#and definitely NOT about fictional characters

[requiemforthepoets]

you just pulled a verstappen! 𖦹 LN4

PAIRINGS: lando norris x female!reader

SUMMARY: you played a sim racing before, but not really on an actual sim racing setup like lando’s. so when you had the chance, you decided to try it out.

REMINDERS: this is purely fiction, the way how the character is portrayed in my story does not reflect the person that is portraying my character in real life. always separate fiction from reality, and do not repost or copy my work in any way.

WARNINGS: no use of y/n, fluff, and a little bit of cursing

WORD COUNT: 820

AUTHOR’S NOTE: found this on my drafts. i have a lot of lando one shots, but never really posted it bc i think it was poorly written, so i decided to fix this one up and post it. i hope you’ll enjoy this one!

Your and Lando’s apartment was unusually quiet. Lando had been out all day, caught up in a string of meetings, and being alone in a big apartment, the boredom had started to creep in. You sighed, glancing over at Lando’s pristine sim racing setup, which sat there like a tempting invitation calling out for you. It wasn’t like you had not played sim racing before, but using his rig, specifically with Lando’s custom settings and all his tweaks? That was something else entirely.

“Eh, why the hell not?” You muttered to yourself with a mischievous grin.

You quickly booted-up Lando’s setup, and you were off. You found yourself in the middle of a tense Grand Prix, the roaring of the virtual engines filling up the headphones as you become very absorbed with the race. Time flew by, and you were too focused to even notice when Lando came home.

“Hey, baby! I’m back!” Lando’s voice echoed faintly from the hallways as he called back to you, and you never responded. All you could hear and think about was the hairpin turn coming up on the circuit, and nailing the turn. “Babe, where are you?” He called out to you again, but you were still glued to the screen, the intensity of the race drawing all of your attention.

A few seconds later, Lando still got no answer from you. So when he checked every room in the apartment, and saw that you were inside his gaming room all along, he entered immediately, but when he saw you, he stopped dead in his tracks. There you were, fully immersed in sim racing, eyes locked on the screen with his headphones on and hand deftly handling the steering wheel. He blinked, half in disbelief, before grinning like a little kid on christmas morning.

“Are you on my sim setup right now?” He asked, voice full of shock, but you were too busy overtaking another car to reply.

“Okay, that was a decent corner,” Lando said with a playful smirk as he walked over to you, leaning against the back of the chair. “Not bad at all.” He added, folding his arms, and watching in awe as you navigated through the pack of cars.

You heard him, of course, but you were in the zone. The next thing you knew, you pulled off a move that would have made Max proud, sliding past two cars with precision that even caught Lando off guard.

“Whoa, that was a Verstappen move!” Lando exclaimed, wide-eyed. “You just did a Verstappen! Are you sure you don’t want to join F1? Because honestly, what the hell was that?!”

A smirk just tugged at the corner of your lips, definitely proud of yourself, but you remained focused, determined to finish the race without breaking concentration. Lando couldn’t help but laugh at your intense expression.

“Alright, I need to record this one,” Lando chuckled, pulling out his phone. “No one’s gonna believe me if I told everyone on Thread that my girl just pulled a Verstappen move, unless I post it.”

“Look at this! My girl’s out here stealing my setup and driving like she’s been on F1!” Lando began as he started filming, making sure to capture the moment as you powered through the final lap, and zooming in on your face, grinning the whole time. “Guys, I’m telling you, I’m not really making this up. She’s actually faster than me on some of these corners!”

You barely heard him as you crossed the finish line, finishing in P1, and the sound of the crowd roaring through the headphones as you finally relaxed in the chair. You let out a squeal of happiness and looked over at Lando, who was still recording and shaking his head in disbelief.

“Okay, what was that?” He laughed at you, turning off the camera. “I leave for a few hours, and suddenly you’re doing Verstappen-level moves on my rig? Are you secretly practicing whenever I’m not home?”

“Maybe I’m just naturally talented, ever think of that?” You looked at him smugly, and wiggled your eyebrows as you teased him.

“You know what?” Lando grinned at you, gently pulling you out of the seat and wrapping his arms around you. “I believe it. I’m just saying, if McLaren ever needs a backup driver, you should really think about it.”

“Babe, that’s Pato’s job, and I won’t take that away from him,” you joked, causing Lando to laugh, and you leaned into his embrace. “I’m just kidding! But…I might steal your sim setup more often.”

“Deal,” Lando chuckled, kissing your forehead. “Just don’t make me look too bad, alright?”

“No promises.” You said cheekily, then grinning up at him.

“Alright, alright,” he smiled at you. “Now where’s my kiss.” You leaned in, and kissed him softly on the lips.

[bumblingbeezzz]

I agree more with the insight that they basically just wanted a situation where they thought they could be important. The shooting POC thing is a bit of a wild leap. Like, there's some overlap, but I really think those traits are not connected to a desire for a post-apocalyptic world. We're talking about dudes who watched the Walking Dead and thought it made for good vacation plans from the drudge of average modern life. Okay, admittedly I was somewhat in that ballpark at one point. Never been the least bit conservative, but in my fantasies I found the idea of living in apocalyptic scenarios to be thrilling. Terrifying af (zombies are one of my worst fears), but thrilling. I liked the idea of having surplus resources to just go out and gather in pre-processed and pre-packaged form for free, enjoying the empty liminal spaces of abandoned places, and eventually just starting civilization over from scratch. Not because I thought there was anything so wrong with the world that it needed to be scrapped Biblical-flood style (other than feeling generally overcrowded and thinking about the taxing effect of every person's carbon footprint on the environment) I just, well I don't know really, I probably never truly wanted it because I never liked the idea of huge amounts of people dying, and I'm sure being in survival mode all the time would've gotten old pretty quick and I'd miss being able to chill with all the glory of modern conveniences. Part of the supposed appeal was definitely seeing various characters fail so badly at surviving because of really basic failures of common sense and safety, I guess it had that weird effect on me that I was eager to try and do better. Go figure. I am wiser now, hopefully obviously. If faced with that outcome, I'd probably kill myself pretty early on, maybe right off the bat, just to avoid a more horrific death. Or maybe I'd try for a bit, see how long I last, I dunno. Maybe I'd make some friends, help them stay alive. People who, just four Sundays ago, were going to movie theaters and posting on their socials, posting pictures of themselves in their new favorite outfit. Now are spattered with dried blood and mud, they wear slings and pouches, make-shift armor of plastic tubing and duct-tape. People who've been hardened and weathered the way the sun dries leather; by the choices they've had to make, the losses they've endured, and the emotional armor the've had to construct to adapt to this unforgiving new world. Well, it's definitely something more suited to exploring in fiction.

[anxiously-sidequesting]

are you sure you don't wanna yap about the necromancers some more

LOOKS AT YOU WITH EYES FULL OF TEARS...........

SO LIKE the unserious reason why i don't yap about the necromancers some more is because i don't think i've said anything that already hasn't been said (the unfair treatment that they're subjected to in ravenwood vs. the spiral, how malistaire's actions indirectly made the lives of his students worse/creating or even heightening ambrose's quiet distaste for necromancy, how the narrative ((understandably but unfortunayely)) largely moves past these characters because they're not the focus of the plot, duncan's ENTIRE CHARACTER, etc.) these are all things that I've touched on before and out of fear that i'd repeat myself every few months i just....... sadly put my favorite characters away BUT.... I WILL SAY THIS......

i feel like if wizard101 was a show that didn't have us as the main focus, i feel like it would be super appropriate to have Malorn or Penny or even Marla be in the young wizard's place as the Savior of the Spiral. I feel like the story would only be enriched from a necromancer's perspective; they're the ones more directly affected by pre-arc 1 situations and it would reveal a side to Ambrose that isn't quite highlighted with us because we're a blank slate - not a set character with a set school (like the Death school).

If Malorn was the young wizard that would be..... oh man. In a series where the fictional setting would have more freedom and options to explore itself rather than its game form, i can really see Duncan becoming one of the series' antagonists and being the perfect foil to Malorn. I already talked about this too but these two guys are PERFECT for each other as narrative parallels and focusing on their unique personalities, skill sets, backstories, relationships with each other and the outside world while also highlighting their glaring similarities would be METAL to see on television. Dare I say it will even give Duncan's "gets recruited into the Schism" arc actual substance and justice rather than the "surprise funny bully man from high school is now your plot twist boss fight and you get to see him squirm and cry pathetically after you beat him up!" thing..........

if Malorn WAS the main character i can already see Penny and Marla being supporting characters, maybe like THE three alongside other wizards like CEREN NIGHTCHANT, Susie and Artur/ maybe even throw Nolan Stormgate in there fuck it! But i definitely, DEFINITELY want to see Wizard101's story told through a necromancer's eyes more than anyone else's. There's just more at stake, more to care about, and more to connect with through the hearts and minds of someone under society's proverbial thumb like that

[originalaccountname]

happy new year!!!! when you answered my last ask, you said this:

“Asagiri is always going on about how ~mysterious~ Dazai is when he's not that complicated.”

i was wondering if you've made other posts about this, or if you'd be willing to expand on it… i love reading Dazai analyses & i’ve been doing a deep dive trying get to the core of dazai’s character motivation & inner conflicts/personal struggles, so i love hearing other people’s interpretations & ideas :)

break him down for me please!! (if you wouldn’t mind <3)

I had this plan of collecting all the interviews of Asagiri saying Dazai oh so complicated and talking about it but I ran out of steam and then.... well you saw how this ask started. The most recent Asagiri interview/talk delved into it again though!

What makes Dazai tick "hasn't been revealed" and Asagiri seems to be/think to be in the dark about it too. But to write a character with depth and consistency, you must know how they work! But not every micro detail has to be accounted for, and sometimes they might surprise you by revealing their true colours despite yourself. I get the impression that Asagiri hasn't worked out the fine details of why Dazai is the way he is, but rather how it shows and what can trigger it.

The character of Dazai was based on his namesake's struggles and his namesake's semi-autobiographical story of a character struggling with society, living and (probably) depression. I think on some level there might be a fear of intruding upon such a personal experience by giving our Dazai a definitive reason behind his own struggles, since he's so closely linked to his inspirations. However, I mostly think Asagiri's writing style makes it so leaving that part up to reader interpretation is purposeful and more fulfilling to both Asagiri and us.

Altogether, I think when Asagiri talks about Dazai being unknowable and mysterious, it's both about how he is written to keep an arm's length between himself and everyone else, and because Asagiri, as the one writing him, is keenly aware of how much of Dazai isn't shown. I believe it when they say Dazai is a tricky character to portray. Arguably, Dazai is, this way, the character that's most written like a real person, with a rich inner life that, as an outsider, you can't pretend to fully know, and that's the point.

There's a passage in 55 Minutes about how nobody has managed to understand Dazai's struggle with life. Atsushi outright asked him, and yet he couldn't remember what Dazai had told him. That was the author telling you "it's not that this issue is unaddressed, it's that you're supposed to fill in the blanks yourself".

The scariest monster is the one you can't see, and the most visceral struggle is the one you can project onto.

So Dazai is supposed to be up to reader interpretation, however he has to have some consistency and patterns and quirks to be recognizable as himself to the audience. We may never be able to say with certainty why Dazai is, but we can all come to a semblance of how Dazai is, because we're reading a story about a fictional guy written by a real person. Fan interpretations may vary, but the canon story is static. Dazai might be ~mysterious~ by design, but he's not that complicated.

[iwanttorundirectlyintothesun]

i know im breaking the like number 1 rule of the internet (dont argue with people who are already upset about things they dont understand and dont want to) but its really not people getting their rocks off to a cute kid being mauled to death.

they called it "cutie gore art" because the art style is cutesy, specifically mimicking and mocking the original chibi art style of luce and her friends in the official posts about her

the only reason the art is showing a cute child is because its a fictional mascot character, made to represent catholicism and not a real child

and the images are mimicking the original image of a missionary being eaten by a jaguar, painted in 1907 by Noé Léon repesenting many peoples feelings toward christianitys prevalent spread through targeting "savage" or "uncivilised" groups of people during difficult or trying times for that community by promising conditional help and respect

so to reiterate: theres nothing cute about dead children, theres no one in the comments sexually aroused by the cute child being killed (at least i hope not because thats fucked up), there is definitely a contempt for the profiteering of a large and powerful group trying to gain more control over people that don't want anything to do with them

[drinkabletoxicdishsoap]

Rewatching some ever after high because you know, why not? It’s a great show and I love all the characters (my favorites are definitely kitty chesire, Maddie/Madeline Hatter, ok basically all of the wonderland ones, and darling charming! Classic picks but for a good reason! They’re all so iconic)

But since my brain is very fairly odd parents rotted, a thought came to my mind:

Doesn’t C.A. Cupid looks like Cupid’s daughter 😭 or is just me ?

Ok it’s most definitely just me 💔💔 but they look so similar idk. I love the fact of headcanoning all of the cupids in fictional existence as family 😭

(I was going to include her monster high version but it doesn’t really look that similar to Cupid)

If you wanna go with the headcanon that Juandissimo and Cupid had a child and that child is the Cupid of ANW, I definitely imagine that bro would be jealous 😭 like wdym my sister gets to go to school with all of the children of fairy tales but I’m stuck here in Fairy World??!!!

Again this is probably just me but oh well it’s another crossover and I love yapping about all of these!!

[cosmic-canines]

i know i love you (im just not sure how)

a poem attempting to define hazy, indescribable feelings (which is definitely NOT about fictional characters, not at all, not me i could never)

i suppose it all began because you were there. you always were there, and i guess i finally realized that. it was dark. so very dark. and i knew you were afraid of the dark, but i asked you to rescue me anyways. i knew it was selfish, but then again, you were always the light, weren't you?

i struggle with feelings, you know that. they're big and complex, and i am just a boy in a world that makes me feel small. when i first felt these things i thought i could shake it. but the more i try to escape, the more i draw closer. and the more i try to figure us out, the less i really understand. i know i love you, im just not sure how. is it love like a birthday card, is it more like close friends? or closer to a love letter, will i see that in the end? maybe i am wrong, and this is not love at all. do i just need you because i have no one else to catch me when i fall? i keep failing to find words, to explain my reeling mind, i keep failing to discern, if our stars align. and if i know you well, then i know that you are too, i guess its still a world where we all just live confused. i know i love you, im just not sure how. ive searched this place for answers in all the ways the earth allows, and now i'm lost again, but with this feeling, ill make do; i guess i'm okay to be lost, so long as i'm lost with you. i still don't know what this is, or why it falls on me but i know when i'm with you i am truly feeling free. so now we're lost in these vast cosmos, i'm sure we'll be just fine i may not know the answers, but i'm happy you're still mine.

[sparvverius]

i'm intentionally out of the loop for any and all frevblr beef but it seems just a little bit silly to me to say that there's a "fanon" version of these historical figures and that people should like the REAL version instead. cause like. unfortunately the real version has passed on from this life.... so has every person that knew them....... we think and talk of these people in a speculative and interpretive way not out of preference but because that is the only way that anyone can have any access to them at all anymore! however if you ARE communing with the real saint-just PLEASE let me know

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Chloe is not a real person. She is a fictional character, so I'm going to discuss her in the kind of terms appropriate for discussing fictional characters. This is extra true because she's a secondary character, meaning that the story is, by definition, not about her.

Generally speaking, secondary characters are defined by their service to the main characters/the plot. That doesn't mean that secondary characters can't be fully developed and wonderful characters in their own right, it just means that you don't give them main-character-level development unless it fits within the greater story. To explain what I mean, I'll use the classic example of a redeemed character done right: Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender.

That show is not about Zuko. It's about Aang, the last Airbender. Zuko is a secondary character in Aang's story. This means that Zuko was not redeemed because the writers really, really, really wanted to redeem their cool emo prince with a manly scar and daddy issues! He was redeemed because Aang needed a firebending teacher and because the show needed to set up someone to take over the Fire Nation after Aang defeated the Fire Lord (or Phoenix King or whatever Ozai was going by that day). Zuko was the perfect character to do that, so he got developed and redeemed.

If the story hadn't needed those niches filled or if Zuko was just a random Fire Nation solider without any powers or important political role, then Zuko's redemption would not work or, at the very least, it would be much weaker.

None of these facts undermine Zuko's story. It's still wonderful, but when we're talking about writing and how you do it, it's important to acknowledge the technical, unemotional reasons why it works. If I were to redeem Chloe, she'd be really freaking deep and have her own struggles and I'd enjoy every minute of it, but just like Zuko, she only gets that treatment because it works within the greater story. If she doesn't have a place in the greater story, then redeeming her is not telling a good story because it's very much not her story. The obvious exception is if you pivot and make her the main character, which you can do, but I wouldn't call that a Miraculous rewrite. It's more like a spinoff show.

Since reading that ask about Chloe where you linked Sara Z videos, I wanted to ask, if you'd be willing to share, what you plan for Chloé in your rewrite of the show. I'm not asking if you "think she should be redeemed" bc that is a child in a cartoon lol-but I mean to ask how you'd write, well, whatever happens in her story. Growth or not or a roller coaster of ups and downs.

Overall I really enjoyed your changes to the world and characters and I think about that version of Miraculous often. The scenes where Adrien tries to talk to Chloé about her behavior really stood out to me. I'm just curious to pick your brain a little lol.

(Post in question)

I am a total sucker for a good redemption arc. I like seeing people change for the better! However, just because I like a redemption arc doesn't mean that I'm going to throw one in for no reason. This is especially true for Chloé since redeeming Chloé is not something that you can do with ease. It eats up a lot of screen time because Chloé is not an easy character to redeem. She needs a lot of active attention. That's a problem because this isn't her story. It's Adrien and Marinette's, meaning that the only reason to redeem Chloé is if you want to tie her into one or both of their character arcs.*

That's why I don't blame anyone for ignoring Chloé or only hinting at redemption. Unless you're making her the main character or giving her a big role in the lead characters' story*, you really shouldn't redeem her. The show actively shows why! Felix, Sabrina, Nathalie, and Gabriel's "redemptions" all fall incredibly flat because those stories lacked substance. They needed a lot more screen time to work and a formula show is never going to be able to pull that off.

Now that I've given those disclaimers, let's talk about why I would absolutely take the time to redeem Chloé if the format allowed for that kind of story. The answer is quite simple: Adrien needs an arc focused around setting boundaries and learning that you can't live your life focused on making others happy. An arc where he learns how to decide when he wants to give someone a second chance and when he wants to give up on them. He also needs to learn that giving up on them is okay. That you can't set yourself on fire to keep others warm.

This arc cannot be about him and his father. Adrien is too young for that. The power balance is too stacked against him. He can't cut his father off at fifteen and the arc can't happen after the terrorist reveal makes cutting Gabriel off a possibility in spite of Adrien's youth. That's way too much way too fast. You need a less serious relationship to give this arc to so that it can take its time to be messy and complex. When you embrace the hinted at childhood friendship between Chloé and Adrien, she becomes the perfect fit for this kind of arc. A person who Adrien has equal power to and who he can muddle his way through things with, letting them both learn and grow into better people, setting the stage for Adrien to avoid completely falling apart when he learns the truth about his father. That's why Adrien so desperately needs an arc like this. His naive little sunshine self simply isn't ready to face the Gabriel reveal until he's done some major growing up.

Obviously you could use this setup to give Chloé a damnation arc, but as I said above, I'm a sucker for a good redemption. I want Chloé to be a better person and find happiness! There's also the fact that a damnation arc doesn't work as well as a redemption in this context. It's important for Adrien to be able to make the choice to give Chloé another chance and to have that choice be a struggle. Something he really has to work through. If he abandons Chloé and never looks back or welcomes her back without a second thought, then you're not setting him up to deal with the fallout of what's coming with his father. Chloé needs to feed like a proper proto Gabriel. You want her and Adrien's story to end in a way that makes you feel like he really is as ready as he could ever be to face his father.

It's also worth noting that, if Chloé really was Adrien's childhood friend, then she should have some sort of relationship with Gabriel and/or Emilie. She should know the Agreste's family dynamics way better than any of his new friends, which is another reason why I like redeeming her. I want Adrien to have someone who really gets it.

*If Miraculous was the kind of show where side characters consistently took center stage for a while, then Chloé being redeemed without a clear tie to the leads could work. It's a nice way to pad out the run time and is what I originally thought the show was doing with her. But Miraculous has no interest in giving anyone a proper story, not even the leads, so I'm still baffled by the choices the writers made with Chloé. I will never fully get what was going on there.

[thelonelynindroid]

He's so caffeine dependent. I need him

[buckleygrace118]

the new video from oliver and ryan on the 911 set is making me think thoughts. I saw someone say that they are on madneys terrace and I don't know if that's true. I have bad memory. but what if buck and eddie get invited to maddie and chims house for dinner and they just keep acting like boyfriends the entire time. like full on love-dovey stuff. and maddies just staring at her brother like you just broke up with your ex bf at least try to act broken hearted about it. and chim isn't even surprised at this point bc this is just every day for him. and maybe we get a maddie eddie scene where they connect and talk about chris or something. that would actually be so beautiful. I WANT IT!

[canisalbus]

This isn't really a question, but damn- you know you're getting popular when your ocs- which are unrelated to any fandom- is getting both fan art and an entire fanfiction dedicated to them.

I know, and I feel exceedingly lucky to be surrounded by such creative people. I love my characters dearly of course, but the fact that they're resonating this strongly with others as well is staggering. I can't thank you enough.

(edit: Maybe I should mention that if anyone ever feels inspired to write something about my dog boys, I'd consider it an honor. You can ask for my permission or advice if you're unsure but it's not mandatory. Just try to treat them nicely if you can? You don't have to adhere to their established canon, but don't publish anything you wouldn't want me to see. And send me a link please, I'd love to take a look).

[cloudyvulpine]

hate when i'm info dumping about a *FICTIONAL* villain and someone has the audacity to be like "but they've killed people" or "but they've committed crimes"

i know

but they aren't real

i still want to make out with them

[itsdefinitely]

do girl jeri and boy jerry exist explicitly to torment me

[blackbird-of-the-dawn]

I like to think that during those centuries of learning engineering and science-fiction science (still skeptical it would have taken Loki—a literal god and someone who’s already lived hundreds of years—multiple centuries) that Loki would have left clues around. Wherever and whenever he was, hoping Mobius would find it, maybe one day piece it all together… I mean he wanted to tell him, to explain, but here just wasn’t enough time…

I like to think that Mobius is making a plan to get Loki back. He’s gonna figure it out with OB. And they’re gonna do it on a timeline so that TVA time-wise there is no change before vs after plan creation.

I like to think they could figure it out in time before INFINITE branches makes accessing Loki *literally* impossible.

I like to think that after some time, Loki gets into a little hibernation mode, somehow time feels different to him… the loneliness doesn’t feel like it lasts as long as it does (being able to keep an eye on Mobius definitely helps).

I like to think that somehow, Mobius makes it. He’s mildly startled to find Loki being all blue-skinned (but it would make more sense). I like to think he would gently wake Loki up. I like to think there’s tears in their eyes as they gently hold each other’s faces. (Or maybe a giant hug. Maybe Mobius even makes a comment about how his Loki That Remains looks good as King of Time.)

I like to think that however Mobius got those branches to separate, Loki closes them back up for a moment. Let a little time pass.

They can finally hold each other. They can finally kiss. They can finally love each other with no one looking, no worlds ending. No need to be anywhere else with anyone else.

I like to think that all the timelines that are near the throne at that time get just a lil bit brighter and happier. That if you could, you would see their love radiating out and infecting those branches with hope and comfort.

…I like to think that one of yall talented artists might just draw this scene out cuz for the LIFE of me i cant draw… :):)

[pwurrz]

being obsessed with yakumo is a job and baby i’ve never called in a sick day!!!!!