#not a fan of most of those but I won't trash

[god-i-hope-so]

You know anon who replied to my post about Buck. I'm a proud biracial person so you certainly won't see me, a BT shipper, be against an interracial couple. I see racism, even when it's subtle, I see when people are vague posting about race being a problem. And I've never seen a BuckTommy fan make a racist post about Eddie being Latino, not even make an allusion to it. Never. I'm not saying there's not a single BT racist fan, you'll find trash anywhere, but here on Tumblr, I have yet to see it.

Eddie is not a problem for BuckTommy shippers, he's not a menace to the ship, he's not in the way of anything. And him being Latino has been used by BoBs themselves since the beginning as an excuse to hate on Tommy, the ship, and us. We don't fucking care about Eddie being Latino, it's a non thing for BT shippers. We're not white supremacists with an agenda. Meanwhile, the moment we dared to like Buck being with Tommy, we were under Buddies/BoBs constant harassment. Because they didn't get their ship canon. And the hate and violence has been insane. The homophobia/queerphobia. The misogyny. The ageism. The racism against actual people in the fandom. And it created tensions we never asked for.

We never asked for anything except maybe to see a queer arc for Buck. We never ask for Buddie to not be canon. We never asked for Tommy to come back. We only hoped they'd give the fans queer Buck. Then we just went with what the show gave us, some liked it, some not. No one except the show runners and the writers knew what would happen and had the power to make it happen. None of us, whatever we ship, will change what people are PAID to do on a TV show.

All the rest? It's your interpretation, just like we all have. It's valid but not canon. Tommy acting like Taylor and being dismissive of Buck's feelings? Your interpretation but it's not canon. I'm currently rewatching the show for the first time and I see so many moments when Eddie is not a good friend to Buck. Not a bad friend, just not a good one. And I don't need theories about him being a supposedly closeted gay to just accept that those characters are written to be realistic, so they're not perfect. Eddie using his friendship with Buck to hit exactly where it hurts and tell him he's exhausting? Oh it was bad, but Eddie was pissed. So you know, it was a realistic and emotional response. It doesn't mean I started a hate campaign against him and his fan. First because it's a fucking TV show, but most of all, it's not important. It's part of the story and that's it. Sit back and enjoy, then join the fandom to make your ship thrive in fanon. No need to hate anything or anyone.

(oh and yes, BuckTommy has many names! Not always practical but it's not like it affects your life, isn't it?)

[melanirana]

On the topic of singer!reader x bartender!dca

I could not help but notice, their apartament has a balcony so hear me out:

Seranading under the balcony, climbing on the balcony, just any and all romantic and unnesesearly dramatic usage of balcony

What is your opinion?

Pretty sure you accepted a short little answer but here.

Have this instead.

Cw: suggestive towards the end

For a high-status club you expected more.

You are currently stuck in your flat due to no fault of your own. The door simply refuses to budge. You tried pushing, shoving and even throwing some of your own weight against it, but still nothing. You are completely stuck in your own flat.

Looks like you’ll be stuck here till the morning and some more time after that. Ringing the phone won't help, everyone is asleep. Even the street outside the building is empty, not a soul in sight.

The open balcony door lets cold winter air into your apartment, with shivering feet you grab your bathrobe to throw over your shoulders before going to close the door. The thick fake fur wraps around you and you let out a sigh as the robe warms your shivering form. For good measure, you slip into your most fluffiest pair of house shoes before heading for the balcony again.  

The soft light from inside illuminates the balcony in beautiful colors. When you step out onto the balcony you feel like you're in the middle of a stage play. One of those really romantic ones.

And this is the cliché romantic balcony scene where the two hopelessly in love protagonists, who can't show their love to each other because fate just won’t have it, confess their undying love for each other.

So cliché, so romantic, so dreamy and so up your alley.  

To that comes the bonus that you are just ever so helplessly stuck in a tour, even if it is your own apartment.

Now all you’re missing is a handsome knight.

And fate is kind to you, at last.

Out of the corner of your eye, you spy your handsome knight. Not dressed in his black suit but a simple white dress shirt, held up by suspenders. He emerges from the side of the building, probably just having thrown away some trash.

The blue nightcap on his head gently sways as he walks.

You lean over the railing of your balcony in the most coy position you can muster in this cold and wave your hand as if you were holding a handkerchief.    

“Oh, Oh hello you handsome man~” you sing-song down at him. Moon's face snaps up to you and a devious smile spreads across it.

“Well, look how here, up so late with nothing better to do than cat-call a poor by passer. ”Moon’s gravelly voice travels easily in the crisp winter air. Yur spine tingles at the sound of his voice.

“Do you think that lowly of me? I am hurt.” You rest your head on your hands as you smile down at the animatronic.

Moon turns to fully face you. “Maybe I could change my mind.” He crosses his arms. “If only someone were to think of something original and not repeating words of someone else.” Ahh~ the three of you and your little challenges, you’ll never grow tired of this.   

“Oh, but my dear nightlight I am afraid no words a truly mine.” You say in a dreamy voice. The little nickname seems to do its purpose, if the way Moon shifts his weight on his feet is anything to go off of.

“And don’t you think repeating can be something beautiful? After all, the moon stands high in the sky. Yet here you are outshining it with ease.” You are to sleep-deprived for shame, you are winning this challenge. And win you do.

Moons metal cheeks turn a hot orange before he turns his head away, you are pretty sure that if you stood right next to him the sound of his fans would be deafening.

You relish in the sight, but not for too long as a cold breeze whips past you and sends a shudder down your spine. Moon notices.

“Why are you outside? Shouldn’t you be asleep?” You can still see a hint of orange in his face.

“Well, you see. I’m kind of trapped. My door is somehow stuck and I can't get out, I have been trying to get it open but nothing works.” Another shudder runs through your body.

Moon thinks for a second, then a devilish smile crosses his face as he speaks.

“If I free you of your predicament, what is my reward?” The way you can hear the smile in his voice makes you weak.

“Anything you desire, my dear knight.” Now you’re the one with warm cheeks.

“Anything I desire you say.” His voice is as dangerous as it is delicious.  

“Anything you desire.” You confirm.

Moon scans the side of the building before he approaches it, and with an almost scary efficiency climbs it. You barely have time to blink before two large metal hands wrap around your balcony railing.

You take a step back in surprise, the speed at which Moon scales the building is almost frightening.

In one smooth motion, Moon lifts himself above the railing and climbs over it before coming to a stop right in front of you. His tall form casts a shadow over you. Your face grows hotter but not in an effort to fight the cold.

“I think I’ll take my prize now.” Moon purrs.

“You haven’t opened my door yet.” Your rebuke is weak even in your own ears.

“The climb was quite the effort.” Moon grins. ‘Sure it was’ you think to yourself.     

Gentle fingers grip your chin and angel your face upward so you look Moon in the eyes. He leans forward and plants a cool metal kiss on your forehead. You close your eyes and lean into the gentle affection.

When you don’t move to push him or lean away Moon continues. Moving down to kiss your reddened cheeks, plant kisses along your jawline before making his way down to the crock of your neck.    

Suddenly you don’t mind the door being shut for just a little bit longer.

did that answer you question? I like to think it did :}

[mental69er]

NSFW ALPHABET WITH FIRECRACKER

Aftercare

She is a cuddler. Once you two finish, she is not letting you go. Wrapping her arms around you and pulling you in til she gets all her cuddles.

She doesn't clean up afterwards, preferring the two of you all sticky and wet to remind her of the pleasurable activities had.

Bodypart

She thinks her breasts are her most powerful and useful bodypart. They certainly help her brainwash people on her podcast. And she notices the way you not so slyly glance at them when you think she's not looking.

On you, she loves your stomach. She could spend hours lavishing it and slipping her tongue down it's toned planes.

Cum

She's messy when she comes, dripping down her thighs, squirting in some cases. And she needs multiple rounds, worked up with having to deal with those assholes at work who think she's nothing but poor dumb trailer trash.

Dirty Secret

She wants genuine friends. She's tired of never feeling like she has anyone to trust, anyone that likes her for her. She has you now, but she still craves the validation of her peers (and Starlight not that she would ever admit) and it's something that won't ever go away, forcing her to do awful things for a sliver of dedication from her fans.

Experience

Somewhat experienced, though not in long term relationships. Most of her experiences have been semi satisfactory one night stands with randos. It wasn't until she met you that she knew what it felt like to have a partner in bed that cared about her well being. She cries the first time you two sleep together and you don't zip up your pants and leave her right away.

Favorite Positions

A mega bottom, at rock bottom, you could say. She lives to please in bed and wants to do a good job for you. You make sure to reward her plenty with orgasms and gentle kisses afterwards to show her you're not going anywhere.

Goofy

She does not like being laughed at or made fun of. It reminds her too much of her pagent days, of how people looked down at her.

Hair

She does shave but doesn't mind hair on her partners.

Intimacy

She craves physical touch and emotional connection. She wants someone to care for her, to show her she is loveable and not entirely irredeemable. She needs you cuddling her, or hugging her, or showering her with kisses whenever you can. She needs words of affirmation too, and a simple 'I love you' can keep her going for days.

Jack off

Knowing you love her is enough to get her going sometimes. She'll remember this fact in the middle of work and have to excuse herself to take care of things in the bathroom because she's so overwhelmed by this information, so happy, that she needs to finger herself right then and there. She'll send you a text message afterwards on occasion, with a picture of her hand all sticky with her juices.

Kink

Praise- she loves being praised, being told she's a good girl and doing such a good job.

Pain- she likes to feel the intensity of your love. Since she's supe and you're not, you need to use various implements to get her to feel that pain. She's purchased whips and paddles for you to hit her with on the days she really craves the sting of your love.

Lactation- (had to put this in here, it's basically canon) she wants her breasts sucked on, and since she's on medication because of her job, why not suck her dry? She'd much prefer you doing it than her boss and it makes her moments at work more bearable imagining it's you and not him.

Location

She will do it anywhere- her house, your place, the alley behind a fast food joint, the woods, out in the swamp. All she needs is you and ten minutes.

Motivation

Proving others wrong about her. That she can be a someone and not a no one. Dating you has done wonders for her confidence but she's still insecure inside.

Oral

She loves giving oral, the sloppier the better. She wants to be all up on you, and tasting you. She loves it when you eat her out too, chin messy with her fluids.

No

There's very little she will say no to. She loves to indulge any kink of yours because she wants you interested in her even if you won't leave her if she says no to something. She will not do anything related to jealousy or sharing you with someone else. She's already very possessive of you.

Pace

She lets you set the pace. After all, you're in control and she wants to please you by listening to your orders.

Quickies

She loves them, but they always leave her wanting more with you. They distract her too much and she has to stop herself from doing them unless she wants to get caught at work.

Risk

She used to be into risky acts when she was younger, but she's toned down a bit because she feels settled down with you.

Stamina

She can't go for long despite her supe strength. She feels each orgasm too intensely and it drains her suprisingly quickly. She will find the strength to make sure you complete at least one orgasm before she's pulling you to her and demanding cuddles.

Toys

She will let you stuff her with any toy you want, even multiple at a time in her mouth and any other hole you want them in.

Unfair

She loves it when you make her service you, but you have to make sure to reward her or else she gets very sad thinking she didn't do a good enough job.

Volume

Very loud. You need to gag her sometimes.

Wild Card

She used to be a big fan of superheroes until she learned what assholes they all were (her included) and stopped trying to be moral.

X-ray

She goes commando under her supe suit. It gets so very hot in it, and it's a lot easier for you to strip her out of it and get right to work.

Yearning

High sex drive. You could wake her up in the middle of night from sleep and she wouldn't say no.

ZZZ

She curls up into a little ball as she sleeps, and is very clingy. She runs hot so you have to keep the AC on at night.

[vicsy]

Many people won't care about me writing about this but I must get this out.

I got into Formula 1 at the beginning of 2022. It coincided with the world as I knew it collapsing in on itself with record speed. I don't hide the fact that I am from Russia and I know most people would know what my country started in February that year. You watch your entire life plans getting crumpled like a piece of paper and thrown into the trash; the borders closing, companies leaving, the world turning back on you for the sole fact that you were born here. You watch yourself slowly inched into isolation.

And at the worst time in my entire life I managed to find this little gateway. It started with Lando, funnily enough, because I didn't know my way around the F1, so I picked someone with a Star Wars name. Irony is not dead. It wasn't long before I imprinted on Daniel like a fucking baby duckling.

Even through the mess that was his career in 2022, he brought me (and many others) so much joy. I was slowly navigating the world of racing and trying to make sense of it all. Daniel was there. The narratives were there. He is the reason I discovered the fanbase, the fandom, the reason I met so many people I get to call lifelong friends now. And I can't imagine my life without them anymore. At my lowest I found a community that made my life bearable and fun and bright; a community that made me want to create and write again. Daniel was the reason I broadened my horizons and became a Fernando fan, Lance fan, a fan of so many other drivers that I still have the joy to support even when Daniel won't be there, behind the wheel or barking in the garage.

You'd think that it's stupid to hang your entire life balance on one millionaire who drives cars in circles and won't ever know you exist. But to me Daniel became that balance when everything else was just plainly uncertain. I watched the news of the world events unfolding and that pit of dread was never ending. It was like having a rug pulled from underneath your feet every single day. Those first 2-3 months of the war felt the worst. Not like it changed but you get the idea. But I still had this little F1 world and this smiling weirdo to brighten my day.

The friends that I found, the happiness that I managed to scrap in the times of great uncertainty, all of this was tied to Daniel. He was, in a way, a lifeline that led me to a hobby that I've grown to love. It hurt me back, multiple times, but it also saved my sanity on so many occasions.

I know, in my heart, Daniel will bounce back. Who knows, maybe he'll be back one day, in 2026, or doing something related to F1. Or maybe he chooses to stay away forever. Me, personally? Of course I'd like to see him race. And I hate change. The change of it all hurts as much as the fact that Daniel never got a proper goodbye. I do hope he knows, somehow, how much he is loved.

And I'll forever cherish the fact that I got to see him live in Baku, that I stood in front row an listened to him explain his terrible pizza choices. I heard him say well done, Baku first hand. I'm glad I got there in time to get a signed card. I'll always have the warmest feelings towards Daniel. If not for him, my life would be emptier today.

oh, and, never forget – fuck 'em all.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

To the anon who sent me a link to another blog, I won't post your ask. I don't want to insert myself into a conversation happening in a space where I'm not part of. I don't even follow the blog and I try to stay away from answering asks that include links to other posts.

Suffice to say, I do agree with a lot of what has indeed been discussed there. I don't even think there's a point in labeling Muse as a sophomore album. We all know they worked on the tracks at the same time with Face. It is technically a second album, but in terms of production and chronology, it is like an extension to Face. So debates in terms of evolution cannot even take place.

I can understand why you brought that ask to my attention. I think it's healthy to look at an album/song/concept through a critical lens and when an actual Jimin fan is doing it, that's a good thing at least because that person is not going to trash talk him. Which considering the usual reactions, this is not that common.

I think that expectations for Jimin are always high and coming from everyone, including those who do not listen to his music. A song such as Like Crazy was not good enough. SGMB is of course not enough. SMFP2 was not good enough. I would say other songs from Face were considered not good enough, but I'm sure that only people actively interested in Jimin have listened to those. There's a criticism for everything so it's not like he can win in any way. And I know this sounds like I'm making him into some victim. That's not it. But I too use social media and I see it. That's just how it is. He doesn't get a vote of confidence for a myriad of reasons. At that point, you do have to wonder why people pay attention.

I don't have much to say about SGMB. Soundwise is similar to Closer Than This which I haven't listened, apart from the first time it got released. I don't think Smeraldo is as bad is it said to be. I think Jimin and his team were having fun with the name and decided to use it for a song. One that doesn't pretend to be something that it isn't. Having other expectations is just ridiculous and shows a lack of interest in what Jimin has been trying to do with his solo career.

Which hasn't taken off as much as I would like to. Him being in BTS and doing his military service have had a contribution to that. Maybe it will change once he comes back. Maybe not.

But I do want to point out that regardless of shortcomings here and there, I will cut him some slack simply because he's among the few who has been 100% involved in his album production. There's nothing wrong with choosing the songs and singing them. Not at all. But I will appreciate that Jimin was involved in writing the lyrics, and as a producer for most of Face and Muse. I think he took full advantage of that music camp. So what if he hasn't found his music identity yet? There's a timeline? Does it have to happen immediately? At least he hasn't reached a stage in which he has become complacent and have every song sound the same. If he finds that identity in 10, 20, or more years, then so be it. It is his journey.

Personally, I will refrain from making any in-depth analysis of Muse, not now and not immediately after release. I will take my time. It's the reason why I don't like writing reviews. I find that jumping right it, without having time to listen and digest the work does not work for me. Others can, and some critics are actually good at it.

For now, I just want to enjoy this period of anticipation, the music videos and the performances. I can't bring myself to get involved in debates or mean girl-ism over music. I don't have the mental bandwith for such things.

[miyaoniku]

being the younger sister of suna rintaro

[author: chae]

a/n: based on this twitter post

[bulletpoint] [sibling!au] [some strong language]

girls in your year who are fans of the volleyball club find out that you're rin's sister and rin was scouted to come to this school

so they try to befriend you in hopes of befriending him

"hey, y/n! i heard your brother got scou-"

"no, i will not introduce you to my brother. no, he will not meet you. no, i do not know his relationship status. move along, please."

he always like to push your buttons and tease you

you and rintaro always argue about what packaged form of jellied fruit tastes better

"the sticks are better"

"no, the pouches are!"

"the sticks are better."

"oh yeah? can you RE-SEAL your jelly fruit sticks?"

"the sticks are better."

"RIN."

when he hears you go out he always asks you to buy more jelly fruit sticks

rin: are you going to the store you: buy them yourself you lazy ass mf

he tries to get you to do chores for him

rin: mom told you to take out the trash you: bitch she literally said your name

miya atsumu is your mortal enemy

when atsumu isn't beefing with his brother, he's beefing with you because you always stir up mad shit

(you swear this guy has a crush on your brother with the amount of times he comes over)

((or maybe he has a crush on you but you don't think about that because, ew, its atsumu))

when rin gets bored of you for the day you hit up atsumu to gossip

because for some reason he knows ALL the tea

blonde loser: you would NEVER GUESS what i just found out y/n: kita senpai baby talks to cute animals? blonde loser: wha, no, idk anything about that blonde loser: you remember how we saw those two third years the other day? y/n: CALL ME RN

you and osamu get along pretty well

you both trade snacks or sides from your lunches sometimes

you both like to try new items at the konbini and rate them on a scale of 1-10

when it comes to collecting blackmail for atsumu and osamu, you and rin are partners in crime

you're always mirroring his actions when either of them does something stupid

for example, you were hanging out with the volleyball club one day when atsumu riled up osamu and osamu dashed towards him, tackled him and called him a tyrannical pig

you and rin had to take pics in every possible angle

anyways!

though rin always makes fun of you, he always has your back!!

someone looking at you on the streets?

BOMBASTIC SIDE EYE

girls in the hallway talking smack about you because you won't let them get close to [rin] you?

CRIMINAL OFFENSIVE SIDE EYE

miya twins pulled a prank on you?

he'll help you prank them back!!

he's a pretty chill big brother

even though he doesn't act like it most of the time

[anxresi]

So, it turns out Chloe IS going to return for S6... this hot off the press from her voice actor... (actually from back in Jan, but who's counting?)

...So why, my dears, couldn't I give a damn?

Probably because, as arguably the writers had no idea what to do with her in S4 and S5 other than strip her of all personality, agency & likability, what's the point in her still remaining?

*She's not going to be a hero again, Manbaby Astruc has made this PERFECTLY clear thankyouverymuch. IMHO, she's far more useful as a tool for him to take out his warped misogynist humiliations on, apparently. Why he doesn't just buy himself a blonde mannequin, call it 'Chloe' then beat it with a wooden stick whilst shouting various profanities within the privacy of his own bedroom, IDK. Maybe it's good therapy for him to expose his weird hang-ups in front of a mass audience? Hey, if it works for him... good for you, buddy! I just wish the rest of us didn't have to suffer to aid his treatment.

*As a villain, Chloe's threat level is arguably less than 0%. She is now written to be dumb as a post, no-one trusts or likes her and everything she says and does seems more cartoonishly infantile with every tortuous appearance since S3. The ONLY time she posed any vague threat is during her massively overhyped team-up with Lila where basically she was little more than a pawn to the Mary Sue Of All Lying B*tches... and those two episodes where she took over Paris as Mayor with a bunch of robots were undebately the most stupid ones of S5. Which if you've seen the competition, you KNOW that's some achievement.

*My prediction is: They're gonna rehash the same tiresome schik we saw before she got on that plane at the end of S5... perhaps they'll give us a one episode Hope Spot upon her unexpected arrival back where it looks like she's changed after attending a 'tough school' in New York/London but OH MY WORD WHAT A SURPRISE it turns out to all have been a ruse to become Queen Bee again. YAWN. She'll move straight back into her old room... Andre and Audrey will reconnect... and it'll be like nothing ever happened. In case you hadn't noticed, this show handles plot continuity or character development about as well as Marinette keeps her distance from her crushes.

*'But where does that leave Zoe?' You might ask, to which I can only respond with a succinct 'If you had the Hubble Space Telescope on full power, you still wouldn't be able to locate how little I care about that particular subject.' Maybe she'll carry on as Vesperia. Maybe she'll get a girlfriend. Maybe she'll do something halfway interesting, and give the viewership a heart attack out of sheer shock value alone. It doesn't matter to me one jot... less because I curse the ground this insipid plot device masquerading as a serious character walks on, but simply because I have no faith in the utterly abysmal writing this show has displayed for years and years now. Chloe could take over the lead role in a SHOCKING twist, they could change the name to Miraculous Queen and I STlLL wouldn't give it a second glance. The fish rots from the head-up, guys.

(Okay, so that's a bit of a lie. I would probably sneak a peek at ONE episode out of sheer curiosity, but you and I both know with HIM in charge the standard won't improve one iota. Plus, it isn't gonna happen anyway... so why am I tying myself in knots speculating about an impossible scenario?)

Anyway, I've nattered on for too long. I'll just leave you by answering Selah's somewhat disingenuous last question there about 'your favorite Chloe line of season 5'.

This implies we were watching 'Chloe'. As far as I was concerned, we weren't. Not the Chloe I fangirled for in the very beginning and got me involved in the show in the first place because I could relate so much. Not the Chloe who got so many other fans emotionally invested in her personal and familial struggles, before her character was comprehensively trashed by a ruinous creator with a grudge.

So in answer to your question Ms Victor, none. Because it simply wasn't Chloe.

[chainelunaire]

I have a question to ask? Remember that Carrie Underwood song “before he cheats” How would your Best friend the LOV members? Dabi, Shigaraki, Spinner, (separately) help you get revenge on your cheating EX?

this is fun, thank you for asking!

dabi: i think since he's a bit of an asshole he would at first try to some sort of... tease you about it? he's so nonchalant and aloof about any crap in his life, he assumes everyone around him are the same. well, it sure does sound like he's straight up mocking you, so when he sees how much this whole situation truly hurts you he finally stops. he doesn't like seeing you in pain, he claims that he doesn't care, but yeah he does. also, out of the three he's the best companion for a revenge. don't get me wrong, he'll happily help, but he won't do anything himself. this has some deeper meaning actually rather than his laziness. he believes it is important to not take the satisfaction from you, he knows the importance of this firsthand. this revenge is yours to take, it's your moment of pride. it's his gift for you, if you will. he'll help with planning everything tho. he's calculating and calm when he needs to be; very patient and can teach you a thing or two about waiting for the exactly right moment. sometimes he's almost too slow for your liking, but on the other hand everything he'd planned for you goes exactly like he predicted, so you better listen. due to his sadistic nature, he's not above playing with the victim, and he will teach you that too. big fan of creating suspense, some sort of pressure. like those old hollywood noir films come to mind. he will absolutely help to scare your poor ex from the shadows, slowly driving him crazy with anxiety. not only is he proud of your dark side shining so brightly, but he really finds it fun. depends on you, if you want for things to get really violent or not, but he'll at least try to persuade you to let go and enjoy the ride. and if you listen to him, things can get messy (only slightly, bc dabi really enjoys clean work and he's too lazy to go after anybody else than this scumbag). shigaraki could be annoyed for a day or two, but... actually, no, he won't be pissed at all. great job you two.

shigaraki: oh. he's beyond excited. not because of your suffering, of course, but bc now The Real Game begins. has his own ways to comfort you, the most obvious one being trashing you ex with the most degrading insults you may only think of. will never let you think that was your fault, he literally feels his blood boil every time he hears something like that. you don't even have to ask him to help you, one day he's suddenly in your room with an insanely throughout plan and most batshit crazy glimmer in his eyes, so you better take the chance while you can. he finds great joy in helping you by planning everything for you, it really is a new game to him. but this time he's doing it for a friend, for someone he finds dear, so he kinda wants to take the burden off your shoulders. unlike dabi, he will get involved directly in this mess, he doesn't think he's taking anything from you - quite the opposite. he's given you the opportunity. and, he probably won't admit it, but he's really willing to do all the work for you, if it's too painful for you now. he doesn't want to, but he could. buuut, he'd still rather wait (even though he's not a fan of waiting) and you do the main act yourself. he's not patient at all tho. he also prefers the revenge to be fast and brutal. not a fan of theatrics, he's a straight to a point kind of guy. also, unlike dabi, he absolutely will go after every single one person involved, jesus christ even your ex's parents included, this whole thing gets soooo messy omg. at some point it really feels like the whole city knows you were cheated on. he doesn't find it embarrassing at all, there's nothing to be ashamed of. at the very end, you'll be the one who's having the last laugh, so he's kinda right. whether you like it or not, things will get really violent when he's involved, and he won't stop until the last person who had offended you is down. he's like a hell hound, some sort of a death reaper. and even if your ex thinks he can escape, because he's the last in shigaraki's list, well... not really. no one can run away from shigaraki tomura, and in the end you find great satisfaction in this knowledge.

spinner: the only decent one who at least tries (once) to convince you not to do it. he does this mostly on autopilot, because he's a considerate friend. he feels nothing towards that shithead, but he's worried that you would regret it later. actually, the only one that expresses his worries about you to you, verbally. he's surprisingly good at communicating his feelings, and he feels awful for you, he really-really does. he doesn't want to make it even worse (even though he really wants to throw some particularly heavy things at some faces). when he's finally sure you won't change your mind, he's all about business. he's not a big fan of a bloodbath, but he believes in power public humiliation holds. sadly, he knows it firsthand. he's very meticious with all the blackmail and he's great with timing. the cleanest work one could imagine (only dabi compares, but he has understandably more experience). he too is great in driving your ex crazy with anxiety, but in a much more subtle way. he won't scare anyone directly, but his actions create a very negative, anxious environment to your ex. the whole thing is building up rather slowly, but consictently. if you want things to go a little more bloody, spinner may ask dabi or shigaraki for help actually, without revealing the main reason. it's still less messy if the whole gang was involved, but now it's definitely much scarier for your ex. he will set traps and will get your ex recorded, he will collect every piece of information he could find, and he will reveal it at the right moment. he's not above some fake leaks either - everything will work. he would definitely make sure that almost everyone in city knows your ex's dirty laundry. it's so not pretty in general, bc believe it or not, spinner is great at understanding people and how they think and behave. he knows that the crowd is always hungry and all he needs to do is to throw it a bone. it may even look like he's not done much, because it's your ex's surroundings who are tearing him apart, not you or spinner. as i said, he's not at all as sadistic as those two above, but he too will find some sick sort of enjoyment at the end. he really, really knows how it feels, and he knows very well that death can feel like a much more merciful option. living with such hate is a lot harder, than just dying, and spinner just proved you that.

[rey-jake-therapist]

Hey. I simply wanna share my thoughts on this with someone. Not a Tolkien fan myself, I have always ignored everything Lord of the Rings related, tried to watch the movies and failed, everything seemed boring, even though I love dark fantasy, folklore, adventures and stuff. The only thing making me interested right now is the ROP portrayal of Sauron (am I a bad person? yes), so the controversy with the show also caught my attention and here's my useless take:

People of the fandom has been there for so long they literally turned “lore” into something sacred and holy. Sure, a lot of things there are inspired by Christianity (as a Christian, I quickly recognised it all after checking out the main worldbuilding points) but it's not the Bible! These books are fiction and it's nothing wrong with interpreting some events differently. Had to watch Galadriel scenes from the movies btw, and her “greatly desiring” the ring and then opposing Sauron in her dark form... makes much more sense if they previously had a personal story going on. So I see no problem here. But fans! If Tolkien himself returned from the dead and said Galadriel 1) isn't Mother Mary figure, more like Mary Magdalene 2) had loved Sauron in a twisted way and that's why she wasn't chilling with other elves in the elvish Eden those guys would never believed him and kept bitching. Ofc, they are free to do so, I just pains me.

Same happened to my favourite show, which made me evaluate a lot of things and change my life for the best, and most of “fans” hate it because it's against the idea they had it their heads for years. What's funny is that my show doesn't have any book source material, it's just a — unconventional a bit — biopic about a rock band frontman, produced and controlled in EVERY ASPECT by his best friend and soulmate. Who new him better than any of the fans. The show is brilliant and nothing like that has been done in our country before, yet 70% of what it gets is childish criticism.

So yeah, seeing ROP mistreated in a similar way makes me sad. I can't even tell my friends about the cons of this show, as most of them have already written on their blogs how awful and unworthy of anyone's time it is. Ugh, thank you for listening.

I hear you ! The most infuriating is that most of these people didn't even bother to watch the show. They just heard some YouTuber or TikToker trash the show and repeat what they hear.

I've also noticed that much of the criticism is made by haters who claim to be Tolkien fans, but who are really just fans of P Jackson's movies, and are certain that HE gave a faithful interpretation of the books while it's just... Not true ! Sauron was never described as a giant eyeball in the books, for a start, it was just the easiest way that P Jackson found to represent the fact that Sauron could see everything everywhere.

By doing so unfortunately he ripped off Sauron of everything that made him a fascinating character, and now those morons use the movie's depiction of Sauron to decide that Sauron always was a one dimensional character and completely ignore the fact that in season 1, he was in a repentance phase, hence not entirely manipulative and dishonest towards Galadriel.

And the same happens with Galadriel. The only person I know in real life watched it, but hated it saying she "can't forgive them for what they did to Galadriel", because she refuses to admit the idea that she can have been a warrior, with tendencies to be reckless and a tad immature. She wanted Cate Blanchett's Third Age Galadriel and won't have it any other way. Why ? Again because of PJ's movies. She didn't read the books ! When I told her that PJ invented the scene from the Hobbit where Galadriel faces Sauron in Dol Guldur, she was surprised but didn't care because at least it was Cate Blanchett looking beautiful and ethereal.

What is the show you mention in your ask ?

[mikerooksi]

opinions on the new lmk s5 trailer (spoilers.. duh..)

Correct me if I'm wrong on anything btw 😭

Flyingbark studio is no longer doing LMK, which lowkey makes me upset because they already abounded ROTTMNT.. sigh, but now we have Wildbrain. At first I was a little skeptical as Wildbrain mostly does 3D stuff and LMK, well, isnt really 3D that much.. so.. Also there's been a lot of backlash about the animation style change and expression etc with the characters. Which, I can kinda see 😭 In some of the scenes it looks really stiff or the expressions look almost lifeless.. kinda..

in reality, it is just a TV show that I enjoy, it's fine if the animation changes. perhaps it's like how flyingbark progressed their artstyle from s1 to s4. wildbrain will most likely improve, and they have the same writers/story boarders from previous seasons (I think), so I'm assuming the lore will be pleasant. Either way, I will still watch it, multiple fans have expressed their opinions and even said they'd still watch themself even with the change. I won't have high expectations though after seeing the change in animation from the trailer. Sure, change will be hard, but I will adjust, eventually, hopefully.

I am grateful and glad that the new season might be out soon, along with the sets, and that they at least gave the fandom something to work with. It may not be perfect, but I'll take it.

Another thing I've heard is that the trailer could be unfinished or rather just rushed. LMK is a show that is mostly running off of.. well. the lego sets... So, maybe they rushed the trailer because the lego sets aren't gonna wait forever. But, with time Wildbrain will obviously get better too. It'll be different and may not be able to replicate some of the close up, fighting scenes, etc, but I'm sure they'll do good! wildbrain has worked with many other animations, one of my favorites being Sonic Prime. Sooo, yk!! (I believe they worked on Ninjago too??... idk guys..)

Of course, the whole trailer isn't actually trash or anything. there are some cool scenes and animation! I like one of the MK close ups, and the snippet at the end with Red Son and Mei, and another one of Chang'e looking up at the broken world or however it is 😭 But those scenes are pretty and whoever worked on those did the lego style pretty well! Again, I'm also really excited for the story and I'm just glad it didn't get canceled 😭😭

Oh yeah also, who even knows is S5 animation is gonna look like how it was animated in the trailer?? Maybe it'll look different in S5, so, there's always that possibility too. Kinda goes with the trailer being rushed or wtv but 🤷‍♂️

TLDR: it'll take me a bit to adjust to the new animation style but wildbrain also has time to improve their lego style and I'm also just glad it didn't get canceled.

[ulquichaan]

Miraculous Ladybug - my thoughts.

Hello!

It's been a while, I know. But I come back to rant yet again! I'm sorry for any mistakes in advance - its 2am and the thoughts won't let me sleep so I have to get them out there somewhere. If you don't want to waste your time - skip it. If you actually want to read it, I'll have a cookie waiting for you at the end of this. :3

My journey with MLB.

Miraculous was that one show that I got to know about through a parody of it on polish yt channel called Surreactor. I didn't know what it was about but it looked interesting and that was a point in time when season 3 was just starting to come out. Sooo, as the curious child I was - I gave it a go. And it captured me very easily.

At first all I wanted is for Adrien and Mari to finally get together. I never had big thoughts about it. Then I got bored between new episodes and just... forgot about it.

After some time however I came back to it. It was somewhere around 4th season airing. I returned to it, watched it all over again and it captured me yet again. I completely fell in love with Adrien as character and started to read loads of fanfiction about the two main heroes. I got invested, started to draw the characters in different settings and what not. I started even posting here on tumblr the rants that blew out about Adrien and about Black Cat holders as a whole just because I was frustrated on how little love he got or that I couldn't find any theories that would make sense.

I made new friend, started to plan stories more than I did before, returned to RP with my old friend through messenger and more.

It was a blow of creativity of mine at that time. You maybe you know of "Sky Is The Limit"? That was the point for me where I had so many ideas that I had to do something with at least one of them. Talking about an overload, right?

Season 4 finale - the best finale in this show in my honest opinion. Though I am based so who cares.

The point is - I deeply fell in love with this fandom for the most part.

And then... season 5 happened.

At first I was hooked. Really. I felt that it was going in the right direction and I even wanted to watch it later so I could see it in order.

Oh boy, did I get disappointed. Very disappointed.

I was never a Senti-Adrien fan, let's be real. But the execution? Even worse.

The finale? The fight yea, fun. But why cut out Adrien out of it???

Chloe as mayor? ARE YOU FOR FUCKING REAL? It's losing braincells more and more.

And I know the plot armor was always evident in this show and all.... but i feel like it was knocked up 10 times or more in season 5 to the point it could beat Game of Thrones seasons 7 and 8. (Yeah, I know what should compare two shows where one is fenomenal and the other has always been trash, but you can't argue with me that seasons 7 and 8 weren't rushed and had very poor execution)

To say that I was angry is an understatement. I HATED season 5 with every fiber of my existence. I still do, but I'm far more calm about it than I was originally. Believe it or not.

I saw all the drama in the fandom. When people complained about the show and other people came in to defend it. And I have to say - I can see where both sides are coming from.

To the people who enjoy it, all of it - I'm glad you do! I really am!

However.

I can clearly see where the hate is coming from and anytime I saw a valid critique I couldn't help but agree with it. There were some awesome responses to that critique even from people who do enjoy the show still, but there were always people who I'll call "white knights".

Aka people who will ride-or-die for the show and always say there is nothing wrong with it!

Oh how I hate this way of thinking....

Little message to those white knights - yes there are pure haters that hate just to hate, but in the spectrum of people who are critiquing the show are also people who loved it and got disappointed. When people are angry/dissapointed they usually feel the need to express themselves and forums like Reddit, Tumblr, Twitter, are just perfect for ranting. I have spent fair share in the horse gaming community to know that every flop will have a retaliation and shutting up people will make them only more angry. :|

I stopped liking the show. Why am I coming back to it?

That's a question that started to bother me just as I was going to sleep.

I have watched Hazbin Hotel (Lucifer my beloved) and fell deeply in love with it. I always liked Vivzie's Hellaverse being it Helluva Boss and now Hazbin, but there is something that just came back to me.

I started yet again imagining Adrien and Marinette but in the helllaverse. Or what if I merged hellaverse and Miraculous together in some way. Or other crazy ideas that will never see the light of day.

It's always those two characters for the most part. But the moment those two show up, the rest of Miraculous cast does too.

I fell put of the show. I don't like it. Why do I keep coming back?

My thought is - the fandom and the work it did for the characters.

I have always loved to read fanfiction even it came to miraculous. And it's always SO MANY! With many different variants of the world or entirely different settings. Ofc there are some bad fics, but the good ones are those that captured my heart and made me love the characters even more.

Let's put in some examples (and recommendations if you want to check them out):

Happiness by Somewhere_Out_Here

Once a Thief, always a Thief by @saijspellhart

Bakery Enemies by @buggachat

Heaven in hiding by @livinglittlelie

I'll guess your heart, if you guess mine by PurpleHeartsOne

Chat Blanc's Moon Waltz by @rileyclaw

The comic dubs by PhantomSavage

The little comics like "Passionate Kiss" by @edendaphne

All of these are just very few examples from multitude of content I devoured when I was in the love stage for MLB. And those things are STILL SO GOOD. (You have to check it out if you haven't already)

The point is - the fandom fell in love with the concept and if not that, then the characters. Yes, they aren't perfect. Some would say they are very much Mary Sue-ish. Some would say they are badly written. While the fact is - the characters themselves aren't badly written, the plot is just badly handled.

I can see why people love Marinette, she is quirky, funny and her ideas, while absurd most of the time, they work. And that's fine! She is supposed to be creative and what not. A great friend to have in corner, that for sure :3

Adrien on the other hand is supposed to be a bundle of issues that come with living a sheltered life and the want to be free.

(The movie handled Marinette much better than the show, let's be real here)

Sad fact - the writers of the show couldn't handle all of the potential they set up. But the fandom could and that's what's beautiful in my opinion.

The show may not be a masterpiece but they made some aspects of it so enjoyable and investing (love-square) that other people decided to execute those good things in their own stories and create something else.

The characters are just so easy to put into other stories too. Because they are written in the way they are (even if poorly handled at times) the aspects of them are very flexible, which in turn makes them easy to incorporate into other AUs.

For me it proves that you don't need a very complicated and deep character to make your story memorable. Even tho that certainly helps depending on your story. Miraculous was really lucky it got that creative fandom in the first place.

And this is what is beautiful.

Ending, some plans of mine that who knows if they will see the light of day. :]

This is only for those who are interested what I have been up to and what do i plan with this blog:

I am not quitting tumblr, oh no. I'll be probably reposting some stuff that I like from time to time.

I am returning to write "Sky Is The Limit", however I am completely rewriting it for the.... 7th time? Something like that. I doubt I'll finish it anytime soon at this rate and if I get the need to draw I might draw few characters from there or designs I have planned.

I have a very big project in mind that I might probably make a new blog for. It's still just an idea but I getting closer to actually being made so stay tuned.

I will start posting stuff from Hazbin Hotel. I fell deeply in love with Lucifer's character and you can't unglue me from that duck man!!

Other than that I went to university and I'm enjoying my time here so yeah.

And here is your cookie for reading all that! You're a legend!

(I'm open for any discussions as long as they stay respectful. Feel free to DM me :>)

[elizabethplaid]

please clap - daily notes, oct 20, 2024

I think I'm swinging into a "mania"-esque phase, as I'm actually cleaning the upstairs floor of my house. Cleaning with chemicals, even!

My mental health fucks with me in various ways, so I'll keep it brief. Most of the time, I don't get everything. I clean the bathroom fixtures, clear out trash, but I'm overwhelmed by the time I finish those. I take what accomplishments I can, and I'm already doing nicely today.

Details below the cut, because it doesn't affect the price of tea overseas.

Wearing disposable gloves, I cleaned the sink-counter, the floor of my shower stall, and sprayed cleaner on other stuff. Gathered all the trash in that area, started a new bag, etc.

When I reached my limit, I laid on the floor for a few minutes. Then I sat in front of my bedroom door, where I gathered more of the cardboard tp tubes that Moscow likes to play with. I've gathered 34 so far.

Sitting in front of the fan now, still on a break. Next tasks will be to gather trash and bottles, then start putting away clean laundry. And before I finish my break, I'll call in some Rx's to refill. ========

Looking at the goals I wrote last week, I'm already working on a few of these today. Like I said, cleaning and laundry, and I've picked up knitting again. I've been able to wear pajama pants better, even while sleeping.

What's the difference between this week and last? Or even today and yesterday? It's merely that my inner-drive, my self-driven momentum, has kicked in. It sounds foolishly vague, but it's a feeling of whether I'm "ready" or not, not even having to think about it hard. Like, I've been planning my approach to all this cleaning for some time now, but it took "a shift in the wind" to make it happen.

There was a post recently that used the phrase "paralysis of will", alluding to executive dysfunction. There was another that mentioned that shame is a de-motivator, not a motivator.

The fact that cleaning triggers my anxiety (sensory, memory, sense of shame) doesn't help. My counselor has helped me learn to really celebrate and cherish these "mundane" accomplishments.

I used to get snide comments when I'd mention I cleaned something, that I "should do that more often". That would take the wind out of my sails; I'd feel shame for wanting to be proud of myself. At that point, asking for help felt like it'd only bring me more shame.

Today, I will do as much as I can. For bigger things (scrubbing the shower stall, vacuuming), I'll ask for help. I know I won't get snide comments anymore, but I hope my work will help "prove" that I'm doing the best I can.

Ugh, another week-and-a-half til counseling again, and I've already got a rich topic. Oof, I didn't expect to be acknowledging these feelings today.

I'm very glad that my world is smaller than it used to be. It gives me the freedom to be honest with myself, not worrying about criticism.

I already know I'm not going to be an ideal spouse for whoever, someday in the future. I have a lot of heart, but heart doesn't get chores done or pay the bills. So I'll pray my partner has enough income to afford to hire a cleaner for us, haha. And my counseling appointments; insurance only covers so much. :P

[not-goldy]

PJM's lurking Jikook blogs, get off your fucking selfish asses and defend JM the right way, for once. WTF is wrong with y'all? Letting TKK and JK solos set Jimin up every day and harass him and you all sitting there with your thumbs up your asses like its not our problem if people hate Jikook. Bitch yes it is. Jk is part of Jimin's life. He made this choice to enlist with JK and the least you can do is help report those vile fuckers or take PJM's off your profile. I will never understand saying why would we support Jikook, when we hate JK. Umm because Jimin loves him and that alone should be enough to at least defend his bond and decisions he makes with JK, even if you hate JK. If you love Jimin, you have to respect his decisions, end of discussion. You don't have to like it, but as a fan you do have to respect it. You are no better then TKK and JK solos right now, in fact you are worse. Running around looking like the most hypocrite fanbase in this fandom, given that you have PJM in your profile & Jimin is the most bullied and harassed and you don't wanna get your hands dirty and go after the real problem. JK is not the problem. TKK and JK solos and Jikook antis are. As fans, what you do does reflect on Jimin and Jimin is such an amazing and good human and you taint that reputation for him, everytime you belittle a decision he makes, cause you hate JK.

PJM's solution. Fighting hate with hate, instead of defending. You people have lost it. Example: A TKK started thread about how Jimin is a predator and makes JK uncomfortable. Instead of PJM's biting their tongue and putting their hate aside for JK for 2 seconds & defend Jikook's bond, that JK doesn't make him uncomfortable and enlisted with Jimin on his own freewill, something this simple to say, they instead make a thread of JK making Jimin uncomfortable in retaliation and saying he is the one harassing and stalking Jimin. Yeah, that'll teach them not to disrespect Jimin any further. Fucking morons. You had one job, defend Jimin and you failed. Jimin doesn't need you to trash JK when he gets harassed, he needs you step up and defend his relationship with his bandmate and treat it with respect. PJM's talk their shit, Jimin only has PJM's. Looks to me like he doesn't have your support at all. I thought PJM's were better then this, but they are too selfish to do the right thing, cause their hate for JK, out weighs their love for Jimin. I am so disappointed in PJM's. I held them to a higher standard. You don't have to like Jikookers or JK, but you can stand alongside and agree to protect him. Fucking cowards, to much of pussies to stand up against TKK and JK solos. I don't even like you MF's personally, but I will glady stand with you to defend Jikook, cause I however, do love Jimin that much. GET THE FUCK UP OFF YOUR ASS AND DO SOMETHING. Even if its a fucking email or supporting Jikook's show openly. Show them MF's they won't win.

The brain damage of them coming to spaces where both Jimin and Jungkook are loved to create unnecessary drama make enemies out of JM lovers- wish they would go bother Tuktukkers and pick fights with other solos and leave us the fuck alone.

When Jimin comes back I'm snitching on them fr

[technovillain]

Do you have any characterization thibgs that won't make it into the story?(little things like fears, anxieties, favorite things to do, favorite people, things they do when their relaxed/chilling out etc) I rlly love giving characters little quirks or background buzz but it dosent always make it into comics because of the plot/medium/etc so I'm curious!

OHH yes this is something I love doing!! A few of them have slowly become things that are lightly mentioned in the story because I got attached to them but yes!

I've written a lot about Calvin's family, and as far as I know, most of that will ever make it into the comic save for what was mentioned there in the end of Ep6 and another one-off mention I've put in Ep10. You can read into his family drama by following links through character relationships on the Wykowski family's toyhouse pages. [link] I also decided he has a weird hobby where instead of going to therapy, he makes weird abstract paintings about his feelings and then throws them in the trash. I will never show those in the comic lol.

Mina has made friendship bracelets/jewelry for her whole family. She's good at the metalwork/knot-tying/resin work involved in it. I was originally going to include these on her sibs and one on Ed too, but the outfits they ended up wearing would cover them. She also has an interest in sociology and psychology and has taken a number of digital courses on them recently, paid for thanks to her internship with Umbers Inc.

Edwin has a hobby involving classifying plants. It isn't really scientific classification per se. He has his own complicated system that only makes sense to him, but he'd love to try and explain it to you. He also is a huge fan of all things food (thus him being very overzealous ordering food in Ep4) despite not being able to eat food. Sometimes he will use disposable income to try and cook in his apartment. It is...questionable at best because he has to work on flavor alone and has no sense for texture. His dream would be for everyone to describe everything they are eating in great detail to him.

[f0point5]

Doing this completely anon cause I'm genuinely scared of the backlash that may occur - This is controversial and also contradictory so im willing to be shat on for this hot take.

Charles cannot seriously be hoping to win races and be a world champion. I've got no proof just my own absurd theories but I seriously cannot see him becoming a wc. Lando is the same. They both are so alike. One bad race or bad moment and they shit on themselves and lose control and take a week to bounce back from it. I as much as I have love for them and am starting to think they genuinely believe they will win a dc. Oscar and Carlos are the only ones who could on either team as it currently stands. Unlike merc where George could in the team even tho he is lewis' teamate he actually could. But Charles and lando can't unless they change their mindset and team. And tbh to some extent I see both Charles and lando not nearly serious enough about f1 at the moment. And I know 'social media is fake and only shows so much blah blah blah we dont know them personally' but if they gave a fuck they'd risk the money and try and get into redbull. They'd risk thier paychecks and get the money invested into the team. And again I know I don't know what is happening behind the scenes and I'm whatever for saying this but Charles won't win a dc and neither will lando. Max is by far the most authentic, marketable, talented and most relatable driver and I'm a lewis girl (well more lance than lewis but just showing my bias that typically happens with lewis fans).

- Charles isn't dedicated (I believe)

- lando isn't either

- neither will win a wdc

- this celebrity branding thats going on is fucking ridiculous, lewis and max (although he's not nearly as willing to want the title) are the only ones who truly deserve it

- Daniel while yes is charismatic isn't all that talented anymore and would do better in another series. (I included Daniel cause I thought of the celeb status and him)

- and also drivers can only be so relatable and likeable as long as they stay grounded and don't seem so big for their boots and tbh again as a lewis fan (initally) I'm just not really caring for him and the va va voom of him anymore (that was wierd admitting) and when Charles is getting more 'celeb-like' he becomes more unlikable same with lando...

This was long and I apologise 😭🫶🏻

WOAH. Okay we about to get trashed for this but ya know what, idc, I partially agree with you.

I don’t think Charles, or Lando, will ever win a WDC. I think of the two of them Charles is the one with the real shot, because I think he has a much stronger mentality than Lando. I don’t think the pressure gets to him for pressure’s sake the way it does with Lando. I think where Charles knows he doesn’t have the equipment he gets desperate, and mistakes happen. Whereas Lando just can’t seem to hold it together over a weekend, and I think a lot of what affects Lando happens outside the car, which is why he would crumble in a title fight. That said, I think time will run out for Charles, George, Carlos, Lando, etc. Those teams won’t catch up to Red Bull before ‘26 and by then Oscar, and whoever else has come in from the next generation will be younger and hungrier, and the next cycle will start. For me, they will miss their window. I won’t say for sure but that’s my feeling, and if by the end of next season the Ferrari team is not operating like Red Bull (meaning they have a clear #1 driver, and their strategy and pit stops are where they need to be) it will be clear that not even Fred can change the tide and they are an unserious team where Charles will waste his talent.

I disagree that it would be a smart idea to get into Red Bull. Tbh I don’t think Red Bull would want Charles, but that’s another issue. That team is Max’s and it will be until he leaves (or suddenly can’t drive a car anymore but that won’t happen). As a driver, you have to think you’re the best driver, but I don’t think either Charles or Lando is delulu enough to think that they could beat Max in Max’s Red Bull (and this is not me saying they build the car for Max, I’m saying that when Newey hands you a car and Max is saying “make it faster” and everything you do to the car to make it driveable only makes it slower…you are fighting a losing battle). Red Bull would not only be a waste of time for them, but yes, probably a big financial loss, because they both benefit from marketing themselves as #1 drivers at the moment.

I have to say, I agree that it doesn’t seem to me that Charles is as committed to being WDC as he could be. Disclaimer - this is purely based off vibes, I don’t know the guy. I’m not saying he’s not doing his job, he absolutely is, but the self promotion levels, at a time when the results are not resulting…signals to me he’s branching out. I talked a lot last season about how I think he’s transitioning out of the “Il Predestinato” image, and how I felt part of that is because it is becoming less likely that he will win a WDC. I think it’s clever of him to think about doing other things though, because so much of what it takes to get a dc is out of his control, and he doesn’t even have the bare bones of a team or a car that will let him challenge for a title. There is no point in him waiting around for Ferrari to get it together, if they get it together he can revisit but right now…I think it’s in his best interest to get his bag.

I don’t think there’s many similarities between Charles and Lando’s path here, Lando is a wholeeee other essay 😂

But I disagree that the branding is ridiculous, I think it’s a logical thing to do. Yes these guys make good money from their teams but that won’t last forever, they have pretty short careers. It’s good for them to use their platform to build income streams for themselves that will go beyond their F1 career. Charles previously hadn’t been able to do that and now he is, which is definitely a positive. I will give Max and his team props here because I think he’s sneakily got the best alternative income streams of anyone. Verstappen.com must absolutely be raking it in with those grandstand deals, the merch is consistent, his brand deals are minimal but they’re big and they stick with him. My point is, drivers do need alternative income streams, especially when their brand can’t just be “I win”.

Lewis a master at this, I will admit, I just don’t like his brand. But it is consistent and he has managed to transcend F1 as his own brand which will keep him comfortable for the rest of his life, so good for him. I don’t buy into the brand but the brand is branding, I have to recognise.

I don’t really get Charles’s brand identity yet lol so I can’t tell if how likeable it will be. I mean, currently he is very liked, it’s possible it will stay that way. I really couldn’t say. I think Lando is about to have an unlikeable season but I also think his “babygirl brat” thing is pretty amusing and won’t ultimately alienate his fan base.

It was long but it was fun. The villagers will come for us with pitchforks for this opinion though.

[mermaidsirennikita]

I started historical romance with the older books, they are so good or at least for me they are and I have trouble finding HR from thsi years that are actually as good as the older ones, I feel like the older romance heroes are more memorable and bolder

Imo, there are definitely historical romance authors currently writing in the subgenre who are doing it UP--S.M. LaViolette, Sarah MacLean, Joanna Shupe, Adriana Herrera, Cat Sebastian, KJ Charles-- come to mind, but a lot of those authors have been writing for a good while. So they have a brand, they don't need "break through" (though they have to fight against current tradpub trends, which is a formidable issue).

But for newer historical authors, there are very few being picked up, and I think that historicals are basically being left to apologize for the issues that are pervasive in the entire romance genre and always have been. And I don't know why this is, exactly--is it because there is a surface-level "reckoning" with history in tradpub?

(I say surface level because the vast majority of top execs are cis white men, so like, MMM? Are we reckoning when by and large women and people of color and most likely a lot of queer people can't get through the door to C-Suite, or at least can't get through as easily?)

Is it because a lot of people think of "old school" romance as bodice rippers (which are invariably historicals)? Which isn't true, by the way--there are tons of old school contemporaries. I own a good chunk. The big PNR boom of yore when authors like Kresley Cole and JR Ward were killing the game happened in the late 90s/early 2000s and into the late 2000s. Those books are like... getting on up there lol.

Personally, I don't think Bridgerton did historicals any favors--I think it did the opposite. Imo, many people were just minding their own business, not at all interested in reading historical romance, and then got into Bridgerton and got into fandom (in which everything is hyperbolic) and read the JQ books, and... yeah. I personally don't love a Julia Quinn book by and large; she's just not my style, though I do enjoy The Viscount Who Loved Me and When He Was Wicked.

BUT! Though I won't pretend that her older books are the most problematic books out in historical romance land... Yeah. A lot of the Bridgerton books haven't aged super well, and they're not necessarily what I'd recommend as baby's first historicals. If you have zero context and suddenly read these 20 year old books, which were written by someone who was, imo, not trying to like... push a lot of envelopes? At the time? Who did just want to write a sort of fluffy books about very cishet, very white people in pretty conservative relationships without a lot of thought towards things like gender, class...

I mean, look. I'm not particularly outraged by those books. I don't think they handled sensitive shit very well a lot of the time. The Duke and I just... is actually a pretty fun book until you get to the assault. And it's not even the existence of the assault for me, but just like--how it was written, the minute choices made, etc. So that's what the new Bton fans read first. Then they see Anthony bitch about Kate not wanting to have sex with him on the wedding night, they read about Benedict ignoring Sophie's resistance and pushing her even when she explains why she won't be his mistress, they read about Sir Philip having sex with Marina while she lays there crying, it's just... It's not the most shocking shit I've read by any means, but if you are someone who's never read HR and people tell you "this is what the gold standard is", then yeah. I can see why you'd assume the subgenre is trash. I don't think you SHOULD lol. I don't think anyone should dismiss an entire subgenre off of one thing. But that's the internet and that's fandom and it becomes a cult mentality where people are posting out of context screenshots and getting 30K likes or whatever.

So then you don't read historical romance, and you say "Books Bad", and EVERYTHING that the romance genre has grappled with a is still grappling with as a whole suddenly seems a lot bigger in historicals. Misogyny? Present in every subgenre. Consent issues? Oh, you bet. Racism or a lack of representation? Every subgenre. Homophobia and a lack of queer rep? Every subgenre. "But the dukes" okay but the billionaires.

And that is not to dismiss what is wrong with many historicals. But I say this to say that when I read a lot of older historicals... For one thing lol, there are many of them that honestly do age pretty well or were pretty progressive at the time, which is just the case for pretty much any subgenre. Not everything is going to be super problematic. But for another, even the ones that are imperfect and do need to be critiqued tend to have a fearlessness and vibrancy in just like... the plots. The writing. Everything is BIGGER.

I do kind of feel like there's a pressure on the current historical romanced space to make it like. Small scale. Not controversial. Contemporary but in ball gowns. Nothing offensive, but also nothing that seems intimidating to read--like these LaViolette books I've read that are super gothic (and indie pubbed lol) or these Gaelen Foley books where there's like a rebellion and a sea voyage and a swordfight and a kidnapping and relationship drama all in one book. That's too big, so let's put them in a ballroom, or let's have a plot where they recite second wave feminist treatise that are about and for white women, basically.

And it's a snake eating its own tail issue, because for all that a vocal online set may critique a subgenre for being Too Much, they won't read the books that are Too Little. And the people who aren't online go "that looks boring" and move on. A contemporary romance can exist with a small plot because it's supposed to be somewhat reflective of our lives, in a romanticized form. A historical becomes knockoff Jane Austen if it does that, and I don't think the audience for that is as big as tradpub thought, maybe?

So the subgenre conforms, and then people don't buy it, because some of them just dismiss these tamer books as bodice rippers because they think all historicals are. And some of them just aren't interested because they think it'll be boring.

So anyway, this was way too long a response, but that's some of why I think we are where we are with sort of milquetoast historicals. And there are authors doing the shit still, but I think it's harder for NEW people to do the shit.

In tradpub. That is.