#even if it's not new coz I've literally seen it

[secretidentie]

Tim for literally no reason: Hey Jason do yk where I can get some cocaine

Jason: Why tf do you need cocaine

Tim: I'm a teenage CEO why tf do you think I need cocaine

Jason: Fair enough. But I'm still not selling you cocaine

Tim: Why not? I just want to hang out with the other young finance bros

Jason: Hey dick head, tell your brother I'm not giving him cocaine

Dick: Tim are you okay? do you want to talk about this??

Tim: Uhg I'm fine. You're the one ones who said I should stop drinking coffee

Jason: and you thought this was a good alternative???

Tim: Come on I'll only do a little

Dick: Is this coz we spoiled the ending of wolf of Wallstreet

Tim: Why can't I just have some? You do!

Jason: No I don't

Tim: You're a crime lord

Dick: Yeah isn't it like part of the job

Jason: WHAT NO Stereotype much. I've never even seen cocaine up close

Tim: YOU'RE A CRIME LORD

Jason: Yeah not a drug dealer THERE'S A DIFFERENCE

Tim: I should have known your not cool enough to have drug dealer connections

Jason: OKAY YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA BUY A FUCK TON OF COCAINE AND DO IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU JUST TO RUB IT IN

Dick: Woah woah that's enough both of you. No one in this house is doing drugs. If anyone talks about cocaine again I'll tell Bruce you said you want to start a new crack epidemic. He'll make you sit in at strangers AA meetings and read through old case files of ex dealers and their autopsies. Don't. TEST. me.

Tim: ............

Jason: ............

Tim: Can you sell me meth?

[paganinpurple]

AO3 Etiquette -UPDATED

Based on both decent and not so decent replies, I have made some changes to my original post below.

It would seem a whole new kind of AO3 reader/writer is emerging and it is becoming clear not everyone quite understands how the website community works. Here is some basic guidance on how most people expect you to go about using AO3 to keep this a fun community archive that funtions correctly:

As well as likes, kudos is for when the story was interesting enough to make you finish reading. If it sucked or was badly written, you probably left. If you finished it, you liked it - so kudos.

If you really liked it, you should try to comment. It can be long and detailed or a literal keysmash. Writers don't care, we just love comments.

No critisism unless the author has specifically asked or agreed to hear it (so use your notes to say if you want some constructive feedback). Even constructive critisism is a no-no unless an author note tells you it's okay. No, posting it online is not an open invitation for that. Many people write as a fun hobby or a way to cope with, among other things, insecurity and just want to share. Don't ruin that for them. I've seen so many authors just stop writing coz they can't handle the negative emotions the critism brings, and it's only meant to be a fun thing shared for free (pointing out tagging errors is not included in this).

Do not comment to ask the author to write/update something else. It's tacky and off-putting and will probably have the opposite effect than the one you want.

There is no algorithm, it's an archive. Use the search and filter function to add/remove the pairings/characters/tropes etc. you want to read about and it will find you the fics that fit the bill.

For this to work, writers must tag and rate stories. This avoids readers finding the wrong things and missing the stuff they want. I don't care how cringy that trope is in your eyes - it gets tagged.

The tag exception is if you don't want to tag a million things or spoil your story, you can rate it as "chose not to use warnings," and maybe tag the bare minimum.

Don't censor tags. How can someone exclude a tag if the word isn't typed out correctly? There are no content bans for terms so don't censor them.

If the tags are mostly content/trigger warnings, especially if they are things considered very fucked up or graphic, you might want to use "dead dove - do not eat" to ensure people know that you're not messing around with tags and what they get is exactly what you've warned them about.

Character A/Character B means a ROMANTIC or SEXUAL relationship of some kind. Character A&Character B is PLATONIC, like friendship or family.

Nothing is banned. This is an rule because banning one thing is a slipperly slope to banning another and another, until nothing is allowed anymore. Do not expect anyone to censor for you. Because of the tags system, you are responsible for your own reading experience.

People can create new chapters and sequels/fic series any time after they "complete" a story. So it's considered perfectly normal to subscribe, even to a finished story. You can even subscribe to the author instead just to cover your bases.

Do not repost stories or change the publishing date without an extremely good reason (like a complete top to bottom rewrite or an exchange youve written for going public). It's an archive, not social media. No one cares what's the most recent, only what fits their tag needs.

Instead of deleting a story you wrote if you hate it - consider making it anonymous or orphaning it so others can still enjoy it, without it being connected to your name anymore. If you still want to delete it, fair enough.

It's come to my attention that metaworks ARE allowed on AO3, which is something I wasn't aware of. So if you do post an essay or theory, please tag it as such so others can choose to search for it or exclude it. Art is also allowed.

The only reason this archive works is because NON ONE PROFITS. Do not link to your ko-fi or patreon or mention monetary gain in any way or you violate the terms and risk having your account removed. If anyone does link, it leaves the archive open to people claiming it's for profit and having the whole thing removed.

I KNOW there's plenty more I missed but I'm trying to cover most of the basics that people seem to be struggling with.

I invite anyone to add to this, but please explain, don't berate.

[maplesyrupsainz]

˖⁺｡˚⋆˙clues | MV1˖⁺｡˚⋆˙

pairing: max verstappen x singer!reader y/n (she/her)

genre: social media au

warnings: fluff af

summary: in which you and your boyfriend lay out clues for your fans to connect the dots of your new relationship

a/n: super cute req not a maisie fan myself but saw the soft launch pics nd immediately thought i need to make a fanfic of this 😝 ended up choosing max coz i feel like i've done slightly similar plots with oscar & lando before, i barely write for max !

request!!!: Hiii, I’ve never requested before so slightly nervous but I have idea lol. Idk if you know who Maisie peters is (amazing singer btw if you don’t know her go look her up!) but she recently just high key hard launched but covers the face of her bf, maybe you could do something like this for like max, Lando or Oscar 🤷‍♀️ I have been literally day dreaming about it and maybe like everyone’s trying to figure out who it is and with every picture that’s posted there’s clues idk!! Completely up to you! Anyway love your work 🫶🫶🫶

fc: maisie peters

my masterlist

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, oliviarodrigo, and 892,283 others

yourusername ‘there it goes’ is urs now.. i hope u love it as much as i do 🫶

view all 11,822 comments

user1 the love we had was eating me whole i had to send it home 🥺

user2 i threw a party he kissed me right in front of my friends ?!? 🤔

oliviarodrigo so amazing as always 🫶

yourusername ahh tysm angel!!!

yourbff SO PROUD OF U

yourusername love u so so much

user3 omg this song is so amazing im so happy she's moving on from her ex

user4 me too she deserves the world fr

user5 the way i loved u i will not be embarrassed of that ❤️

user6 she's so talented i love her fr

maxverstappen1 posted a story

liked by danielricciardo, yourbff, and 538,192 others

user7 OMG THE CROSSOVER

user8 wtf is max in london

user9 omg what is happeninggg

user10 feels sus

twitter ->

instagram ->

yourusername posted a story

liked by yourbff, maxverstappen1, and 718,634 others

user15 omg a bf ??

user16 OMG WHO IS HE

user17 boooo & we all wanted her to date max lol

user18 she alr has a man 😭

user19 max verstappen found d3@d

yourbff

liked by yourusername, gracieabrams, and 528,028 others

yourbff perks of ur best friend being famous xoxo

tagged: yourusername

view all 4,283 comments

user20 not y/bff/n being a red bull supporter!!!

user21 another win for the maxy/n agenda

user22 obsessed with the y/n f1 crossover

yourusername car go zoom or whatever

yourbff ikr my favourite part was when they drove fast

gracieabrams tell y/n to get off the paddock & into the studio!!

yourbff i'll let you tell her that 😝

yourusername 🤨

user23 you tell her gracie

user24 y/n looks sooo cute

user25 ikr max verstappen found crying in the rb garage

yourusername

liked by yourbff, redbullracing, and 991,367 others

yourusername gives u wings 🪽

tagged: yourbff

view all 13,892 comments

user26 omg the red bull references...

user27 IS SHE DATING MAX VERSTAPPEN I NEED TO KNOW

user28 so many clues

user29 maybe they're jus friends? they've never even been seen interacting

redbullracing 🫶

liked by yourusername

user30 something is happening

yourbff hehe 👀

user31 EVEN THIS IS SUSPICIOUS

user32 i feel like her first soft launch was too early for it to be max

twitter ->

interview ->

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by sabrinacarpenter, charles_leclerc, and 1,692,901 others

yourusername a crush? no well i would take him on a date if he wanted

view all 18,736 comments

user35 ok im convinced

user36 this is so cute i could cry

user37 NOT HER QUOTING MAX IM FINISHED

user38 they're dating surely

user39 "reasons i love you" omg😭😭😭😭

user40 CHARLES IN THE LIKES?

yourbff favs

liked by yourusername

twitter ->

instagram ->

maxverstappen1

liked by yourusername, landonorris, and 1,021,732 others

maxverstappen1 the best tour guide 🇬🇧

tagged: yourusername

view all 14,827 comments

user42 omg

user43 this is life changing

user44 IM SO SHOCKED

yourusername ❤️❤️

liked by maxverstappen1

user45 AHHH

yourbff finally

maxverstappen1 🤫

user46 can't believe my fav singer is dating my fav driver

user47 & who was it that said only hot girls support rb 😝

charles_leclerc my favourites

maxverstappen1 ❤️

twitter ->

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by danielricciardo, maxverstappen1, and 1,927,183 others

yourusername my life my heart my love

tagged: maxverstappen1

view all 23,103 comments

user51 this relationship might be the best thing to ever happen to me

user52 daniel ricciardo in the likes we won fr

user53 i love u y/n

user54 y/n love songs about max incoming

charles_leclerc we love having you around y/n !

yourusername ahhh tysm for being so welcoming

user55 OMGGG LOVEEEE

danielricciardo slay y/n

yourusername yupppp u know ittt

user56 FRIENDSHIP?!?!??

yourusername of course we're friends i have to earn the approval of all of max's boyfriends

danielricciardo HAHAHAH

maxverstappen1 🤨

maxverstappen1 i love you

yourusername i love you 🥰

THE END 💙

[subconsciousmysteries]

enneagram is a game, don't overdose, DSM musings

Have a very knowledgeable friend who's sick of enneagram, not the legit spiritualist version of it a la Almaas and before him, but the version where people go around trying to "accurately type" "correctly type" everyone else, including themselves.

she says it's just a social power game and she's literally right. I've never seen any enneagram discourse end constructively. even i've been guilty of misusing enneagram, because there's no natural progression to discussing "my type" "that person's type", other than forcing either others or yourself (or both) to identify with the ego fixations that we're supposed to be transcending.

at best enneagram is something to be picked up occasionally and then rapidly put down and forgotten about for a long while so that you can experience life without the filter of enneagram getting in the way. you can draw profound new insights from personality theories for a very brief window in time before you start overdosing on them and distorting your reality with them. it's like acid / LSD. it's a once-every-few-months drug (at most) and that's assuming you have an eventful life with lots of novelty.

(this goes for any personality framework btw. MBTI, IV, Big Five, DSM personality disorders, are all included)

coz when you try to process life through the framework of personality theories, you start to see everything through the lens of your own confirmation bias very quickly. this confirmation bias leads you to miss essential parts of other people's personalities, which interferes with your ability to form meaningful bonds and connections, on top of causing other problems. and this isn't a skill issue. there is no way around this problem of personality theory distorting reality if you use it too much, because personality theory is subjective by nature. there are no clear scientific metrics to tell you that your observations about other people's personalities are wrong and you need to rethink your approach. Most who try to create these scientific metrics just end up becoming dictators, imposing their personal interpretation of how humans work and who everyone else secretly is onto others, with no objective basis.

the problem I'm describing doesn't just describe enneatards online. it plagues the entire field of psychology which is heavily dependent on personality theories. this is where the endless debate about "is psychology a science or an art?" comes from. as I've talked about before, the DSM is little different to an abstract, interpretive personality type theory. there are no objective metrics (i.e. a brain scan) to confidently tell if someone has a DSM personality disorder. diagnosis is 100% based on observations and reports of your behavior and personality, and how this picture of you fits into boxes arbitrarily defined by some other person. just like personality typing is.

despite its myriad of issues I have to praise the DSM for one thing: at least it has the courage to call a disorder a disorder. It admits that good and bad exist. that there is a hierarchy of morality. unlike personality theories which too often try to pass off dysfunctional traits as "just another type" "just another part of the human experience that we have to accept and cater to uwu" "all personality types are equal".

but you have a lot of people in the psychiatric community who are dangerously changing the way we view disorders. they want to turn personality disorders from rightfully looked-down-upon spiritual ailments, to normalized "disabilities" that deserve to be catered to. they've turned psychiatry into just as much of a moral relativist, narcissist-enabling clusterfuck as online personality discourse is. the type of people who say, "uwu Cluster Bs are valid it's just a different way of being it's not wrong it's not a disorder". "uwu delusions that people were born in the wrong body need to be coddled and enabled" are leading this change.

[stokesy55]

I love that idea of mitchy and vk arguing over who got destroyed more, it's gold 😂😂 can we extend that to all the omegas in cricket? they have a whatsapp group where they keep complaining about how possessive all their alphas are, but then it goes into an argument about whose alpha is the most possessive and rough 😂 also jossy's endgame is definitely joey, even though joey is a beta. and i think you have finny as a beta too? so the omegas who're mated to alphas, like vk and mitchy keep teasing jos and stu for missing out on the sheer power of a possessive alpha. 🤪 also if it comes to tattletaling, vk is the one who gets totally bullied by the other omegas, because he has more instances of past escapades than the rest of them put together 😂

this is a normal day in the group:

stu: 😭

starcy: why does every conversation on this group start with crying? 🙄

marn: oh look, stu's crying again, what's new? 🙄

jos: what happened??

stu: you know very well what happened 😭

vk: wait what's going on?

stu: which one of you bitches told finny that jimmy cuddles me to sleep on tours? it's only because i have trouble sleeping alone! we're only friends! i can't even feel my legs anymore 😭

vk: oh stop moaning stu, finny's just a beta! trust me, you'd be having a much harder time if he was alpha.

mark: seconded. speaking from experience here 😮‍💨

jos: hey i won't stand for this beta slander! they can get just as possessive as alphas! you've never seen how joey gets, have you?

marnus: what lies! please have you even met steve? i didn't get a wink of sleep on my wedding night, iykwim 😏😳

starcy: have you seen alyssa in one of her moods? 🥵 i think my throat was sore for the entire next week after the last time.

marky: please, neither joe, steve nor alyssa have got anything on my benny 😏 i couldn't even get out of bed after he found out about my ex-boyfriend.

vk: please, but pat takes the cake. i'm actually surprised at myself for not buying myself a walking cane yet! we've been married for 10 years now, and I'm sure ive spent at least 7 of those limping. 😭

marn: you're such a drama queen 🙄

vk: and don't even try to argue with me on this. i used to sleep with joey, benny, finny, and steve before, and i know how they are. none of them are even half as possessive as pat.

starcy: you haven't been with alyssa tho...

vk: well, never say never... ;)

stu: *screenshot* (it's a ss of the current conversation which he sent to patty 🤭)

vk: you told him?! i was kidding!

jos: 😂😂😂😂

marn: 🤣

vk: you asshole!

stu: good luck coz yours is about to get wrecked 🤣

vk: im flying back to india before he comes home, i have a match next week guys 😭😭😭

*next day*

vk: 😭

stu: *screenshot of headphones* you owe me a pair of this, vk, i could hear you screaming over in england!

marn: steve and i are his neighbours. imagine what we went through 🥲

vk: *screenshot of a wheelchair* you owe me this stu, i don't think I'll be able to move for the rest of my life 😫

stu: 😆😆😆😆

jos: lol should i send over some cushions too?

vk: you better. you have no idea how sore my bum is 😭

starcy: you deserve it for implying you would sleep with my alpha

vk: im sorry okay! there was no need to permanently cripple me over a joke!

mark: stop being dramatic vk, I've been through worse with ben!

vk: shut the fuck up, pat literally almost broke my hips yesterday. i don't think anything can be worse than that. i used to fuck ben before, and unlike with pat, i could at least get up from his bed 🙄😒

marky: want me to tell pat again?

vk: don't you dare.

marky: *screenshot* too late. 🤣🤣🤣

stu: omg you actually did it.

marn: wtf mate i didn't sleep yesterday. now my morning is ruined too 😭

vk: why do you hate me so much?! 😩

(lol im sorry, this got away from me 😭🤭)

Ahahahahhah - this is a very funny idea 😂

Mayhaps a one shot spin off in the future 😘

[taiblogcomics]

Muddying the Waters

Hey there, unrelenting accrual of clowns. Let's do some Countdown this fine summer's day, huh?

Here's the cover:

…Oh. Well. Pretty sure I've seen art like this on DeviantArt. Like, a lot of art like this. But regardless! Maybe it'll at least sell this issue to folks with that fetish. I dunno! I've occasionally bought a comic coz I have the hots for whatever superheroine's on the cover (usually Rogue). Maybe it works for other fetishes too! Anyways, of course it's clay because it mentions Clayface in the blurb down there (which is not included in the trade I'm reading from, by the way), but personally I think it looks more like chocolate pudding. Again, not my fetish, but if it's yours, does chocolate pudding increase the appeal more or less than clay~?

Okay, new recap rule: If a character appears on the cover, I should mention them first. Unless otherwise for theming purposes. So Mary Marvel is stuck with Black Adam's powers and also in Clayface. Jason Todd and Donna Troy have been stuck with locating Ray Palmer. Pied Piper and Trickster are stuck together after killing the Flash. Karate Kid is stuck in the past in the JLA's custody. Jimmy Olsen is stuck on how to use his powers for good. And Holly Robinson is stuck in a women's shelter after going on the run. And we're stuck reading this for another 42 weeks~

Okay, so you remember how last time, I ended by being all "I'm counting Bart's death as this series' fault even though technically it didn't happen in this comic"? Yeah, so this issue opens with a graphic recreation of the Rogues' murder of Bart Allen. That's a lovely way to open a comic. I bet all the quicksand fetishists who picked up this issue for the cover really regret it now, and so do I! And it doesn't matter that this is quickly revealed to be a nightmare that Trickster's having, that doesn't absolve it of depicting it!

Pied Piper and Trickster are in the custody of the Suicide Squad at present, under arrest for the Flash's murder. I wasn't aware this is what the Suicide Squad did, but I didn't know Multiplex was a member, so fair enough. Anyway, Deadshot explains that the pair are chained together with a high-tech handcuff. If it's pulled too violently, the pair of them will get an electric shock. And if too far or damaged/removed… The shock will be lethal. It might not be brain bombs, but it's still the Suicide Squad's go-to solution to all problems!

We cut over to Gotham City, where we get some crazy upskirt shots of Mary Marvel. I'm not quite sure how old Mary is in these, but she was discharged from a hospital on her own, so she must be at least over 18. Still, the introduction to her in this comic is the entirety of her thighs. Anyway, she's checking out the site of a recent explosion, and who should be at the scene but the Riddler? She immediately assumes the worst and flies off with him, but at this point in DC history, the Riddler has gone straight, and he spends the entirety of the next page explaining this to Mary until she finally puts him down. Physically, I mean, though I suppose she continues putting him down emotionally as well.

Over in Metropolis, at the women's shelter, the artist is clearly not done drawing women's thighs, as we watch Harley Quinn exercise on the balance beam while she and Holly Robinson talk. So this is actually a start of an arc for Harley Quinn to go straight (much like the Riddler a page previous). This would more firmly take hold in about 7 years, post New 52. But they were already laying the groundwork here! Anyways, long story short, Athena sought out Harley to make her assistant director of this women's shelter and lend guidance to these women. But Holly is still suspicious, because Athena is a literal god, what's she getting out of this?

Now then, in a new location for once, Jason Todd and Donna Troy decide to start their search for Ray Palmer by checking in with the man who took over his identity: Ryan Choi, the All-New Atom. I haven't read Ryan's run, but i should change that some time. Personal reminder! So it does mean I don't know these supporting characters. But they postulate that since Ray went sub-atomic following Jean Loring's incarceration to Arkham Asylum, he must be in the Palmerverse. Ah, man, I don't think Into the Palmer-Verse is the animated blockbuster you think it'll be, DC. Nah, actually it's what they call the sub-atomic universe in DC, like Marvel's Microverse. Hey, he discovered it, he can name it after himself if he wants. That's a scientist's privilege. So Ryan Choi joins the party!

Back on the ground, Riddler and Mary Marvel follow a mysterious trail of dirt leading from the crime scene. They discover a back alley where the trail stops. Riddler deduces that this isn't dirt at all. Instead, it's clay. And Clayface attacks them from behind, giving us our cover shot. Except Mary doesn't even get sludged, she dodges it while Riddler is the one mucked. Mary does the Flash tornado move and sends Clayface into space. She thinks it's fine, he was just dirt. As Riddler uncovers the stolen goods, he recommends that Mary should seek out a mentor in things magic, if she doesn't know her strength so strongly. Or anger management

Speaking of Gotham, no one goes around Gotham without Batman's notice, and you see him up above, eavesdropping on Mary and Riddler. Karate Kid approaches him from behind, and without looking up, Batman says "People who sneak up on me usually regret it." He's letting Batman know that the Legion is about to depart to the 31st century, and Batman's like "Don't let me keep you."

Karate Kid starts a bit where he wants to let Batman know what an honour it was to fight a skilled martial artist like him, and Batman retorts that "I lost once, it wouldn't happen again in a rematch." Karate Kid leaves in a huff, because he wasn't trying to rub Batman's nose in it. Batman smugly watches him fly off, mumbling something about "Did you expect a sidekick offer?" And I don't know why he's smiling other than that Batman is kind of a dick sometimes.

Speaking of being a dick sometimes, we cut over to the Daily Planet offices in Metropolis. Jimmy Olsen's musing to himself about his powers, wondering why he can't get them to activate at will instead of just under stress. He's also doodling some costume ideas, but when Lois comes by, she wonders what all the art is for. Jimmy hastily provides a cover-up of a comic strip idea he's pitching to the paper. Here's where the dickishness comes in: Lois then offers her opinion on his art, then says Jimmy should stick with photography. All Jimmy can manage is a weak "Good one, Lois."

Back over with Piper and Trickster, Trickster requests if there's any way they can be cuffed separately, and Piper takes this as a homophobic insult. Deadshot isn't stupid, and knows Trickster would try something the moment he was uncuffed. Trickster's all like, "What? No!" in the least convincing way possible, even when he points out they confiscated all his tricks. When they don't reply further, he uses his tongue to remove a false tooth implanted with a bomb. But, like, you look at this thing and it has a huge screw-like spike and clearly went down into his gums like a real tooth. That seems painful as hell to remove, especially without using your hands.

Trickster spits his nasty tooth-bomb straight up, where it explodes, knocking the whole transport around. And despite that one of the guys guarding them is Multiplex, a man whose powers are being able to make copies of himself, the two of them manage to push past him. Note also that Trickster hasn't communicated this plan at all to Piper, and he's just following Trickster's lead. The pair pushes past them and slams their way through the door and exit the transport. And the comic ends with revealing why this was a dumb plan: the pair of them fall out of an airborne plane and are plummeting to the ground miles below.

So, hey, remember when I began this review questioning why the Suicide Squad were arresting and detaining individuals? That's because I forgot Salvation Run was a thing, which was another tie-in miniseries to Countdown. Seriously, this whole maxi-series is just setup for other tie-ins. Not a lot else happens in this one aside from that, it feels very incidental. Clearly they had to do the fetish cover because there was nothing else interesting in the comic. Though I think this is the first issue with all six plotlines getting a scene, so that's something novel, at least~

[expectopatronum18]

Man ihnc how others my age are doing all the stuff they're doing. I'm just tired. Have been since lyk middle school. I do absolutely nothing all day and i just discovered i always find new things to distract me, so it doesn't really matter if I come out of social media and stuff. Occasionally something vil get my attention and i actually do something but I always lose interest in it. I feel much better with my friends and appear completely normal lyk they are. I feel so disconnected from my ambitions and interests, they almost don't feel real. I know i need to be working my ass off coz I m going to uni next yr, i need to work for a seat in a good college, and i keep telling myself that I will start tomorrow, then the next, and it goes on and on but somehow i never do. Embarrassingly enough, I've been lyk this for years now but I m finally old enough to actually face consequences for it. I m just so drained and I hv no strength left to face whatever life vil throw at me. I still have no clue y, sure, shit's been happening around but not directly to me, and tbfh, ppl who've seen far worse are doing much better and everyone has something or the other, but no matter what I do I'm just not able to change, idk if I m just lazy or sheltered and making excuses for it or if there's actually something here (highly doubtful) but I just start crying whenever I even try to face the reality of the absolute mess tht is my life and I hv literally no idea what to do with it. I'm definitely going to tell myself tomorrow morning that I was being dramatic about all of this and I m much better, atp i don't even know if I m gaslighting myself or actually being real

[marshemillow]

That's a great explanation for what's going on! Literally I always carried my Nintendo DS with me even to school and I would play Professor Layton during my downtime. Isn't it a meme for boomers to look at obvious symptoms of undiagnosed mental illness and say "IT'S COZ O' THAT DAMN PHONE!!!" How is that any different from old people in the age of the printing press blaming society's downfall on young people being "addicted" to reading novels??

There is something to be said about smartphones making it especially easy to just consume tailor-made content by advertisers who want you to spend a lot of time on their sites, but I have a hard time believing it's like this crazy new thing that's causing a unique downfall we haven't seen before.

It honestly makes sense if you think about it for like two seconds; Healthy people don't sit around all day doing nothing. Healthy people feel compelled to get hobbies and work and do things that are fulfilling. If you sit around on your phone just scrolling mindlessly all day every day, you very likely have an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed first. You can't just take someone's coping mechanism away, it doesn't work and only leads to misery, and I hate this attitude so much of blaming people for doing something a lot when they're just trying to distract themselves from the pain of existence!!!

Seriously, it causes so much unnecessary shame to tell someone that trying to cope with their pain makes them a bad person, that the pain is their fault. Literally every single time I've been glued to my phone and can't put it down, it was because I was in a really awful depressive episode. Like, okay, I get how you might look at me being more depressed the more I use my phone and think it must be the phone that's causing my depression, but it's literally the opposite! I'm using my phone more BECAUSE I'm so depressed! When my depression gets better, I naturally stop using my phone as much!

This is especially common in people with ADHD, where boredom is literally physically painful and committing to things for a long-term dopamine release is really hard. I remember when people had this misconception that social media use caused ADHD because of the correlation between heavy smartphone use and ADHD, but it's literally the opposite! Again! That's called the false cause fallacy, and it's a VERY common mistake. In reality, ADHD is one of the most genetic conditions ever studied. Not using your phone doesn't cure ADHD in the slightest.

And the claim that smartphones literally rot the grey matter in your brain? Yeah, I'm gonna need a couple citations on that.

You know what? I'm talking about "phone addiction" again because I'm not done.

Do you know what an addiction is? Addiction isn't "you do it just out of habit because you don't think about it" addiction is "if you stop you will literally be in agony and that's why you keep turning to the thing."

We have this baked-in idea that addiction is a moral failing, that if you have a phone addiction, it really just means you need to get off your phone. Yeah, addicted to alcohol? Just stop! Don't drink it anymore! Withdrawl? What's that? If you drink alcohol, it obviously means you just don't have enough willpower! If you can't stop drinking alcohol, it means you're a bad person. You basically deserve to have liver failure at that point!

Yes some people actually believe this! They don't know that paramedics carry alcohol with them specifically because it saves the lives of people going through alcohol withdrawl, they don't care! It's something they cheer themselves up with because they aren't addicted to alcohol, and that means they're a good person.

I am so sick and fucking tired of people pathologizing and moralizing non-moral issues. Addiction, or Substance Abuse Disorder, is an actual physical health condition. It's a disease. You can't stop it with enough willpower, it's something that needs actual medical treatment. Just looking at coping mechanisms or even just things that make you feel good because they release dopamine in your brain and calling that an "addiction" does so much damage to people's understanding of real addiction and makes addicts look like evil weak cowards instead of people with a disease that needs treatment. That's fucking evil. Imagine telling someone with cancer that they just didn't have enough willpower to stop it. Disgusting.

And it's extra ironic coming from these people who think they're addicted to their phone saying "you just need to stop" and then not stopping, meanwhile I have often just forgotten I don't have my phone with me and then get confused when I don't have it. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Why is the person who "knows" it's an "addiction" (in the moral failing way) still not have enough willpower to stop whereas I have to consciously remind myself to go find my phone because I just forget it exists when I don't believe in phone addiction? Literally half the time I take my phone out of my pocket, it's just to check the time.

It's almost like "phone addiction" is just another way to make people feel guilty for doing things they like doing. It doesn't make them stop, they just feel worse about it. They don't think about it as a coping strategy that fades as their life circumstances get better.

And every single time, when you find these people who feel bad for doing things that make them happy, they grew up christian. Every fucking time. "Struggle with addiction" and it's just guilt applied to something normal.

STOP MAKING YOUR CATHOLIC GUILT EVERYONE ELSE'S PROBLEM!!! IF YOU CARED ABOUT "PHONE ADDICTION" YOU WOULD BE TAKING ACTUAL STEPS TO MINIMIZE HARM, NOT THROWING GUILT AT PEOPLE JUST FOR ITS OWN SAKE!!!

[mwagneto]

I'm having such a good time following your sh rewatch kjfghkdfg

i think you just passed the last bit i watched so i just went from "yeah i remember that, so nostalgic" to "oh shit! did that happen?!" very fun!

KDMKSJFJDF glad it's entertaining lmfaoo and oh man i almost said "you should watch the rest" but like. should you?💀 i enjoy it ngl but I'm pretty sure this show is unwatchable to anyone who wasn't insane about it while it was airing idk

[jikookuntold]

But Karmy told spotting them near nineone before they completely moved into 2 Apts I think. Same K army told Jk used to rent an apt in nineone and that was the time when they used to spot around that area.. not after that.

From what I've seen we have seen 8/10 times JK traveled alone. Compare sowoozoo DVD ' full time he was traveling alone vs mots1 DVD where they were always together, Jimin even waiting for his late night practice to finish finish so thye can go together. If they were going to one place he could've easily shared a car with jimin like they used to go 🤷‍♀️

Ok So in your opinion they still live together. Ok I respect that just that, though we don't have anything which points to them living together, I or many jkkrs here don't think they live together anymore.

Oh and I saw one commented - storm and Mr storm lol. We are literally talking about JIMIN AND JUNGKOOK - 2 members of BTS. Not Jimin and his mom or Jimin and his brother. If rm was gonna inform or celebrate with Jimin at midnight because of this news... it applies to Jungkook and RM too. Or is it like only Jimin and RM of BtS were invited to white house. Plz be real these are hints we get on unexpected situations. We don't have access to them everyday so if some days something special like this happens we know where they are staying. Similar like hot100 #1.. JM was with JK coz well they used to live together then

I don't remember them having solo practices for Sowoozoo, so why and where they were supposed to wait for each other? And did you see their cars leaving and arriving at their destinations yourself? lol No, you are not respecting me or my opinion, otherwise, you wouldn't harass me like this trying to convince me they've broken up because they haven't screamed about their relationship recently. Lack of evidence is not evidence. Actually, there is so much evidence, but you've decided to ignore everything because the idea of them being a couple bothers you now. Or do you want me to convince you Jikook is real?? Be honest. lol But remember that I can't care less about what you and the rest of your breed think, the breed that calls themselves "Jikookers" but make stuff up to prove they have broken up. Please just leave them alone already, Jikook deserve better fans. And how do you know RM was supposed to talk with Jimin about being invited to the Whitehouse and nothing else? It amazes me how you are deluded yourself about knowing every detail of their life when you in fact know nothing.

[igonecrazy]

Juju hold me I’m in pain :’(

So like… Killing Eve ended yesterday alright. And I hate the ending I HATE HATE IT THEY FUCKING KILLED OFF VILLANELLE FOR SHOCK VALUE WTF 😭😭😭 and it was such a terrible death too it’s like… it’s like if in the Hannibal finale instead of falling off the cliff, Jack just randomly shows up when Will and Hannibal are hugging and kills Hannibal, and Will tried to catch him but just misses and Hannibal falls off the cliff and Will is just left there screaming at the edge of the cliff 😭😭😭 That’s literally how the ending went sksksksk the big bads were dead and Villaneve were happie and I thought everything would be fine and then in the last two minutes boom plot twist death 😭😭😭 I didn’t expect this from killing eve and I’m so fucking disappointed :(( they literally spn-ed the finale 😭😭😭

and I saw some snippets from an interview with the head writer and it’s like… she didn’t understand the characters at all??? And she didn’t even seem to understand what SHE wrote cause apparently Eve is happy about Villanelle dying cause she can start a new life and I’m like??? Wtf that’s not what happened???

I wish they just ended the show at season 3 smh :((

Sorry sjsjsjs I just needed to rant about this 😭 it’s been one day and I’m still not over it… I literally sobbed for five whole minutes after the last episode ended :’((( they deserved better

BABIE!!

First..come here darling..🫂🫂

Second......GOOD GAWD YOU DIDNT HAVE TO TYPE THAT BIT!! The "instead of falling off the cliff, .......at the edge of the cliff"!! I've been watching all the reactions on my dash..and i know what they did it sucky..and i WAS FEELING BAD YOU DIDNT HAVE TO PICK THAT SCENARIO AND PUT IT ON HANNIBAL 😭😭😭😭 THAT HURTS A LOT MORE!! Especially coz it's mommy that you threw off the cliff 😭😭😭😭

But YESSSSSS! THAT ABSOLUTELY SUCKS! It's like why do you have to ruin a perfectly good thing and why do you believe THAT IS GOING TO MAKE THE PEOPLE WHO WATCH YOUR STUPID FUCKING SHOW FOR EXACTLY THOSE CHARACTERS THEY LOVE BE LIKE "WHOA! SO GENIUS!" like wasn't the reaction after GOT and Endgame and Supernatural and every other thing enough!!! Who is telling them that YESS THIS IS SO NEW AND THIS IS THE WAY TO GO!!

Here..come here again..🫂🫂🫂

I've not seen the show..but even I know Eve isn't happy about it!! GOOD GAWD!! THE PEOPLE THEY'RE GIVING REIGNS TO THESE DAYS! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ Giving Loki to that Caldron guy don't correct his name..i know his name but it's not worthy writing who had no fucking idea about or love for the character.. Things are just absolutely better in quality and much more amazing when they're worked upon by people who actually love and care about those characters that they're playing with..🥺 why does this simple thing escape the entire fucking industry..idk 🤦🏻‍♀️

And..come here again!!

It's okie to cry about it..it sure sucks..and they dooo deserve better 🥺🖤🖤 the lovely couple ..the finale moment was just a nightmare Eve saw..but then she wakes up and Villanelle is there sipping coffee by the window looking out the window to their future ☺️ living a life of murder and mayhem out there in cold Alaska..they adopt a doggo and a catto and they live there in a cute cozy self-sustaining cabin in a remote location and nobody ever finds them..other than one kid who they once find out in the cold and then they adopt it and they grow her to be the most ruthless but sweet fighter ever ☺️🖤🖤 that's where they are...🖤🖤🖤

[piastri]

your post about the read more omg yes, i don't get why people don't use it, even on mobile it works - it's so simple!! my writing has the people tagged but you literally can't see the writing without clicking on read more; honestly so much more convenient than having to scroll through tens of thousands of words (in some cases i've seen...)

!!!! I like when there’s a summary/tropes/word count + triggers!!!! mentioned and then u have the option to read more. I just wanna quickly go through the tag and reblog new pics etc and it’s annoying when u have to scroll through sooo much and then just end up missing stuff coz u can’t be bothered

​also I don’t understand tagging fic updates like ‘I can’t post today bcoz ...’ surely people who read the story would be following ur blog for updates does it need to be in the driver’s tag...?

[thirstybtsthoughts]

Bunny I really need big sister advice here.

So, I'm in the bathroom and the door is locked, I went in to make some pleasure in this Tae professor fic I just read... and so I'm enjoying, as one would say, and then I search on twitter for bulges in suits coz thats a kink of mine and it kinda went with the taehyung professor theme... and so I'm scrolling and sprawled out with my hand in use, then my THIRTEEN year old sister says my name as she UNLOCKS THE DOOR WITH HER NAIL, AND straight up just strolls in and stares at me like a foot away. And in the panic, I closed my bare legs, sat there like I was peeing, and tried to not act suspicious.

I yell at her to stay out if the door is locked, and she gets mad at me and leaves. NO PRIVACY IN THIS HOUSE, SMH!!! But then I look down at my phone and realize I forgot something. I left my screen on. MY SCREEN ON. AS THERE'S SOME DUDE ON THE TIMELINE STROKING HIS BULGE,,, my eyes were scanning to make sure I hid everything that could look suspicious in under a second, so i couldn't see if she got a glimpse of it.

My sister is in this weird phase where she's hyper freaked out at anything that makes her think innapropriate thoughts. Idk, maybe its because she's going through puberty and it scares her because she doesn't like this new unknown thing (I was the same way when I was younger for some reason), and it also could be that we're in a very religious and conservative household, so she could be under some self-inflicted impression that its "dirty" or "wrong" to have innapropriate thoughts. But like... its the kid version of dirty. They don't even know what to think yet. For example, we don't watch aquaman anymore because she said to my mom that the shape of his pants makes her look there and it bothers her. This girl... *sigh*

So now I'm sitting here lowkey freaking out. I can't ask my mom to tell her to knock off just ENTERING THE LOCKED BATHROOMS whenever she wants, because then my mom would be like ??? Why is it bothering you extra??? And then she'd know thats usually where I'll go to have privacy so I can do things. I'm twenty years old.

So I tried to continue and refocus on the fantasy of professor Tae again when I was back alone, because I was literally just gonna climax when that scary interruption barged in. I was shaky and akward and felt exposed and so uncomfortable from it. And then my mom walks past, pounding on the door and giving me a heart attack. "Who's in the bathroom rn??" She shouts. Again, yanked my hand away, turned off my phone, and closed my legs JUST IN CASE. I weakly respond "me", and then I freaked out a little again, because my voice was kinda whimpery since I got close to climaxing again and had to panic and stop immediately.

My whole family is really comfortable and casual about just getting things when they need them from cubbords and stuff, but my sister doesn't even knock to ask if its alright. I swear, she does it just to bug me.

Gosh i'm getting off track.

Anyway, I'm scared that I scarred my sister, or if she's gonna hyperfixate and obsess about it in secret now. I don't want her to freak out more than she does. And I really don't want my mom to know that I'll occasionally watch things on my phone. She'll take it to "help me stop" probably, even if I'm a grown woman.

So like... any advice on how to adress this situation? I'm so sorry, I'm just so sick of this. There's NOWHERE I can have the full guarentee of privacy, not even my room. No locks on doors, everyone waltzes in because no one would think anyone is hiding something. but so far I've never been walked in on or caught until now. It felt exposing, even if she thought I was just using the bathroom, and I really didn't like it. I feel embarrased now, that could have gone so bad.

~ 🌸

Wow... I know privacy is hard when living with family but opening locked doors and walking into a bathroom when someone is inside?!... maybe it's a norm in some households, I don't know, but I do feel for you that you really do have no privacy at all.

About your sis - I'm sorry to say it but I kind of feel like she had it coming for walking in on you like that. She shouldn't have done it. Hopefully she didn't see your phone or anything, at 13 though, she's old enough to get a gist of what might have been happening. She will get past this phase of being uncomfortable with things like it, you went through it too, so you would know. I assume it's something she (and you) got from your upbringing around your family's conservative views. Try not to worry about her too much, she'll figure things out as she grows and learns more. If you really want to, you could talk to her about not walking in when people are using the bathroom, but that would involve the risk of her bringing up what she may have seen and thinking about it more. I don't know what else to say about it, it's how your family is, and I feel that if you were to bring up the topic of privacy in a conversation with them it would backfire on you as they would want to know why it's an issue and why you want more privacy.

Do you drive? Have a car? Maybe that's somewhere you could do it. I used to wait until there was no one home and then use those few rare times to play with myself. Otherwise I just restrained from doing so. I never really properly explored myself until I was 27 and moved out though. I also never had privacy, I shared a room when I was at home, have a big family, and our bathroom is too echoey for anything and there's always someone walking by 😭. So I get the no privacy thing. Another thing is to wait until the dead of night when you know they're all asleep, but I know thats risky as every sound at night feels loud af 😩. Your only other option may be to move out...but that's a big step to take just for the sake of being able to masturbate in peace. It's your choice how to handle things, you know your family best. 💜💜💜

[tellywoodtrash]

HUM TV launched a new show "Chupke Chupke" this Ramadan. I think they're filling the space for Suno Chanda since it's a similar genre: family romance comedy. In the first episode, they even play the Suno Chanda bgm and has one of the characters hum the title track. Idk if its gonna be good or not cause I've only seen the first episode. But I thought I'd update u in case u wanna check it out

Mais already put me on to it and I’m watching it on the daily!!!!! It’s not on the same level as SC for me (coz there’s so much cast/character overlap, and it’s literally the same set, comparisons are bound to arise), but I certainly am enjoying it a lot. There’s some wholesomeness and lolz in every ep and is a good lighthearted watch!

[zackmartin]

I know that you love seven sea news I do and so do I but I just rewatched the sean kingston episode for the billionth time coz it’s my favourite and it’s so good?? zack puts in so much for maya!! even if it is a scheme he loves her sm !! also the dancing at the end is!! and that song is so so good. I don’t know what the point of this ask is other than to hopefully make u smile but anyway hope your day is great ily

(okay, I love seven seas news the most solely because I've seen it a thousand times but I still lose it every time. It's the pinnacle of comedy. Cody's face after the "helicopter crash", his high-pitched scream followed by "severed ARM!!", "tiny officer down! tiny officer down!" it's ALL brilliant. None of them will ever top it) but, anyway, YOU'RE RIGHT, and I would probably watch it more often if it didn't make me insane, like Zack saying something like "You're a great girl, Maya, and you deserve the best" and her being like "that's exactly what I have"

I feel like we should mention that even though, technically yes, it was a scheme, his intentions were good. Like, he literally just wanted Maya to be happy (unlike SOME CHARACTERS!!) and he knew he couldn't afford to throw her a kickass birthday party himself so his methods were a little shady but like. he's perfect and the best and I'd die for him.

Like okay. I love Maya and her episodes, and I love seeing Zack get his things, but i think I still feel kinda touchy whenever I watch her episodes just cause I know how it ends?? Like, I don't blame Maya, I blame the people that wrote her that clearly hate women and don't know how to write them, but it just. feels so bittersweet when I see them together because I know it's only a short while before she's like "actually I'm going to africa and I don't want to do long distance, bye forever lmao <3" Like!!! She had to have sent in an application for that program so she could've told him there was a possibility she might leave but did she???? DID SHE?!?!?!?

(I'm sorry. I didn't intend to do this again laskdjf got so much adrenaline and serotonin from your ask I just started typing and couldn't stop lmao)

anyway, I hope you never stop sending me suite life asks when you watch it cause it makes me insanely happy 💗💗 (also I hope your day was great too and also ily 💘💘💘)

[lizzybeth1986]

I played the new chapter and they did Kiara dirty, as usual. I chanced upon the reddit just to see and people are hating and saying this betrayal was 'in character for her and she always went where the power went...' (???) Also, the flower competition sorta rubbed me the wrong way in that all the black women in Cordonia were fighting over flowers, and while there were some white women too, it still felt unequal in a way, like they even had one of the bw try to bribe MC and she gets called out.

I don't think I've said this to you before, Kiara anon, but thank you. Thank you for noticing, thank you for getting it, thank you for caring enough to observe all this and share it.

At this point...it's important to understand this. The writer's have a purpose for writing Kiara - and as you pointed out, the other, very few black characters they have in this book - the way they have done now.

PB wants you to dislike Kiara. They want you to feel contempt for her. They want to justify your hatred and vitriol and your double standards, if you have them. Or to convince you she isn't worthy of your time and thoughts and sympathies, if you like her. They want you to feel like her pain, her issues, her story do not matter. They want you to have every opportunity possible to value her white peers over her.

And if you - like most of fandom - already do all that...they want you to know that you're right for doing so. Coz they sure as hell want Kiara seen that way.

Look for instance at the way Kiara and Penelope's chapters are presented in the sneak peeks:

• Penelope is positioned as the victim, Kiara as a suspect

• "Poor Penelope" vs "what is Kiara hiding"?

• The two scenes they chose are a complete contrast to this. Penelope in this sequence backs out of helping because she doesn't want her wedding ruined, Kiara is now ready to give the group a chance in gratitude for their help towards her friend and brother.

• The group gives Landon himself the benefit of the doubt from the start. Kiara, who they have known for longer, gets this:

(Shoutout to Liam for refuting this asap)

(Irony of this dialogue is that Maxwell Beaumont, son of the man trying to take away our child and the person whose emotional blackmail of his brother made this whole thing possible...is the one suspecting Kiara, who has never been involved in anything nefarious or suspect thus far).

• The narrative uses Hana's plight to make us feel for Penelope, yet before they even meet with her, the group's first instinct is to view Kiara with suspicion.

Does this scenario sound familiar???

Ask yourselves this. Why is there a pattern of suspecting Kiara first, for no real reason, and then feeling no shame when we're proven wrong?

The fandom is livid at a choice that Kiara made based on (limited and flawed) evidence, yet I see none of this energy from you lot, whenever she was at the recieving end of these baseless suspicions from the group.

When she had to revisit her own trauma just to satisfy us, you were okay with it. When the MC claimed she had Kiara's back to Joelle, you were okay with it. When Hakim - an innocent man and a literal Duke - was written as "bending to his knees in front of the heir while Landon was not, you were okay with it. When Kiara wasn't allowed to hold that child even once while Penelope was out there treating the heir like one of her pet dogs, you were okay with it. And now, when the group suspects Kiara for what was eventually a very simple decision based on existing evidence....you were okay with that too. Don't pretend you weren't. Most posts on Kiara were bashing her for her reasoning but never once questioned why she was being viewed with suspicion again.

In fact, over the past few weeks, I've seen people claim that Kiara was a "weak example" of racism. Even though she was the only one among the courtly ladies who was placed in a painful, traumatic situation, then suspected for wanting to leave, the optionally had her trauma minimized....AND EVEN THEN WAS MADE TO SUPPORT US BY DEFAULT...we're supposed to believe there was no racism involved. Sure.

And this is exactly how the TRR got away with their writing of her so far. Because with her, the fandom doesn't ask questions, doesn't consider bad writing or bad intent - it's just convenient to place the blame on Kiara herself for her own portrayal.

--

But your ask wasn't just about Kiara. It was about her family. It was about Joelle being portrayed as OOC, about the family of diplomats not exactly having it together for their own festival. It was about the two black women, Lerato and Lesidi, who alongside Joelle recieved very bizarre portrayals.

And I have a bit of theory why the Therons are portrayed this way. I think it's because Kiara is always seen as a counterpoint to two people.

Emotionally, she is a counterpoint to Penelope - we pity Penelope and try to help her even though she has harmed us, we doubt Kiara and keep her at an arm's length even when she's innocent. Because emotionally, the narrative encourages us to feel more for Penelope's plight than for Kiara's. That is why Kiara could be stabbed and we would still only legitimize her pain by seeing her as a suspect first. And feel no remorse for doing so.

Ideologically, though, I've always felt like she was a counterpoint to Olivia. And you know how counterpoints to Olivia work - Olivia has to be the superior one.

This is where I feel the family portrayal also comes in. Kiara didn't develop her knack for diplomacy out of thin air, she honed her skills in a family environment that supported her and worked in that field itself. Kiara's family is as much as a mouthpiece for her (and Liam's, and Hana's) ideologies as Olivia is. Kiara and Liam represent the diplomatic end of Cordonia, and Olivia represents their more militaristic pursuits.

Nowhere is this contrast more obvious than in the Food and Art festival in TRR3. Here is Joelle's views, if you meet her approval:

They're positioned as noble, and equated to King Fabian, sure...but in a failplay, we have the opportunity to ridicule Joelle for her views in a way that we don't get to do for, say, Emmeline, the duchess we met before her. And the narrative in that playthrough, makes her petulant rather than logically school us on the importance of art and creative pursuits, the way she does over here.

In the same chapter, we get Olivia's views in a diamond scene:

I personally find Olivia narrowminded, and IMO were she an actual Queen she would cause more harm than help. But this is a view the narrative wants us to regard as superior, especially from TRH onwards.

A purely militaristic mindset is as harmful as one that doesn't consider this aspect at all, yet you wouldn't know that from the way PB has written Olivia, and allowed Olivia to look down on other characters who do not share her interests.

Notice how, even though the knife stuff is a running gag with Olivia, the narrative ensures we have an equal opportunity to respect her - successful play or failplay. No such luck for Joelle, even though she shares Liam's ideology (then again, the narrative has a hard time hiding their lack of care for Liam as well)

(Edit post the end of TRF: It must be noted that Kara Loo, one of the book leads, openly admitted in an interview to a fondness for rougher characters who "spoke their minds". In a livestream after TRF ended, members of the team also confirmed that she wanted a war plotline and darker stories where numerous characters could be killed off. It is clear from both their interviews and the way the "diplomacy-oriented" characters had been written that there was far less respect for that mindset than for the militaristic one that the likes of Olivia embodied)

So it isn't very surprising if Joelle will be written as this figure of ridicule, this book. It wouldn't be surprising if we're meant to view Kiara and her family with thinly veiled contempt. It wouldn't be surprising that the fire pit scene between Drake and Lerato is really a faded copy of a scene in TRR2 with Kiara, where he could mock her for liking wine. Because...y'know...the fandom will allow Drake his disdain against black women as much as they will coo over his savior complex with the white ones (I mean, was no one weirded out by how ODDLY INVESTED in the success of Penelope's wedding Drake was??). After all, if he could get away with minimizing a fellow survivor's trauma, I guess he can get away with anything, right?

It also isn't surprising that Kiara is continually placed in the role of a "black best friend", providing support and affection to the likes of Penelope without any hope of reciprocation, that we are allowed to judge her for one instant of doubt...whereas if she were to evaluate us the same way, she would have an entire country's worth of examples (of our selfishness and callousness). It isn't surprising that Kiara is meant to constantly perform loyalty to people who aren't worth that loyalty, and judged instantly if she toes one step out of that line. It isn't surprising that we can harm her and get away with it, but she can't. Ever.

But at this point it's a pattern really. It's a pattern that PB carved themselves. And it's a pattern that the fandom cultivated and allowed to exist, because it benefited their favourite characters. The sooner we understand that, the better.

As for me...I'm simply going to laugh every time someone talks of not forgiving Kiara. Because honestly? Kiara should have been saying that. To us.