#pulp answers

[verymuchwowperson]

🏳️‍🌈Happy Pride Month!🏳️‍⚧️

This month's question is themed. Tell me about Steps' orientations. Do they identify differently from how you'd describe them? Has their orientation/attraction changed since their Sidestep era?

helloooo!!! happy pride month to you too cigs!!! hope its been a good one so far :) and thank you for the question! anyway. again i say:

WEARING MY TSHIRT THAT SAYS ASK ME ABOUT MY SIDESTEPS GENDER AND SEXUAL IDENTITIES. IM NORMAL ABOUT THIS. AND SO ARE MY SIDESTEPS. I PROMISE YOU.

Caine:

pt 2 of "their identity is arguably the most complex out of all of my sidesteps and hes figuring None of that out": i would describe him as bisexual, biromantic, demisexual, and the same flavour of aromantic that ortega is (no concept of what romantic attraction actually is so hes open to dating anyone who wants to). they just found out they were bisexual as of retribution and fully believe they have everything about their identity sorted out. all of that is Before i throw the puppet (hark) into the mix because hark is a cis gay man. they really did think they were straight during his sidestep days, having been taught that straight was the default at the farm and finding no reason to stray from that idea (Especially if hes got julia, where dating her reinforced the idea he was straight). being able to compare their own emotions with chen through telepathy, either through learning theyve been harbouring a crush on ricardo for years or learning theyre mutually attracted to chen, was the only way he managed to find out he was bisexual. as for the demisexual aspect of it all, the possibility of being on the ace spectrum kinda had a wrench thrown into it by the assumption that Every regene was ace. because why would the farm program sexual attraction into them???? nobodys having sex any time soon??????? hark experiences sexual attraction with ricardo, but thats because harks human. obviously. the first time he actually feels sexual attraction for his partners will be both a jumpscare and a complete paradigm shift. i cannot stress enough how fucking funny i find this utter mess of a sexuality.

Cyrus:

HEY. HEY REMEMBER THIS.

YEAH WERE ABOUT TO GET INTO SOME FUCKING CONFUSION HERE. he personally enjoys labels because it makes him feel in control of his own identity, and it helps direct peoples perception of him. that being said, he would personally describe himself as pansexual. i, however, cannot pin down his sexuality for the Life of me. is he gay??? bisexual with a preference for men??? a more specific label like omnisexual or abrosexual???? who knows!!!! i dont and at this rate im going to give up trying!!!!!! honestly hes not above taking up the label queer, im just a bit stubborn about this lmao. like his gender though, regardless of the specific label, its something thats stayed very constant throughout the years. so constant, in fact, he may or may not have a Type, and if anybody points that out hed simply vanish from the earth never to be seen again.

Cecilia:

cecilias a lesbian! she has been since her sidestep days. i actually hc that ricardo confessed to her once and she laughed in his face about it. um. sorry ricardo. she may even be some version of aroace, it wouldnt surprise me tbh, but she continues to elude me. if she does turn out on that spectrum, itd be something she already 100% knew and simply chose to leave me in the dark about. cecilia is very confident in her identity. or at least she was, until ace came along and messed everything up. see, while ceci is a lesbian, ace is a straight woman. a straight woman who sleeps with merle abelard. but its cecilias mind in ace, right??? does that mean shes secretly not a lesbian???? (no.) has she been faking it this whole time????? (no.) will mortum hate her forever if he found out????? (no. may hate her forever for other reasons though, considering that betrayed status.) aces attraction throws ceci for a loop a lot of the time, and its one of the reasons shes so uncomfortable in aces body. cecis sexuality is one of the few things she has for herself, an external factor calling that into question is genuinely upsetting. but as her creator who (hopefully) isnt getting tricked this time, i can confirm she is a lesbian whose naturally forward personality simply pushes ace to act on physical attraction.

Chance:

actually???? genuinely the most normal about his sexuality out of all of my sidesteps. she describes herself as bisexual, and i have no notes on it. his problems are a lot more focused on his gender lmfao, she knew from the minute she stepped out of the farm and saw how hot regular ass people could be that she was doomed to forever short-circuit whenever somebody pretty/handsome passed by him on the street. and you know what. good for her.

[leonsliga]

I love that thomas and manu ship themselves. with a lot of other duos, it's just wishful thinking (totally fine) but their friendship? god <3 so real. the pictures, the "we've been married for 15 years", the interviews... why so romantic if not romantic lol in another universe, they are 100% together

Right? Everything’s so easy and natural with them. And while I don’t mind a bit of wishful thinking myself, the bond Manu and Thomas have is so authentic and genuine that it’s hard not to get a least a little sappy about them. And there’s just. so. much. lore. Even setting aside the iconic decade partners Instagram post and Thomas saying they’ve been married for 15 years, we’ve had so many moments that just really only make sense with them. Like when Thomas named one of his colts Manuel because he was born on Manu’s birthday, or how, during Bayern’s dominant 2012/13 season, Thomas would train with Manu during matches to keep his reflexes sharp. Or, well, just about any of what they said about each other here:

And, along those lines, sometimes they say things that just have such old married couple undertones that it’s genuinely hard to interpret them any other way, like the time reporters asked Manu if he would go golfing with Thomas at the DFB training camp and he replied with “I can’t golf. I could carry his luggage or whatever.” Or the time Thomas was asked about Manu’s perfect match against Porto back in his Schalke days and he immediately remembered his platinum blonde hair from back then. And then of course there’s the time Manu said Thomas was more than a teammate for him (aka Neuller heritage).

We also can’t forget when the two were decorating Bayern’s Christmas tree in 2015 and Thomas asked Manu if he holds onto the ornament baubles as tightly as he would a match ball (translation: Thomas wanted Manu to hold onto his baubles tightly 😏). Or how, when asked about whether or not Thomas would like to be Bayern’s official captain one day, Thomas was quick to reply, “I hope not. I’ve always tried to take responsibility in the team, but Manu is very welcome to remain my captain until the end of my career.” (in case you needed more proof that these two were robbed).

But that married couple-ness isn’t just in their words; it’s in their actions too. Take any of the times they’ve held hands during matches, or all the loving face cradling, head rubs, and head pats. And of course, the hugs. The many, many hugs. Especially from the side, so Thomas can grab onto Manu’s waist.

Also, I refuse to let any of you overlook that time Thomas gave Manu a full-on neck message in the tunnel (which, I might add, Manu was so unfazed by that it’s hard not to wonder if this had happened before).

And while we’re at it, talking about niche Neuller moments and all, there was that time they might very well have kissed behind a poorly-timed German flag back in 2010. And all their other Euro 2012 qualifier shenanigans that same year.

Fast-forwarding a bit to the 2012/13 season, and we were in for a treat; we had Thomas pulling a Luis Suárez and going in for a little nibble on Manu’s arm. Because not even the great Thomas Müller is immune to the cute aggression Manuel Neuer inspires.

Also, what about the time Manu got absolutely piss-drunk during the treble celebrations that same season and decided he needed to hug Thomas IMMEDIATELY? Or how we got the closest thing to an actual kiss we might ever get when Thomas kissed him on the cheek here?

Honestly, 2013 was Bayern’s year in more ways than one, because not only did it bring us the treble, it also brought us this iconic verse in the Neuller gospel:

But let’s get back to the way they talk about one another, because it doesn’t matter what the situation is—they always back each other. Before the 2014 World Cup even started (and Manu all but fingered him during the post-win festivities), he was already convinced Thomas would be the key to their success—a sentiment that carried over to club level, where he insisted Thomas was the linchpin in Bayern’s attack.

With Manu, it’s often the little things that speak volumes, like trusting in Thomas’ fitness, his ability to influence a match, and his importance for Bayern. He’s quick to remind everyone that Thomas always stands up for the team, that he’s dangerous regardless of position, and that his constant communication is a game-changer. As Manu would put it, “we (Bayern) need Thomas”.

Even when Thomas fell out of favor at Bayern for a time, Manu rushed to his defense, reminding everyone that “he’s a mature player who doesn’t buckle so easily”, and, despite dealing with a lot of criticism, Thomas remained important for the squad and was always in demand (in one way or another). Put another way, he had faith that Thomas could handle it.

For Thomas’ part, he has no problem casually reminding everyone that he thinks Manu is the number 1 goalkeeper in the world, that he makes a good striker, and, even though there are many good goalkeepers, Manu is special—just a step above the others and superb on the ball.

When his mans was shafted for FIFA World Player of the Year in 2015, Thomas knew just what to say: even if Manu didn’t win, he was the FIFA World Player in his heart. In fact, his decade partner was pretty much the reason Thomas felt so confident going into Bayern’s 2020 Champions League tie versus PSG; after all, in his words, “we’ll still have Manuel Neuer between the sticks”, a sentiment he echoed after they won.

And let’s not forget about that time a reporter asked Thomas to weigh in on the debate of who should be Germany’s number 1: Neuer or Ter Stegen. Thomas’ answer was immediate: “It’s a difficult decision, of course, but Manu has always been my goalkeeper. That’s why I’m standing by him.” Long story short, they’re always in each other’s corners, and they make no secret of it.

The point is, even when they make mistakes, they’re each other’s most fervent protectors. If the world is against them, then at least they still have each other and always will. Take Manu conceding against Gladbach, a team many would consider to be our goatkeeper’s kryptonite; Thomas was quick to remind the media that he’d saved Bayern’s points plenty of times in the past, and that this time, he just didn’t have as much to do before the goal and was probably a bit cold at the time.

Then you’ve got Manu on the other side of the things, supporting his husband’s rights and his husband’s wrongs, speculating that his red card (yes that one) was because he didn’t see Tagliafico and pretty much already had his foot up, aiming for the ball.

Hell, even when Manu was out of commission for a majority of the 2022/23 season (due to his nearly career-ending injury), Thomas visited him in rehab every day, no doubt for emotional support (and so he could tell his husband his best dad jokes). Although Manu was away from the squad physically, he was there in spirit; Thomas made sure of that, posting Manu’s autograph card from that season above his locker:

But it’s more than sticking around in each other’s darkest moments; they celebrate each other’s achievements too. Whenever Manu wins anything (and I mean anything), guess who’s first in line to congratulate him. It doesn’t matter if it’s World’s Best Goalkeeper, best goalkeeper of the 2019/20 Champions League season, FIFPro World 11, or even his DFB Pokal performance, Thomas will be posting about it (and probably already has). It doesn’t even have to be football-related, like when Manu was awarded the Bavarian State Medal for Social Merit for his charity work. Hell, even when Manu was one of the 3 FIFA World Footballer of the Year finalists, he was overwhelmed with pride (chill babe, the results weren’t even in yet). But by far my favorite instance of these two celebrating each other’s victories actually came from Manu: when he made sure the squad celebrated Thomas’ milestone 500th win with Bayern and refused to let him even try to be modest about it.

Honestly, let’s face it: we could make an entire separate post about all of the Neuller content that came out of Thomas’ 500th win. We had Manu running the length of the pitch to celebrate Thomas’ goal in that milestone match, Manu’s comments in his post-match presser, Thomas’ special thank you to Manu after the fact, the “married for 15 years” comment, and a new Neuller ad where Manu gave Thomas a special anniversary gift…there was so much content that it was almost overwhelming. We were so well fed that week 🥹

Also, speaking of Manu’s comments in his post-match pressers, I’m pretty sure at least a good 1/4 of Manu’s love language is praising Thomas in them, as you can see here, here, here, and here. The rest is him basically reciting his glorified wedding vows to anyone who will listen (and physical touch, duh).

Then you’ve got Thomas turning every Instagram story he can into him gushing over his Schnapper’s skills:

And he has no problem following Manu’s lead either, waxing poetic about his man in post-match interviews.

For as much praise as they heap on one another to the press though, they’re also no strangers to openly flirting with each other as well, if you couldn’t tell from that video from the Audi FCB Tour at the beginning. So, in that spirit, lovely people of the jury, I present to you exhibit A, where Manu told Thomas he’d “given himself a present 😉” after his 400th Bundesliga appearance (whatever tf that means).

Alright, now onto exhibit B: Thomas posting a picture with his two dogs and Manu asking “who’s more handsome”, only for Thomas to answer, “you, dog 😀”. Get a room you two!

Oh, you need more evidence, you say? Well, I’ve got you covered. Have a pic of Thomas brazenly checking out Manu’s ass, because not even he can resist the biggest bakery in Germany.

What’s that? You still need more? Well, aren’t you demanding! But don’t worry, there’s more blatant homoeroticism to come, because here we have exhibit D, where Thomas called doubles tennis with Manu “a dream come true”:

Actually, speaking of doubles tennis with Manu, I’m pretty sure this clip was the inspiration for the movie Challengers. The DFB has yet to confirm this of course, but I have no doubt that that confirmation is coming any day now 😉

Anyways, Neuller is so real and so powerful that at one point Bayern just caved and started funding some club-sanctioned dates. Usually they’re chaperoned (because Bayern might be a little homophobic with it—either that or they don’t trust Thomas not to try and conquer Manu any time they’re left to their own devices—it’s a toss-up really) by the likes of Basti, Mats, or even half the squad (see: 2022 Audi Summer Games). But not always. Sometimes we get Schafkopf dates (because they’re literal senior citizens and their date nights are just them playing cutesy little card games like the old bitties they are).

But anyways, back to our regularly scheduled shipping nonsense, because we still have exhibit E to go through: one day Thomas decided to make Manu’s goalkeeper training a little extra special by showing up shirtless (pretty sure the point of goalkeeper training is to keep him focused, not distract him with your lean, muscular body, Thomas, but I digress):

And lastly, I believe this gem deserves at least an honorable mention:

Let’s take a minute for Manu’s “Schnapper” nickname as well, which, although it may not be one that originated with Thomas, I think we can all agree he’s made it his own. After all, he uses it pretty much every time he talks about him.

As a brief little side note though (I feel like a lawyer giving my closing statements atp 😅), I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Thomas literally follows a Neuller fan account. Whether it’s intentional on his part or not, it’s still a fun addition to the lore.

So, in conclusion, if not romantic ship, why romantic ship-shaped? 🥺 I’m with you; in another universe, perhaps one not so distant from ours, they got married and grew old together, settling into a house in the mountains, surrounded by horses and doggos. I’m just glad they found each other in this universe at least, because, as it turns out, a Schalker and a Bayern Ultra make one hell of a dream team ❤️

They didn’t know it yet, but they’d go on to coparent the most dominant and successful club in Germany

[trafalgardlawless]

listen i do appreciate canon marineford for the tragedy it is. however it does happen to also be extremely funny.

ace is on his knees on the execution platform, the same place the father that he despises and has tried to define himself outside for his whole life had knelt, thinking this might be the most fitting ending to the life long crashout ace started when he found out who his father was

and then in comes LUFFY, his cheerful persistent little menace of a brother, who has come to COP CENTRAL to break ace out PUBLICLY.

Not only that, but he’s staged a mass break out of the formerly inescapable prison IMPEL DOWN (HE WASNT EVEN LOCKED UP IN THERE? SO EVERYONES A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED AS TO HOW THAT HAPPENED???)

He also kind of looks like shit? But he’s fighting like he’s on day three of a methamphetamine high so no one can be sure how injured luffy Really is.

side note: luffy tanked a lung full of Kills You Dead Toxin and then got shot full of Lowers Your Lifespan Drug and on top of all that, DEMANDED the Super Lowers Your Lifespan Drug when he realized he might need anything resembling recovery time.

as an elder sibling myself, ace might’ve been truly grateful for being loved at the end, but i KNOW there’s a part of him that was INFURIATED that his kid brother managed to crash out harder than he did like OMG STOP COPYING ME FRRRRRRRRRR.

[astro-naut9]

Of!Ford,Stan 80s meet wishing star Stanley AU

idk what you mean by OF so I assumed you mean OG,,,, IM SO SORRY IF IM MISTAKEN!!!

[trainwreckisawreck]

pulp musicals is making me insane. i need to go through every song and categorize ALL of the motifs. there’s SO MANY and i want to know All Of Them

[thearcanecat]

I know you’re really into miraculous right now, especially Gabriel and Natalie, so you’ve got to here me out on the idea that Itzal keeps Margaret’s mother in a coffin Emile Agreste style.

Yes!!! He would do that. Dead wife hidden away and Margaret and Dakkar do not know and are not going to be happy about it when they find out. That’s going to trigger another “father no” from Mags.

Kal knows and foreshadows it a bit to Dakkar. Sia also knows and is hiding it from the siblings kinda s6 Marinette style (So basically Gabriel made the wish and told Mari to let Adrien remember him as a good dad and not. You know. The guy who terrorized all of Paris. So now Mari told everyone Gabriel died a hero and keeps hiding his Hawk Mothness from Adrien. And has to grin and bear it as Adrien gets all excited his dad was a good person after all.) Sia does this more to Margaret, since she doesn’t have any memories of Itzal or the Blazing World initially. She’s evasive with answers, hiding evidence when they come to Lincoln, and ignores the many flaws of Itzal and his kingdom from pre-fall days. Dakkar and the rest don’t love it, but assume it’s Sia’s way of coping or her setting up a vision. She often uses the Rabbit as an excuse to not tell people things because it would mess with the flow of time. All while actively messing with time herself.

The twins would get the Rooster and Goat pair. I think Goat to Samuel and Rooster to Rose. She comes up with the most insane and randomly specific powers. Her weapon is the PPP. Mags can have Tiger for Clout. She just gets to blast people for fun. John gives me Butterfly vibes for some reason so he can have that one. Anna gets the Monkey. Also just vibes. Dakkar has the Turtle. Ahlaam, Horse. Sia, Rabbit. Addison, Dog, because Top.

Itzal Fox for sure, plus merged with Black Cat. Kal and the other unnamed minions of Itzal have Alliance ring equivalents so Itzal can send them some powers when needed. Kal is often given Dragon so he can turn into fog. Trio of Fox, Pig, and Peacock are used to create various illusions and things like Embers of Antikytheria.

Itzal’s wife who I’m calling Chazira used a broken Miraculous. She had Ladybug and Itzal had the Black Cat. She dies, Itzal wants to make a wish to bring her back. Everyone else immediately clocks that as a bad idea and works to smuggle out Mags since she’s the Guardian. Somewhere in the escape she has to renounce the Miracle Box in order to keep it safe, leading to her amnesia. She doesn’t pick a new Guardian by name, because Itzal would just chase them down, but makes the new Guardian someone she will know where to find in the future.

Itzal currently can’t make the wish because of how damaged the Ladybug is. He needs to Spellbook, which vanished along with the Miracle Box. Everyone just thinks Chazira is dead, they don’t know about the weird stasis coffin the basement.

Box ends up with the Stratfords. The twins hear all sorts of fun stories from the kwamis which inspire their writings. (Most of the kwamis have holders, so only a few are left with the Stratfords.)

Margaret did not realize her jewelry was a Miraculous until Benjamin’s Apartment/The Radiance. Transformed and blasts the twins as in canon. John saw it all and is amazed because he ended up with the Spellbook and wants to learn more.

Twins give out Miraculous to anyone they like. Rabbit Sia at the end of Brick Satellite jogs Margaret’s memory on the power ups and they get space forms. Does not figure out water powers in time for Vanishing though.

[teddybeartoji]

okee kittens i really do actually have to sleep now i have to have a good day tomorrowwww!!!!!! i love you i love you mwah mwah<3333333333

[addisonarvad]

Have been thinking about Pulp Musicals again and I think Anna & Addison would've been such good friends if they ever met

literally!!

[verymuchwowperson]

It's the first of May! That means a new question!

How do your Sidesteps dress? Has that changed between their days as Sidestep and now? Does their specific villain career affect their wardrobe?

as guy famous for knowing next to nothing about fashion, this one was hard hsjhfjgh. i thinkk i got them all pinned down though!

Caine:

im convinced at least 40% of the reason ortega recognized him again at the diner was because of his clothes. its a ratty gray sweater with jeans and black shoes and that is All they ever wear. like i cannot stress enough, i joke about how all my characters are cartoon characters because i never draw them wearing anything else, but for caine they really are Just Like That. the only time they ever wear anything else is for spars/training, where they ditch the sweater and replace their jeans with sweatpants.

Cyrus:

he always toed the line between fashionable and grungy streetwear to me. for a good while when i first played him i pinned him down as grungy before deciding the presentability score was too low and switching.

something like these with a bit of a brighter pop of colour and a preference for rougher, stiffer fabrics. on occasion hell go for lighter clothes that fit closer to the fashionable streetwear side, sort of like this

as sidestep, he was a little more subdued. hed still wear more fashionable clothes, but hed also be equally likely to go around in a sweater and jeans. less concerned about looking good and more with fitting in. the personality in his fits came from the little trinkets hed carry around, which honestly hindered him at times while a hero hdjhejf. being a herohunter doesnt do much for his style, but theres a lot of utility in dressing rougher around the edges. his "dont look at me" aura has to do a lot less work.

Cecilia:

man. Does her specific villain career affect her fashion. wjhshf ok so the thing i figured out about ceci a bit ago is that her villain career will change her storyline and character Significantly, and her sense of style is affected by that. as a thief, she dresses quirky and preppy. lots of bright colours and bold fits.

she has more room to express her creativity and experiment, because when shes a thief, shes really a one woman show. she has no obligation to other people, and shes free to do whatever the hell she wants. as a mob boss, shes still has the ability to dress as she pleases, but shes more constrained by others impression of her. her crew knows her face, so her clothing has to be representative of her power and status. in game, she takes up an expensive elegant style.

looser, flowy fabrics, with that air of old money and just the right hint of personality to make her seem approachable. shes made sure to curate her looks well. i havent figured out what shes like in the other professions, so im not sure how shed dress! as for how she was like when she was sidestep, she didnt really have her own sense of style. it was a lot of experimenting and mixing between the ones she came across, mostly ortegas and anathemas.

Chance:

BEFORE I ANSWER THIS QUESTION. cynthia -> chance. ok now i can talk. this is one i actually had an answer to when i read the question adhsjdfd. something i dont think comes up a lot is that chance is a Massive jock. its a lot less prominent now, but in her sidestep days she loved just Moving. to accommodate she wore a lot of sportswear, and probably had more than a few lovingly used sneakers she held on to. she wore the most formfitting clothes out of all the sidesteps, less out of style than necessity.

slap a few more layers of clothes onto these badboys and youre golden. Post hb though, she didnt want to risk even the Possibility of skin, so she started overlaying these clothes with big puffy sweaters/coats and the like. she still wears them underneath though, theyre handy if she needs to get on the move quickly.

[leonsliga]

Thomas apparently going to the US makes me so nervous. He is so incredibly bavarian, can he even survive there? Will his humor translate? Will he miss his dogs and bunnies and horses too much? Will marco reus become the unlikely new bestie? 🥹 Please world, be kind to him.

I get that 🫂 if the rumors are indeed true, it would definitely a big change, but maybe I can help calm a bit of that worry. While I’ve been living in Scotland for most of the past two years, I’m originally from the U.S. (which is definitely for worse more than for better these days—all it takes is one glance at the current president authoritarian dictator to see that…*sighs* ok, brief political rant over), so I may be able to offer a bit of insight into what I’ve seen from our football culture + what it’s been like for other stars who’ve made the move to MLS.

While football is far from as famous as it is pretty much, well…everywhere else in the world (as I’m sure those who tuned into the Club World Cup this summer or those who have watched MLS before can attest), it is growing steadily in the States, and I of course can’t speak for everyone, but those who know the sport will likely know, respect, and love Thomas for the legend he is. Especially us Bayern fans ❤️ beyond that though, how could any of us who have seen it forget his heroics in the 2014 World Cup, or the way he announced himself on the world’s biggest stage back in 2010? Like much of the world, us U.S. football fans who know him generally see him as a tactical genius, the footballer with no enemies, and a genuinely funny guy who’s always got a joke at the ready.

All this to say, I know there’s bad apples/fans in every bunch and in every nation, but my guess is that if we’re lucky enough to get him, he’ll be welcomed with open arms. And I’m not saying there won’t be hiccups—despite quite a few of us having German ancestors, we may not pronounce his name quite right (you might hear a lot of “tom-us” instead of “toe-mas”, for example), but at our best, we’re friendly, we’re willing to learn, and we’ll be grateful he chose to come to us 😊

As for his Bavarian-ness and whether he can survive in the States, I’m optimistic 😁 I will say though, there will be some cultural differences that may take some time for him to adjust to. For instance, we’re far from the most walkable country, especially in some towns and cities, we love small talk for some reason (I’ve never figured this one out myself, but then again, I’m a massive introvert), we’re often much less direct, we tend to be louder than most countries, and we’re sometimes tooth-rottingly positive even when we have no reason to be, to name a few. But if anyone can adapt to anything and fit in anywhere, it’s Thomas Müller.

And that brings me to his humor. I have the blessing/curse of having English as my mother tongue, and in both the U.K. and the U.S. we’re shown quite a few of Thomas’ English-speaking interviews. And while I know some of his jokes may never perfectly translate into English (take this one in Bavarian from the 2014 World Cup, for example), he has such a universal type of humor and charisma that I’m not too worried. It’s one thing to be funny in your native language, but it’s another thing entirely to be funny in your second language, and Thomas is. I mean hell, before I knew pretty much any German whatsoever I was laughing at his jokes in English 😂 he really is a gifted comedian! I’ll include some links below to videos that make me confident his humor will translate well to a U.S. American viewership, for funsies:

“You have to show it in a windy night in Stoke!”

“In my age, normally you need a wheelchair.”

“Meep meep meep meep, the roadrunner!”

Proof that you don’t always need words to be funny

“Thomas Müller here live from the UEFA awards…”

New celebration unlocked: the swan

Showing off some silky skills

“We in Bayern…we have Robert LewanGOALski…you know, Robert LewanGOALski?” - skip to 17:30 and thank me later :)

*holds up his player of the match trophy* “thank you, now you can see it. Ok, I can put it down.”

“Thomas, can you believe Bayern didn’t score today?” “We scored.”

This entire interview tbh

His copy the penalty challenge with Harry Kane

I should note that the fan culture here might take some getting used to as well. As I’ve said, football’s growth is relatively new in the States (see this video for a little history lesson + a sampling of what MLS fan culture is like - i really, really recommend it if you want to get a sense of what Thomas would be entering into), especially compared to most European countries, so our “Ultras” are still very much new to the whole thing, and that’s made us a bit of a laughing stock more than once (maybe you’ve seen this classic) 😅 unfortunately, the reality is that for many of us, our “local” clubs can be more than an hour’s drive away, which probably doesn’t help matters, especially when it comes to organizing fan events/tifos. Still, even if we are slow learners sometimes, we do learn (take a look at some of the recent tifos from a sampling of clubs across the league, for example). We’re lucky to have a lot of diversity in the U.S. as well, despite what the current administration may insist; our immigrant populations, especially those who came from countries where football is a way of life, often take the lead and show the rest of us how it’s done.

Here’s a fun story to help put things in perspective on how much things have changed: not much more than a decade ago, we had hockey commentators covering football matches. You heard that right: hockey commentators 😵 So we have come a long way since then (look no further than our fun-loving CBS crew of Kate Scott, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Micah Richards), but when you compare us with most of the world, we’ve still got a long way to go.

Thomas may also encounter something he probably hasn’t experienced in a long time, at least not to the same extent: a degree of anonymity. The majority of people in the States are more familiar with 🏈 football, basketball, or baseball, so Thomas may find, the same as many of his superstar predecessors have, that he can actually go out in public without being recognized. My hope is that that will bring him some peace 🤞

As for his dogs, bunnies, and horses, if the rumors are true and he does move to MLS, that’s one of the things that will make me the saddest. He’s such an animal-lover and I’m sure they’ll all miss him, the same as he’ll miss them 💔

Still, as someone who loves the Bundesliga and is a sucker for a good story, a part of me would love to see Thomas and Marco as teammates at LA Galaxy, if Thomas chooses to come to the States (and decides not to retire altogether). A month or so ago, Marco said he’d love to see Thomas in MLS. Besides, Thomas having a fellow German by his side could definitely help ease the transition, and I’m sure Marco would share all his insider tips with him. I don’t know…they’re both such class acts that typify loyalty to their respective clubs; I’d love to see them join forces at club level for once ❤️ but what are your thoughts?

[sprites-blight]

Hiiii! So, what’s you think of Searcher? And Samuel?

Also, if you want more pulp musicals there’s a minisode about Benjamin called A Penny Revisited.

And there’s Transmissions, which are really just announcements but have fun art and explain some of the inspiration behind the stories.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd0CNGrUhmofmf6wpGgFkcX3QKiuBDSUt&si=YEyNM9lE2PRuay-v

hiii

overall, I thought the episode was good! Finding out that Margaret’s brother is Dakkar and her father is Itzal, learning more about the Blazing World and the people who used to live there, finding out that rose is the key (they don’t think she is anymore but they used to), lots of important stuff happened. I’m curious about what Margaret said after she got her memories back, and what it’s referring to, but we’ll probably find out in pulp five

if you couldn’t tell from all of my incoherent posts yesterday, the Samuel thing hit me hard. Especially when he sings the “young man with potential” line at the end of the reprised (that hurt). It makes logical sense, and it was probably a good way to conclude his arc, but it still hurts.

I think I’m going to listen to the mini episode on Saturday, because my aunt and uncle and I are going on a three hour drive back to where I live from another relative’s house. And I haven’t heard of the transmissions, so thanks for telling me about those! I’ve been listening on Spotify so I didn’t know they existed. I’ll have to check those out on Saturday or Sunday.

[midnightnautilus]

If I get one crack theory with an obscure character hill to die on, it’s that MAIA Pulp Musicals (the radio we only see in transmissions and not actually in canon) is a Traveler

[missholloween]

I wanna hear about the au. No pressure though.

Okay so. Pulp roleswap au!!!! The Brick Family are now the inhabitants of the Blazing World and viceversa.

The Cavendish siblings are the children of Itzal, the owner of one of the most reknown newspapers in all of New York. Although the publication is popular, there is a general feeling of discontent in the office, as Itzal's strong hand rules. There is no place for imagination, nor any type of personality. News have to be objective, tangible, real... But the Cavendish know life can be more than that.

That's why they decide to publish one of their stories in the paper: it's a tale of fantasy and fiction they've been working on for years, a scapegoat from the gray reality they live in. To make their tale pass as real, they decide to include the famous astronomer Sia Laplace, one of the most well-known figures in her camp who Margaret admires.

(I haven't done Sia's design yet, I'll do it later today/next week)

Once the Cavendish manage to convince Kal, Itzal's right hand and Dakkar's best friend, to take their story into print, their life takes an enormous turn: Their story finally gets their own writing into the spotlight, recognized as such. They also manage to snap the attention of different people, like Rose Startford, a reknown fiction author who feels deep kniship with their story, or Sia Laplace, that comes to New York to ask for an explanation.

After some betrayals and some impossible actions, Rose, Margaret, Dakkar and Sia part to adventures that will lead them to space, the ocean and many, many more places.

Other swaps include Alhaam as Anna, Addison as AJ and SAMUEL, ANNA AND JOHN AS TRAVELERS TOO! Imagine John going to a Rose in the Brick Satellite (or whatever Sia is working on with Alhaam) and creating the stars for her, showing her Polaris instead of an Ipomea, or Samuel and Rose's reunion in episode 4. To be honest, I wanted to give them magic ways (Samuel deserves protection and creation magic, as well as Rose). Given that the Startfords are storytellers, I was picturing them with either Creation or Illusion magic, or maybe both of them. I had also though of Rose using a pseudonym as an author, another way of connecting with Samuel even if she doesn't remember (as well as dressing more masc, as she'd probably have to pretend to be a guy. I think Rose deserves to be gnc).

But I don't know!!!! I'm really fond of this idea, and I want to keep working on it. I think there's so much potential to explore different relationships with it (and angst potential. But also Samuel still lives, and that's all I need rn)

[absolutebl]

Just finished The Rebound and enjoyed it a lot, thank you again. Thinking about you calling it a pulp. It's sounds like shade in a way, maybe like calling a movie a B movie. I kinda think I get what you're talking about, but I'm not sure. What do you consider makes a particular QL a "pulp"? (And feel free to refer me to a prior post if you've covered that. Searching on Tumblr is a bear.)

I actually consider myself a great lover of the pulps, but it's a bit like loving soap operas or CW shows, you need to know what you're in for and be prepared to give it a pass on the flaws endemic to the genre.

[pulpmusicalsshippingtournament]

Pulp Musicals Height Poll: Round 5

Match 2- Samuel and Kal

[marimayscarlett]

Current fugure Richard.. I don't want to call him chubby because he's not, he just lost muscle mass and got rounder midsection.. anyway, he has absolutely no idea how hot his current body is.

Sure, he was absolutely stunning when he was ripped, but this so called dad bod.. unreal! Unreal!! It's such a fucking turn on when men, especially his age, look like that. Can you imagine sitting and bouncing on top of that? Jfc!!!

He is fit as fuck and everyone else is wrong! YOU HEAR ME KRUSPE? FIT AS FUCK!!!

Hi 😌

I really swear, even if it seems like it, I did not ghostwrite this post.... It would be futile to try to describe how much Richard is my type in his current state - I can hardly put into words how incredibly attractive his slightly more chunky physique is to me, and apparently some other people, too 👀 And he has offered us so many impecable looks in the past few years!

Such a transformation from a boyfriend material/90's dream boy:

to a well-trained dream of a silver god guitarist:

to a freaking vampire (I'm fine, I'm fine, it's not like this era is a fantasy come true to me, nope):

to an absolute picture book rockstar who is not afraid to flaunt his...all, actually:

to his current look, a little more on the ribs, wonderful voluptuous curves and yet incredibly masculine. While others may not relate to this sentiment, for me this is an absolute dream. I can't even describe it, he just looks so... kneadable, cuddly, yet so manly? Man, I don't even know:

He may not be as ripped anymore, and this is a good thing. Richard is pushing 60, it's only natural that his physique is undergoing changes. And yet he looks so incredibly attractive! I think there's also a lot of self-confidence involved and how he carries himself, to have this mesmerizing effect on us 😌 Regarding the 'fit' part: I think it's safe to say that Richard is still keeping fit with sport, yoga and similar activities, since for example going to the gym or running seems to be a vital part of his daily routine - at least he mentioned it in some interviews a few years ago (for example here and here).

Here I've answered another ask a while ago with a little closer look at Richard's 'evolution':

So in conclusion, me looking at Richard at all times, but especially in this current era: