's trying too hard to subvert the series it's inspired by to the point it genuinely doesn't feel all that fun to engage with.

Things like the idea of a character presenting themselves as an "Ultimate Liar" just feel, for lack of a better word, fanfiction-y. A lot of the actual meat of the project feels amateurish to me, likely a result of the project changing hands due to the fallout between the old director and the original writers parting ways due to abuse 3 years ago or so, like old plot points were left behind and people tried to make them work rather than scraping things that I personally think go against his attempts to make its characters more grounded or realistic.

I don't enjoy any of the characters as they are and feel no attachment towards them or their designs, and I think the decision to replace the mascot with a guy in a mask was a poor one in a somewhat misguided attempt to make the game feel more, I dunno, mature? But to me it just comes off as another attempt to distance itself from DR, which the game fails at anyway because the twist of "characters who seem important both die chapter one" is very much a DR-esque move, for example.

There's a lot I could get into, and these are just mismanaged thoughts, but I feel like the project lacks style and any affection for the original series, and also comes off as exceedingly pretentious at times. (I personally hate the orchestral soundtrack, and I feel like something like "here's a real life orchestral composition of our theme" feels a lot like showing off at that point) I also just don't see the project being sustainable, especially with the prediction of it taking another two years for the second chapter.

All in all, though, I just can't enjoy it personally because it comes off as a very generic Fangan dressed up with high production value that people aren't willing to criticize both for fear of being attacked by an honestly rabid fanbase, and because it's definitely the big kid on the block and it can be hard to criticize a fan project being done for free. I just find it to be, well, not that good, and unworthy of the massive amounts of praise it's been receiving, but I'm biased to finding it kind of irritating due to my own personal tastes and the large amounts of praise its been receiving I personally disagree with.

But beyond that, it just feels like it doesn't want to be Dangan Ronpa, and maybe it shouldn't be, and its attempts to distance itself from it while still being clearly derivative of it (SHSL talents, the artstyle, the format) come off as more irritating to me than anything. I just don't think it's that good or the second coming of Dangan Christ or whatever, and it falls into the same trappings I'd criticize pretty much every other Fangan, and even the official series for, but it sticks out even more due to how desperate it is to be not Dangan Ronpa, or more than just Dangan Ronpa. This one just has more budget.

⠀

[alaskan-wallflower]

I really do hope that more evidence is coming forward soon because I do admit, the fact that both Brody and Trevor are out for the week does seem sketchy. But so does the way that all of these allegations came out. It only seems to be talked about on Instagram and Reddit and nowhere else.

that’s what i’m saying-all of this is so sketchy. maybe it’s inconvenient timing? but there’s so many things wrong with this that point me to believe it isn’t true

First off there’s so many inconsistencies within the posts. Nobody has shown any actual proof other than someone claiming they know where Brody went to college. But since I’m a bit of an ‘I need evidence’ kind of person, I figured I’d check it out. They claim he went to UF but I found nothing about him going to UF online. Second, why is it JUST Brody they’re going after? They’re claiming the cast is “full of r*pists” but they aren’t focused on anyone but Brody.

Second, you think that there would be a news outlet talking about this. I mean, rape allegations are serious and should be handled as such. So it’s weird that Instagram is the first place this all came out. The night after the Tony’s nonetheless. There was no concrete proof either. This chick just said that she ‘knew it and that everyone else did too’ when she was contacted by the actual musical themselves (at one of the producers at least)

Third off is the accuser’s response to any form of criticism. Normally in a case like this, it would make sense to show evidence when faced with criticism and skepticism and be like ‘okay, yes, this is why this happened’ and instead she doubled down and said shit like ‘oh where’s your address so I can mail you a clown suit’ and ‘everyone knows it’ without proving anything.

Fourthly Angelina Jolie is the producer of this. She stands with victims and is fairly open about it. If there was even an inkling that Brody did this don’t you think she’d fire him on the spot? There are also claims of police involvement and investigation but I’ve found no such thing. The original accuser fails to provide sourcing-which is also suspicious. You’d think she’d provide sourcing on where she gets her information but she doesn’t. You’d think she would have solid concrete evidence rather than just doubling down and saying ‘that’s what happened’. That’s the kind of shit you do when like-your sibling hits you and they’re lying about it by saying ‘oh it happened everyone knows it’ without providing solid evidence.

Fifthly, there was another post that the cast was talking about how they were gonna win best musical and everyone else could leave-you saw the video of Brody ripping his shirt off and speed changing into his tux for the Best Actor Award. There was no way he had any involvement in that at least. And secondly, I seriously don’t think any of them had time for that. I really don’t.

Sixthly, I met some of the cast when I went. They were all super nice and when they saw me with my cane they asked me if they could do the face touching thing and were perfectly okay when I said no. And from what I’ve heard Brody is like that too and asks for consent before touching a fan. Heard this from a few people.

It’s really suspicious that this all only comes to light after they won best musical. It’s more suspicious that they’re only going after Brody and nobody else. They say the cast is full of r*pists but then refuse to provide names other than Brody Grant. And there were people that were super pissed that Suffs and Hell’s kitchen didn’t win the Best Musical Award. So it could be plausible that people are trying to take them down for whatever reason. Maybe because they’re men and won. I dunno.

I’m of course not saying it didn’t happen. I was SA’ed when I was younger by my late grandfather. I know how hard it is to want to come forward about these things. But it’s extremely sketchy the way these things played out. I do admit that Brody taking a step back is awfully suspicious too. But I don’t have insight on that and I don’t feel like stalking this poor man’s whereabouts. He could be taking a break-I mean, it’s been a few months. He could be on vacation. Who knows? And there have been many, many times that people have lied about rape for clout. Like the Kwite situation a few years back. Now am I saying this didn’t happen? No. No Im not. Am I saying this is extraordinarily sketchy and that there’s no solid evidence this girl provided? Yes. Yes I am.

I’m not saying anyone did or didn’t do anything until it’s been proven by an actual news source and not some girl on IG. But if these allegations are true, of course I hope Brody gets fired and serves prison time for what he’s done. If not, I hope her IG account gets taken down and she serves time. Accusing an innocent person of r*pe should be just as illegal as the crime they’re being accused of. That could ruin someone’s whole life.

This whole thing is sketchy. That’s where I’ll leave it.

[EDIT] I’ve been looking into it. It’s not uncommon for actors to take breaks after the Tony Awards. I don’t blame him for taking a break. I can’t say much about Trevor though. Apparently Shoshana Bean is taking a break too.

[ohbo-ohno]

About ghoap x reader, I dunno if you'll understand where I'm coming from, but I find it hard to imagine their relationship functioning in any capacity if reader DOESNT like Johny. Or if she likes Simon more than Johny. Like at first maybe Simon will be a bit chuffed, get that kick of control of superiority, but if reader doesn't quickly show interest of liking Johny, or an inclination, than Simon will start taking it personally?

Like what do you mean you don't like Johny? Look at him, he's sweet, he's obedient (sometimes) and he's just... Lovable. What do you MEAN you DONT like him? What is wrong with you?? And I think if you insist, or simply don't click with Johny, you start to slowly lose value in Simon's eyes. Like someone being unappreciative of his pups presence is an offence.

Doesn't matter if you like Simon, if you can't accept both of them, then maybe you don't have a place here. I think of Simon as a logical man, and even if he does like you, whatever initial thoughts he has on you will quickly depend on if you try to obey, get along, and fit in.

You can lead a horse to water, or whatever the saying was. Basically, if he finds more and more that it's an effort to make you want to obey, he'll just get rid of you. Like even Johny at his worst, always disobeying and making Simon have grey hairs, at least WANTS to try to be good, always has that need/want to obey, even if he fails sometimes.

And I think if you don't try, or take for granted that you're gonna stay here with that attitude, he just. Realizes that you aren't it. Gets rid of you and tries again. Maybe he dumps you back into civilization or kills you, who knows. But he simply cleans his hands of you.

Maybe he tries to find someone else, looking much MUCH more carefully for his requirements. Maybe he doesn't, at least for a while. Poor Johny is heartbroken that you didn't like him, that you didn't want to be around him. He tried so HARD, and that's the thanks Simon's boy gets? Absolutely unnaceptable.

He takes the time to console Johny, build him back up again after the incident, and maybe it takes time, Simon questions if they need to try again. This time, he'll be more meticulous, have a longer vetting process, and have to make sure they to put in effort for the both of them.

Probably do some private training before meeting Johny, so they have good behavior, don't hurt his poor puppy's fragile heart. They're not told they have to get along with Johny, otherwise they might try to fake it, but if they don't like him Simon makes sure they don't stick around long enough for his boy to get too attached. It's a trial and error sort of thing, but Simon hopes to find the One in the first few attempts- he likes Johny in physical pain, never emotional one, at least not like that. He won't make that mistake again.

Feel free to ignore my ramblings it is 3:03 am where I'm from I should be asleep deer god. I think when I see so much x reader fics, as much as I love them, my mind tries to go in a more cruel direction to fit into the perspective of who the characters are to me.

I LOVE ghoap x reader, or just ghoap in general, but my kind has a way of thinking of Simon as a control freak who doesn't succombé to his emotions quickly. It took him time to even like soap as a friend, much less as his dog. Even if he likes reader, he only did this because he loves Johny and the pup needs a new friend.

Johny is more emotional I guess, maybe less so than he portrays to Simon (he wants to be the man's good boy, and if he has to bark and wag his literal tail, or make dog noises in public, he'll do it) but definitely a bit more than normal people. Definitely the type to have crushes or fall in love fast. Maybe that's how Simon got the first reader: Johny liked her, Simon naively thought that that was enough to choose her.

But his boy is the type to hump anything with a pulse (and even that's optional) so maybe he should have been more patient, more critical.

Anyways I'm gonna collapse after this gosh does this thing not have a word counter? Anyways bye bye my love *kisses your forehead consensually I hope*

"It took him time to even like soap as a friend, much less as his dog." has left me dead on the floor

btw you might like The Price to be Paid! it's a ghoap x reader where ghost puts a looooot of effort into picking who he's going to kidnap for Johnny, and istg parts of it feel like they were plucked right from my subconscious, the author has a perfect grip on ghost as a character (imo)

in general, i think you are completely and totally 100% right. the only caveat i have is in a kidnapping fic it might take ghost a bit to figure the difference between "she hates us because we kidnapped her" and "she just hates us because we suck" lmfao but! overall i think you're totally right, that man won't talk to anyone who doesn't like his favorite boy

[familyabolisher]

hi! im new to theory, as in (imo) hard, non-fiction books. when reading some, i realise I lose track of the points inside the book, so recently I have been (attempting) to make notes. however, im a complete amateur, and I don't know exactly how to. back in school, i used to just skim these type of books finding whatever was 'useful' ie. relevant to my assignment/essay/class discussion and would simply dismiss the rest. i dunno if it's just me but I feel like these books are overwhelmingly packed with information - and useful information at that! do you have any tips to organise points mentioned in these books without getting bogged down on details/focus shifting on one line of thinking? if not, it's completely fine. love your blog, and have a great day!

hey! i actually think the best thing you can do is to keep taking notes as you go, because in my experience that's the best way to keep track of information and the best way to identify discrepancies in the text. obviously this can make reading nonfiction a bit of a slog, but ime it's a lot better to have a thorough critical position on a handful of texts than to have skim-read and half-absorbed a lot of them; if you're reading in around the same subject area, it's also pretty likely that you'll gain greater familiarity with texts/scholars/arguments/points of reference over time, such that you won't need to keep writing down Every Little Thing.

i find that the best way to take notes is to identify the key argument(s) in a particular section and to break down the evidence being used to substantiate those arguments. so my notes often look something like:

[ARGUMENT]

sub-argument/supporting evidence

sub-argument/supporting evidence

sub-argument/supporting evidence

and so on. kind of like trying to reverse-engineer the essay/chapter plan that the author was working with.

imo, if you're just looking to get the gist of an argument, it's actually fine to just read the introduction and conclusion to a text. obviously this is not always the case, and if you're looking to seriously posit a position on one particular text then you ought to read the whole thing, but there's a lot of theoretical work which tends to set out the significant points of its argument(s) in the intro + conclusion and use the main body of text for detailing examples + evidence. in my experience, the best subject to get away with this in is lit theory - a lot of the central body of lit theory will be detailing application of the theoretical framework laid out at the start, which, whilst obviously helpful (in the same way that all explanatory/evidentiary content is obviously helpful), probably won't do much for you beyond giving you a greater sense of how applicable the theoretical framework in question actually is.

another way to make the process a little easier + more engaging for you could be to think about the sorts of questions you want to ask about the text in question. some of those could be:

what are my expectations for this text? what do i already know about this subject matter & the scholarship surrounding it, and how might i expect this text to respond to that?

what key things do i think a text of this nature must identify in order for me to consider it credible?

what am i looking to get out of this text? what am i interested in? what am i hoping it might clarify?

i think approaching nonfiction with a significant sense of a) what you might expect it to argue (and of course, a willingness to be proven wrong) and b) what you want to get out of it can be helpful in identifying which parts of it you want to prioritise. imo, it's better to think of nonfiction/theory texts as something you are engaging with to the ends of formulating a critical response, rather than a wall of information that you have to take in. hopefully this kind of approach lets you circumvent that concern about focus shifting - it still requires that you look at and think about everything, but the way in which you think about it & the material you deem helpful in articulating the response to the text ought to change a little.

i completely feel you though lol i find it incredibly difficult to keep track of information + arguments if i don't write it all down and i still don't 100% trust my opinions on nonfiction texts after the fact if i don't think i was thorough enough with my reading. i tried to read a physical copy of g. aloysius' nationalism without a nation in india the other month & whilst it was clearly so helpful & so thorough, i had to give up because i couldn't find a pdf online and i can't really take notes from physical copies. it's annoying but, like. it works!

[sparxaf]

Tried S9 or whatever

I didn't want to play. I just wanted to see what the MC options were because it's fun to build an MC. So I built this one with kind of stupid space bun hair because all the hair is stupid and looks wrong, like the volume of the hair is too small for the size of the head and the head looks too small for the width of the shoulders. And oh my god why did the locs look so bad? Fusebox has done locs successfully before, so I know they know how! What even is this? Every season it gets worse and worse with them paywalling all the protective hair options, and then having the audacity to give so little fucks about making them look decent (I will admit, I liked the mermaid braids last season though). As a woman of color it's just infuriating. But yeah, after building an MC that I liked, it was 92 gems. 92. If you buy the 140 gem package in the US for $9.99, that means it would cost $6.56 before the game even started. What? Just to be pied off by characters I never liked to start with? I shut the game down without buying a single thing or even making it past the creation process. I can spend less on an overpriced tea latte from Starbucks that will give me much more joy.

I know I say I'm done every season and then I get sucked in because my fandom friends beg me to play, but I really do think I might be done with this one. I'm just beyond uninterested. Their bait and switch "All-Stars" BS already set my teeth on edge, and I hate the "stars" they've brought back. I've seen the possible list of returning characters and there isn't a single one I care enough about to entice me to play. I love Marshall but if he comes back as a host, I don't care. It won't be canon to me. And if he comes back as a returning islander, I don't care because it won't be canon to me. There is such a fundamental disconnect in Fusebox's understanding of what people want. I'm just fucking tired. The seasons are coming so fast and furious that the fandom can't even get on its feet and enjoy what happened. I keep having to go back to the fandom wiki to even remember what happened in the previous seasons because they're just blurring together in my mind. There's no time to discuss it or theorize or come up with fun fanon. To make mood boards and character boards dedicated to what kind of house they'd live in. There's no time to craft a long fic for the season that just ended unless you start it at the beginning of the season before events even happen. It's just sucked out all the joy. Which maybe, might be the point? Throw them at us so fast, we play hard, and don't have time to think about it or criticize it or come up with ways to make it better. Consume it like a rice cake. Flavorless and forgettable. And I say this as someone who actually rather enjoyed last season, until it got stupid repetitive, with what felt like zero branching.

I dunno. I'm just not having fun. For those who are having a good time, or at least enjoying the chaos and train wreckage, I'm so glad. I look forward to hearing about it because I know I will 😆 For me, I'm gonna be focusing more on finishing TSIME and then working on some original fiction. And maybe some Romance Club fanfic, if the mood strikes me. Because the world building, branching, storytelling, and sexy love interests (even when I hate them) are delicious and immersive. NGL it's expensive, but RC is more generous with their gem rushes and tea parties and whatnot so I don't feel ripped off.

I mean look at this man. If I have to spend my hard earned money on something other than tea lattes from Starbucks, I'm spending it on him.

[theneighborhoodwatch]

002 - Popstar, Franklydear and whatever we call what Wally and Home have going on

(send me a character/ship to hear my thoughts)

i've gotten Multiple asks about all of these pairings, so let's not waste anymore time. under the cut bc unsurprisingly this got Long.

POPSTAR

when or if I started shipping it: i think it first Really started with this pokemon AU post clown made talking about what he thought they'd be up to in that universe... the language he uses in that post really caught my eye, and it just kinda snowballed from there, especially as canon started picking up and we saw more of them interacting 1-on-1.

my thoughts: i feel like we don't really get a lot of yuri in this specific Type of horror (i.e. cute thing is secretly fucked up), at least not in the west. i think that's a crying shame, but i believe popstar has the potential to truly open the floodgates. unless i'm forgetting herstory - idk i feel like there's definitely some rpgmaker game out there that'll prove me wrong but you know what i mean. more mascot horror yuri NOW.

What makes me happy about them: i think it's super cute that they both kinda geek out whenever one of them asks the other for help, like they're being asked by this big huge celebrity and not, like. their literal next door neighbor lol. sally in particular - as bullheaded as she is, her insistence on trying to put poppy in the spotlight more often isn't because she thinks poppy is untalented and needs to train up, but because she genuinely thinks poppy is Just That Stunning And Talented And Beautiful, and doesn't want that to go to waste. nepotism has never looked so romantic <3

What makes me sad about them: sally seems to enlist poppy's help Way more than poppy does sally's, and while sally clearly Wants to take poppy seriously, she has a hard time not immediately brushing off other's concerns in general because She's An Auteur, Dammit, She Knows What She's Talking About. it does make me very worried for poppy! i think things between them are gonna get Way worse before they get better lol. not dysfunctional enough to be toxic yuri but certainly painful enough that it will Get Me when it happens.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: THAT NOBODY WRITES IT

Things I look for in fanfic: MORE OF IT

My kinks: again, serious in-depth answers go on the nsfw blog only. i will say i think they're definitely those people who keep trying to set up roleplay scenes only to get distracted by trying to figure out the technical aspects and/or getting so in-character that they forgot what the end goal was.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: poppy partridge if you read this im free on Thursday night and would like to hang out. Please respond to this and then hang out with me on Thursday night when I’m free.

My happily ever after for them: after a series of trials and tribulations, complete with at least one breakup arc, the two of them reconcile in an appropriately dramatic apology-that-looks-suspiciously-like-a-marriage-proposal scene. i don't really know what happens after that. i was going to say they go on to become lesbian statler and waldorf, but i think they would both be too invested in trying to give actual constructive criticism, so maybe they just mst3k it instead.

FRANKLYDEAR

when or if I started shipping it: i dunno! i don't remember ever being opposed to the ship, but there was definitely a period of time where my approach to it was more "hmmm i wonder what this ship being canon means for welcome home's Themes" and less "ough fuck they make me so sick," as opposed to the current day where it's a pretty even mix of both.

my thoughts: god what haven't i said about them. i think i peaked with this post. i don't think anything i say can summarize the appeal of their relationship to me more succinctly than that.

What makes me happy about them: when it comes to eddie, frank is like. frank is so fucking funny bc he seems to be under the impression that he's being subtle. yeah get mad whenever anyone who isn't you makes fun of that beautiful big breasted mailman to the point where you'll even defend his honor in the merch advertisements and also when you Do make fun of him be sure to be gentler than you would be with almost anyone else but also don't let up entirely bc then you won't get to see him be adorably flustered and also enforce a surname-only basis with him so people don't think you're getting too chummy but ALSO drop the surname-only basis whenever he seems genuinely upset to let him know that you're worried about him and want to help. and also do this in front of everyone at a holiday party. nobody will suspect a thing. and the best part is that IT WORKS ON EDDIE. EDDIE ALSO THINKS FRANK IS COOL AND TRUSTWORTHY AND RELIABLE ENOUGH THAT HE AUDIBLY/VISIBLY RELAXES WHENEVER FRANK ENTERS A SCENE.

What makes me sad about them: EDDIE'S ASS IS NOT PREPARED FOR THE DAY THAT IT'LL BE FRANK IN THE PROVERBIAL LOVESEAT OF TORMENT. arguably neither is frank but like given how eddie saw frank at the end of the homewarming special? it's going to FUCK him up.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: when i click on the eddie dear/frank frankly tag. and i filter out all mentions of wally darling. i should not still be seeing wally darling. do u understand. get that little yellow cunt OUT of here!!!!!!!

Things I look for in fanfic: pre-established relationship hurt/comfort or angst. i realize i may be alone in my interpretation of franklydear as not being Together together yet, but i am stubborn.

My kinks: i wonder how many times i can say "ask for my nsfw blog" without it getting old.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: GOOD QUESTION. i don't think either of them would particularly struggle to find a partner if they didn't end up with each other, but i also can't see either of them being attracted to any of their other neighbors.

My happily ever after for them: these two images specifically. in general they should get to be huge cornballs for at least a little while should they successfully endure The Horrors.

HOME AND WALLY. HOMEWALLY? WALLYHOME? WHO KNOWS.

when or if I started shipping it: an old friend of mine made a joke about it once in 2022, waaaay before there was any like, huge fandom presence outside of a few scant discord servers. i thought about it too hard and now i'm here.

my thoughts: romantically or not, THEY ARE SOOOOO DOOMED, DUDE. THEY ARE SO FUCKING DOOMED. and i don't mean, like, "yeah they have some stuff that makes their current relationship less than ideal but i'm sure they can work things out ^-^" no i mean DOOMED. there's only one way this relationship can end and it is in BLOOD and TEARS. and i will be there with a tissue box and a big ol' bucket of popcorn. i've written about them so much on this blog already but by god i will write more.

What makes me happy about them: the obsessive aspect to their relationship, like. it feels very mutual. it would be so easy to make home coldly imposing 24/7 and/or just have them be taking advantage of wally's love for them, but. no. they seem just as attached to their inhabitant as he is to them, for better or worse. i get a lot more mileage out of a relationship where both parties Love each other and desperately want to be all-encompassing for one another in All aspects of relationships, but live in a reality where that simply cannot be, and their relationship is wildly unhealthy as a result. home is a monument to a past that either never existed or cannot be revived without Severe consequences. but wally doesn't care about that. all wally cares about is that he is his home. see also: this post.

What makes me sad about them: [copypastes the entire above paragraph]

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: most wally/home fic is either pure crackfic or fic in which home gets hit hard with the ron the death eater treatment. like jesus, he's already pretty morally ambiguous in canon by just Standing There, you don't need to make him an actual rapist to establish that his and wally's relationship isn't exactly ideal.

Things I look for in fanfic: i don't look for it because i've pretty much given up on it being there at all, but i hope more folks write some actual character study-adjacent stuff about them some day!

My kinks: i do have actual answers to this but no way am i stating them here. again, i have a separate blog for that.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: LITERALLY ANYONE ELSE.

My happily ever after for them: you know that's not gonna happen.

[thimbledoll]

A Case Study in Ascension

The old machine clicks and whirs as the cassette tape is slotted into the VCR. It’s a miracle they were able to find one of these any more. Digitizing, tagging, and sorting through all these old records was a long, laborious process. You were already on your fifth cup of coffee and it wasn’t even halfway to lunch.

As the display flickers to life, a young girl appears on screen. Her exact age is difficult to make out, given the graininess of the recording, but you’d peg her as approaching her teens. She bounces slightly in the over-large, plush office chair she’s sitting in, her smile beaming brightly.

The much older woman sitting across from her behind a large, oaken desk is quite the opposite. She sits stock still, hardly moving an inch except to make more scratches in the notepad she’s carrying. She barely even looks at the girl before asking atonally, “Now Sarah, you understand why you’re here, right?”

“Yes, miss. Mom and Dad said this was some kind of study,” the girl replies.

“That’s right. You and I are going to get together every couple of months just to talk about how things are going for you. School. Friends. Family. Whatever things you have going on in life. And please, call me Dr. █████. Understand?”

“Yes, Dr. █████.”

“Good. Now, let’s start with how things are at home. Mom and Dad get along?”

“Oh, gosh yes. They’re really happy togeth—”

The girl’s tale is interrupted as the recording cuts to snow and static typical of these older machines. After a moment, a cohesive picture appears again; the same two women sitting in the same office, though the young girl now has the look of a young teenager. The date in the corner of the video indicates that several years have passed between these recordings. The girl’s bounce is notably gone.

“Hello, Sarah. How are you doing today?” the doctor asks.

“Hey, Dr. █████. It’s… fine, I guess.”

“Not feeling too chatty?” It’s hard to see, but it looks like the doctor’s facial expression actually flashed a hint of emotion there, though what emotion exactly was impossible to say.

“I’ve just got a lot going on.”

“So I’ve heard. Your father tells me you were with him when he was served the divorce papers. How are you handling things?”

“I dunno… Like I said, doc, I guess it’s fine. I’ll just have to give a little to help out around the house, y’know? Dad can pull in enough for all of us, even despite everything, so it’s fi—”

The video cuts out again, but rather oddly, the typical VHS static instead sounds like the sizzling and crackling of a wood fire. When it resumes, an even older Sarah now sits curled up on the plush chair, hugging her knees to her chest. The doctor seemingly doesn’t mind that she’s got her shoes on the furniture. The whole image looks odd, like it’s been passed through an image filter or was overly lit while being shot.

“So I hear your dad lost his job? How are you handling things?”

“Look, I… I really don’t want to do this today…”

The doctor pauses a moment to consider before responding. “Sarah, be that as it may, talking about these kinds of events are critical to our study. You do want to continue participating right? I imagine your family needs the stipend now more than ever. Please, how are you handling things?”

The doctor may have been hard to read, but the glare Sarah shot her was anything but. “Fine,” she spat back, venom dripping from her voice. “You want to know how I’m handling things, Doctor █████? I’m being asked to give up any shot I had at a normal social life during my college years so I can work to support my family. But you know what? Like I said, it’s fine. I’m fine. It’ll be fine. I just have to give a little more for them. Once I graduate, I’ll be able to get a real job and take care of them. It’s fi—”

You expected it this time. The screen whites out to that off-kilter static as the next session begins to play. The doctor now wears a pair of sunglasses, the lighting rig apparently becoming too much for her or the recording equipment to handle. Some tech must have gotten fired for this, for sure.

“So I hear school’s not going so well?”

“Dad… needs me to drop out. His health isn’t doing so well. But it’s fine… What’s a year or two? I just have to give a little more. I’ll go back once his health improves. It’s fi—”

CRACKLE

“So I hear your dad’s taken a turn for the worse?”

“I just have to give a little more… At least my sister’s working now. It’s fi—”

SIZZZZZZZ

“So I hear your sister’s gotten in some trouble with the law?”

“I just have to give a little more… It’s fi—”

POP

“Just give a little more… It’s fi—”

SNAP SIZZZZZ

“Just a little more… It’s fi—”

CRACKLE POP

“Just…”

SIZZZZZZ CRACK

“…a little…”

CRACK CRACK POP

“more…”

SIZZZZZZZZZZ SNAP POP CRACK

The recording starts up clear and crisp once more, but it’s just the unnamed doctor this time, looking directly into the camera from where it now sits opposite her desk. Her expression is lively and jovial. Gone is the sphinx-like unreadability and stone-like body language as well the sunglasses. It appears like the lighting issues have been fixed. She now bounces in her chair excitedly, like a young girl.

“We’re close now. I can feel it. It’s taken years of work, but it’s all about to pay off. We now sit on the cusp of greatness. Peak luminosity readings are off the charts. Purpose is clear. We’re experiencing regular equipment issues during sessions, owing to lens or temperature flares. One more push and we should achieve ignition.

“Replicability is still in question, but who cares about that right now? We only have to manage this once to prove that it’s possible. If the field team can orchestrate this last push, by this time next month, nothing should remain of the person once known as Sarah. There will be nothing left of herself to give.” The VCR clicks as the recording reaches its end. You hit the eject button and wait as the machine spins up and spits out the video cassette. Forty eight down, one hundred thirty seven to go. There was no way you were going to finish before the end of the week. You grab the next cassette from the box labeled Project Seraphim and pop it in.

End 🧵

(Originally written for inclusion in Emptied Spaces: An Empty Spaces Anthology, available in digital form on itch.io. Major kudos to Alexandra and her shop, Sapphic Sweets, for making this awesome project happen)

[jeannefostergoriot]

Family Line by Conan Gray X Fitz Vacker

(How didn’t I think of it sooner?)

« My father never talked a lot »: Alden… isn’t really open. Like. I doubt any of his kids, and even Della, ever knew what was happening, what he was doing, even when they were on missions.

« He just took a walk around the block »: keuf. That’s the secret missions. For the Council and for himself. That a kid can’t understand.

« Till all his anger took a hold of him, and he’d hit »: so. As I said for Driver’s Seat analysis, I doubt the cracks and the emotions go out as anger in the Lost Cities. Though it could happen, adding to the guilt that broke his mind. Yeah. Alden probably screamed. Criticized harshly without realizing. That’s the blows.

« My mother never cried a lot »: Della always stayed in the shadows. She says it herself, she isn’t known as standing up.

« She took the punches but she never fought »: that is about how Della never corrected Alden’s favoritism. She just compensated by caring more for Alvar and Biana.

« Till she said “I’m leaving and I’ll take the kids”, so she did »: that’s book 4. That’s Della joining the Black Swan.

« I say “They’re just the ones who gave me life” »: Fitz all throughout Flashback. Standing against his parents. Protesting.

« But I truly am my parents’ child »: but he can never undo the pressure, the legacy. Even his name, Fitz, that means « son of ». He’s what the Vackers made him.

« Scattered cross my family line »: the way the Vacker family is exploded. The ancestors. Alvar by the Neverseen. Alden and Della never truly close to their kids. Biana and Fitz raised in competition.

« I’m so good at telling lies »: he’s good at dissimulation, at tricking the world to appear fine.

« That came from my mother’s side »: dunno if Della lies. Probably yes. And she always gives the impression to be pretty delicate beauty, when she’s clearly a fighter (cf her registry pages in Unlocked)

« Told a million to survive »: not to survive but to keep the appearances up. Everything’s fine. There is no reason to worry.

« God, I have my father’s eyes »: Fitz has always been perceived as perfect heir. Miniature Alden.

« But my sister’s when I cry »: the fact that, with everything collapsing, Fitz and Biana grew closer throughout the series.

« I can run, but I can’t hide, from my family line »: that is the feeling that whatever he does, he will always be a Vacker. Seen as royal perfection.

« It’s hard to put it into words, how the holidays will always hurt »: it’s hard to admit in Glitter City that it’s not really perfect, expressing that is something they’ve never been taught.

« I watch the fathers with their little girls, and wonder what I did to deserve this »: I think I remember Fitz voicing that. Voicing that he doesn’t know why he is there, treated with so much respect and admiration and feeling so out of place.

« How could you hurt a little kid »: how could you turn me into a simple puppet and forget I have an identity ?

« I can’t forget, I can’t forgive you »: that’s to the whole family tree. The old ones that passed down the pressure and perfection-expectations for centuries.

« Cause now I’m scared that everyone I love will leave me ». This line is about how Fitz doesn’t know how to love. How to be stable. How to live.

« All that I did, I tried to undo it »: that he tried. Being perfect representation of the system? He joined the rebellion. Hurting Sophie and mistrusting her? He went through the whole process of Inquisition and accepted Sokeefe. Making Biana feel invisible? He talked with her in Flashback.

« All of my pain and all your excuses, I was a kid but I wasn’t clueless »: how living in both worlds made him stranger to everything, how he felt something was wrong with the missions, how he just wanted to make Alden proud.

« Someone who loves you wouldn’t do this »: to the system. To all the girls flirting with him without knowing. To his parents not understanding his fears.

« All of my past, I tried to erase it »: killing Alvar as erasing the pain. Joining the Black Swan as erasing the pressure. He is a runaway boy too, but it shows less.

« But now I see, would I even change it? »: I think he can learn to think like this. To be satisfied.

« Might share a face and share a last name, but we are not the same »: now. By Stellarlune, he knows. He knows he can have an identity and not be a copy of his father. He can not make the same mistakes.

[rodolfoparras]

having some price as a dad thoughts. thinking about his kid making way-too-elaborate meals for lunch. hes like ??? why do that for Lunch and theyre like i dunno. felt like cooking.

thinking about price w/ a kid who’s only recently taken an interest in cooking. hes in his home office, on a work video call w/ laswell when his kid comes in— i know the little shit doesnt knock— and just sets him down a bowl of whatever they’ve randomly decided to make. “eat this.” “okay thank you sw-“ “and do Not tell me ofnits bad. criticism is for restaurants you didnt like on yelp!, not your kid cooking for you.” “okay thank you sweet heart.”

just absolutely endeared by his little rascal, who im projecting on has a hard time showing affection, finding a way to show their love. theyre like im cooking dinner and hes like ok ill come make my plate soon :) only for them to come back with a plate for him. idkk im just thinkin . mayhaps will write smthn like this

Sugar I love this sm!! Definitely can imagine price muffling soap from expressing his opinion on the overly seasoned soup or watching gaz battle through eating whatever half burned meal the kid made that day ghost complimenting the food out of politeness and having to take some home with him and when they’re like good work kid the kids like thanks I get it from my dad and then quickly adds “not this dad” and while everyone is in a fit of laughter price can’t help but scoff and roll his eyes but at the end of the day he loves his kid sm

[ambrossart]

I decided to write my own it fanfiction because of you!! ive read some of your and other critics about bowers gang stories and im trying my hardest to take those in consideration, but i also feel like im late lol the it fandom is almost non existent 😔😔 do you have any advice or tips?

First off, I love that you’re working on your own fic. That’s so awesome!

Second… gosh, I don’t even know if I’m qualified to be giving advice. My writing is so niche, and I feel like there are better people to ask about this kind of thing. I mean, there has to be, right? Or maybe the fandom is that dead. 😬 😂 I dunno, I’m kind of an outsider when it comes to the IT fandom. Apart from writing Paper Men, I don’t interact with it much… or at all, honestly. I’m like a kid playing alone in the sandbox. Sometimes other kids stop by, say hi, compliment my sandcastle, but for the most part I’m just entertaining myself.

So here’s my generic, cliched advice:

Write the fanfiction you wanna read.

Seriously, do whatever you want.

When I started Paper Men, I stopped caring about what everyone else is doing.

This is truly the best advice I can give you: do whatever you want.

Now, to get more Bowers gang specific (I'm assuming you're writing about the Bowers gang. If not, some of these still apply):

Accept these characters for what they are: 🗑️🗑️🗑️ and 🔥🗑️

You can't fix them. You can't change them. I don't care how special your character is. I don't care how "in love" these boys claim to be. These guys are horrible people and partners, and nothing is gonna change that. Nothing.

This is especially true for Henry and Patrick. Henry's way too damaged and Patrick can't magically grow a conscience, so embrace that or stay the hell away from them.

With Belch and Vic, you have a lot more flexibility, especially if you’re going the romance route.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have Henry and Patrick in relationships. You just have to tread carefully and understand your limitations. The rules are different with those two.

Book!Patrick and movie!Patrick are separate characters, so if you wanna make Patrick a little softer, go with his movie portrayal. Since he had such little screentime, you can give him whatever personality you want.

Don't romanticize their violent/abusive/toxic behavior. Seriously, don't.

Avoid the New Kid trope at all costs. It's been done to death at this point.

And no, the Bowers gang won’t be nice to the new kid. Ever.

At best, they’re just gonna ignore them.

Odds are your character isn't going to be close friends with both the Losers club and the Bowers gang. These groups are natural enemies and, more importantly (and especially if you're following the movie canon), they're in completely different age groups. The Bowers gang are all 15-16 and the Losers are 12-13. These groups rarely mix.

If you’re gonna have all the canon characters be drawn to your character, you better give her/him/them one helluva magnetic personality. Otherwise, it’ll seem forced.

Don't have invisible parents. Yes, I realize Derry is full of abusive/neglectful parents, but I feel like many writers go this route simply because it's more convenient. No parents means no rules. But it also isn't very realistic.

Please, please, please, don't ignore Belch and Vic, especially Belch.

Better yet, write about Belch! Nobody ever does 🥺

If you haven't already, read the book.

Sorry, it's hard to give advice without knowing more about your story. I don't know if you're writing a romance or not. I don't know what characters you're focusing on. I don’t know if you’re creating an original character. So if you want more specific advice, you can always DM me or shoot me another Ask. My inbox is always open. 😊

[soupbitch-moneybitch]

for the tiny crossover of people who love ofmd and also race cars:

i mentioned this in a discord i'm in, but i am not a sports person at all, and i am ESPECIALLY not a race car person, except my partner has a tendency to periodically get really into a specific topic (fungi, the atomic bomb, ebola, etc), and by extension, bc i love him and love listening to him, i tend to learn things about these things by extension

which is all to say, i am now kind of disgustingly familiar with formula 1 race car driving?? to the point that i have opinions on the teams, and have favorite drivers, and know a bunch of the history and stuff. it fundamentally clashes with almost ever facet of my personality, yet i have watched almost every race this season live

the POINT tho, and also the critical problem, is that formula 1 racing--more so than any other race car competitions--lends itself SO FUCKING WELL to a blackbonnet au

if you don't know (-god i wish that were me pic-) formula 1 racing is international, and the teams are all from different countries, and so are the drivers, so you have all kinds of nationalities up in there. and there's a shitton of nepotism, and generational racers, and buying their way in, and all that sort of stuff, which ofc makes me think of like

ed, being this formula 1 driver who is one of the only drivers to start from the bottom and work his way up on skill alone, and he's about to break the record for number of world championships, but he's so fucking BORED with the whole thing, bc he has no competition anymore. he wins every race, no one even comes close, it's just the same day in and day out

ENTER

stede. mb his dad/family owns a team, or are big sponsors, so everyone assumes he got his place bc of daddy's money, esp bc he wasn't known in the racing circuit prior to formula 1, so ed doesn't pay any attention to this dude at all, besides a brief "oh cool, another kiwi #respect"

right up until stede beats him in a race

and suddenly there's real competition again. and they are stuck doing press together bc they always get podiums together after every grand prix, and they go out celebrating together in whatever random country they're in that week, but mb stede has never been much of a partier, and ed was over it years ago, so they come up with their own celebration rituals, that are just them hanging out and watching tv at the hotel, or playing racing video games, or whatever the fuck. and obviously they start to fall for each other, which causes all kinds of drama, bc izzy, ed's team lead, is like "don't let this poncy fuck get in your head!" and the fans are divided on whether they ship ed and stede, or if they hate stede for coming after ed's record breaking win, or if they LOVE stede for coming after ed's record breaking win, and it's just a huge clusterfuck of drama that makes it really hard to develop a real relationship during, esp considering that they hop countries literally every two weeks

and ofc it has to come down to the wire. they have an equal number of points at the final grand prix, so whichever one of them wins that race wins the championship. what will happen??? i dunno, but whatever it is, they'll fuck about it afterward for sure

it fits together like a gd puzzle. the story writes itself. but am i rly gonna be that person? am i rly gonna have to be a person who writes fanfiction about fucking RACE CARS???

this is ruining my life