#and couldn't tackle a controversial topic well at all

[catdadeddie]

A New Amsterdam spinoff about Luna? Not horrible, not great considering how the last like 2 seasons of New Amsterdam were.

A New Amsterdam spinoff about Luna about the ways AI will benefit the medical industry? WHO THOUGHT THIS IS A GOOD IDEA??

[sebscore]

rubyyy i have an idea for your gen-z driver series! when you are free, maybe you can write about when lil miss just got into f1 and had many people doubted her just for her to nail her rookie season like the goat sir Lewis Hamilton did in his. feel free to tweak it however you want. I just thought it would be cool to see more off the racing side of gen-z driver. :))))

and i really enjoy your writings, keep them coming but also don't stress out too much about them as well :)

WELCOME TO THE STRANGE WORLD

pairings: f1 grid x driver!reader 

warnings: sexism. swearing. based this one on the 2018 grid, cause I imagine her joining the grid that year. christian horner & helmut marko. 

author's note: this got me immediately inspired!! It's also the first time I tackle the racing aspect of the series so I hope it's a bit accurate and that it is enjoyable x

• • • • • • •

''Do you feel the pressure going into this week's race?'' The reporter asked her, a polite smile on his face. 

Y/N carefully adjusted the mic attached to her cheek. ''Uh, definitely,'' she nervously chuckled as it was her first F1 press conference, ''there have been a lot of reactions, both negative and positive, so I do feel a lot of eyes on me at the moment.'' 

To say that there had been a lot of reactions was an understatement. The announcement of the female race car driver joining the F1 grid had become the #1 topic on several social media platforms and even international news channels had broadcasted about the ''controversial'' arrival of the young woman. 

Various notable figures in the motorsport world had also voiced their opinion on the new face on the grid. There were many positive reactions, for example, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff saying: ''It's a step in the right direction. Many young girls will see her race and get more interested in the sport, which will hopefully motivate them to start karting.'' 

Susie Wolff, former development driver for Williams, also showed her enthusiasm. ''I think Y/N is the perfect role model for all the young girls who watch F1 at home. We've been following her closely the last few years and she's proved that she can compete with the big guys, I'm very proud and I can't wait for her performances this season.'' 

Unfortunately, there had also been less positive feedback. Red Bull Motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, had questioned whether she would be able to handle the ''physicalities'' the sport asked of a driver. ''I hope I'm wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if she would be replaced by the second race.'' 

His Red Bull colleague, Christian Horner, had also made some sensitive comments about the young woman. He recalled his first meeting with her, stating he thought she was one of the grid girls and that it would be tough as she's ''entering a man's sport''. 

Y/N had been upset with key figures of the sport making such statements about her, but she had heard worse throughout her racing career. Men like Horner were stuck in old times. 

''Sebastian, how do you feel about a female joining F1?'' Both Y/N and Sebastian internally cringed at the rookie being referred to as a 'female', trying to not let it show on their faces. 

The German collected the right words before answering. ''I'm very happy that Y/N is sitting here next to us,'' he smiled at her, ''I think her being on the grid and competing alongside us, is going to bring a lot of positive changes that should've been happening a long time ago. I've known her for some years now, so maybe I'm biased, but I couldn't think of a better person joining the line-up.'' 

''Thank you.'' Y/N mumbled, grown shy by Sebastian's praises. He had been involved in her career since her humble karting beginnings, wanting to guide her as he knew a lot of people would try to stop her from flourishing in the sport. 

The journalist then put his focus on the other world champion sitting at the panel. ''Lewis, you share the same opinion as Sebastian?'' 

''I agree with Seb, it's nice to see that progress is being made in diversing the sport and she's here, because she deserves to be here.'' Lewis' answer showed his disagreement with the people who were convinced that the woman's arrival to F1 was nothing more than a statement to the FIA. 

Y/N wasn't ignorant and knew her claiming an F1 seat would bring a lot of publicity, not only to her, but her team as well. However, they wouldn't risk losing millions of euros, because they simply wanted to make a point that women can competitively drive as well. 

''I've seen her drive, we've all seen her drive and you can't deny that she has a huge talent.'' Lewis concluded his answer, sending a soft smile her way. 

The reporter who asked the question directed his attention back to the young woman. ''Y/N, it must be great to hear those positive words from such seasoned drivers.'' He said to her, his hands pointing towards the two World Champions. 

She shyly nodded her head, feeling the gazes of everyone in the room on her. ''Yeah, it's, uh,  very nice of them.'' 

''It's the truth.'' Sebastian chuckled. 

''That's P11 tomorrow, Y/N! Good job, we're proud of you over here.'' Her engineer announced over the radio, letting the driver know her qualifying session was over. 

She pressed her radio button. ''Thank you so much, guys! A good start!'' She enthusiastically exclaimed, delighted about her team being happy with quali. 

They had greeted her back into the garage with an applause and many headpats, congratulating her on her first ever F1 qualifier. ''Let's discuss now.'' Her coach put his arm around her shoulder and guided her to the team's briefing room. 

It hadn't lasted long. The team was overall very satisfied with how the qualifying session had gone and didn't have much feedback for the rookie. 

''Of course it would be great to score points, but finishing P11 is the realistic standing tomorrow.'' Her team principal's words had taken her by surprise, expecting them to want to score as many points as possible at the race tomorrow. 

Y/N wasn't too sure if that was the genuine opinion her team had about the next day or if they thought that she wouldn't be able to make any overtakes. Whatever it was, the dilemma clouded her mind as she walked through the paddock, ready to go back to her hotel and unwind. 

However, an arm pulled her out of her thoughts, making the rookie flinch at the sudden touch. ''What the heck,'' she hastily turned towards the person, ''Seb, don't scare me like that.'' Y/N calmed down seeing the German man grinning at her, Britta standing next to him. 

''You looked like you were overthinking.'' He had seen the frown on her face as she passed the Ferrari hospitality, immediately knowing something was on her mind. ''Starting P11 is good for your first race, the best of the rookies.'' Sebastian figured it was related to the qualifying session. 

''No, I'm happy with my starting position.'' She assured him, shaking her head. 

The Ferrari driver furrowed his eyebrows, being confused. ''Then what is it? Did someone say something to you?'' 

Y/N glanced around the paddock, making sure no one of her team or a reporter was standing near them. ''I just, uh, well- during the briefing, they basically said that they don't expect me to make any overtakes and that I just need to try to keep my position.'' She explained to the duo, both listening attentively. 

''They're already underestimating you?'' Britta commented, shocked they wouldn't encourage her to at least try to overtake as many cars as she can. 

Sebastian agreed with his friend. ''A team telling their driver to not score points is the weirdest thing I've heard in years.'' He said to Britta, a frown gracing his face. 

He turned towards the young woman. ''Don't listen to them, okay? You pass as many fucking cars as you can, alright?'' It almost looked like he was scolding her. 

The girl nodded her head, an appreciative smile on her face. ''You know I will.'' 

''I love the confidence.'' Britta laughed, patting her back. 

''Don't think about it too much, Y/N. You're gonna do great tomorrow, I'm sure of it.'' Sebastian ruffled her hair, a sincere tone in his voice. 

Y/N simply smiled at both of them, and thanked them for their support. ''I'm gonna go back to my hotel now, but I'll see you tomorrow then.'' She bid them goodbye, waving as she walked through the exit gates. 

She could see and feel the condescending stares as she waited on the grid before the start of the race, some people didn't know how to be subtle. She had her headphones on, blasting music through them so she could drown out all of the negative thoughts. 

A tap on her shoulder brought her eyes from the ground to the face of a semi-looking concerned Kimi. She paused her song and took the headphones off, ready to listen to what the older man had to say. ''Yeah?'' 

''I can hear your song.'' Kimi pointed at his own ears, visualizing his words. 

Y/N's eyes widened, her worried expression altering into one of embarrassment. ''Oh, sorry, I'll turn it down.'' She apologized, immediately grabbing her phone to change the volume. 

''No, uh, is okay,'' he told her, ''you good?'' 

She was stunned by his question, awkwardly staring at him for a few seconds before answering. ''Yes, I'm good.'' Kimi always kept it short, she figured she should do the same. 

''Don't be nervous,'' the Finnish driver continued, looking into her eyes, ''people want to see you do bad, prove them wrong.'' 

She had met the man a handful of times before, but they had never talked this much with each other. Kimi kept to himself and she wanted to be respectful of that, not wanting to accidentally cross one of his boundaries. 

He wasn't a man of many words (at least sober) so she appreciated his advice very much, knowing he wouldn't tell her this if he didn't think she could actually prove them wrong. 

''Thanks.'' 

''No worry.'' A small assuring smile was found on his face, making the grimaces of her critics seem like nothing. 

''Y/L easily passes the Renault, moving up to P10.'' The commentary of David Croft sounded as she overtook Sainz, going from P11 to P10. 

Her team's pit crew cheered in the garage, watching the spectacle on the screen. ''Keep pushing, Y/N! We're in the points.'' Her engineer told her over the radio. 

''Hehe, understood.'' She chuckled, proud of her smooth overtake. 

She managed to pass the Mclaren of Vandoorne in the same lap, falling behind the Mercedes of Bottas and the Renault of Hulkenberg who was doing his best to keep his seventh position in the race. 

The pair was too busy challenging each other that they didn't see the car of the female driver coming through, passing both of them when they left a gap. ''Y/L jumps ahead of both of them! She jumped Bottas and Hulkenberg, moving up to P7! What a stellar performance of the rookie driver!'' 

People couldn't believe their eyes as she passed the Mercedes, undoubtedly one of the fastest cars on the grid compared to her team's midfield one. 

''Bloody amazing, Y/N! The Red Bull is too far up to catch, but defend for your life now!'' P6 wasn't possible anymore as she went into the last lap, Max's car being quicker and having fresher tyres than her. 

The last lap almost went by in a haze, the young woman scared something would ruin the beautiful moment for her, but that never came. ''Y/N Y/L comes across the line to celebrate her dream debut and she becomes the first woman in over 40 years to score points in a Grand Prix!'' 

She parked her car behind Max's, her hands on her helmet as if it were her head. Y/N sat in disbelief as reality dawned on her. You scored points in your first F1 race, the sentence played on a loop in her head. 

''Oi! Little Miss scoring points on her debut!'' An Australian accent pulled her out of her thoughts, several pats on her helmet making her look up. ''You passed the Mercedes? Fucking amazing!'' He exclaimed as he saw the silver car parked behind her. 

''Daniel, can you help me get out? My body is in shock, I think.'' Y/N awkwardly chuckled, a bit embarrassed about not being able to get out of her car on her own at the moment. 

Fortunately, the Red Bull driver didn't see the big problem and helped her stand up, supporting her underarms. 

The support turned into a congratulating hug, the Australian swaying her side-to-side. ''Welcome to Formula One, baby!'' He loudly exclaimed. 

Y/N laughed at his antics, touched by his excitement for her good result. ''Thanks, Ricciardo.'' 

''Good overtake there.'' Valtteri patted her helmet with his hand, complimenting her. She bowed her head in appreciation. ''Thank you.'' 

Her and Daniel followed the Mercedes driver into the cooldown room, the latter handing her an ice-cold water bottle from the table. ''What place did you get?'' Y/N asked Daniel, turning to him. 

''P4,'' he sighed, ''but I got fastest lap, so a little redemption.'' The Red Bull driver laughed it off, at least happy he got an extra point for the championship standings. 

A pat on her back made her look back, being met with a sweaty Charles. ''Hey, man.'' She greeted him with a side-hug.

''Saw you got P7, congrats.'' The pair had been teammates the year before at Prema Racing so they have a good friendship with each other. ''Thanks, how did it go for you?'' Y/N was curious about her fellow rookie's debut race. 

He shrugged his shoulders. ''P13, but only because 5 people retired.'' Charles downplayed it, glimpsing at the ground. 

''Cheer up, Charlito! It's only the first one of the season.'' She tried comforting him, not wanting him to be down about his result. 

Charles just smiled and moved on, ready to go back to his team and discuss everything. The rest of the drivers, except the top 3, followed swiftly. Y/N received a grand welcome back in her garage, it almost seemed like she had won the World Championship. She had a brief discussion about the race and her team prepared her for the post-race interviews. 

Surprisingly, the interviews had gone well and not one discriminating question was asked. She mainly received a lot of congratulations and one female reporter even thanked her for her race performance as it would inspire many young girls watching it. Y/N had almost teared up during the specific interview, not expecting anyone to do that. 

The rookie was walking to her driver's room when a call of her name stopped her in her tracks. Lewis jogged up to her, greeting her with a big embrace. ''Good job, you did so well!'' He told her with a huge smile on his face. 

''Thank you, Lewis.'' Her head felt warm, the older man making her a little flustered. 

''And this is only the beginning, you know? You showed everyone today that you deserve to be here, truly amazing!'' He continued praising her. 

Y/N grinned at him. ''Thank you so much, that means a lot to me.'' 

''The three of us were watching it back in the cooldown room, like waiting to see in which position you came in.'' Him, Sebastian and Kimi had attentively observed the screen that replayed the race, interested in knowing how the young woman had performed. 

She was touched by Lewis' words, honored that three World Champions had looked out for her and wanted to know her result. ''Oh my god, that's- wow, that's really cool.'' Y/N awkwardly laughed, not knowing how to give a proper response all of a sudden. 

''Anyway, congrats and celebrate it well,'' he made a move to leave before visibly remembering something, ''oh, yeah, Seb asked me to tell you that he'd come by your driver's room.'' Lewis conveyed Sebastian's message. 

''Oh, great, I'll, uh, see you in two weeks then.'' She bid him goodbye and she was on her way again, hoping the German wasn't already waiting for her there. 

Fortunately for her, Sebastian wasn't there yet and she had the time to change into her casual wear so she could leave the circuit and go straight to the airport afterwards to go back home. 

Three knocks on her door stopped her scroll through social media and she called for her guest to come in, not having the energy to get up from her couch. 

She watched an energetic Sebastian walk into her driver's room, practically running to give her a hug. ''I told you that you could do it! P fucking 7!'' He exclaimed, excitedly. 

''Congrats to you for winning!'' She retorted back, not having had the chance yet to congratulate him on his GP win. 

''Thank you, honey.'' He sat down next to her on the couch. 

''I would have loved to see the faces of everyone on your team the moment you passed Carlos, it must have been priceless.'' Sebastian smirked, thinking of what she had told him the day before. ''And the double overtake? You couldn't have had a better race.'' 

''Oh my god, I couldn't believe it, Seb! Like I finished in front of a Mercedes? Wow, just wow!'' Sebastian laughed at her enthusiasm, imagining how great she must feel now. 

The winner of the day scratched his voice. ''Kimi said how nervous you looked before the race and I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit worried about you,'' he had lowered his voice, different from his loudness of before, ''but you dealt with the pressure perfectly and you didn't let it affect your race. I'm very proud of you.'' His sincerity and expression of pride almost brought tears to her eyes, the words of her idol and mentor meaning a lot to her. 

''Thank you, Seb,'' a shy smile graced her face, ''that means a lot to me, I couldn't have done it without you.'' She thanked him. 

''No, it was your hard work that got you here.'' He argued, not wanting to take any sort of credit for her accomplishments. ''And maybe a little of my money, but you know.'' Sebastian jokingly added, not able to help himself from teasing the younger one. 

Y/N rolled her eyes at the comment. ''Always so humble! Red Bull Seb made an appearance for a second there.'' 

''He's still in here, I just need to keep him in check.'' 

taglist :: @i0veless @missskid @missthem @rosesintj @evans-dejong @thehistoryone @dreamycloudsworld @formulazeesworld @muushmeg @topguncultleader @the-great-adventures-of-me @love13tter @xcharlottemikaelsonx @kiwisa @starkwlkr @nora_moon @princesselle2111 @valluvsu @thatsadsmallchild @babyyoda89 @milkbreadforlife @fxllfaiiry @hc-dutch @its-ash-not-grey @princessbetsy123-blog @mehrmonga @nyenye @screechingtrashkid @ahnneyong @holybatflapexpert @itsnotgray @beautycinders @scuderialavender @rowansshit @uhhevie @revengze @nylaslife @majx00 @multi-universe21 @jaydensluv @isasalom @gentlemonsterjennie1 @appledashhh @breathinfive @lighttsoutlewis

@champomiel @ooohmickiyoursofine @koufaxx @flannelforthetoads @helios-02

if you want to be added to the taglist, fill in this form!

[galacticbuddysimblr]

Part 2: MySims in The Sims

Welcome to the second entry of The Sims Mysteries! Today, I want to tackle the topic of the overlap between the mainline The Sims games and the MySims franchise. Initially I thought it would make the most sense if two universes were separate, seeing as the references to MySims in The Sims were few and far between and didn’t really have much to do with MySims thematically, but were just nods at the spin-off franchise. When you look at the overlap closer, though, it’s relatively seamless and what's interesting is that apart from MySims characters being in The Sims games, there are references to The Sims characters in MySims! Remember, these posts are predicated on my theory that all the lore of The Sims games exists in the same timeline. The story of The Sims does not take place in alternate universes! Keep reading under the cut for my lore explanations of the sims that exist in both series!

The following sims are originally from the MySims franchise and have been featured in a mainline The Sims game, with their The Sims counterpart first and MySims counterpart second:

Candy Behr = DJ Candy ‘Supergroove’

Yuki Behr = Yuki

Summer Holiday = Summer

Liberty Lee = Liberty

Travis Scott = Travis

Vincent Skullfinder = Sir Vincent Skullfinder

Since sims in MySims are ageless, it’s hard to say where the game fits on the timeline of the mainline games. Due to the inclusion of all MySims characters except Vincent in The Sims 4, MySims (at least the original game) would probably take place directly before/during/after The Sims 4, considering the MySims characters don’t seem to differ in age from their Sims 4 counterparts.

However, with the typical carelessness for lore in The Sims 4, MySims characters have technically been adapted twice into The Sims 4. Alongside their adaptation as Sims into the Sims 4, there are obviously also the collectible MySims trophies. Lore-wise, this doesn't really make sense. You could argue that this is because the MySims characters are famous or well-known in The Sims but this wouldn't make sense for a lot of them. Therefore I don't really see any lore reason behind the trophies and would personally just write them off as collectibles.

With the closeness of MySims and The Sims 4 on the timeline, this poses the conflict of Vincent Skullfinder being already deceased in Sunset Valley in the Sims 3, the earliest iteration of The Sims games. Therefore, meaning he couldn't be the contemporary of the other MySims characters in The Sims 4. However, I think this is a really interesting prospect. As I've mentioned before, Sir Vincent Skullfinder could simply be a descendant of Vincent Skullfinder, or, based on the MySims character's interest in both archaeology (thus, potentially including recently deceased sims such as himself) and the in-game Spooky interest, he may be an undead sim that has resurrected from his resting place in Sunset Valley. In fact, maybe through some supernatural means he was able to use magic while he was alive to grant him the power to come back to live once he passed away.

There coincidentally seems to be a couple more problems surrounding MySims turned The Sims characters: for example, Candy Behr’s controversial Barbie build, or Travis’ surname being Scott, as in the real life Travis Scott. Obviously this is confusing on multiple levels and I think his name should be revised as soon as possible. When The Sims 4 came out, the actual Travis Scott was already performing but hadn't even released his debut album yet. I think someone on The Sims 4 team probably thought that it would be a cool Easter egg to allude to a real-world person, not realizing how uncanny it would seem ten years on when the name Travis Scott is unambiguously associated with one person. When new players load up the game now, it's confusing to try to find the connection between the two, because there actually isn't one.

For a new name for Travis, I suggest Travis Britt, not least in honor of his classic MySims Union Jack sweater. It has a nice semantic connection with the surname Scott, anyway. Also, in Princess Cordelia’s official household, uploaded by Maxis to the gallery, one of the pirate suitors is named Chaz MacFreeling, a reference to MySims’ Chaz McFreely. That’s where the resemblence ends, though, and considering Princess Cordelia lived centuries ago it’s safe to say these characters are unrelated.

I think that the most thought-through part of the crossover between the two franchises is actually in the MySims' reference to The Sims. In MySims, Elmira Clamp is an austere and grouchy librarian, known to mention her "Auntie Crumplebottom", who supposedly taught her that "the best mouth is a shut mouth!" Auntie Crumplebottom is thought to be Mrs Crumplebottom, from The Sims 2. Assuming a patrilineal succession of surnames, with Elmira being single and her surname being Clamp we can presume that her mother was a sister of Mrs Crumplebottom.

Since we don't know Mrs Crumplebottom's exact relation to the Crumplebottom family, it's interesting to consider her to be the niece of Agnes Crumplebottom. Based on their surnames, Mrs Crumplebottom could be the daughter of Agnes’ not yet known brother. This suggests that in the Crumplebottom family there is a tradition of austere aunts influencing their nieces to adopt extreme rules of propriety. Elmira has a nephew herself, Ian Arneson, who notably has a much more easygoing and friendly personality, though being sophisticated and eggheaded all the same.

With Mrs Crumplebottom being Agnes Crumplebottom's niece, Elmira being Mrs Crumplebottom's niece, and Ian being Elmira's nephew, there’s an interesting pattern of familial influence that emerges. There’s a storyline for The Sims 5! Will Ian follow suit in the long line of Crumplebottom austerity or will he break the chain and embrace all the public displays of affection that his family despises so?

I think including some other MySims characters in The Sims 5 would be a great treat for us MySims lovers (with timeline aging rules in mind, please). Also, for returning MySims characters (the ones listed above) I think that the developers should make an effort to be faithful to their unique, larger-than-life original MySims appearances, because their The Sims 4 versions lacked a lot of the character and uniqueness they originally had. I'd love to see the inclusion of Ian and some others in The Sims 5 with some real consideration of their MySims stories. For now, that’s the extent of the overlap between the franchises. Tune in next time to explore another topic of The Sims Mysteries!

[thelastbraincellofthehive]

Well, I'm watching volume 3 and honestly I have so many thoughts about it I'm gonna make a first half and second half post. Buckle up because y'all now this is a wild ride! Also buckle up because this is were I start having some very controversial opinions lol.s

The show was airing the first half of this volume when I first got into it (it was somehow because of some amazing Ever After High fanart lol I still remember) so actually, Yang and Mercury's fight was my first experienced hiatus, you can imagine my distress lol.

Every volume the list of women who could step on me grows. But honestly, Winter is on top of that list. It's like they created her with all my weaknesses in mind...

The vytal festival fights are hilarious lol as the kids said, It was nice to see them all fight in a controlled and friendly enviroment instead of fighting actual murderers.

Yatsu and Coco and that poor team in the chapter 1 flashback did fight actual murderers tho, RIP to them (?

It's brawl in the family will forever be one of my favorite episodes lol Winter and Qrow simply steal the show everytime they're on the screen!

Also, I get other ships with the characters and understand why people doesn't like Snowbird... But I've had many people who don't watch the show watch that fight scene and the general consensus is always that they were flirting. That's the most sexual tension I've seen in this show, and we've had actual romantic partners interacting more than once lol

Anyways I ship Snowbird/Qrowin...

Subject change. Remember that scene when Mercury goes to tell Cinder he saw Qrow? At the end Cinder tells he and Emmerald to 'go to their rooms' ...but arem't they supposedly sharing a room since they're partners? Beacon teams all share a room so I don't get why they wouldn't lol.

I wish we could've seen more of Ciel Soleil, honestly, she was such a cutie lol. Kinda hoping She's brought back someday. If you are a fanfic writer and haven't tried to use Ciel as something like Penny's awkward and superserious bodyward in an AU, you should think about It, girl has potential!

"If you were one of my men I'd have you shot!" "if I were one of your men I'd shot myself" still one of the most iconic and epic moments in the series lol Go Qrow!!

Neon!!! God I loved Neon in this volume lol that girl is insuferable! She's also GayAF, I know It.

I'm the one is such a banger of a song! Top 3 of the volume, easily. Also, that fight is awesome, I adore seeing all the clues for what happened next now that, you know, I know what happened next lol.

Velvet worried about Coco <3 let these two be girlfriends!!

Winter fighting Qrow because he was drunk it's so painful after we learn about her family life. Trauma is a bitch.

Also, can I just say that I miss Willow? I knew I was gonna love her, but it was even more than I was expecting, I hope we get more Willow soon.

That scene in Ozpin's office when Ironwood looks at Oz, Glynda and Qrow before sighing and leaving is so telling of where his story was going. He was part of a team, yet he felt like it was him against the world. It's sad how much the others tried to show him their trust, but he was so into his fear that he couldn't see it.

I know this is a very controversial topic for the whole FNDM and that it was disproved multiple times, but I'll never get why would it be so bad if Ruby was Qrow's daughter. The signs are all there, It would make so much sense, and I don't feel it would've taken anything from the story. Alas, it wasn't meant to be*shrugs*

Penny tackling Ruby to the ground as a greeting is tradition <3 also she's always looking back at Ruby with the biggest smile on her face before leaving <3 God Penny is the most adorable girl I've ever seen. And my Nuts and Dolts shipping heart is so happy<3 and sad

Seeing Weiss and Winter interact always warms and breaks my heart at the same time, it's so obvious there's a lot of love there, but half of the time they don't really know how to show it. Again, trauma is a bitch.

Yang, baby </3 my heart breaks for you everytime I watch chapter 6. Honestly, I never fully forgave Mercury after that lol.

Pyrrha. Deserved. Better. Say it with me Rooster teeth!!!! God the whole vault scene is painful.

Also, Glynda: "We're still the same headmasters and teachers you knew the day you arrived to Beacon" Pyrrha: "This is literally the first time I met half the people here!"

Yes, I'm using dumb humor to deal with trauma

I lowkey ship WeissxFlynt honestly... Flynt's cool, I want more Flynt please.

But my imposible otp for Weiss still hasn't been introduced. If you follow me you know who I'm talking about and I'm willing to die on that hill. RT I'll forgive you for literally everything aside the v8 finally if you make them canon. Literally!!

You only get off the hook for v8 if you give me Nuts and Dolts.

I stan my point that Ironwood was hoping to have Penny eventually become a maiden and that's why she exist in the first place. I'm guessing the whole thing with the virus made him reconsider and that's why he turned to Winter later? Maybe?

Anyways, I still can't believe this is the tame half of the volume. I guess time to keep going and get my heart rip apart again. Good talk guys!

[ashsreads]

live reaction: check, please! (webcomic by ngozi ukazu)

(as a figure skater, i just had to make my first post about an ice sports webcomic :) so here we go!!) (also, to clarify: these are notes i take in real-time while i read whatever i'm reading. i take the notes in my notion bookshelf, then copy/paste them over to here once i'm done!)

i’ve never enjoyed reading about hockey players before

they’re all such himbos, i love them

the way they talk about substance abuse in this is actually?? very nice?? like it’s not romanticized, they call it like it is, and it’s shown to have real consequences on the characters and their lives

i also enjoy that the Haus is shown to have baggies of condoms on their message board alsdkdjl safe sex ed at its finest

hockey shit with ransom and holster works better than my zoloft

the way the teams foster environments of inclusivity is so important to me; many queer athletes really worry about what their teams are going to say, and seeing these fictional teams be so warm and accepting makes me so so so happy :,)

only con: i would’ve liked a more developed ending! it felt very sudden, and a lot of strings left untied.

like what happened with bitty’s parents? how’d the press conference go? how was bitty’s senior year? i have QUESTIONS

edit NEVERMIND I SKIPPED 20 CHAPTERS ON ACCIDENT ALKSDJFLS BRB

edit edit: the ending is incredibly well developed when you actually finish it!! it’s such a sweet, adorable, happy ending that celebrates queer joy.

i would also like a copy of bitty's cookbook please, his pie recipes must be phenomenal

just found out the author doesn’t skate herself??!! i’m ASTOUNDED, her research must have been insanely extensive. i will say the figure skating knowledge isn’t quite up to par with the hockey knowledge, but overall bravo!! bravo indeed

i do wish this story had was some trans/nonbinary rep. we get approximately zero of that in ice sports.

however, when considering that this comic launched in 2013, the representation for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people in hockey (and ice sports overall) was absolutely a step in the right direction.

like is this another piece of queer media focused on two cis white men?? yeah. is it also a webcomic that includes representation for many marginalized groups, was created by a black woman, and started when gay people couldn't even get married in the US, much less be out in pro sports?? YEAH! this comic tackled so many topics that were seen as fairly radical/controversial in the early 2010s, and i've gotta give kudos for that.

also would've loved to see some more exploration into the figure skating part of bitty’s past!! like how that helped in his journey w/ hockey, why he switched, etc.

i will also say that at some points the panels were kind of hard to read in webcomic format. especially some of the ones that take up like longer/narrower rectangles(??), the text gets super tiny and hard to read. most of it's perfectly readable though!

overall an incredibly enjoyable read!! it's cute, it's hilarious, and took my mind off all the horrible things in the world for a moment.

and if we could possibly get a live action tv show of this one day... the world would know peace 😌😌

[girl4music]

I'm saving this in my bookmarks. I have a lot more to say about it and need to gather my thoughts on it so I can clearly and concisely express what I want to say without insulting someone else. It's a very controversial topic of discussion after all. But one that must be discussed nonetheless.

------------------------------------------

"but the misconception you must accept that you have an addiction in order to change your relationship with drugs and alcohol, is harmful."

It is very harmful. It's similiar to constantly believing you're mentally ill when you have a mental illness. That's not going to help you get mentally well. Addiction is a mental illness. Maybe 12-step AA programs should understand what's necessary for neurodiversity first before understanding what's necessary for recovery. It makes total sense to me why DEMI LOVATO is fairing better with moderation management methods over total drug/alcohol abstinence. But that's because I understand her well, not because I understand addiction well. I just think... Neurodiversity > Recovery. And, in my mind, associating "recovery" with the term "sobriety" is more dangerous than associating the term "California sober" with "recovery" in my opinion. But what do I know? 😑

"This goes against the popular belief that consuming drugs and alcohol and being in recovery are mutually exclusive, an idea that is deeply embraced by some in the addiction treatment field."

Yes, because the addiction treatment field wants you to be free of your addictions. 🙄 They don't want you to be free of your addictions or your mental illnesses. They want you to RELY ON THEM so that the only "treatment" you can get for your addictions and mental illnesses forces you to continue said "treatment" with them. So that it's a never-ending cycle.

"The idea that recovery is synonymous with sobriety is closely tied to 12-step fellowship programs where step 1 is to admit you’re powerless over drugs and alcohol and the ultimate goal is abstinence."

Exactly. So YOU'RE powerless to make any decisions for yourself that do not include what THEY say is best for YOU. Which is an ultimate and unrealistic goal of TOTAL ABSTINENCE.

"But if you ask your friends, neighbors, or loved ones outside of the addiction field what they think it means to be in “recovery”, most will associate the term with total sobriety."

Yes, and they want to keep it that way because it makes big $$$$$.

Listen people. I'm gonna lay it out in plain English for you

Demi is not saying her "California sober" method is everyone's method. That it is the correct method for everyone dealing with addiction or/and mental illness. In fact she's made it pretty damn clear no one should think or believe it is or should be. All she is saying is that it's a method that she's found to work for her. And is it working? Well, only time and experience with it will tell. I don't know if it will for her longterm but it certainly seems to be working for her at the moment. And that's all that matters for the moment. But, for me personally, I think neurodiversity should be put first over recovery because all people aren't the same and therefore the same method for recovery will not work for all people. There are different pathways to take and different options to try. Some not so popular than others. All Demi is doing is trying those "not so popular" methods out because the one that everybody says, thinks and believes will work did not work for her at all. Sobriety did not work for her and, forgive me for using this metaphor, that's a hard pill to swallow for some people who hold the term "sober" so closely to their heart and dote on it like it's the love of their life.

I have genuine faith that this moderation management method (her "California sober") will work for her. Because, like I said... I know and understand Demi very well. I know that extremes are not right for her. And total abstinence is just another extreme for her to get addicted to on top of her other addictions. The woman needs balance in her life. She knows she needs balance in her life. So therefore she's trying that "balance" with her issues with drug and alcohol addiction. She believes it will work. And I think she's right. Will it work for somebody else? Probably not. But it's a viable pathway to take and option to try in any case. What more harm could moderation management do to some people than the harm total abstinence can do to some people? Because I definetly say the latter is far more dangerous.

We, as a society, need to get more comfortable with the term "weaning" regarding substance addiction first of all. You would not make a baby go without their mother's milk or baby formula in order to get them on to eating solid foods. Of course not. You would wean them into it. So why isn't this area of logic applied to substance addiction? It should be! That's my take on it and I want to develop this area of logic further as I learn more and more about the mental illness of addiction and substance abuse in general. I know very little about addiction. I don't know a great deal about mental illness either but more so than just what little I know about addiction specifically. But what I do know and understand very well is neurodiversity and the relationship between the external and the internal. Meaning the relationship between the environment and the human mind/body. And my argument for what to do for mental illness (and addiction, most likely) is that you must get to know and understand this relationship first before tackling recovery in any aspect of life. The relationship between "I" and "other" is extremely important for interaction of any kind with people, things, substances, ideologies, philosophies, stimulants... Everything. And I just don't believe any "program" or "treatment" for addiction recovery or mental health recovery can be without the knowing and understanding of this relationship. This primary relationship with "I" and "other" and all interactions between them.

Now for someone who lives to such extremes to the point that they are misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder (DEMI LOVATO)... It is quite evident that the key is to lessen those extremes. And the way to do that is by balancing the extremes. Not by completely taking all of them away.

One extreme for her is a total obsession with perfection and with being the best at everything, looking as good/pretty as possible. Essentially constantly setting the bar higher and higher to reach with each grasp. That is an addiction for her.

Another extreme for her is disregarding any and all expectations or goals, rebelling against every law or moral or teaching whatsoever... Basically not giving a crap about anything. Not even her own well being,... to the point where she's results to substance abuse just to keep going. To have some kind of high.

Now throw in a strict schedual of night and day, around-the-clock restriction, limitation and control into the mix and have that happen for 365 days a year and ask yourself will it lessen any extreme for Demi or will it just add another extreme on the top of it? One would absolutely lose their mind trying to keep up with all of this while being expected to perform to any degree whatsoever as a "star". One is going to fail. More than fail. One is going to seriously impact their health. One is going to be on death's door. So even though I don't know and understand addiction or mental illness very well, don't say I don't understand the tremendous effects it can have on neurodivergent people. I know and understand more than any average person would ever fucking know or understand. I know and understand Demi. And I am saying moderation management is the best method for Demi's substance abuse recovery because her addiction is not substances. Or rather - not primarily substances. Her addiction - her primary addiction - is to be PERFECT. She needs to tackle that addiction before her addictions with substances. With drugs and alcohol. And the best way for her to do that is to find balance in every aspect of her life. With her food, with her career, with her music, with her interactions with EVERYTHING. If she can tackle that addiction and wean it down to where she doesn't need to feel like she needs to be so perfect all the time and put herself through the ringer with her career... Then her issues with substance abuse will most likely disappear by themselves because she wouldn't need those substances or stimulants to cope anymore. There's no cause for it. No trigger. So, yes. She's right. Moderation management is the correct method for her. And it's proven to be so far, so let's not villify her for it just yet. Let's wait and see what the results are first. Like you would with any scientific study. And if it does turn out to be that you were right... Then you can make your conclusions on whether it's a method that should or shouldn't be used or associated with drug/alcohol addiction recovery ever again. I personally don't think so. I think she's got it now because, with Demi, it's primarily a mental health issue with her feeling or thinking that she always needs to be perfect. I think if that addiction goes away, then the addiction with the drugs and alcohol will go away on its own. There will be no need for a "recovery plan" at all for it because she's got the stimulants that she needs to remain in a healthy and balanced mindset.

Demi's effectively killing two birds with one stone. She couldn't even kill one before her overdose happened and that was not her fault. It was the fault of the people constantly around her making sure she never had any stimulants whatsoever. Leaving her powerless to ever get "mentally well" in the first place. Her last recovery team left her in one big jam. They took all the stimulants or coping mechanisms away to deal with her addiction issues with perfection and body image and eating disorders. They refused to wean her and it only made the situation worse. I mean what did they think was gonna happen? NOBODY could get "sober" or "clean" or "recovered" or "mentally well" from that level of restriction, limitation and control, let alone DEMI LOVATO, a "star" who was given access to everything under the sun as a child and was taught and told to be perfect at the same time.

Oh yes, I totally get it. And that's why I can say with complete conviction that, this time, Demi's got it now. She's got a handle on every addiction or mental health issue plaguing her because she's gone right to the root to where it all started to begin with and she's weaning herself. 👏 And you know, if you cut the head off a snake, the whole body dies along with it without ever needing to take a second chop. Apply that awfully corny metaphor to all I've just said and you'll totally get it too. Addiction and mental health recovery is not a one-size fits all method. There are other methods. Demi's just trying those other methods and being publically transparent about it. She should be respected, not vilified. I'm done.