#this team was such a perfect trainwreck

[cardinalbiggles]

[too-pretty-for-this-mess]

☆ I was rereading Gareth’s scenes in God of Malice—because clearly, I have nothing better to do than obsess over his every move (don’t judge me, I’m dedicated).

"Then I catch a glimpse of Gareth walking with one of the participants, shooting anyone who crosses their path. He doesn’t even attempt to eliminate that participant. If anything, it’s like he’s…protecting them. No, escorting them. Hmm. I wonder who got my brother’s attention to that extent?"

It’s such a small moment, but it screams significance. Gareth doesn’t strike me as the type to randomly ‘escort’ someone unless they mean something to him or serve a purpose. So who could this mysterious participant be? Someone special?

And speaking of Gareth, Rina Kent recently teased that one of the characters in Beautiful Venom is going to make an appearance in Kiss the Villain. She also teased about Gareth having a best friend.

Could these two be connected? Could this mysterious participant Gareth was escorting actually be Dahlia Throne? It can’t be Kane Davenport, because he wouldn’t need protecting or would he?

Honestly, it would make perfect sense if Dahlia is the one Rina Kent is talking about. Plus, it would be delicious to see them together, like a twisted, chaotic team-up I never knew I needed.

But—or—it could be Vaughn, who’s Gareth’s bestie. But honestly, my gut tells me that's probably not it. Who knows though.

What do you think? Is Dahlia the connection between Beautiful Venom and Kiss the Villain? Or do you have a different, equally as twisted theory?

Let’s discuss—because this trainwreck of a theory needs to be explored.

P.S. Or was it Cherry Gareth was escorting, and I’ve just wasted my time thinking about all these other possibilities?

[onyourowndaisymae]

what your fav obey me love interest says about you (except they're only the reasons i'm attracted to them) (the sequel)

Lucifer

you want someone to have all the answers for you and to take the stress of being perfect off your shoulders

the sexiest thing a man can do is handle anxiety-inducing situations for you. if someone made a doctor's appointment on your behalf you'd swoon

Mammon

you like flawed love interests who, at the end of the day, still have a very solid core of kindness and love

you want to date someone that is obscenely proud to simply hold your hand or be known as your man in public

Leviathan

you are introverted and want a partner that understands your struggles

a partner's struggles with accepting/offering affection are endearing to you (whether for teasing reasons or because it's relatable. or both)

Satan

a person that likes cats is a person worth investing your energy into. understands boundaries, doesn't need constant attention, will feed strays w you... def a winner

receiving a love letter would actually kill you (said positively and with so much yearning)

Asmodeus

you want someone to bully you into loving yourself

there's a little rush in locking down the hot person everyone wants and knowing they're obsessed with you and only you

Beelzebub

being around someone who is constantly eating makes you feel less weird about eating anything ever (bc who the hell is gonna notice when he's gnawing on drywall next to you?)

there's a small part of you that wants to relive the silly romcom dream of cheering on your partner at their sporting event and having them almost get pummeled bc they're so enamored with you while they're supposed to be playing

Belphegor

napping together is a real and actually pretty nice date in your head

you find a combination of forwardness and bashfulness endearing. watching someone be so open about how much they desire you (and even tease you about wanting them!! the nerve!!) to blushing and getting defensive about their affection towards you is. mwah. chef's kiss

Diavolo

you like the idea of someone so important making time and space in their life to be a normal partner for you

you have an authority kink admire strong, driven people who devote themselves to their duties

Barbatos

acts of service is your (receiving) love language

hidden power/authority is attractive to you, especially when it's not flaunted or shoved in people's faces

you watched black butler at a critical age and thirsted after sebastian

Simeon

you are team "men should dress sluttier"

you want a partner that's strong, sensible, and stable to balance out the active trainwreck that you are and will continue to be

Solomon

having a partner willing and actively teaching you (specifically in a subject you're good at, it's not fun when you're shit) is kinda attractive ngl

a goofy motherfucker also being super skilled in a surprising array of disciplines AND able to defend you in case of emergency (looking at you, lesson 11 of nightbringer) is so hot

[the original]

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 35 - HUMOR

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: kellifer_fic

kellifer_fic wrote some of my favorite fics in this fandom, period. Their voices for the Avengers are all immaculate, and their way of writing dialogue is nothing short of incredible. It's even funnier than Marvel canon sometimes, and that's a feat that not many can pull off. I adore their fics, and if I could rec every single thing they've ever written here, I would. But alas, I'll restrain myself to some of my favorites.

Here's some of their work that I think you should check out:

jealousy is all the fun you think they had

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: G Words: 3,887 Tags: Jealousy, Bucky Recovering, Fighting & Making Up

Summary: Is it socially acceptable to be jealous of your boyfriend's ex-dead best friend?

Reasons why I love it: This fic is equal parts hilarious and a glorious trainwreck of Tony self-sabotaging himself, which is very on brand for him. I love how nonchalant Bucky is about the whole thing, he truly is the best bro. And JARVIS is just the best, full stop. I adore this one, and if you haven't read it yet, you absolutely should!

Therapeutic Guidelines

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 8,357 Tags: Action Figures, UST, Team as Family

Summary: "Are you suggesting I get a bunch of bunk beds in here and squeeze us all into one room?" Tony scoffs and the woman just looks at him. "No, wait-"

Reasons why I love it: Doctor Barrow's role in this fic is actually kind of genius. I love the plot twist and everything leading up to it. There are so many funny moments, I can't even say which one is my favorite, but I especially enjoyed the team bonding. This fic is wonderful, and you should definitely read it!

99 problems (and the dice ain't one)

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 10,784 Tags: Living Together, DnD, Resolved Sexual Tension

Summary: Tony's life is almost perfect. He lives in a converted warehouse full of friends (and one frenemy), has a job that leaves him plenty of time to think about other things and a regular Friday night campaign. If his best friend, Steve Rogers, hadn't moved away to New York and left him behind, then perfection would've been achieved. Tony can roll with the punches though and he's almost all the way over that little bump in the road (shut up Bruce, he totally is) when Steve moves back, looking taller and broader and more confident than ever and Tony's left with a converted warehouse full of friends (and one frenemy), a job that leaves him plenty of time to think about other things, a regular Friday night campaign and the uncomfortable realization that maybe he's in love with his best friend and has been since he was sixteen.

Reasons why I love it: Oh my god, they're all such nerds, I love them! Tony the grumpy hermit is adorable, and I love how ass-backwards Steve and Tony are when it comes to their feelings. Plus, the team as family vibes in this are phenomenal. Definitely check this one out, it's fantastic!

even the cake was in tiers

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: NR Words: 5,500 Tags: Accidental Marriage, Magic, Team Bonding

Summary: I'm pretty sure I'm married to Steve Rogers.

Reasons why I love it: Just the title of this fucking sent me. The Tony sass is on another level in this one, and I'm enjoying every second of it. I love how Tony has a whole Ebenezer Scrooge moment about his life choices, and the ending is super cute. This fic is wonderful, and I hope you go and check it out for yourself!

one hundred percent skill, fifty percent luck

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 7,418 Tags: Poker, Pining, Kidnapping

Summary: Where there is a poker game, a v-card and general misunderstandings.

Reasons why I love it: I love how everyone on the team clearly understands what's happening, except for Tony. All of the poker night scenes are amazing, and I'm super impressed at how well this fic is balanced between humor and drama. I love it, and I bet you will too, so I hope you'll give this one a shot for yourself, if you haven't already!

[louisisalarrie]

Do you follow Liam on Snapchat? I really feel like his stories is one big Katey takeover because they’ve realised that people don’t care about her and therefore don’t follow her, therefore Liam has become some influencer because that’s what she like 🙈

This accidentally ran overtime and now the doors are opening and the show is about to begin. Anon, welcome to the show (sorry that was lame I’m trying to be creative oKAY)

I don’t have Snapchat but i do see a lot of the videos on twitter pop up. He really doesn’t seem well? And this chick is just… idk, very bad “i just wanna be a famous influencer” no substance vibes. He doesn’t seem or look happy, she’s very problematic with the drinking etc., and idk. I’m a bit worried on both his physical and mental health. Hypothetically, if he were to do a one off theatre show later this year or something, he would need to start doing something in the music realm because honestly, he’s dropped off for too long. he has to build a relationship back up with his fans because he can’t rely on the 1d fanbase to back him anymore. Hypothetically, he could’ve pulled off a good but small USA tour this year - idk what happened other than a lack of music released.

As a stunt with that girl, it doesn’t make much sense, either. She doesn’t appeal to his demographic, he probably appeals to hers a bit more? But still. It’s a weird pairing for a stunt, and I don’t think it’s based on closeting etc., I think they’re either together or his team are absolutely fucking shit lol and it’s actually a very poorly ran stunt. Snapchat, while more intimate than twitter, is still not a form of building a long lasting relationship with fans. He has a lot to do.

Anyway, one thing i did notice from today, was this Snapchat vid - saying he’s got to square up with niall? Like… he corrects himself, saying no bad vibes or anything but they need to talk. Why are you announcing this? Is it because niall won’t pick up your calls or something? Niall doesn’t even follow him on Insta. It’s giving sad ex partner vibes or something. I was kinda shrugging off the whole thing but after name dropping Niall in a way that could start beef, I don’t like it lol. It’s just… idk. It’s weirding me out because I can’t figure it out. There’s just something really iffy there and I don’t like it.

Liam’s whole vibe right now screams “help me” - like… it’s very dysfunctional and a bit of a trainwreck to watch. And it sucks, because he’s an excellent musician. But he’s lost touch with the fans, his shows have been cancelled previously and he hasn’t released anything in so long. I don’t understand what the struggle is. CAA manage a multitude of artists who have all done okay for themselves. They’re not a small agency who don’t have the money, nor the power, to propel a career where there’s money to be made. Same thing with his booking agents at Wasserman - they are very successful and have a wide reach. I’m just… confused with the whole thing, if I’m honest.

Mind you, I really do like Liam. I’m not a fan of his music really, but he did a lot for 1d back in the day and him and louis were very close. I don’t hate Liam and I don’t wish anything bad upon him. Quite the opposite really. And I’m hoping maybe he gets some more support now that louis’ on break but idk… he needs to get away from that girl for whatever reason he’s with her.

And I could go on about why I kinda don’t think she’s a stunt or hypothetical insider stuff about Liam’s career right now but I don’t find it productive. He needs to build a fanbase back up before booking shows. He’s only hurting his own career. And his agents need to pick up their slack too. He has potential. But the longer they wait, the less successful he’s gonna be.

It’s a perfect example of how louis built a loyal fanbase, vs Liam who didn’t.

[mcl39]

and in light of fun stuff i'd love to hear your thoughts on, saw a post a while back that got me thinking and basically reached the conclusion that carlos and lando's personalities complimented each other perfectly, which in a way brought out the best in both of them, while lando and daniel have very clashing personalities (not that they didn't get along eventually, just very different). meanwhile lando and oscar's personalities just like. match.

seen people say lando is to oscar what carlos was to him and in a way, yes (oscar clearly does look up to lando a bit and lando took the brunt of the media stuff in the beginning to make him more comfortable), but i also think there is a pretty big difference there. landoscar just feel very aligned to me idk. would like to hear what your opinions are :) think you always have good takes

so i left this for a couple days bc its literally been slow cooking in my brain like a stew... thinking abt this so much. u bring such a good point abt the difference between complementing and aligning / matching...

i often find it rly fun to look at friendships and relationships thru the lens of sibling dynamics - its my own personal brand of astrology or ig personality typology that im addicted to. and w carlos and lando i think the reason they 'complemented' each other so well was bc they very easily fell into an older-younger sibling dynamic - both r middle children, and idk the exact numbers but carlos should probably be around oli's age (landos older brother, who lando's rly close to, arguably the closest of all his siblings - not only did they used to travel for karting competitions back in the day, but nowadays they share a core friend group and go on holiday together, which is cute). so like, lando as a 19 year old rookie, shy but full of energy, is in the perfect position to be lightly bullied, shown the ropes, taught random shit, be shoved into walls, etc by someone who likes to play within that older brother role

so you have that first of all, which already creates some familiarity for lando (who otherwise is quite slow to thaw out of keeping ppl at arms length), and also the fact that they got along w each other quite easily. i dont think theyre that similar (again, complement, not match, its so brilliant), but theyre both entertained by quite simple things, which is y their humour tended to be so lowest-common-denominator: words that sound funny, hitting each other in the balls, dirty jokes, etc. i think where they DO find similarities is when theyre serious - they both have a very head-down team-first sort of attitude (which i think rly solidified in lando BC of carlos), so their trust in each other in terms of that helped make their more personal friendship rly straightforward and natural

daniel meanwhile... where do i start. i spent two years losing my mind in dms over the glorious trainwreck awkwardness that is dando and their interactions. i still cant QUITE parse it but its so good. u have lando whos used to having quite a reactive/passive friendship with carlos, suddenly putting his feet on the ground and his shackles up bc he stopped liking the directions he was being pushed in w daniel. i think daniel deffo is a big, domineering personality, naturally kind of selfish (youngest sibling AND im pretty sure the only boy) (im not judging him im also the youngest i can reclaim), and to keep it concise i think it kind of gave lando the ick.

lando is a very judgemental person, and his humour is quite specific - he'll laugh at the dumbest things ever, like the word 'blowy' or 'pubes' or jokes abt girls running away from him, AND also rly subtle sarcasm that takes a lot of context clues. but he just cannot operate within the middle ground: the typical snl-style (american type) classic humour. he just doesnt get it. when ppl try to do it with him u get things like 'lando i hope you're sitting down... you're p2' 'i don't know why will said that, i'm literally strapped to my seat' and 'throwback thursday' 'it's funny cos it's friday'. he sucks at metaphors and doesnt have patience to wait for punchlines, so the fact that daniel is kind of like universally 'classically' funny actually worked against him - especially bc daniel was fuelled w the confidence that lando liked him and found him hilarious

so thats actually the other thing - is daniels incapability of actually listening to lando. again, we kind of start from the standard of the carlos relationship, with lando as the reactor, but carlos was always rly attentive towards lando. and then daniel comes in - u have lando like a dog who figured out ur trying to exit the park and has suddenly refused to keep walking along, and daniel holding an endlessly extendable leash, whistling a little tune, completely oblivious that his dog is still like three streets down. lando was throwing him jab after jab after joke after joke for like the entirety of 2021 ('they just dig up jam' forever my favourite), but they would just fly over daniels head, making lando become more and more detached and disinterested in interactions w daniel. waaaay into their partnership as teammates, theres this video of lando telling daniel that theyre serving cookies (?) somewhere, and daniel says 'so you got a brownie?' and i think lando says smth like 'nah a cookie, not a brownie, otherwise i wouldve said brownies', to which daniel is like 'i respect that, you're finally dishing it back'. and i rmbr my reaction was like FINALLY ? WYM FINALLY?? hes BEEN doing this for SO LONG like ALL THE TIME now.

idk, its weird bc opinions r rly split on dando, some ppl in yt comments or reddit or whatever still say they were the funniest duo in f1, but other ppl will always pipe up saying the energy was awkward and it was clear they didnt like each other. neither of those things r true for me - i think they did like each other, especially later on (professionally, i think lando definitely had a lot of anxieties abt having to outperform the big new top dog in the team, which made him a bit colder, but i think he gained a lot of respect for daniel when he saw how much daniel was struggling but how much he was still willing to show up and do the whole job until the end w a smile on his face). i have a suspicion they probably get along way better 1 on 1, bc a lot of daniel's off-putting intensity happens when he tries to play up for the cameras. but i am also partly thankful for that too, bc we had a couple art challenges in 2021-2022 where daniel did all the talking, so lando could focus on having fun with his Little Tasks, and thats literally my fav type of mclaren video, so cheers danny.

so then we get to oscar. i think the main difference with oscar is that, for the first time, lando doesnt have a bigger personality imposing itself on him. if he used to b reactive with carlos and daniel, oscar is way more laid back and passive than him, which means lando is finally for the first time the one setting the pace. especially in the early days, this was obvious - lando would throw out the beginning of a bad joke, expecting to be interrupted or one-upped, but oscar would just sit there quietly creature-staring, waiting for lando to finish his train of thought. it was so awkwardly delightful. so what u get now is that lando isnt playing catch up anymore - which doesnt mean hes making oscar do it now. on the contrary, what ive found is that lando brings his personality to oscar-volume, which sounds like it would be dull but it so isnt. again, he thrives in quiet subtlety, and so does oscar, so u get videos like the finish the lyrics where u have to turn the volume all the way up to even hear what theyre saying, but its so worth it bc its SO fun once u do.

in terms of matching, theyre definitely quite similar in terms of humour. both of them love the awkward pauses and jim halpert looking into the camera and eye rolls and deadpan. it took a while to find their rhythm w two of them playing the same joke-role and not having a straight man (comedy term!!) to bounce off of, but i think they figured it out. theyre different enough in terms of family dynamics (oscar is an eldest brother w many sisters, but also younger than lando) that neither of them would fit a pre-made space, so they can just kinda be on equal level to each other. this is especially true since theyve grown up in the same circles - never raced each other directly, but lando moved up categories rly fast, which means oscar spent his late teens mostly racing ppl lando was racing in karting and early single seaters. (most significantly, max fewtrell, who oscar used to b in the junior renault academy with, and who i think is kind of a good representation of what lando and oscar have in common - lowkey, sarcastic, deadpan, but also not taking himself too seriously)

to come back to what u said abt oscar-lando being inverse lando-carlos: i also see it to some extent, like u said (theres those tiktok edit parallels like lando telling oscar to cut his hair the way carlos said it to him in 2019). i think its mostly something lando himself is conscious of and sort of imposes on himself - he often compares oscar's personal trajectory to his, like when he says oscar will open up and be less quiet once he gets comfortable (which was true), so i think hes deffo aware of the comparison. but i dont think it runs any deeper than that, bc i havent seen lando position himself as the same kind of mentor-guru in-the-know older figure. i just dont think his personality can mould to that

idk sorry for this novel size answer. i have even more thoughts abt oscar and lando that im currently trying to shove into a fic so like. all of this has been floating in my brain for ages now

[mlb-a-rewrite]

Miraculous Ladybug: A Rewrite

And so it begins.

I've been watching Miraculous Ladybug (MLB) since 2017 and even back then, when I was but a wee lass, I was thinking of problems I had with the show.  Like clockwork, I will find myself stumbling back into the show and the fandom every year and each time I do I find myself noticing more issues that bug me.

So finally, after 7 YEARS (oh my god it's been seven years), I finally decided to address all my problems with this show and thus, "The Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir: A Rewrite" was born. Is the rewrite perfect? No. Is it completed? Hell no. Is it better than the original show? ...I hope so. 

I also wanna preface this all by saying that I don't hate the show or think it's awful. If I thought this show was an irredeemable trainwreck I wouldn't have written 100 pages about it. I know the production was, and still is a nightmare and I hope this rewrite doesn't make it sound like I'm just shitting on the team that worked on the show. They did the best with what they were given and I can see glimpses of a different show buried beneath the inconsistent magic system and questionable characters.

I love this show and I love what it could've been even more.

So here it goes, I hope you enjoy the periodic updates about my miraculous ladybug rewrite.

(And if you like it share it with your friends. I'm posting this here without having finished it in hopes that online traction will help motivate me to keep going when I lose motivation)

[ladedanixie]

Ok, I shouldn't be typing, but I'm too excited (also perplexed).

So, I read all of the Murderbot books in the last two months and I am almost done with System Collaspe, so I barely just caught wind of the tv show.

(I do have some misgivings about the casting of a white man to play MB, same as I did when Annilhilation cast Natalie Portman instead of a Latina, and it is a legit concern, I get some folk are upset about people criticizing the decision, but folks get to feel how they feel ya know. The show doesn't exist in a vaccum and yet if they cast a poc to play MB, folks probs woulda said something about dehumanization. Doesn't mean the criticism isn't a legit concern. People are overall pretty positive, its the Critical Role Fandom all over again lol. Anyway, I am still pretty excited and hopeful. )

Anywho, I saw the trailer.

Good Points. The narration, the humor, Sanctuary Moon! The focus on the Preservation team. The whole Preservation team! The visuals and set designs. The suit is kinda cool. Overall I am super excited. Skarsgard's acting is pretty good, I even saw that clip of it showing it's face to Guthrain and the eye contact avoidance was perfect. Article mentions polyam, huzzah!

The Bad???

1. Who is the blonde woman? I mean I went and read the vanity article (which is under a paywall now?) right after, and all signs point to her being the indentured servant mentioned there. I looked up the actress, Anna Konkle, and lo and behold the random blonde lady from the trailer who MB told to stop staring at it is her.

Why is she here? They got rid of Overse (and Volescu, he will be missed, but I do understand why), or at the very least Overse is back on Preservation, and they brought in an indentured servant who tries to seduce MB instead? I am so confused. I want to be hopeful since the article described the seduction as a mistake and doomed to fail because MB is repulsed by that. The article and Skarsgard described as it a humorous scene. But, that kinda made me feel a bit weird. TMBD is hilarious for sure, but the seduction being humorous feels weird. I just hope the scene is there to demonstrate very strongly how not interested MB is in any of that.

Moreover, she is an indentured servant? As in, definitely from the Corporation Rim and not Preservation.

Which, if she is from CR, why the hell is she trying to seduce MB?! Everybody familiar with SecUnits in the books are deathly to mildly afraid of them. Unless she mistook it for a ComfortUnit, or was like SPOILERS for System Collaspe and Network Effect :

like the Colonists from System Collaspe or Amena, then she should be uber wary of MB. I can't figure out the logic for it from here. It feels super unnecessary. (I get its a different medium and decisions are made to fit the adaption. While I will miss Overse and Volescu I am ok with them being cut, and while I do not love the suit. I enjoy the spirit and work put into it. Hell there is a scene not from the books of the Preservation team getting MB. Which I do recall (correct me if I am wrong) was mentioned in the books, just not a whole scene. My beef is that it makes no sense to me with all the info I got from the books.)

2. This one isn't bad perse, I am just a bit dubious about it. The vanity fair article mentions MB being entertained by the Polyam trainwreck of the team, which without Overse present who is having relationship squabbles on the team? Are some people put together instead? Who? This I do not have too much of an issue with. I imagine that if Overse is gone, they might put Dr. Bharadwaj and Arada together. But polyam is mentioned so who else? Ratthi or Guthrain? Pin-Lee? All of them? It's more cautious curiosity because Mensah and her family plays such big roles in later books.

Hopefully once I see the show, it all works out and makes sense. For now, I am a bit wary.

(Edit. 4.11.25. Ignore point 2. I just started a reread of All Systems Red. So yes many polyam stuff haha. I fully forgot. Ratthi crushing on Pin-Lee. Pin-Lee and Volescu crushing on Mensah. Guthrain being the only loner. Mensah being the only one not crushing on or romantically involved with the rest of the presaux group lol. I guess cause this was just a paragraph that briefly described these dynamics and didn't explore them cause MB could care less about that. I forgot they were there haha.)

I guess Amena wouldn't disappear, but I'd miss Farai if the show ever gets that far. I know she didn't have a big role, but I love the moment she has with MB in Network Effect, ya know.

[papirouge]

They want the Blake Lively v Justin Baldoni to be the new Johnny Depp v Amber Heard sooooo bad

It's pretty obvious feminists were eager to take their revenge against the patriarchy since Heard most the trial, they already are rehashing the same stale narrative (smear campaign, everything bad said about Blake is from incels/alt right) and while I was not on TikTok yet during the Heard trial and that I *know* the incel/manosphere did lead targetted cyber bullying campaign against Heard (which btw doesn't revoke the validity of the sentence as being a victim of cyber bullying AND making defamatory statements are not mutually exclusive conditions) anyone with a remote brain cell can see what's happening with the Blake v Baldoni is pretty different:

- the power dynamic are reversed: Baldoni is a C- list actor while Blake and her husband are Hollywood elite that heavily used their network and influence to isolate Baldoni direction on his own movie. So feminist cannot play the "power dynamic" card. Powerful women can & do exist - and that's actually a good thing.

- Baldoni whole personal branding was something that incels and redpillers HATE : he's a feminist, has a manbun, has an entire podcast dedicated to deconstruct toxic masculinity.... Redpillers went hard for Johnny because he was a sloppy alcoholic trainwreck. They somehow saw themselves in him because they are themselves losers. And while I don't deny there's not a misogyny aspect in those (male led) channels popping up dedicated to shit on Blake, it would be a reach to say the team Baldoni is animated by the same powers that organized the harassment of Amber Heard. Baldoni is way too hot & perfect for incels to cape for him.

I disagree with the idea that political figures like Candace Owens jumping on the bandwagon is 100% innocent though. The alt right pipeline is real. Does watching/rebloggging a 30 sec clip of Candace Owens about this story will turn you into a MAGA? No. But people are really fooling themselves if they think they are soooo above being gaslighted by conservatives overtaking celebrity gossip for concealed incentivs. I'm absolutely not surprised to see self proclaimed Libertarians like DJ Hungry Human dismiss it because Libertarians have this weird intellectual superiority complex were they think they are wayyyy too hot & smart to even acknowledge this pipeline is even a thing and that being ✨Libertarian✨ doesn't make them magically immune to it

[dayurno]

darling, have you any kevjeanthea thoughts to spare? i've been going insane since i found out jean was thea's puppy and also their Mailman. i'm in need of your wisdom rn.

<3 (@stabbyfoxandrew)

OF COURSE hello darling aerie i hope you're doing well also you know exactly what you're doing referring to jean as thea's puppy don't you. i think i hauve covid....

as of right now i have two ideas which are not really that distinct but cause me great amusement... first i thought about established pro era kevthea and jean ending up in the same team as them (possibly the olympics?) while being a trainwreck himself and kevthea immediately taking him under their wing :) this is like the standard aftg poly fic scenario and i fall for it all the time because it's so GOOD. i think at first kevin's the one who's kind of laying it heavy on jean because he's worried he might do something stupid but thea is ultimately the one drawing jean by the back of his neck and being like you're acting ridiculous. live with us. and he does... AND THEN OF COURSE the evergreen offer of a threesome, the unbearable tension, the constant mistaking of jean as either kevin's or thea's boyfriend, being so close it gets inappropriate. the perfect culmination i think would be a night where they actually do sleep together and jean wakes up under kevin and thea like what the fuck just happened

AND I DONT THINK THEY EVER TALK ABOUT IT. or like define terms. or even boundaries. but it happens and its there and jean is just casually added to their every activity like hes always been there in the first place :) i think theres something just so fun about a dynamic like that for poly ships sorry sorry sorry. jean thinks he's a single man until it's christmas 2011 and he's having dinner with thea's family

my Other idea was well of course the nest-era moment. i was thinking thea has a the boy is mine moment with jean until she realizes that jean has a crush on her too and she's Very flustered about it because it's definitely not what she expected would happen out of this situation. i don't know if it'd change much about canon but i think itd make the scene where kevin takes thea to see jean in tkm very tense >:3 and you know how she was like should i come back? to kevin i think they could do something similar for jean like. finish usc. get a little better. and then we'll come back for you. and they do :3

[fandomfluffandfuck]

*Distant screaming*

S!!! I HAD ANOTHER IDEA.

Okay we all know the sweet (very sad) baby bunny that is TJ Hammond. We know how his love life hasn’t been too fantastic. But!!!! What if he finds a new guy that makes him happy? A sweet guy from the Boston suburbs with a nice job and an even nicer body. Maybe he meets Mr. Barber at a bar or maybe a group therapy session or also maybe he gets into some legal trouble. And suddenly he finds himself going home with this guy who makes him want to do things that his mother’s PR team would not approve of. Maybe it’s the first time he’s been really treated with love, where it’s clear that he’s adored just as much as he adores Andy. He’s head over heels, and so when things go to shit he finds himself on Andy’s doorstep.

“TJ? Sweetheart, are you alright?” Andy asks, worry in his voice.

TJ can’t even talk, he just lets the tears fall and shakes his head. He’s quickly ushered in and hugged tightly, where he promptly breaks down. Sobbing into Andy’s shoulder, hanging onto him like a lifeline. Andy just keeps holding him, kissing the top of his head and whispering sweet words.

“Oh, darling… It’s okay, baby, you’re okay. I’m here, you’re safe. Won’t let anything bad happen to my angel.” He whispers, and TJ just melts further.

TJ can’t imagine being more loved. Slowly, he dries his eyes and looks up at the older man. He smiles for what feels like the first time in a week, and is met with a kiss to his forehead.

“I love you, TJ. Always.” Andy says, and the kiss that TJ gives him is nothing short of perfect.

you can also imagine TJ with Pete Brenner, and how much of a smutty trainwreck that would be. TJ would definitely call Pete daddy, and Pete would totally call TJ his bunny. They’d end up worse than they started, but I can’t stop thinking about how TJ would totally end up drunk/high out of his mind and pissed at Pete, storming into his office and exposing him to everyone.

“You just fucking wanted power, didn’t you, Daddy?!”

“TJ, this isn’t the time…”

“Fuck you!”

I know it’s a bit of a weird pairing, but it’s stuck in my head and now I’m gonna stick it in yours >:)

Hello again!

Oh. My. God.

I love this. I love both of these. A pairing for every fucking mood.

A comforting, loving (maybe even overprotective, nearly smothering sometimes, I'm looking at you, Andy 👀) pair.

And a train-wreck pair.

Andy would give TJ the best, best hugs when he's upset and in need of comfort--the kind of hugs that engulf TJ in warmth and come with an endless supply of soothing back rubs, that man is so empathetic he's basically just a big teddy bear. Plus, with Andy's (relatively) normal life (assuming this outside of or before the Defending Jacob timeline, lol), he's the breath of fresh air TJ needs. I bet they meet when TJ gets a DUI, maybe he injures himself or someone else in the car with him, nothing huge, just a mild crash that was his fault, and he needs a lawyer for. Andy is there. Andy is kind. Andy can see he didn't do it on purpose--he's just hurting, and he needs someone. It's frightening how badly Andy wants, no, needs to be that someone for this sweet kid.

Absolutely Pete would do TJ dirty, assisting him in his downward spiral, able to get him both money and drugs fast. Rapidly, TJ discovers more drugs and more vices to make him feel better, if only for a little while, all at Pete's insistence. Anything he wants, Pete can get him, no questions asked. Plus, they move fast as a couple, too; they meet during a night out, not knowing each others names before they're pushing and shoving their way into the sleazy club's bathroom with TJ on his knees in some filthy stall, then, that same night, TJ dismisses any lose security detail he had to go back to the apartment of this stranger, buzzed and high. His phone is dead. He doesn't care. And it's obvious that Pete doesn't either. It's reckless. It's intense. And it overpowers them both, unraveling completely.

Thank you for the thoughts!!

[knightsofsomethingorother]

Right so. Before ANYTHING... you need to see the intro to this show.

Let it sink in. Bask in it. Writhe in it.

Okay now that that's out of the way, our story starts with a stupidly long and slow 'battle' between these dudes...

And Camelot which only has 3 people in it.

Merlin, Womanlady, and Guinevere. Anyway Guinevere's kidnapped by a bird man. Roll with it.

He knocks Merlin over and then everyone fucks off.

What, did you expect more? That's what happens. THAT'S ALL THAT FUCKING HAPPENS. YOU DON'T GET MORE.

So anyway, the question is... where the fuck is everybody. And there's an answer. Turns out Arthur and the Questy Boys all got locked in the... Let me check my notes here... 'Cave of Glass'. What is that? I don't know! I hope we find out though.

Anyway.

Merlin monologues at the round table for a wee bit, filling the audience in on all of that, then Nimue shows up, tells him what to do and then he reaches through time to summon... reincarnations..? Alternate versions..? A group of Dudes where two people are named 'Arthur' and 'Lance'. Some destiny something I don't really care about. But what do I care about?

AMERICAN FOOT BAAALLLLLL!

AMERICAN FOOTBALL.

So number 12 up there who just scored the Winning Touchdown there is Arthur. Or new Arthur, at least. His name is Arthur King and I am dead on the inside. He's the special boy, I'm to assume.

Anyway they win the game and then this group of VERY CLEARLY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS drive a BUS on their OWN to NEW YORK CITY.

In this bus we get to see the rest of the team.

So uh... This came out in '92. There is a Single Asian Character and Two Black Characters. We will see how well the series treats them but so far the Asian guy has talked once and he's a nerd who likes Museum and only one of the black guys has spoken and his name is 'Tone' and he talks like a black guy named tone in a 1990s cartoon would talk so... Hopes aren't high.

Anyway this UNSUPERVISED FOOT BALL TEAM OF HIGH SCHOOL BOYS DRIVING A BUS ON THEIR LONESOME are 100 miles from New York and a storm is moving in. Arthur King (hghghhg) tells the kid driving to take a shortcut he just so happens to know.

Sidenote. This is my favorite guy. I've decided already. This is also a good time to say that aside from Arthur and Lance there are no other allusions to actual Knights of the Round Table. Not even indirectly. Thank CHRIST.

Anyway they eat shit and fall down a cliff for like 3 full minutes and end up in Camelot.

I need to say that I WISH I knew how to make Youtube Poops because this is a fucking GOLDMINE. Every other line read is just... Mwah. Perfection. They don't sound human. They sounds like AI before AI was a thing.

So they end up in Camelot. Get some new clothes. Merlin sends them to fight some guys. They're down with it and don't really object. They fight some guys. All the while the football boys are talking about AMERICAN GODDAMN FOOTBAAAAALLLLL. The end.

Sound rushed? That's because it is! This is a clunky trainwreck and if I was a wee bab in the year 1992 I wouldn't be interested in this at all. The only character I like thus far is Bus Boy who I will call Bus Boy from here on out because I refuse to use his actual name who is the only Guy with like... a likeable personality (so far). His voice actor is also doing a really good job and that does go a long way. The football team just kind of accept shit immediately with little pushback and that's just not compelling. Plus most of the runtime is dedicated to Merlin expositing stuff at us. It's not over-the-top campy and it's not FUN. At least not yet. They've got 25 more episodes to be fun.

Also is this design for one of the baddies racist?

Yeah so in summary 2 AMERICAN FOOTBALLS out of 5

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

I think Taylor is the perfect exemple of how much you can get through with supportive and loving family/parents. Like she had many problems in her life just like any other pop star her age but i truly think her foundation being so solid is why she always turns around. Not falling into the whole 'super star trainwreck' even after 2016 is actually an amazing thing she did.

Like there are many talented, hardworking girls in the music industry just like Taylor is but when you look on why they became a "has been" or fell into drugs is cause of the people behind them sucking all their money and energy.

Taylor's parents not only acted as PARENTS (not stage parents) but they also raised her to be kind above anything and that makes Taylor's team all part of a big family that only wants good things for her and respect her time and space. Like she will struggle, everyone does but she also knows she can call her two parents anytime and they always show up.

I have deeper thoughts on this so will likely come back to it when I go home in a week but ultimately I 100% agree

[i-am-nickelbolt]

Bronze to Mythic: Khans of Tarkir, draft #1

I'll take a 6-3.

Pack 1, pick 1 the meme, the myth, the legend, Siege Rhinoceros. In other sets, getting married to the busted 3 color rare is a recipe for a trainwreck, but the fixing in Khans makes the exciting multicolored cards higher picks. The only other card in the pack I considered was Mystic Monastery. I'm considering Siege Rhino to basically be a black card, I will look to end up BW or BG and I'll probably have a white land at some point. I'm likely to pick lands pretty aggressively anyway.

Pick 2 Debilitating Injury over Bear's Companion and Hordeling Outburst. Red is a little far off what I'm doing right now, and Debilitating Injury is a premium tempo play in the Morph format. Pick 3 Bitter Revelation over Mardu Roughrider. Mardu Roughrider is good but there's a lot of action at 5 mana with morphs. I just don't prioritize this kind of thing. This is a disappointing 3rd pick out of a pretty bad pack. Pick 4 easy Blossoming Sands over nothing. Pick 5 Scoured Barrens over Bloodfell Caves and Burn Away. See? Siege Rhino mana easy. Pick 6 Rite of the Serpent over Goblinslide. Pick 7 Mardu Hordechief over Swiftwater Cliffs and Force Away. Pick 8 kind of a brick, Unyielding Krumar over Dragonscale Boon. I will say I got hooked up on the wheel: Rakshasa's Secret 9th, the Mardu Roughrider came back 11th, followed by Bloodfell Caves 12th. Perfect mana!

Aside on Rakshasa's Secret: this card is awesome. Mind Rot is awesome in this format. Khans is a little on the slow side and cards tend to sit in people's hands a little longer because they're flipping morphs. The mill 2 is also excellent with delve cards and Dutiful Return.

Pack 2, pick 1 Windswept Heath, which is fine ,but admittedly a bit of a rare draft. It's probably not better than Scoured Barrens, the other card I considered. The pack was good for others: Temur Charm and Jeskai Charm were kind of far from what I could do. Pick 2 Abzan Guide over Force Away, Feat of Resistance, and Bloodfell Caves. There was a sweet Jeskai deck I could have been on but I don't think there was ever a definitive way in. Pick 3 Blossoming Sands over Dutiful Return. Pick 4 Alabaster Kirin over Jeslai Student; the Kirin looks mopey but 2/3 vigilance blocks morph, Flying helps trigger raid, and 4 mana curves you from morph on 3 to unmorph on 5. Pick 5 Abzan Guide over Hooting Mandrills, Glacial Stalker, and Bring Low. Pick 6 pretty easy Feat of Resistance, I'm very interested in keeping my quality creatures alive. Pick 7 easy Dutiful Returned, with Jeslai Elder still there. That Jeskai deck is mocking me at this point. The rest of the pack was basically junk.

Pack 3, pick 1 Jungle Hollow over like 5 other medium playables. The Savage Knuckleblade kind of mocking me in the rare slot. Pick 2 Dead Drop, love to see it. This isn't the *best* Dead Drop deck, but it's pretty hard for it not to be good. And the ceiling is 1 mana Plague Wind. Pick 3 Alabaster Kirin. Pick 4 Abzan Guide. Pick 5 Mardu Skullhunter. Pick 6 Ponyback Brigade, which is exactly the kind of card I want to splash, and Bloodfell Caves came back from pick 1.

First loss, I just threw the game away by not reading/remembering my cards. Rush of Battle is a Sorcery, and I just chump attacked my team where every one of those blocks would have resulted in at least a trade. I still almost came back with Rush of Battle but they had Thousand Winds. It should have never gotten to that point but you know, busted rares do the thing.

Second loss, I'm still trying to figure out how... They were on the play, mulliganed to six, I hit them with Rakshasa's Secret *and* Dead Drop. But I never drew green mana to deploy Siege Rhino or Abzan Guide.

My sixth win was pretty epic. I went from getting to parity, but my opponent was sandbagging. I thought I couldn't win, then I sorta drew out of it to parity again. Then I saw the line to win but I needed my opponent to brick for a couple of turns, and at that point they had way more land in their deck than I, so it was just a probability game at that point where I was favored. It was a sick long game win.

Then I was rewarded with never drawing a black source and drawing 4 black cards in a row.

I love this set.

[wolfsbane-666]

Since apparently some people mistook this little joke as a full-fledged review, here we go: Spoilers ahead!

There were actually a lot of things I liked about the special. It helped fill some gaps and opened up a few new story points. But what I enjoyed the most was that it didn't just make everything okay.

Because it isn't.

Adrien is an emotional mess, Marinette's mental state is a trainwreck, Nathalie, Kagami, Fèlix, Alix, and the Kwamis are kinda forced to roll with her choices, Tomoe (and Nathalie) get away scotfree and Cerise is worse than Monarch.

And especially children's shows tend to ignore trauma stuff like that but Miraculous isn't just like they weren't back in season 4 and that makes me really happy. It's okay to not be okay, is a lesson I am glad is taught to a younger audience.

Let's start with Adrien before we head into the clusterfuck that is Marinette's mental state. His reaction as both himself and Chat Noir was very well written. Sad, but also angry at Ladybug and himself. That's what grief looks like. His outburst towards Ladybug was so realistic because she ALWAYS fixed everything. So why wasn't everything fixed this time? Why did he have to lose not only his mother but also his father? And most importantly: If he had been there, could he have saved Gabriel? (No he would have destroyed the universe but that's only something we and Alix know and Marinette kinda semi-knows) But he is not just Adrien. He is also Chat Noir. And Chat Noir has no personal relation to Gabriel Agreste. Chat Noir has no reason to be upset with Ladybug. But Chat Noir has reason to question what Ladybug fucking meant when she said: "I want to tell you everything that has happened but I can't.", admitting that her public statement at least wasn't the entire truth. And that was kind of a weird scene to me. Because Ladybug telling Chat Noir either the entire truth or nothing at all would both make sense (the first option more than the second but whatever). What doesn't make sense is her kinda teasing that she held something back. Especially since Chat Noir feeling left out has caused friction between them in the past. I mean I guess that was more or less meant as some kind of teasing/foreshadowing to us but it doesn't make much sense if you view the scene in-universe-wise. But aside from the "secret-identity-plot-armor", that scene was perfect. Because although Monarch was beaten, neither of them feels like they have won. This was not the ending they had expected and they are allowed to grieve that too.

And Marinette? She had to go through it. Again. It's actually kind of ironic how both she and Adrien are going through the same cycle of emotions but for different reasons. Sadness, anger, guilt, and shame. Adrien is grieving his father, is angry at himself and Ladybug, and feels guilt and shame for not being there to save his father. Marinette feels sad for Adrien (+ she never actually wanted Monarch to die) and angry, guilty, and ashamed for not being able to fix everything this time. Marinette's mental is more or less back to the beginning of season 4. A secret and burden that threatens to crush her under their weight. But it's even worse this time. Because lying to the whole world is one thing. But lying to the person she loves the most? Every day? That's devastating. And as the Alixes said: "Actions have consequences." But enough of the emotional shit, for now, let's talk plot.

1. Why did Marinette lie to Alya and Su-Han?

This focuses more on the season 5 final when Marinette said that she had searched for the butterfly miraculous but couldn't find it. But Marinette already knew that there was a Monarch 2.0 running around. Her initial "Gabriel died a hero"- lie wouldn't have been affected if she had told them about her little time-travel adventure. Marinette is putting together her team, the least she can do is tell them that the new threat is already there. Once again, this is probably teasing/foreshadowing to us viewers but it doesn't make much sense if you view the scene in-universe-wise.

2. What is Cerise's goal?

Gabriel's goal was to save the love of his life, but what is Cerise's?

The thing is, we don't know yet, we can however make a few assumptions. We know she hates both Marinette and Ladybug. And she doesn't have much love for Chat Noir or the other heroes either. Also since she is a selfish bitch I think it's safe to say that her wish is for her personal gain alone. We also know her wish has a BIG impact on reality, rewriting it so massively that the entire current timeline is no longer true. This might indicate that she wants to remove Marinette and or the heroes from existence. Of course, this is just a theory but given everything we know about her time as Lila, removing Marinette would solve nearly all her problems. She could keep lying without consequences, she could be with Adrien, etc.

And I think that's what makes her so much more dangerous than Monarch. Because as evil as he was Gabriel just wanted to save his wife. He never had a personal problem with Ladybug and Chat Noir or their civilian personas. He was frustrated with their interferences, yes, but I wouldn't say he ever outright hated them. But for Cerise it is personal. Marinette and Ladybug made her life difficult. They exposed her lies and ruined what could have been an easy and perfect life. She is also more cunning than Gabriel, thinking of a bigger picture instead of just akumatizing person after person and hoping to get lucky eventually.

We also can't forget that she is one of the few people who knows that Gabriel was Monarch. Something that can certainly be used to drive a wedge between Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Which is not just a bad thing for the obvious reasons. but we can't forget about the three major events that led to Chat Blanc:

Adrien figures out that Marinette is Ladybug

Adrien finds out about his mother and her status

Adrien learns that his father is Monarch

And given what the Alixes said about Marinette's choices having consequences, I am 100% certain that Chat Blanc will play some sort of role in the future. Maybe not season 6 per se but at some point for sure.

3. No consequences for Tomoe or Nathalie

That's actually the part that kinda bothers me. Tomoe is a bitch, but whatever Ladybug can't expose her without exposing her own lie. Shitty situation. Not to mention how Kagami plays into all that. But Nathalie? Even if she had a change of heart in the end, this woman committed terrorism. She is just as much at fault as Gabriel himself. She was never forced to do anything. And now she gets a pass because Adrien is an orphan and needs a mother figure. Okay, I guess? I just wish that all of her actions aren't just forgotten by Marinette and that Nathalie still has to work to earn forgiveness. If you are going to let her get away with everything at least bother to give her an actual redemption arc (RIP Chlóe).

4. Time travel bullshit aka what my original post was kinda about

Now finally let's talk about my girl Alix. I love her. "Miraculous London Special only exists as an excuse to remove time travel from the plot again lmao rip Alix you are back to 0 screentime girl"

This is based on Marinette suggesting that Alix might have to stay in the Burrow again. "Might" because she did appear in the season 5 epilogue after the time skip. We know a few months have passed and it doesn't seem like Cerise has actually done anything yet since she attempted to figure out Ladybug's identity. So that inactivity might have allowed her to return for now.

But the main issue remains. The writers have introduced an overpowered concept. Which time travel just is and always will be. Krux and Acronix from Lego Ninjago used to say: "Control time, control everything!" And they were right. You do control everything. One small change can lead to major consequences. The thing is, the writers have introduced more than one overpowered concept. Take the Rooster Miraculous for example. Sublimation can give you any power you can think of, as long as it doesn't interfere with the powers of another miraculous. Alright, then my power is, that if you are akumatized and look at me you get major diarrhea. Or if you are currently in possession of the Butterfly Miraculous you want to give it to Ladybug. But the overpoweredness of the Rooster was never acknowledged in the show. The overpoweredness of the Bunny, however, was. And that's a problem. Back in the early 2000s, when Justice League the Animated Series aired, there was a very common theme across the majority of episodes: They had to come up with a reason why Superman couldn't just fly in and destroy whatever threat they were currently dealing with. Either he was away in space, or there was Kryptonite involved, or he couldn't act without revealing his identity, etc. And Miraculous has the same problem. They need to come up with an active reason to why Bunnyx can't just fix everything. And the easiest (and cheapest) way to do that is to just not have her present at all.

And that sucks.

Miraculous London Special only exists as an excuse to remove time travel from the plot again lmao rip Alix you are back to 0 screentime girl

[minecraftfalloutau]

I remember once, during the Las Nevadas arc (think like, right after the first stream Wil and Tom went there and spoke with Q), I went into the NV tag because I like looking at the art there from time to time. Some asshole was having baby rage that someone on Twitter realized there were some similarities between LN arc stuff and NV. Like, they were so so upset that someone would dare compare the story bits to the game. How dare!! It was honestly pretty funny. NV as a game is no way perfect, it has a lot of issues, it’s DLCs as well. Especially a certain DLC. So there was some irony to it as well.

I know eventually a few other people also realized the similarities. There aren’t many, but still a good few. Very fascinating. I made my character/sona the courier, with this whole story of going from the wasteland to the smp world, because of my block game username. I ain’t gonna just not take the opportunity when it’s right there. Can’t wait for people to get pissy about that.