#but it’s entirely possible the tweet was a joke knowing him

[roseswitheraway]

Some of the most homophobic of the responses to the Lil Nas X bisexuality Tweet

[goingbuggy]

Shanks' Savior Complex

A few months ago, I posted a joke tweet about Shanks’ savior complex and Buggy’s inferiority complex. While Buggy’s feelings of inadequacy are pretty obvious in the source material, Shanks is constantly evading serious analysis because of how little he appears in the manga and how nebulous those few appearances are. So, naturally, I was met with a lot of confusion. (What do you mean by ‘savior complex?’ Why Shanks specifically?) I thought I’d address all that now in one comprehensive, all-inclusive post.

Before I dive in, please note just a few things:

A SAVIOR COMPLEX is a pattern of unconscious behaviors. It is associated most often with self-sacrificial people – those who help others even at the cost of their own personal well-being, mental or physical.

Within the field of psychology, ‘complexes’ are just constructs. My goal is not to diagnose. Rather, this post is a conceptual analysis using the idea of a “savior complex” to better explore Shanks as a character.

Now that all that’s out of the way, let me begin!

For a character who is so significant in the grand scheme, Shanks is remarkably absent for the better part of One Piece. Really. He is so nonexistent, actually, that the first chapter of the manga is probably the most we’ve ever seen from him uninterrupted. This is for good reason, though; Shanks is the catalyst for Luffy’s entire journey. He owes a lot to Shanks: his devil fruit, his life, and even his dream, to an extent. Luffy learned a lot about being a captain from Shanks, and much of his advice – like picking and choosing your battles, for example – Luffy puts to good use later down the line.

So, considering his role as Luffy’s mentor, it’s fitting that Shanks’ character is defined by RESPONSIBILITY. He’s goofy, sure, but don’t let that devil-may-care attitude fool you – Shanks is a knowledgeable pirate, grounded by the weight he carries. His dialogue and actions throughout the first chapter reflect this. When Luffy demands to be taken out to sea, Shanks refuses, claiming he is too young. While the rest of his crew wax poetic about the freedom and joy of being a pirate, Shanks is the one bringing them back down to reality, telling them not to fill Luffy’s head with “crazy ideas.”

Those who know him best seem to agree. “The captain’s just doing what’s best for everyone,” Beckman states. “The safety of the entire crew and ship rests on his shoulders.”

Although Shanks is realistic, he is not a pessimist, and he certainly still values dreams. Let’s not forget: Shanks entrusted Luffy with Roger’s hat. Not only that, he asks Luffy to give it back when Luffy has become a great pirate – not if. Of course Shanks has hope for the future and the new generation. He's just also experienced enough to know the dangers and horrors of the current world, and curbs his own expectations as a result. Yet again, Beckman reinforces this when he talks to Luffy.

The future needs a strong foundation. Anything is possible, including what Luffy wants to achieve, but there are necessary sacrifices to make dreams a reality.

I believe Shanks sees himself as one of those necessary sacrifices.

Oda may not have envisioned Shanks losing an arm in the original draft of the story, but this decision sets a precedent going forward, for both Shanks as a character and the series at large. Sacrifice is at the core of One Piece’s identity; previously, I’ve discussed its emotional significance as an act of love. But sacrifice also serves as the foundation for the new generation. Corazón’s sacrifice, for example, enabled Law to outlive him and change the future. Toki and Oden’s sacrifices enabled their children and the Nine Red Scabbards to change the future. Queen Otohime, Fisher Tiger, Shimotsuki Yasuie… although these characters died without ever seeing the future they hoped for, their sacrifices are the foundation upon which their successors enact change.

And who do we also see facilitating the changing world, ensuring the “new age” succeeds?

Shanks.

Whenever Shanks reappears in the manga, it is usually on the precipice of a dangerous conflict, or at exactly the perfect moment to intervene in said conflict. Take Shanks visiting Whitebeard, for example; here, he attempts to navigate the growing tension between Ace and Blackbeard, which eventually results in the war at Marineford. Although he fails at convincing Whitebeard to stop Ace’s revenge quest, it’s clear that Shanks has a vested interest in balancing the current forces at play, including marines and pirates.

At Marineford, not only does Shanks intervene to stop the war, but he saves Koby, a member of the new generation who will undoubtedly change the future on the marines' side of things. His words also reflect my point about sacrifice as a foundation for change. As he stops Akainu, he praises Koby for putting his life on the line: “The seconds of courage you bet your life on creating, for good or bad, have just now greatly changed the fate of the world!”

This aspect of his character remains consistent in Film Red, too. Even though he has grown to love Uta as a daughter, Shanks still encourages her to stay behind because her singing brings happiness to a world where "peace and equality don't exist." Afterwards, when Uta causes the massacre on Elegia, Shanks shoulders all the blame, effectively hiding the truth to protect her. He sacrifices his own connection with his daughter for what he believes is the greater good. Note that Shanks’ own personal feelings on that decision are never explored or discussed; obviously, Shanks loved his daughter, and it's safe to assume he didn't want to leave her. But he set aside his own happiness and made the hard choice anyway. (Sound familiar? The "savior complex" alarm bells should be ringing in your head.)

Even as an emperor, Shanks sacrifices his own strength, influence, and reputation. His fleet is “notoriously weak.” The pirates within it even admit that they never would have survived this long without Shanks protecting them. This fleet is another responsibility weighing Shanks down, and yet he takes on that burden anyway for their sake. 

We don’t have the full context behind Shanks’ decision at Loguetown either, but it’s likely that his refusal to go Laughtale right away ties back to responsibility, too. We know whatever Roger said to Shanks the day their crew disbanded rendered him to tears. (Did Roger’s answer to his question change his mind?) We also know he regards Luffy as Roger’s successor, and claims Luffy acts just like he did as a kid. (Shanks "crowning" Luffy with Roger's hat also parallels Shanks' moment with Roger visually, placing them in similar roles.)

Given this, it’s possible that Shanks believed he could take on Roger’s legacy, but later realized he would not be the one to change the world. Roger might have even tasked him with finding the “true” successor, who will “turn the world upside down.” (Shanks’ fixation with the “new age” would also make sense in that case.) This is all speculation, but I thought I’d throw it out there anyway, because if this were true, Shanks would have sacrificed his own dream for the sake of the world. (Very fitting!)

But how does Shanks feel about his role in the bigger picture? The short answer: we don’t know, and I think that’s purposeful. Oda consistently draws Shanks looking wistful and resigned when it comes to his choices; although he has severed relationships and damaged his body, not once has he expressed resentment, anger, or sorrow. In fact, he's usually smiling.

Shanks also has his own monologue where he discusses the act of crying.

If you apply his advice to his own character journey, it raises a lot of questions. Does Shanks view his current sacrificial actions as “overcoming” his own tears from back then? Is that why we so rarely see him cry now? Considering how reserved Shanks is in expressing negative emotions, I think it’s possible. His emotional restraint could also be seen as “saving face” for the sake of others – something I’ve discussed before. That is my own interpretation, though, so take it with a grain of salt. 

Speculation aside, Shanks has shown time and time again that he prioritizes the future over his own life. His dedication to/fixation with the "new age," his role as a mentor, how he believes in putting his life on the line and "overcoming" negative emotions... these indicate a pattern of behaviors seen in those with savior complexes. Even if it's at the cost of his own mental/physical well-being, Shanks plans to facilitate the world as Luffy changes it.

Is the "new age" his dream, or did he sacrifice his real dream for the sake of the new age? Does that dream even matter to him, anymore? The reasoning for Shanks' motives is still unknown, but the answer must lie in whatever mysterious question he asked Roger – otherwise, why hide the context for his massive turnabout at Loguetown? Once the curtain is drawn back on that moment, I think we will begin to see Shanks in a new light.

[alohajun]

TREASURE'S REACTION WHEN THEIR IDOL PARTNER IS SHIVERING AT AN AWARD SHOW

treasure x gn!reader | wc : 0.7k words | content : possible grammar and spelling mistakes, lowercase intended, established relationships, idol au, fluff, use of pet names, mild cursing | request — hi so i really like your blog's i'm wondering if i could request so if i could my request is treasure reaction when their idol s/o is shivering at an award show take your time

JIHOON, JUNKYU, MASHIHO, HARUTO

💎 as soon as he saw you rubbing your arms and the goosebumps on your skin, he’d frown, kinda sad you couldn’t even properly enjoy an award show because of your outfit

💎 so he’d do whatever was possible to keep you warm

💎 the decision was simple, really

💎 his beloved was cold and he was going to give you his coat

💎 oh, he didn’t have a coat? you best bet he will make another member take theirs off and offer it to you

💎 he gave zero fucks if this would become the headliner the next day

💎 because honestly who tf in their right mind would make you wear such flimsy clothing in negative degree weather

💎 there would definitely be clips on the internet of him shoving his hot-packs into your hands because you kept refusing to take them

💎 “oh to be him or to be y/n, that is the question” exhibit a of the tweets of that night

💎 would even go the extra mile and inform the award show staff about your group’s members, if everyone of y’all are feeling cold

💎 will make sure you guys get enough blankets and hot-packs to keep yourself warm until the end of the show

💎 “just take the damn jacket, y/n. i don’t want you to get sick.”

HYUNSUK, ASAHI, DOYOUNG, JEONGWOO

💎 oh, your timbers are being shivered at an award show and you don’t know what to do except rub your arms to keep warm?

💎 well, don’t fear because your boyfriend is here

💎 xdjgsd jokes on you truly if you thought he went anywhere without a jacket on him

💎 he’s the type to wear some long-sleeved outerwear even when people are sweating buckets because he knows you get cold easily

💎 so this time was absolutely no different

💎 as soon as he saw you a few seats away, shuddering from the cold of the stadium, he would get down to work

💎 either he was already wearing an extra jacket or would have been carrying one around, waiting for this exact moment because he knew it would happen sooner or later

💎 he’d call for a staff member and hand them the jacket along with some extra hotpacks, telling them to give it to you

💎 as soon as the staff member came towards you with the items, you didn’t even need to ask to know who it was from—there was only one person who knew you this well

💎 you’d look around for your boyfriend, sending him a smile from afar until you could thank him properly when you next saw him

💎 “i will never know why you don’t wear long-sleeves when you get so cold easily. you are lucky i know you, love.”

YOSHI, JAEHYUK, YEDAM, JUNGHWAN

💎 i don’t think they’d proper notice if you are shivering because they are just tryna have a good time at the award show

💎 and if anything, yk that treasure have a good time at award shows

💎 but when you are able to just shoot him a text about freezing to death or you end up meeting him on the way to the bathroom, he’d definitely be concerned

💎 a lot of “are you okays” and “are you sures”

💎 doesn’t exactly know what he can do to help you, so he’d probably turn to his leaders for some idea

💎 listening to their suggestions, he’ll ask a staff member to provide you with some blankets and a hotpack — and will continue to check in with you for the night

💎 if he sees that you and your group are all sitting right under the aircon, he’ll ask his members if they are alright with exchanging seats with you guys before letting you know

💎 and if you end up exchanging seats, he'll be in full smiles for the entire night

💎 because you'd be sending him little "thank you" messages constantly, and it'd make him super content

💎 whenever he turned to look at y'all and see you guys fully enjoying the night, he'd feel accomplished, glad everyone is having a good time

💎 "i'm always down to help you out, okay, babes? just let me know and i will do whatever i can."

taglist — @kflixnet @xiaosimp3 @nanalovesyouuu @twntycm @heejojo @jaesvelvet @fightmegirl @koishua @lovethyfandoms2 @kpoprhia @woooooooosh8 @milkybonya @enhacolor @yunho-leeknow @candililac @willdieforbeidou @luvbrie @mui890mew @yogurteume @one16core @soobin-chois @odetoyeonjun @wonluvrbot @acciomylove @idkwatodoanymore @kyufilms @ily-cuz-i @acaiasahi @teuranghae (to be added, please send an ask or dm!)

MASTERLISTS | TAGLIST FORM

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[go-scottishgal14]

Great essay in The Telegraph, 7/28/2024, hits nail on head imho....

Not even France can escape the West’s cultural decay

Our civilisation is surely doomed when the best Paris can offer is a drag queen parody of the Last Supper

TIM STANLEY -- 28 July 2024 at 7:30 pm

At the Olympics they often sing Imagine, containing the line, “Imagine there’s no countries …” Well, if there were no countries, there’d be no Olympics, which would be marvellous. Who wants to watch two weeks of muscular women throwing sticks and balls at each other? The only entertaining bit is the opening ceremony. Britain did a good ’un back in 2012; so good that it entered folklore, along with the 1966 World Cup and Dunkirk. When our grandkids ask, “What did you do in the clash of civilisations?” we shall reply: “We pushed Elizabeth II out of a helicopter.”

Paris, by contrast, offered us drag queens doing a parody of the Last Supper – insulting Christians, mocking God. When I described the scene to a priest, he replied: “That explains the torrential rain, then.”

It was blasphemous, sure, but it was also tacky; the crime aesthetic as well as religious. You have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to sell your country to tourists, and what did France go with? A dozen men – one with a beard – twerking to Freed from Desire. Actual culture necessitates discipline and taste. In the 21st century, people just “party”, cos it requires zero effort and any idiot can do it.

Kicking Christians is very easy because we have no power and, when we’re angry, we don’t fly planes into things. And yet some people cannot leave us alone. They feel a need to ridicule our beliefs and subvert our images, to drag Christ down to the gutter – as if crucifying him once wasn’t enough.

It’s probably because faith is beautiful. People don’t know how to react to it. When you’ve been raised in ugliness, to be confronted with the profound, transcendent beauty of the Last Supper can inspire awe, yes, but also fear. Think of those apes going bananas at the mysterious monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Beauty pierces the illusion of a comfortably banal existence.

Imagine if instead of the drag queen parody, the ceremony had paused to display the real painting by Leonardo da Vinci. No music. No fireworks. Just Jesus&Co. Millions would’ve switched off the telly – because they’d find it boring, no doubt, but also strange, unnerving, possibly offensive. There would’ve been thousands of complaints. We have engineered an entire existence around pleasure and distraction. Stop the disco for one minute and people might fill the silence with thought, even prayer … or they might riot.

Either way, you’ve got a revolution on your hands, and the powers that be can’t have that.

L’Hexagone faces a fate worse than death: becoming Great Britain

Organisers have apologised for any offence caused, but wise-guys insist the whole thing was a very French joke the world didn’t get. But how French was the ceremony in total?

Celine Dion is Canadian. Lady Gaga is from the United States. “This is France!” tweeted Emmanuel Macron – in English, something one could never imagine De Gaulle or Mitterrand doing. In fact this version of France looks suspiciously American, and drag is another import.

Men have been dressing up as women for a laugh for centuries, and long may it continue. But the art form’s current vibe was promoted by Ru Paul – obviously influenced by Voguing – and the notion that drag queens are apostles for progress is 100 per cent “made in the USA”.

I’m old enough to remember when a drag act meant a bloke, often married, dressed as Barbara Cartland telling filthy jokes about foreigners in the Dog and Duck. The Yanks have mainstreamed this subculture, transforming it into a mass consumer product, which was another reason to yawn rather than boo at the drag disciples. This stuff ceased being brave or transgressive 20 years ago. Like the rainbow flag (designed by an American) or Pride (begun in America), it is banal because it is ubiquitous.

So, Brits shouldn’t gloat over the tawdry French games. If we held them today, we’d make identical mistakes. Our ceremony would also be a celebration of diversity – every Western nation has become diverse to the point of looking exactly the same – for diversity is something one promotes when you’ve lost confidence in your historical identity. When you’ve decided everything you did pre-1960 was racist, and you’ve stopped writing great novels, composing symphonies or painting beyond primary school standard.

The West is culturally dying. It only looks alive because we’re dancing among the relics of what we used to do well – and are so embarrassed by these past accomplishments that we feel moved to ridicule their ideals.

The Paris ceremony, of course, featured a headless Marie Antoinette. Let’s laugh at a victim of an earlier experiment in egalitarianism. It’s interesting how gender always haunts debates about civilisation. In 1790, Edmund Burke – a philosopher writing before Marie’s execution – predicted that the lack of chivalry shown towards the queen would eventually spell disaster for all women and all France. In a world without etiquette or distinction, he said, “a queen is but a woman; a woman is but an animal, and an animal not of the highest order”. Abusing monarchs, like burning books, erodes dignity and encourages murder.

France’s decline is nothing special. In some regards it is ahead of us; in others, behind. The depressing point is that it is familiar. These Olympics have been marred by racial tension, incompetence, poor taste, unreliable railways, filthy river water and terrible weather. France’s fate is worse than death: she has become Great Britain.

[modelbus]

Tommyinnit x masc nb reader where they don't try to hide their relationship from the internet, but at the same time refuse to confirm nor deny it.

Like...they have pictures online of them on dates, wearing each others clothes, in each other's background during stream, etc, etc. The evidence is right there??? But they don't confirm it. Matter of fact, they don't even "know who that ugly mug in the picture is".

Wilbur is the first one to leak their relationship tho, woops.

”whoops” killed me. Also, look at my funny little guy in the photo! It felt fitting.

Pairing: CC!Tommyinnit x Nb!Reader (romantic)

Evading Evidence

Tommy’s streaming when you get tired of scrolling through Twitter. Normally you’re able to sit on his bed, just out of sight of his camera, and catch up on all the drama. It’s been a quiet few days though, so you’re already bored.

“I’m going to run to the store real quick.” You say, getting up.

Tommy turns, neither of you acknowledging the stream. Chat’s going crazy about the fact you were there the entire thirty minutes Tommy’s been live for, and possibly longer.

Despite the fact you and Tommy were dating, neither of you had let the internet know yet. Sure, there were pictures and Tweets and remarks basically confirming it, but both of you were careful never to say it outright. At this point it was almost a game.

“Oh, can you get me twin gummy snakes?” Tommy asks, practically begging you with his eyes.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I need fuel and you love me?”

You consider it for a second before giving in. “Fine. I’ll be back in, like, ten minutes.”

“Thanks! Don’t get run over!”

“Why would I- never mind.”

Tommy doesn’t turn back towards the stream until after he hears you leave, shutting the door behind you. It’s only then that he takes notice of the chat freaking out over his words.

“Chat, what the fuck are you talking about? They don’t love me. Actually, I don’t have a clue who the fuck that was!” He exclaims. “Back to Minecraft.”

-

“Hey, is this okay to post?” Jack Manifold asks, practically shoving his phone into your face.

You take it, examining the Twitter draft. It’s a selfie he took before the filming of the latest Tom Simons vlog. Behind him you can barely see you and Tommy curled up on the couch together, looking at something. The photo is captioned “Tom Simons vlog done.”

“Sure. Tommy?” You ask, handing the phone over to him.

He barely takes a look at it. “Yeah.”

“Thanks!” Jack says cheerfully, immediately posting.

“Time to fight the stans like our lives depend on it.” You joke, already opening Twitter and navigating to Jack’s profile.

“It’s fucking funny.” Tommy laughs.

“Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss. What’re you tweeting?”

“I’ll reply to yours.” He leans over to watch you type out your reply, reading it aloud. “'Not Jack photoshopping the background'.”

“Are you two ever going to tell the internet?” Jack asks, laughing a little.

“Oh, the internet definitely knows. They just chose to believe us when we lie to their faces.” You answer.

“I’m replying ‘incredibly disrespectful.’” Tommy announces. You get the notification of his reply right after he says it.

“Don’t get me canceled.” Jack sighs.

“No promises.”

-

"Why are you talking about Tommy so much?" A donation asks.

You were doing a just chatting stream, spilling some fun stories. A few of them had been dates with Tommy, but you didn't call them dates. Chat still had their suspicions though.

"Because I hate him." You deadpan, staring into your camera. "Worst person ever, kill all Tommyinnits."

It barely takes a second for the chat to react to your words, thousands of people calling you a liar. As your eyes flick through messages, one catches your eye.

"Why are you wearing his hoodie then, hm?" Gets read aloud. "Well, you see, it simply isn't his. This very clearly branded Tommyinnit hoodie? Mine."

It's merch of his that hadn't shipped yet, his name displayed across your chest. The only possible way for you to have some would be him giving you some or you stealing his. One guess as to what you did.

Yeah, you took his.

"I have the fastest shipping in the world guys, you have to believe me."

Nobody believes you. It's not even the first time you've worn his clothes, just the first you've worn them on stream. Maybe you should've been a little more careful, but oh well. Who really cares anyways? The game was fun, but not too serious.

"Besides, as if I'd ever wear something Tom fucking Simons tainted with his gremlin hands." It's a fun little jab, one you know he'll hear about later. Probably from Twitter.

"Hey!" Tommy yells from somewhere in the flat.

Or maybe he'll hear about it right that second. He must be watching your stream, making you smile.

"Sorry." You say it in a way that clearly shows you don't mean the apology, laughing to yourself a little. After running a hand through your hair, you speak again. "Did I tell you guys about how I almost killed a person by riding a bike the other day?"

-

Of course, all jokes eventually end. This one just happens to meet its death in Wilbur's hands, live on stream.

“We’re out, we’ll see you tomorrow for the vlog.” Tommy says, pulling you to your feet.

It’s been over an hour of being on Wilbur’s stream, stuck in his little cramped office. One person was fine, two could fit, but three was just too much. Besides, you knew Tommy’s limit was an hour.

“Have a good stream!” You tell Wilbur cheerfully, shutting the door before he gets the chance to say goodbye. To make up for it, he waves.

“And there go the lovers.” Wilbur jokes to his stream, putting himself back into the middle of the frame now you and Tommy are gone. “Off to do whatever they do.”

It barely takes a minute for chat to explode, making Wilbur realize exactly what he just did. His face drains of color as he sits up.

“Shit- fuck. It was a joke, guys. A joke.”

Like a dog with a bone, chat’s already taken his words and ran with them. Wilbur’s fuck up is beyond repair. Instead of digging himself a deeper grave, he just messages you and Tommy.

You’re both back in his office in a matter of seconds, having sprinted back down the corridor. It wasn’t that you were upset, more just panicked. This definitely wasn’t how you meant to confirm it.

“Well… shit.” Tommy finally speaks, just off camera. “You’ve leaked it Wil.”

“I didn’t fucking mean to!”

“We should leak something about you in return.” You joke.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to!” Wilbur quickly defends himself.

Tommy pokes his head into the camera frame to address chat, grinning to show he isn’t pissed at Wilbur at all. You laugh, waiting to see what he’ll say.

“Oi, chat, you’re all fucking dumb. Took you lot long enough.”

Wilbur sags with visible relief, glad neither of you are going to kill him for his slip-up. Now that it’s established he didn’t ruin everything, it’s a lot funnier.

“We’re going to miss the movie showing.” You announce, checking your phone for the time.

“Fuck. Bye again.” Tommy laughs as you drag him out the door.

When the door shuts, Wilbur laughs and shakes his head. “Whoops?”

[scoobydooisadetective]

Hi. I just wanted to ask if it's possible for you guys to post the English translation of the Spanish posts? Tumblr doesn't have the translation option like X or Facebook

Hi! I'm guessing you're speaking about this post. Sure, no problem. I think it's relevant for everyone to know how long he has been in these kind of situations. I'll try to do my best w/ translation and offer some context.

Luz said in her post:

"I don't have a Twitter, I consider it an intolerant and racist world, this is the social network where Tenoch has the most bots against him, he receives a lot of hate and they generate that hate. But yesterday in a group they sent this picture, it's a publication about a radio host saying Tenoch apologized to him for being a person "without education and without ethics" according to his words.

(In the tweet: I share with you the picture when #TenochHuerta apologized to me for behaving as an uneducated being, without ethics and as the chairo without words he has always been. If I had known, I would've charged $1,800...

Note: Chairo doesn't have a translation, but it's basically derogatory way to to describe an individual who holds a far-left ideology, specifically any person who thoughtlessly defends, idolizes, and fawns over a populist politician and demagogue with an attitude similar to that of a religious fanatic.)

I thought it was weird and I found a publication made by the director Alonso Ruizapalacios in 2015 where he explains what happened that day

(full text here: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02fkKp1ZGWvpcweaavk8e13ke4HQj2k616EPv75JrrExeEB49DUGPL7m31WJzGDqqil&id=1369494912&mibextid=Nif5oz)

"COMMERCIAL BREAK!

A few hours ago, me and Tenoch Huerta went to promote our movie GÜEROS at the radio show "Charros vs Gángsters", hosted by Jairo Calixto and some José Luis Guzmán "Miyagi" (I confess I didn't know about him until today).

Since we arrived at MVS Radio in Polanco, we saw patrols and riot policeman surrounding the radio station and preventing the production van from passing through. The driver suggested it was "because of that reporter that they are going to fire."

Despite this rarefied atmosphere, the inteview about the movie went like most interviews in radio and TV he (Tenoch) helped with in Mexico: wih cordiality, but with simple and unexciting (no preparation), but overall with the hysteria that characterizes a large amout of the communicators in our country - a kind of perpetual nervousness about not leaving even a moment of pause, to "fill the air" with whatever, with an incessant strident chatter that passes for irreverence and freshness. Despite that, we promoted our move without problem, between jokes about the Partido Verde and bestiality.

At the end of our interview, Tenoch took the floor and said: "Before we leave, I'd like to comment something in a personal capacity, I think it's necessary to have dialog to clarify the situation about the communicator Cármen Aristegui and her firing from this radio station." In that moment "Miyagi", who had not heard a single word about Güeros nor had he looked up from his iPad during our entire conversation, ordered: "Let's go on commercial break!" and it was obeyed immediately in the cabin. After a awkward painful silence, Tenoch and I realized we had finished. After a painfully awkward silence, Tenoch and I realized that we were done. We approached to say goodbye to our hosts, who barely shook our hands, without looking us in the eyes. But before leaving Miyagi told us: “We opened the microphones for something else, not so that you could continue with that…” To which Tenoch responded “We just want to know what is happening with Aristegui.” And nothing else was said.

We went out of the MVS with our heads spinning aournd, trying to understand what had just happened. And we still continue to not understand...

My interpretation: We're still trapped in this climate where communicators -even those who brag about being irreverent- fear (maybe justifiably) about their continuity in the enterprises that pay their salary. We're still living in a climate of very litte solidarity and a lot of intolerance.

Maybe "Miyagi" simply made a mistake and acted on impulse, a byproudct of the frustration from reading trolls against him since he didn't defend Cármen Aristegui. Or maybe the sushi upsetted his stomach... But what he did was censorship, it's indisputable. Turning your back on such a valid and relevant question and go on commercial break when things get awkward, in true Televisa style, was something surprising to witness live.

I don't have information to venture an absolute theory about all of this, nor to affirm that it is censorship that comes from above, or if it's rather self-censorship, a product of fear. But that there's something rotten in Denmark, I have no doubt.

While I appreciate the space that was opened to talk about our film, I deeply regret the continuation of this state of fear we live in.

I'm sorry that our communicators don't look at us in the eyes. I'm sorry there's no room for pauses. And I'm sorry there's no time to listen.

Context on who is this journalist and why this happened:

On 12 March 2015, two journalists from MVS, Daniel Lizárraga and Irving Huerta, were fired after they used the station's brand name without permission in a newly created website known as MexicoLeaks, which leaked reports on government corruption. Aristegui issued an ultimatum and threaten to quit if MVS did not reinstate her two staff members. Four days later, MVS fired Aristegui after considering that she had crossed the line for issuing an ultimatum to the MVS management.

My friend Tenoch says: My name is José Tenoch Huerta Mejía, mexican.

I love who I am, where I live and with who I live.

I don't like what's going on in my country, it's not the country I grew up in, nor the one I want to live in.

I don't understand a lot of things and as many more I'm scared about what we're living.

It hurts my soul to know that thousands are no longer hugging their families when their time had not yet come.

I wonder what's up, what can I do so everyone can be alright, the truth is I don't know but I decided to talk and ask.

I have nothing against any politician or people in power, I just want a different country.

I don't want one where we're all poor to be equals, but one where we're rich at heart, pockets and tummy to decide what to do with our time in this land.

Yersterday I asked something I needed to know, the mic was open and I asked.

Today, someone went to my house, intimidated me while hiding their face behind a brown scarf and a newspaper. They took photos of me, laughed mockingly at me and then disappeared into the hallways of the place where I live and have called home the last four years of my life.

What did I do wrong? Ask, say that I don't like any of this, thinking that we could have a better life, think?

A lot of people supports and helps me, but what about those that don't have the fortune to be visible?

I write this and I cry because I don't want to live like this, we don't deserve to live like this.

Mexico hurts my guts.

My little corner on land that gives me food and air to breath, that gives me a house and family.

I love my country, I love my people and even you, who doesn't understand we can live in a better way.

Thank you for your support, for being there and might our voices and hearts always sing.

We deserve something better.

Then, Luz adds:

What really happened was that exactly 8 years ago, in that booth, there was no freedom of speech, Tenoch tried to speak about a topic and was quickly cut off. Another account later shared that Tenoch had reported that he was being followed and photographed.

What I'm trying to say is that they have always hated him for telling them to their faces what he thinks about some topic and that makes them angry, they "can't stand it." Now that he is doing a little better, they are trying by all means to ruin his career. Tenoch himself has mentioned it in many interviews, and they have paid the media to destroy him.

I think we have to be careful, those media and haters are always aware of all the publications about him and if it is something controversial they can manipulate, they will do it, have no doubt about that, even if it is from years ago.

Do not react, do not comment or retweet, only report the publication if it has racist content. Never try to talk to them, it's not worth it. (Personal note: Please listen to this!! Especially twitter folks, since it might be counterproductive. By fighting them, you're offering them more interactions because that's how the algorithm works).

---

Hope this helped!

[purple-petrichor]

MarriageToxin Profiles Vol.1

Haven’t seen these in English yet, so I’m posting them! Taken from the Japanese manga releases. Translated by myself. Sorry for the image quality;;

Gero Hikaru

DOB:  November 24th Blood Type:  A

Heir to the "poison user" Gero family. The type to have many copies of the same clothes. Keeps a large number of work tools under his coat. If the room he lives in isn’t constantly clean, he feels unsettled. On nights after something rough happened, he cleans public toilets and other places until they’re better than new. Due to that, rumors of an urban legend “the Midnight Cleaner” have begun to spread throughout one portion of the city.

Amount of money spent on DIY candy kits per month:  approx. 200,000 yen *(approx. $1,500 USD )

–

＊TL Notes:  Here’s Gero! Starting off strong with the main character.

Blood types are included in almost every profile in this series. In Japan, blood types are actually considered pretty important for determining one’s personality and romantic compatibility. It’s similar to Western astrology with star signs. For more detailed information, search google or read here. In Gero’s case, Blood Type A is actually the most statistically common in Japan (40% of the population) so that makes him a relatively normal guy. According to one article, “people with blood type A are known to be highly-organized, particularly precise, and pay much attention to details. They are diplomatic and friendly in nature, so you won’t have a hard time approaching them. They seek harmony among other people, but they sometimes prefer to be alone because of their sensitive nature.” Checks out overall. 

The DIY candy kits money is…far too much. Gero please what are you doing. Upon searching, a single package is like, $3.90 USD. So, $1500/$4 = 375 kits per month. That’s 93 per week. That’s 13 per day. Gero is the personification of that one dril “spend less on candles. no.” tweet. --

Kinosaki Mei

DOB:  May 18th Blood Type:  AB

A marriage swindler. Capable of winning-over any partner within 30 seconds. The possessor of an outstanding "mix-and-match" fashion coordination technique. On days off, ends up lounging around inside the house all day. After a long life in abject poverty, will eat anything. Once survived for 3 weeks based only off of gorging food on dates. Living space is small, and strewn with clutter. Is hiding a big secret. –

＊TL Notes:  The original text actually manages to avoid using any pronouns for Kinosaki. Given how Japanese is structured, it’s possible to sometimes drop a subject/object/pronoun entirely, without compromising the sentence. Unfortunately in English that’s much harder to manage, and often ends up sounding like you’re suspiciously trying to avoid the words. I tried to compromise here by arranging the text around. Just know that in the official text, they avoid giving any specific he/she gender markers for Kinosaki as of current.

For Blood Type: “This blood type is the combination of the precise qualities of A types and the free-spiritedness of B types. Given that it’s a rare blood type, people with this type are often perceived as geniuses or [eccentric]. They can be unpredictable and curious. People who belong to the AB type usually jump around from one activity to another, depending on their mood and situation. They chase ideal dreams and pursue learning and knowledge in a wide range of fields. They are calm and rational but have a complicated personality.”  Again, checks out for a swindler known for changing to handle any situation.

…Yes the final line does say “a big secret”. Uh. EDIT: Chapter 54 sheds new light on this line! Perhaps it’s not a dirty joke after all, but something far more tragic. 👀

More coming soon!

[snickerdoodlles]

📕📗📘📙and this ask is for when you feel the need to torture us again with fic ideas you are never going to write. it is mean and evil but i support you in this!

😂❤❤.

so there are 2.5 more fics coming for idiots & idioms series. the first one will be vegas's rise to youtube stardom (/vegas rules at internet toxicity) and the finale will swing back to kimchay. plus maybe one silly bonus thing that i'm debating if i will do or not (plus side: jeff's face. down side: jeff's face. it's quite the conundrum, lemme tell u.)

i actually have a lot more ideas for this universe, but the vegaspete story means a lot to me and the kimchay finale is just too perfect of an ending. and while i have these other ideas for this series, there's just no...drive to do them when i have the other 2.5 stories to finish.

so here's 4 ideas i'm not writing for gone fishing series, one for each emoji ;) put under the cut because these also include partial fic snippets and this post got long:

📕 fic of a fic fic

i joked a few times about writing a 'chay live tweets a popular wik/angel fic' fic for this series. and while this entire concept is really funny to me in the fiception sense of how i'd have to write a fic (or at least partial fic) for my fic's fandom so that i could write a fic for my fandom, i have...a lot of issues with actors publicly interacting with fic and lack of boundary between fandom and cast & crew. i'm not going to get into those here, but even when i can control it, i just couldn't get over the driving concept of the fic long enough to write it. i did however, finish the following scene for it, which i am still very fond of.

so, if you recall: chay made a joke in gone fishing about how his life was a mafia AU, which spurned on a brief trend of mafia AU fics where the common trope was angel as the mafia prince, and wik somehow getting involved with him/dragged into the mafia by him (wik being a singer AND a mafia prince would just be silly talk, obviously). the fake fic live-tweeted by chay is the 'angels with dirty hands' fic by twitter user @/_controlleurs mentioned in from concrete. (fake fic's title is a rif off the movie 'angels with dirty faces', which i have not watched but like the name of.)

the fake fic's main premise is THIS, after which wik got recruited by the police to inform on the mafia except then he fell in love with his mark (possibly was going to include wik's brother also getting involved and later wrapped up with angel's brother as well due to wik). i would've planned SO many goncharov references had i not abandoned this by the time it got invented. in long & short, chay makes a comment about kim having a "rivalry with carrots" which was really just me trying to give him a silly Thing for chay to tease on camera until i went "o wait, this can be a thing >:D"

;;; excerpt ;;;

“‘Wik wrinkles his nose at the small pile of carrots on his plate. He hates carrots. If he were anywhere else, he’d carefully pile the carrots right on the edge of his plate, where the threat of infecting the rest of his plate is minimal, assuming he couldn’t find another plate to remove the offending vegetable altogether. But this is the home of a crime lord. Angel implied his chef used to be the most feared hitman out there, something Wik’s inclined to believe after he saw the guy’s muscles. Would chef man be offended if Wik didn’t eat his carrots? He doesn’t want to offend chef man over his carrots. Someone would probably shoot him, which would be a particularly stupid way to die.’

“‘But then. An opportunity. Angel and his father are listening attentively to his brother’s report—Wik should probably be listening as well, this seems exactly like the sort of thing the police would like to know, but he’s on a more important mission right now. Wik carefully glances at the three mafia men and, seeing the coast is clear, he sneaks a handful of carrots onto Angel’s plate. Angel’s eyes flick towards him and Wik shoves a spoonful of rice into his mouth. Angel smiles at him, a fleetingly sweet thing, before he looks down at his plate and does a double take at the mysteriously grown pile of carrots on his plate. He squints at Wik suspiciously. Wik takes another bite of rice, and chews innocently.’” 

Chay stops reading there, too choked up on giggles. “This is from that time I told everyone P’Wik hates carrots, right? Hold on, lemme—“ Chay scrolls down to the author notes and yep, there’s the link to his video threatening Kim’s online reputation. Chay bursts into another fit of giggles. 

“Okay, so, this actually isn’t too far off from how P’Wik is I-R-L. Well. He has two reactions to carrots on his plate.” Chay snickers at the camera. “So, if we’re in public, or at a dinner, or anything like that, he won’t react to the carrots. P’Wik actually has a decent poker face when it comes to stuff like that. But he’ll hide his carrots under his other food to make it look like he’s eating them, then inevitably be offended when he’s left with a pile of carrots on his otherwise empty plate. Like, how dare they not disappear themselves while he ate everything else? Weirdo,” Chay says, sounding disgustingly besotted even to his own ears. 

“But,” Chay leans closer to the camera, grinning, “That’s not why I’m telling you guys this story. That’s how P’Wik reacts in public. It’s a totally different story in private. 

“In private, P’Wik always makes this—“ Chay pauses and screws up his nose like he just smelled something gross, and puckers his lips like he just bit something sour “—face when he sees carrots in his meal, then he always reaches over and pointedly shovels his carrots onto my plate, radiating prim indigence that he’s facing the terrible injustice of carrots in his food. But here’s the thing…”

“P’Wik knows the owners and chefs of his regular takeout spots. They would never forget his dislike of carrots. But after we started dating and he introduced me to them, suddenly, his orders all started getting carrots again. And it’s all my fault.” Chay sighs tragically, and nods in response to the imagined question. “Yes, I’m to blame. See, I told them how much I love carrots. I told them it was silly, but I just didn’t keep carrots in our apartment because P’Wik really hates them and it was hard to eat them all before they went bad, so I only got them when we went out on dates to save us the hassle. A few of them offered to give me a double serving of carrots, but—“ Chay looks at the camera with an earnestly distressed pout “—I don’t want to be a bother! It’s bad enough we already have one special order, I’ll feel so bad if we bothered them with two.”

Chay sighs mournfully. “I know what they’re doing. They sneak me an extra helping of carrots by giving them to P’Wik instead.” Chay’s tragic look suddenly cracks into a mischievous grin. “But let me tell you a secret…”

Chay looks side-to-side, hamming it up for his audience as the live chat goes wild. He grins, barely able to bite back his laughter. “I don’t like carrots. Or, well, I do. They’re fine. A perfectly respectable vegetable. But nothing I’d go out of my way to eat. So why would I go through so much trouble to get extra, you might ask?”

His phone starts flashing Kim’s caller ID, and Chay bites back a laugh. “I certainly don’t need two servings of carrots, but P’Wik’s disgusted face when he sees them in his food?” Chay sighs happily, hand pressed over his heart. “That feeds my soul.”

;;; excerpt end ;;;

📗 goose chasing, or the trials and tribulations of one user ghoasters

so, idk if you've noticed, but there is one (1) username that calls out the weird mafia bullshit obliquely referenced in this series, and that is user ghoasters.

this was supposed to just be a silly joke, but then...i don't remember why this came up, but @majestictortoise said ghoasters reminded her of the persona 5 character futaba, then i looked the character up and said, iirc, "oh my god she looks exactly like the anime girl 13yo i wished to be, YES" and she became a wholeass character in my head. so, using futaba as a blueprint, here are some facts about ghoasters:

nosy fandom obsessed teen girl, expert hacker, doesn't leave the house much.

all of her codes include a ghost ASCII art signature (hence: ghoasters)

her mother gave her the nickname 'sprout' but her name is GHOST, you will respect it or she will rain digital hell down on you.

has a very long, extremely thorough tweet thread tracking potential criminal activity to wik and angel. arm loves it, it makes his job of socmed clean up so much easier.

would've hacked and downloaded some extremely sketchy government facial recognition software just so i could make "but do the butts match?" jokes.

dream in life is to strangle angel and wik. this does not change after she gets hired by the family and becomes besties with chay.

arm wants her hired because he is not a good hacker (he cobbled his IT education together in prison, his true skills are grifting and bullshitting) and he invites her to movie night. ghoasters obviously arrives for movie night in full cosplay, up your game @ khun and khun's angels.

ghoasters 100% gets on board with the mafia bullshit in the name of better cosplay wigs btws. she is getting paid ridiculous sums of money to watch shows and make full cosplay (including the props!). crime is fine now guys.

there's more but like....this is already getting long lol, i'll expand this later. maybe. idk anyways, point is i have enough ideas for user ghoasters i could've actually written a whole fic for her had i not been too busy with other fic ideas. so here's a silly scene of ghoasters getting shlorped into a hum bar visit;

;;; excerpt ;;;

Ghost takes Khun’s advice to heart. Her breath hitches and adrenaline buzzes in her veins when she leaves the compound, but when they arrive at the bar, Ghost spends the first five minutes hacking into the bar’s cameras, the cameras on the surrounding streets and buildings, checking her backdoors to the electronic locks on the entrances, and hacking into the bar’s server just in case. She debates the merits of cloning a few phones, just to be sure the other patrons IDs match the information security has on the bar’s regulars, but Ghost doesn’t actually want to pass the line into paranoia. She’s trying to be better about this sort of thing. 

Ghost checks the cameras she did hack in one final sweep. Everything looks safe, except for the final frame where some guy in a flashy jacket is creeping over the shoulder of some girl bent over her phone—

Wait. 

Ghost yelps and whirls around to face Khun, who is indeed looking over her shoulder in a surprisingly discreet way for a guy wearing a suit with a full-bodied, gold-embroidered dragon stretched over his back. Khun’s pink lensed glasses gleam, like the flash of an anime antagonist, and then he beams with the full force of the sun. 

“That,” Khun says gleefully, “was fascinating. What’d you do?”

“Uhm,” Ghost stammers, beet red. 

Khun plops down in the seat beside her, expression gentling into something more open. “You took control of everything, in just a handful of minutes! It’s amazing!” Ghost stammers some more, face growing hotter and hotter under Khun’s enthusiasm. “Teach me how to do that!”

Ghost opens her mouth. 

“Wait!” Khun abruptly yelps. “Don’t tell me, tell Arm!”

Ghost blinks as Khun sweeps up in a dramatic swish with the full force of a hurricane, unsurprised he’d somehow left a bewildered Arm sitting in his place. Arm looks at her, vaguely distressed, then turns to Khun, vaguely panicked. 

Khun pats Arm’s shoulders happily. “Enjoy your geek chat and show me your new skills later, okay!” Then he kisses a still distressed Arm on the forehead, squishes his cheeks for good measure; and flounces off to the bar to give Miss Yok a proper hello. 

Arm turns to her, looking like puppy left out in the rain. It’s the most pathetic sight Ghost’s ever seen. 

“Would you like me to build you an app?”

Arm nods earnestly, still looking like a drenched puppy. 

;;; excerpt end ;;;

📘 parade rain (groupchat for kim's PR team fic)

i joked...at the end of long & short i think about doing a very weary and exasperated groupchat/slack forum fic for kim's PR team, who went from five years of free reign coasting to "what the fuck did angel do now?" it never really went anywhere for a few reasons:

i don't actually think kim's so popular as to have a PR team, they mostly got slipped in the first place for some jokes. i'd laughed at the idea of kim going "help make sure my family's bullshit doesn't slip thru" and then chay going "eh, its fine" and the PR team having to deal with it, but i never really got around to imaging what this team would actually look like in this series.

i don't like groupchat fic. texting fic, yes, groupchat...ehhhhh.

idk, this one just wound up being funnier in concept than reality to me. i could think of some funny bits for it, but there was just never any substance to the idea ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

📙 university yikyak fic

is yikyak even a thing still?

whatever, my main interest here was i love outsider POV fic lol. the main premise of this fic was kim loses his song notebook, which is found by a very nice, very protective 4'10 girl who works long and hard to find its original owner without accidentally handing it off to an unsavory someone, ft some b-reel of kim or chay related yikyaks. the main goal of this fic was to give kim a tiny friend who mistakens kinn's teasing one day and marches up to him to yell "leave him ALONE, he's SENSITIVE" at him. kinn is delighted (kim made a friend!!), kim and chay are laughing (kinn vs girl half his size and girl is winning!), and porsche wonders if there really is something to this social media thing (naturally, he is filming the whole thing).

it didn't really go anywhere mostly because i only vaguely know of yikyak, i never actually went on it, so trying to think of how i'd even go about telling the story wound up just being a big creativity drain :/

[[ ask me about fic im not writing ]]

[winryofresembool]

Jily one-shot: Mittens

Happy birthday to Lily Potter, the woman whose sacrifice ended up saving the entire wizarding world! ♥ The other day I saw this^ tweet and immediately got inspired. This is just something short and silly but I’m also working on several other (a little bit longer) fics for this couple that I’m hoping to post sometime soon enough. Also a mandatory disclaimer: f*ck J*R. I’m just here for the marauders.

Words: 988

AO3 link

...

“Umm… what’s this, Lily?“

James lifted a weirdly shaped woolen item from a box Lily had packed for him prior to a date at Hogsmeade.

She blushed a bit. “You know how I’ve recently gotten better at knitting? Well… I saw this idea in one of Mary’s knitting magazines and I thought it sounded fun. A mitten that allows you to hold hands with someone even when you’re walking outside in cool weather. Plus, today’s Valentine’s day so I thought it would make sense to wear it... But if you don’t like it…”

Lily must have misread the confusion on his face, thinking he’d hate it. Sirius, Remus and Peter, on the other hand, couldn’t hold down their snickers in the background.

“I guess this was a bad idea,” she sighed. “Should have known this wasn’t something a Marauder out of all people would get excited about.”

James finally recovered from his initial surprise. “No, no! It’s a nice idea, really!” His face melted into a grin. “Who says a Marauder can’t enjoy holding hands with his brilliant, talented girlfriend? Shut up, Padfoot,” he lightly shoved Sirius’ shoulder because his best friend was now laughing way too hard at his reaction.

“You sure?” Lily asked skeptically, her cheeks adorably red.

“Yep, I’m totally sure. As a matter of fact…” James’ face lit up when he imagined the warmth of Lily’s hand in his. “I think I love it.”

…

“Did you see Lockhart’s face?” James asked, trying to contain his laughter as the couple entered Three Broomsticks for a round of Butterbeers. “He seemed so mad that he hadn’t had this idea before you did. Watch him try to sell hundreds of couple mittens next Valentine’s Day.”

“Too bad we’re not here to see it,” Lily snorted. “Although, maybe we should stop by just to see if he succeeded.”

“Yeah, maybe we should,” James agreed.

“Aren’t you two just darlings,” Madam Rosmerta, who had arrived to take their order, referred to the mitten they were currently taking off for it was very warm at the inn. “It’s always nice to see some young love around…”

“Thanks, Ros,” James smirked. “I’m sorry that you have to find out this way that someone else has taken my heart, but there’s still always a soft spot for you in it.”

Lily slapped his arm with her free hand. “Remember whose hand you’re holding, Potter.”

“But Lily, you know I only have eyes for you.” He made his best deer eyes at her. “Rosie and I simply have a long history.”

Lily rolled her eyes, but James did notice she bit her lip to hide a smile. Everyone knew the Marauders liked to joke around with Rosmerta, mainly to get cheaper drinks, and Lily too had learned to not take the ‘flirting’ too seriously.

Madam Rosmerta left to serve other customers. For a while Lily and James simply kept up a light banter, discussing what they had seen so far at Hogsmeade and wondering what the other Marauders were currently doing while sipping their drinks. When they exited the inn, however, they were soon stopped by a small group of Slytherins, Mulciber as their leader.

“Just when I thought you couldn’t get any lower, Potter… you show us all how whipped you are by a Mudblood… Is there anything more pathetic?”

His housemates laughed, but James managed to remain calm as he felt Lily squeezing his hand, meaning ‘they’re not worth it’. He looked around, trying to come up with an appropriate response. For once the luck was on his side; he spotted none other than Professor Dumbledore himself not too far from them, possibly on his way to enjoy a glass of mead with a couple of his colleagues.

“Oi, Professor Dumbledore!” James exclaimed. “Fancy seeing you here!”

“James, Lily,” Dumbledore greeted them. “Good to see my head students here on such a nice day. Are you trying to create a new trend?” He asked warmly, referring to their mitten. “Because if so, I’d love to have the pattern to that mitten as well.”

“I can give it to you the next time we give you our monthly report, Professor,” Lily smiled at him. “By the way, James and I were just wondering… would it be a sufficient punishment for someone who uses a slur against another student… if we made them wear one of these, but, I don’t know, with Peeves or something.”

“Good luck convincing Peeves to participate in that,” Dumbledore chuckled. “But I will admit, the concept is rather creative. Maybe we need to discuss how to develop it in our next meeting.” The professor’s eyes were twinkling playfully.

“Sir, you know just as well as I do that if anyone can convince Peeves to do anything, it's James. Either way, we’ll be looking forward to that discussion,” Lily replied, waving at the professor before they turned to leave. From the corner of his eye, James saw Mulciber glaring at them murderously, but he just flashed one final grin at the Slytherin’s direction before leaving the scene.

“What an arsehole,” James shook his head once Lily and he were far enough. “If we hadn’t been wearing this,” he raised their mitten, “I might have punched him in the face…”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t, in front of Dumbledore and the others,” Lily noted. “But see, this mitten was pretty useful, after all,” she chuckled then. “I doubt Mulciber will want to use the m-word in front of anyone when there’s a possibility he’ll have to wear it with Peeves.”

“That was quite genius of you,” James admitted. “Although I personally think he’ll be missing out… I actually have been enjoying wearing this.”

“Yeah, you have?” Lily gave him a fond smile. “In that case, I’m glad I made it.”

“Me too,” James agreed and with the hand that was entwined with hers, he pulled her closer for a kiss.

@jilymicrofics​ I know this doesn’t really fit under any of the prompts, but I hope it still counts!

[raveneira]

Continuing from my other post, for those who may be curious if this finally means Im giving up on KawaSara and the possibility that it could become canon...my answer is no, Im not.

Realistically its not lookin good, Im mature enough to admit that, does that mean I think this is the end? no I do not, why? because in a decent mangaka’s writing this usually would be the ship killer, but Ikemoto isnt a decent mangaka, hes not even a decent artist, the bar is literally in hell with him on all fronts.

With this sequels writing literally ANYTHING is possible, it doesnt matter if theres build up to it or not because just look at Kawaki’s villain arc, he literally changed his whole mindset in a fkin DAY and no Im not kidding, go back and read 76, literally took only a day for him to make a complete 180.

Look at Sasuke back in 69, he understood Kawaki, empathized with him, took the blame on himself for failing to be the one to kill Boruto instead, said Konoha doesnt have anyone to blame except for him. Now look at 78, hes holdin a sword to Kawaki’s throat despite sensing Momoshiki TWICE and KNOWING why Kawaki is doing what hes doing, he LITERALLY swore to do the same and yet here he is, hunting down Kawaki like everyone else as if he never once thought about killing Boruto himself.

So do I think this is the death of KawaSara? no I dont, because this sequel switches from one narrative to another on a whim whenever it wants to, so right now things look horrible for KawaSara like theres no way things could ever work out and that they just totally hate eachother now etc but when the story feels like it actually wants to bother remembering Sarada and Kawaki’s bond it will, and if Ikemoto has decided to make them canon he literally will with or without build up because the man just does not care.

So no Im not giving up on KawaSara, and no I dont think KawaSara is dead, this writing doesnt give af about logic or build up so to say 79 really killed the ship is giving this man too much credit as a writer. Nothing is consistent, and nothing STAYS consistent either. If he suddenly wants to remember KawaSaras bond he will, and if he suddenly wants to forget it he will as well, whatever he feels like in the moment is what he’ll go with.

I dont blame ppl for losing hope here, I dont blame ppl for giving up either, I completely understand your frustration and hopelessness and I do not blame you in the slightest if you just wanna call it quits here, totally understandable.

All Im saying is Im not, not because I cant take the loss, I’ve lost plenty of ships and handled it just fine, but for the principal of it.

I will never forget and never let anyone else forget how a certain fanbase cared more about seeing a harmless small fandoms ship sink than enjoying their own ship they claimed was smooth sailing

I will never forget how this supposed biggest fandom of the most popular ship was praying on our downfall CONSTANTLY simply because they couldnt STAND people shipping Sarada with anyone other than Boruto who they felt she was the property of and no one elses

I will never forget how big accounts incited hate and bitterness towards us unprovoked for no other reason than just enjoying seeing a small group of ppl suffer and be ridiculed by their followers because it was just fun hating on the little guy

I will never forget how the entire fandom turned on one big account for the simple fact that he came out that he shipped KawaSara [theres other reasons now but that was the first and still is the main reason they hate him]

I will never forget how this fanbase made that disgusting head tweet [saying they wanted teen Sarada to give Boruto oral on Kawaki’s dead decapitated body] and over 500 ppl FROM THAT FANBASE liked it and cracked similar jokes, one of which saying Boruto should give HER head instead which also got a bunch of likes

I will never forget how that fanbase was quick to accuse KawaSara fans calling us sick and disgusting over a instagram post saying they hope Kawaki R-pes Sarada only for the poster to admit to being a KawaBoru shipper and NONE of those ppl apologized

I will never forget how this fandom was so insecure and downright hateful towards KawaSara just existing that when members of their own fandom also liked/didnt mind the ship they were literally SHUNNED from the fandom to the point they had to leave it because they couldnt stand it

I will never forget how that fandom constantly vandalized the KawaSara wiki page because they couldnt stand it just existing

and I will never forget how these ppl pretended to be the victim of us this entire time and convinced majority of the fanbase of this as well because they had so many ppl already on their side branding us as the bad guys when literally all we did was try to fkin ship in peace and they just WOULD NOT let us do that.

THATS why I wont give up on the ship, not because I cant take the loss, but because I cant stand letting these ppl feel like they won because more than anything they wanna see ppl drop the ship so only Bsa exists while Kawaki is thrown to whoever is convenient but Im not gonna do that. I’ll stand with the ship whether its canon or not, if others do the same great but if not then that sucks but I understand.

I aint gonna give em the satisfaction tho, whether its endgame or not, whether things get better or worse for them, even whether the ship really is killed or not, Im not giving the ppl who’ve just nonstop been praying on harmless ships downfall the satisfaction of thinkin they finally buried us, I just wont do it.

[hyperfixationtimego]

hi that post about the Velma plot synopsis is literally very obviously an excerpt from a biased third-party article, not what the show is actually about. You can tell via the way the last sentence of the excerpt is worded, as it’s intentionally condescending and meant to portray the show itself in a negative light.

Not to mention, that excerpt gets a couple things wrong, actually. In referring to Daphne only as an “orphan,” it’s effectively omitting the fact that she has two adoptive mothers who are indeed present in her life and have good intentions, regardless of whether or not the effects of their actions are ultimately positive or negative. To be entirely clear, they’re a bumbling pair of lesbian cops who are bad at their job. like yeah acab whatever but my point is that Daphne isn’t the cruel, miserable one-note character that excerpt makes her out to be; it’s all just facets of the character that the show hasn’t even gotten the chance to fully develop yet, because we only have 2 episodes out so far.

And the implications of Fred’s portrayal as rich, white, and privileged…..yeah? i mean, he is? but again, that’s not the only facet of his character we get to see, and it’s very clear that the show has at least some plans in mind for his arc and character journey. You’re not meant to just hate him completely; I’m fairly certain the intent of his character is to watch him slowly change and connect better with the other mystery inc members as we get further into the show.

Because that’s the thing! I’m pretty sure the characters are meant to be assholes to each other right now!! This is a prequel - therefore, we already know they’re all going to end up being friends with each other. VELMA is just showing us that, in this continuity, they weren’t always that way towards each other. That’s the whole point of the show; it’s showing us the journey!

Is it perfect? Absolutely not! Not all of the jokes land perfectly, and I personally think the storytelling & pacing could use a fair bit of revision, but it deeply saddens me that everybody seems to be more focused on insulting the show and its creators rather than engaging in constructive criticism of it.

there are a lot of issues and controversies surrounding the show, I know, but I do have to point out that the exact moment it was revealed that three of the characters would be reimagined as POC, people started tearing the show to shreds, and we barely knew anything else about it! So forgive me for taking all the egregious hatred and disgust people have for it with a hefty grain of salt!!

Ugh, I’m trying to cram as much into one post as possible, but here, let’s talk about the TERF thing. The accusations I’ve (very suddenly) heard of Kaling’s bigotry are DEFINITELY an incredibly important thing to be aware of, and I have no intention of defending her or her behavior, but I am positively BEGGING you guys to look into these things yourself rather than simply taking some internet rando’s word as bible for what is and isn’t ethically pure to consume. I’m literally a trans person, but I’m not going to assume someone’s evil because I saw ONE screenshot of them supposedly liking a transphobic tweet; that’s not a reliable source of information!!! Research her and her actions yourself before coming to a conclusion!

If the things you find out about Kaling make you uncomfortable with engaging with the things she creates or contributes to, that’s entirely your call! HOWEVER, it’s also not an inherently bad thing to watch and engage with things made by people with contrary perspectives to your own; when you keep an open mind and engage with things critically, you’re exposing yourself to various viewpoints, styles, humor, & perspectives that, even if they aren’t necessarily your thing, are still important to understand and be aware of.

by no means am I telling you that you have to watch the show; I’m only asking for everyone to be a bit more open-minded and a bit more civil in their discussion of media as a whole.

[frenchkisstheabyss]

Hellouw 🥹 I don’t really know who else I could talk to about something that has been on my mind lately and I’m kinda questioning how “normal” it is so I wanted to ask you and hear your opinion about it. You’re always so nice and I feel like you wouldn’t judge others.. 

So..I know a lot of K-pop Stan’s joke about having a crush on their biases or when they say “giggling, blushing, kicking my feet to XYZs picture” or whatever but I’ve also seen so many fans judging others for that. 

I was feeling really down for a while and when I discovered my ult group and especially my bias I finally felt some sense of enjoyment and happiness again. I began to notice how my mood and happiness depended on them and also how much I actually liked my bias. Obviously most idols are super attractive and with all the fan service it’s easy to develop celebrity crushes on them but I began to wonder whether I should feel bad about it or even try to stop it by maybe taking a break from my ult group. It’s not that I’m delusional and think I could actually pull my bias or would get mad if he dated someone and cancel them for that. 

It’s more like daydreaming about him and admiring him, finding him obviously super attractive but with no ill intent. 

But then I see videos or tweets of other fans who talk about “breaking the first rule of K-pop”and they’re really harsh and mean and talk super negatively about people who have crushes on idols and then I feel bad about myself and wonder if I’m actually weird for that or if it’s okay as long as I’m not delusional about it.. 

Have you ever felt like you like an idol too much? Or where you were close to actually falling in love with one? 

I don’t even know if what I said makes a lot of sense but I’d really like to hear some more opinions on that topic without being judged 🙃

Let me be the realest of realest of real with you. Anyone who’s judging you can suck a dick and not in the fun way. In the most disrespectful way possible.

It’s completely okay if your biases and the groups you love are the thing that makes you happy. Kick your feet, giggle, smile, feel good. Have a nice time. Be joyful. You’re not hurting anyone by doing that.

Would it be ideal if we could source all of those feelings from within ourselves? Totally but that’s just not the case . Life is fucking hard and it can be a struggle to make it through the day.

It doesn’t matter what the people judging you wanna say, they’re into KPop because it does the same thing for them. They can pretend that the entire industry isn’t one big parasocial relationship factory but they’d be lying to themselves.

We love our biases and our groups and the music and the concerts because they make us happy. They bring light to our lives. And yeah sometimes you’re super duper into one of them but so what?

I gave up KPop after first getting into it cause friends shamed me for loving it so much but I got back into it and I love it more than ever now liiiiike Hyungwon from Monsta X is my man period. I’ll go to war over my lil 6ft tall chronically sleepy turtle boy lol

All of that is fine and if anyone ever gives you shit TAG ME. GIVE ME THEIR INFO. I got your back 💜

[heretherebedork]

Just a thought:

Mew (from tharntype) saying that it's all just a fanservice and then fans getting mad and filled with outrage at him for...telling the truth and some even in denialism (i.e. you're lying, the eyes tell a lot, but what about gulf doin this and so on)

Tells u a lot about delusion and how Mewgulf really did helluva job on fanservicing. I hope they get paid enough for these kinds of shit

And also some bl actors liking mew's tweet.

Fanservice really.

I mean if i could ask you Francis:

Would you do fanservice with ur friend, who let's say ships you and ur friend a lot for money?

Yeah, it's so important that people understand that actors are acting and are always acting if they're on camera, especially in circumstances where they have expectations of them and fans watching them.

You do not know them. No matter how many videos you're watched, no matter the behind the scenes, no matter what, you don't know them as a person.

Actors are real people but they're also actors and that fanservice? The flirting off camera? That's part of the job.

Would I?

I mean, first, no one would want me to seriously.

But would I? I mean, honestly, it would depend on the amount of money? There are a lot of things I would do for a genuinely life changing amount of money and fake dating feels like something I would be willing to do for a lot of money.

But I'm not famous. I'm not interested in a serious or real relationship and I'm not actually in that position nor would it affect my career in anyway to do or not do it.

Anyway.

I'm glad Mew said that, I hope it gets more common and it's a reason I'm deeply uncomfortable with the actor fandoms as a whole and tend to avoid as much of it was possible besides my occasional 'this actor is great!' moment.

And this is so, so pervasive. I once made a post pointing out that constantly referring to a friendship as a male crush was wrong and got argued with because it was a big actor pair and people were very clear that they believed there was a crush between them and that was why one actor got the job he did.

Besides downplaying his talent and how this entire thing works... the assumption that Everything They Say is True and Face Value and that they couldn't possibly be playing it up for the publicity is just... wild.

It's the same as when, in a horribly awkward moment in an interview, two actors started joking about how they never really kissed and it was all CGI. Like, obviously not true. But it was because the interviewers were asking in-depth questions about how much they enjoyed kissing each other and both the actors looked miserable.

Please stop sexualizing the actors. The characters? Go for it1! They're fictional! But the actors are real people and they deserve not just private lives but also respect for those private lives.

Seriously.

I'm not following any of this because I don't follow actors but I definitely respect Mew for saying it and being clear about it and being direct about it now that it's no longer a threat to his career. How many casual friendships between actors has this kind of shipping and fanservice irreversibly damaged?

(I have seen some of the tweets in question on another post so I do know a bit of what's going on but I'm not going to actively follow it or... willingly go on twitter.)

[pascalisporn]

The recent sexual harassment discourse around Pedro Pascal is important, and I don't want to take away from that. But I think we also need to talk about the 24/7 content beast.

As someone who finds a lot of sexually based things funny, I do find the "internet daddy" thing funny. And for a millisecond, I think he did too. The problem is in doing so he fed the beast. Since it got clicks, now EVERYONE wants to use it to get clicks. If I were him (and I'm very much not) I'd find the joke funny for maybe a month or two. But for every clip I've seen of him addressing the whole daddy thing, there are a dozen more I haven't seen. The only common denominator to all of these clips is HIM. He is the one who has to respond to being called daddy. Every. Single. Time. And that has to wear on him.

In the olden days, you'd talk to maybe a dozen publications with journalistic standards of varying degrees. Now it's every asshole with a smartphone. It used to be you'd go on Howard Stern and know exactly what you were getting into. Now it's the wild west. At least with BuzzFeed thirst tweets you agreed to do them. Now everyone everywhere is mining him for the best clickbait in the worst possible way.

Imagine going down a line at a red carpet and every effing interviewer is like "Hey Pedro, or should I say daddy?" "Look everyone, it's the Internet's daddy, Pedro Pascal." "Hey daddy, ready to read some thirst tweets?" And they hand you a phone that says "bratboy764 says - I want to dress up in a minions costume and fuck you from behind." At that point I'd just go into the theater and call it a day. I'm sure he has many interesting things to say, but the media is absolutely fixated on this daddy joke.

He addressed being "daddy" in an entire skit on SNL. That should have been where the joke ended. The idea had become so ubiquitous that one of the biggest comedy outlets covered it.

But not only does everyone and their dog want to run an already dead, inappropriate to begin with, joke into the ground. They want to up the ante by saying things no one who participates in society would say to anyone's face. When everyone tries to be subversive, it results in no one being subversive. Move on, get creative with your questions, get sincere with your questions, get interesting with your questions. But for the love of crap.

Daddy is done.

[04tenno]

HI HELLO that clip is really something! First off I really appreciate all the translation stuff you're doing and the character analysis posts they give me life AH. I don't want to be that guy tm but do you mind breaking down the part you put down as "Well [we're thinking] that he lived...that's no joke" ? To me, it sounds like there's a lot of incomplete thoughts/sentences, but at the same time I'm a little hard of hearing so might not be getting all of it.

This isn't trying to call you on anything, I'm interested in improving my own Japanese as well and I really would love seeing the breakdown !

First of all, thank you so much for writing in! While I'm pleased with the reception, it's quite rare to get comments on the translations themselves (perhaps understandably so, the work of a translator should be and often is "invisible"), so I'm thrilled to have your support! I'm also always happy to see others enjoy my Unmitigated Braindumping to Snap recently.

And you're more than welcome to be That Guy™ because I was hoping for a chance to talk about this! As I mention in the disclaimer at the start, it's really difficult to make out what's being said in some parts. The commentary and gameplay is almost at equal volume and there's crosstalk both with the commentators and with the in-game dialogue.

That's sort of why I had to have the clip professionally transcribed (although my initial point of interest wasn't what was in the clip I shared; I actually glossed over Yokoyama's comment entirely at first and only noticed it in the transcript). Even then I had to fill in some of the blanks myself, which I only managed because I have some much-needed context on the series and commentators.

There's also the matter of stylization. In this case, I was going for natural human speech rather than a literal translation, but I also had the constraint of having to make everything fit to one line (or about thirty characters). I'll go into those aspects as they come up.

Anyway, without further ado, let's break it down!

The clip in question for context. To stay on-topic, I'm only covering what Yokoyama said from 00:18 to 00:36. I'm starting a bit earlier than the point you mentioned, but the context is important to establish in terms of how I chose to translate what was said.

[00:18–00:25] Yokoyama: [知]ってんだよ・・・　勝ってんだけどさ・・・　こんなに簡単にさ・・・　まぁ、ちょっと。

Interestingly enough, the transcriptionist and I had significantly different ideas on what was being said here because he's sort of slurring his words at the start of those first two lines. As a cohesive whole, though, I believe my interpretation here is accurate.

「知ってんだよ・・・」 -> Literal: "I know..." (emphatic, explanatory) -> Final: "I know..." Easy enough to pin down and translate, as he's already repeated this phrase multiple times at this point.

「勝ってんだけどさ・・・」 -> Literal: "[Someone/Something] won, you see..." (emphatic, explanatory, with the slight nuance of introducing an idea) -> Final: "He won me over..." The trickiest line, because it's very difficult to make out the 「か」 sound at the start. This is where I had to rely on context, because while most verbs starting with a sound in the 「あ」 column simply didn't make sense with the surrounding lines, that in and of itself doesn't narrow it down to one possibility. So I had to consider what Yokoyama might be wanting to express here that could be considered a newly-introduced idea within the context of the conversation, and I recalled that at the time the tweet at the end of the video was posted, Yokoyama had "denied allegations" that he liked Mine. His views in the past would come as a surprise to anyone talking to him now, particularly when he always speaks highly of Mine, so the nuance works. Then the association formed of him being "won over" by Mine, so that's what I ended up going with. He technically doesn't say who or what "won," or in what sense, but I think it's fairly clear.

「こんなに簡単にさ・・・」 -> Literal: "This easily..." (emphatic, explanatory) -> Final: "Just like that..." Pretty straightforward. It connects directly with the previous line, so the verb had to be something that can be (and was) done easily. Although he "denied allegations" at the time, a decade ago now, he's warmed up to Mine (and Hijikata) considerably. So as mentioned before, these three lines form a cohesive whole, which you get the sense of from their similar structure.

「まぁ、ちょっと・・・」 -> Literal: "Well, [sort of/a little/a little while]..." -> Final: "Oh, well..." I'll explain this one further below, because it's not an independent phrase, but the start of the next thing he says. It should be noted that the fact he takes so long to finish this thought shows that he's taking his time to consider his words carefully. But for now, all I felt I needed to do here was make the "bridge" clear by ending this line and starting the next one with the same word.

I did say I'd only cover what Yokoyama said, but as an aside, Santo(?)'s line drives me insane. I hate, hate, hate leaving anything as [unintelligible], but even the transcript was of next to no help here.

[00:29–00:32] Yokoyama: ちょっと生きてましたでさ、やっぱ獅童さん呼ぶのも辛いじゃん。

Now we're getting to the meat of it. And by a stroke of pure luck, there are no ambiguities here at all on what's being said, so I won't keep you waiting!

「ちょっと生きてましたでさ、」 -> Literal: "And [he's] been alive for a bit," (emphatic, explanatory) -> Final: "Well, [we're thinking] he lived," The nuance of 「ちょっと」 here is arguably the trickiest part. Of course, in my translation, I opted to emphasize the bridge between the two thoughts instead of fully interrogating the "meaning" of 「ちょっと」, but it is really worth taking a closer look at. Because in one sense it's sort of a filler word, a buffer. But in another sense, weighing the potential meanings of 「ちょっと」 against each other here is crucial in understanding who he's talking about and what he means. In this context, it can only be describing either time or certainty, and the emphatic, explanatory nature of 「で」 and 「さ」 cancels out the idea of it being a matter of certainty. That's why I've been hammering that in so much. So if instead it's about time, saying this about Nakamura, saying "he's still alive and therefore can participate in RGG," would be incredibly weird, disrespectful, and out-of-character for Yokoyama. So it can only be about Mine. It can only about how long it's been since they came to the conclusion he's alive, and, in a sense, how much thought they've put into it. This is sort of where the issue with character count came up; I wanted to say "we've been thinking" to convey these ideas, but I just didn't have the space. But that's an addition by me based on an inference, because I didn't want anyone to, as I mentioned in my original tags, expect too much. The most important takeaway is that Yokoyama says in no uncertain terms that Mine is alive. And I didn't include this because it goes by incredibly fast and I wanted to keep the spotlight on what Yokoyama was saying, but Santo(?) agrees. It's not Yokoyama's personal opinion (which he typically qualifies extensively even if it's for something that doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things, like Kiryu being a virgin in his view). It's a fact that's known to RGG Studio. Mine is alive. It's just a matter of whether we'll see him again and when.

「やっぱ獅童さん呼ぶのも辛いじゃん。」 -> Literal: "Still, inviting Shido-san back would also be tricky, right?" (assertive, inviting agreement) -> Final: "But getting Shido-san back, that's no joke." Very straightforward. He does slur his pronunciation of 「辛い」 as 「つれぇ」, but that's undoubtedly what he's saying. (Side note, a number of his characters also talk like that; some at RGG Studio say the "Yokoyama-ism" comes through at times.) What I'd like to point out here is the usage of 「も」, or "also." The implicit meaning is that getting Nakamura back is tough, but it's tough in addition to something else. Because of what he says next, I believe that "something else" is figuring out how to write Mine back in and do him justice. This wasn't particularly important to me to convey in the translation, because I thought it was fairly clear, but maybe I should've? It really frustrates me that so many people automatically jumped to the conclusion that this would be an arbitrary, poorly-thought-out decision despite Yokoyama acknowledging that it wouldn't be. I guess a number of people didn't watch that far into the video, though.

[00:33–00:36] Yokoyama: だから、その、やっぱ・・・　やるならガチなんだよね。

Final stretch, let's go!

「だから、その、やっぱ・・・」 -> Literal: "So, [if we do] that, of course..." (emphatic) -> Final: "That being the case..." Again, very straightforward. Elevating the level of assurance conveyed in the sentiment as a whole.

「やるならガチなんだよね。」 -> Literal: "If we do it, we'll have to do it in earnest, won't we?" (emphatic, inviting agreement) -> Final: "If we do it, we'll do it right." This is one of the most important things in the entire video. Of course there's the openness to actually going for it, that's important in and of itself, but the emphasis on doing it right? That's something people always miss. Because if they want to get Nakamura back, if they want to write Mine back into the series, they DO have to do it right. And they want to! It's just ridiculous to me to see people gloss over this completely. Like, I was the one who "broke the news" about Lau, one of the people who broke the news about Kashiwagi, but none of these were decisions made lightly. Yokoyama is the first person to shut down "fanservice" for its own sake, and I know that because I've seen him do it time and time again with my own two eyes, even if it would be relatively benign like having Mack show the player how to use Photo Mode in Ishin or having Akiyama show up in Kiwami. When he makes these decisions it's because they've been weighing on him for over a decade. He was literally talking about how he wrote RGG Mobile as an "apology" to Kashiwagi for killing him off in 2013. It took him ten years to get to the point where he was willing to bring Kashiwagi back, but people act like he just flipped a switch, and it's simply insanely out of touch with how things are actually done at the studio. And perhaps I'm in the minority here, but Kashiwagi's death WAS a waste and bringing him back couldn't have been handled any better, in my opinion. I can see their commitment to "doing it right" because they have.

Sorry to get so heated at the end (honestly, I'll probably never be "done" talking about this), but I hope at the end of it all, I've answered your question adequately! For such a short clip, there really is a lot going on, so there was a lot of ground to cover. Feel free to send follow-up questions if you have any, I'd be happy to expand on anything I may have missed (although, with any luck, I haven't missed much).

[f0point5]

Good evening :D

First off, I was sooo happy bout your last answer to my ask! I love writing those rambles and I'm always eagerly awaiting your answer.

I got incredibly excited when you said I was cooking at the same stove, with less ingredients, but anyways, and it got me thinking and thinking and I'm really stuck in this rabbit hole, I can tell you that.

So whenever my rambles make you feel like you need to spill your guts and tell me everything, you know my UN! ;)

Now back to the story at hand... this new part was perfect! In so many ways!!

Remember when I said I'm waiting for things to get spicy? I guess the kinda spicy I needed is indeed happening in those last couple of chapters!

When you let us in with the whole date gate and Clara setting them up back then, everyone was wondering if y/n had a thing for Max back in the days and how it wasn't a real date right away because he decided it wasn't one. Even before that story become public knowledge so many people were wondering if there once were feelings on her part.

Now WHY is noone talking about how it's sooo obviously been Max who's had a thing for her? Like it cannot be any other way! And she clearly doesn't know a thing about that!

What I'm still not entirely sure about is what her feelings were back then... I've said it before, she's so much more outgoing and tough and I think she's hiding things a lot better or let's say easier with her wit and by making fun of things... like with the hair cut. Saying she probably just made fun of it without meaning it. Did she really?

I'm still having a harder time understanding her, she's keeping more inside and shading the truth with bright colors and witty comebacks, whereas Max is easier to see through. At least with the snippets we get, they are easier to pick up on. If that even makes sense...

You put a lot of emphasis on the fact that they've know each other a long time and that Max is in the general public for a long time already. And I can't stop thinking about what kinda part that information plays in the greater picture. Because Max might feel a lot of things when it comes to how y/n perceives him or how he thinks she does, but he knows what he means to her. And he knows she's not there for the fame. But my brain is still stuck on your words and what you've possibly could have meant there...

The more you hint towards Max having a thing for her back then, the more I do get him... all the doubts with relationships and marriages and parents' mistakes and all aside, I've said so pretty early on and I stand by it that I believe he'd need a BROAD hint from her to actually make a step. And I get it. You keep saying in this house men need to man up and I'm all for it, but I just feel for him. I really do. Just assuming he's always felt like she's not interested in him physically, her whole attitude doesn't change a thing about that. Because she's always joking around it. Especially with her horny tweets and all. How is he supposed to know if she actually ever means any of that? I feel like it also doesn't sit well with him to consider the possibility that they might've missed a chance back in the days.

Y/n's words saying when has Max Verstappen ever not taken sth he wanted are on a constant repeat in my head thinking about all this. There might have been that one time where that assumption didn't fit at all. That one time might have been her.

However, I loved how Max openly admitted to letting the haircut grow out. Like he didn't even think about it or hiding anything or whatever. And when she picked up on what he was actually saying, he started deflecting and saying he didn't like it himself. Those two! Seriously... what I really loved about it was that she didn't let him of the hook as easily as I thought she might. And I do believe that's important! Because she needs to see those things, needs to understand what's been going on. Those details need to stick with her and pester her, because otherwise they'll keep staying stuck.

They do need to realize some things all on there own... but I'm a strong believer that they'll also need to realize that the other starts to realize or feel some things. Otherwise I doubt they'll ever move...

On a last note for today... do you know what kind of pressure you put on me saying my cooking wasn't that bad? I'm constantly feeling like I can't stray too far from that path, in fear of taking a wrong turn. :D

So feel free to hint some more, I love me some good new theories.

Have a great weekend! =)

Okay so, now DateGate is out there, I feel like I can shed a bit more light on the MaxY/N feud years. There was a lot of misplaced jealousy on her part. First, she was never as good at her sport at Max was at his, and I feel like her dad and Jos compared notes a pushy dads. She never measured up to what Max was achieving. Then, as they got older, She had quit competing in horse riding, which was the thing her dad wanted her to do, like Jos wanted Max to race. She was a big disappointment to her father while it seemed to her like all he did was please his. Then at 17/18, a time where everyone else is just trying to figure out who they might want to be as a grown up, she’s applying to universities, feeling nervous and insecure like most teens do…Max Verstappen becomes the youngest ever F1 driver. She was like, “dude seriously”. Let’s not forget the father who made her feel inadequate her whole life is sponsoring Max at this time, so she has a front row seat to everything he’s achieving, and her father has a front row seat to everything she didn’t become. There was a lot of bitterness there. And on top of that, he had the nerve to ignore her. Y/N definitely had a touch of Popular Girl Syndrome lol and Max never played ball, he just straight up pretended she wasn’t there, wouldn’t even muster the energy to be rude to her. I think it was jarring to her and made him seem super arrogant. Also, she maybe felt like he was siding with their dads, thinking she was just a nobody accessory and not worth any time.

And for his part, Max didn’t help by being so aloof. He’s always been very “if you don’t like me then fine” and he clocked quickly that she was standoffish with him so he ignored her. Also, he likely took one look at this pretty, vivacious teenager and thought “yeah not really my vibe why doesn’t she just go shopping”. He just sensed a bit of a stuck up attitude from her and was like, yeah I have things to do I’m not dealing with this. Very much put his blinders on and tried to ignore her existence.

I’m rambling so much omg

But about the haircut thing, that again is something that happened in 2016. Remember Daniel said he would talk to her that year because Max and Jos and her dad would ignore her? So she’s there in Abu Dhabi at RB, again there to see the Wunderkid on one of the few weekends she gets to see her dad and he’s somewhere with Jos talking about/watching Max. So she’s feeling a little bit shit and Daniel brings up Max and she makes fun of his hair. Whether she liked it, didn’t like it, or even really noticed it is irrelevant at that moment, she just wanted to hate him a little bit. She didn’t think Max would hear her.

I think you’re right. In an ideal world, Max would want a whole flashing sign. He’s probably used to girls approaching him, even in his younger years I don’t imagine he was rizzing up girls in the hours he spent at school or at the track. Very much strikes me as the type who needs a lot of coaxing to realise a girl is genuinely interested. BUT. Life ain’t fair and he’s got to man up.

Y/N is right about what she said…but there’s an addendum.

I know for a fact she was SHOOK at that revelation. Like, if it had been 2018, 100% she would have let him off the hook. But it’s the fact that her offhand comment could have affected him when they weren’t even friends that threw her off. And I think in her mind she was probably running through all the times when they were younger when she was kind of a dick to him thinking “oh damn was he actually listening to me?”. Like it’s…a moment of reflection for her…illuminating, if you will.

Lmao look out for me in your DMs because honestly I’m one glass of champagne away from hopping over to your stove and adding the SPICES.