#would love for her to add some variety back to her game 🥲

[rolandkaros]

what are your thoughts on the coach change for Iga… idk how to feel honestly

hm. complicated?

overall i think it makes sense...iga even said directly in the statement that they set out with specific goals in their partnership, i.e. a fresh approach to tennis, reaching world #1. her game has definitely changed with tomasz, and she definitely achieved the world #1 feat. and my understanding is that it's pretty normal for players to go through "stages" with coaches, depending on where they're at in their careers and what their goals are in that time period. she's still doing great things but if her goals have expanded, maybe to improving different aspects of her game or going after more grand slam results, then a coaching change isn't too surprising. i also think (aside from results) that on court maybe iga's not been the same, which could be due to a million different things (stress, injury, fatigue, personal factors). but even looking back to earlier this season, it really does feel like she might just need a refresh, a new face in the box, a new approach, a new perspective, etc etc etc.

i was maybe surprised by it just because it seemed like they got along quite well, and overall the results haven't been bad. i feel like people (the media, commentators, fans) have made them out to be bad, but i really think that's because iga is held to such a high standard anyway. since the relationship seems good, i was expecting they'd stick it out longer and try to push towards new goals together. but i don't think a coaching change was a bad decision! i just think it was a bit unexpected from my point of view.

so yeah. i think it makes sense, i don't think it was a needed decision, but still a good one. idk. i'm very curious to see who will be her new coach.

[sitp-recs]

Fandom creators self rec game! Choose five favourites from your own creations (and tell me why, if you like!), then pass on to at least five other people. I'd love to hear what you're proudest of.

Hello beloved! It’s always a privilege to see you in my inbox, thank you so much for this lovely ask and apologies for taking two centuries to reply lol this was a quite emotional trip down memory lane for me - I couldn’t decide whether to go with rec lists or single recs (oof I haven’t written one in so long 🥲) because they’re both so different and special in their own way. In the end I’m gonna do lists because I think they’re generally more helpful and popular! I’ve been going through a creative / fandom slump for a while now, so this was great encouragement as it made me look back at my own recs with joy and kindness. Thank you babes 💜

1. I actually still love the Drarry for Beginners series! Fun story, I wasn’t very confident about it at first - I was getting many requests for a classics rec list back then but I don’t really vibe with the “MUST read these or you’re not a valid fandom member” mentality so I tried to come up with a different format that felt more like an invitation than a lecture. I think I found a good balance of well known fics and hidden gems, so I’m very proud of that. Also, the banners looked really good! Especially the redemption arc and the Muggle!Draco AU ones if I do say so myself.

2. The Hidden Gems series is also one of my most precious babies - it took me a long time to plan it out, read all fics and prepare the small blurbs for each one and I really love how it came across, the authors I chose to highlight, and the fact that I was able to mix Drarry and rare pairs. I remember getting an ask back in the day that accused me of only reccing my friends (anon really overestimated my network size 🤣), they could have at least checked the hidden gem series before going for public embarrassment lol there’s so much to explore there, and I really wanna come back to it one day to finalize the second edition that I started posting in 2022. Hopefully this year!

3. 35 Romantic Shorts: my heart is so very soft for this one, not only because the ever generous @bluebutter-art has let me use her stunning art for the banner, but I’m also such a passionate champion of short form and I feel like this list really embraced the concept and delivered great recs. I’m not a fluff gal by any standards so this was a nice exercise finding the softest, most romantic and soothing reads that made my heart beat faster. It would be lovely to go back and maybe add a couple more lists with new shorts, or alternatively make new lists for medium-length and long fics. So many ideas, so little time!

4. It feels like a lifetime ago but I’m still very fond of my “smutty recs week” that I made to celebrate one of my first followers milestone. Ahh the nostalgia! All lists can be found here and include a wide variety of themes and kinks like voyeurism, dirty talk, gang bang and others. Those banners are some of my favourites too, they turned out very sassy and clever if I do say so myself. I had so much fun with them! I gotta find the time to sit down and update some of those lists with newer treats!

5. Now highlighting something more recent (from Feb 2023… LOL) I’m super proud of my Rare Pair Romance list for Valentine’s Day. It was a great chance to compile (most of) my favorite rare pair fics in one place and include different ships and tropes. I’m always looking for an excuse to rec het pairings which I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so this was the perfect way to do it.