#and that's my soapbox moment for today

[see-arcane]

Hey there hi there just a friendly reminder today that no matter who tells you it's pointless or how jaded you may feel about the process, if you have not already:

FUCKING.

VOTE.

'Both sides are just as bad!'

No they are not. They never have been. Neither side is perfect. Neither side is 100% pristine. But if you legitimately believe both sides are equally adamant in their routine evil for the sake of profit, bigotry, and generally wanting everything shittier for anyone who is not them, you've been purposefully living under a rock or else you're digging for an excuse not to bother with the tedium of standing in a line and pushing a button.

Do you want a Trump 2.0? Do you want a system stacked entirely with a red deck? Do you want more rights, protections, and sanctions against little things like Not Fucking the Environment Further and Bodily Autonomy and Letting People Who Are LGBT Exist Like Real People thrown into a woodchipper?

No?

THEN VOTE.

Vote like your life and the lives of your loved ones and the lives of total strangers depend on it. Because they do! They very much do!

I won't waste time compiling yet another megalist of all the reasons to vote, all the reasons that people not voting only ever benefits the worst candidates (DON'T FALL FOR THE, 'Oh, but everyone knows better! Plenty of people will vote right! I don't have to!' THOUGHT. THAT AND 'JOKE'-VOTING GOT US TRUMP.), all the huge things the Biden administration has accomplished, all the pure cartoon villainy bullshit the Republicans keep smearing on the country and all the even worse things they want for the future. A future that may or may not contain Trump or someone worse making a presidential bid.

Those posts already exist. So does Google. So does a heap of national and local news sites. Look them up or don't.

But please.

Please.

Please do not let yourself make excuses. Do not let other people try to convince you your vote is empty, that it doesn't make a difference. It does. It always has. This is the one tool we have that lets the pressure of the masses matter when it comes to who we put in charge of the states and the country as a whole. It's why these guys campaign in the first place.

Because the candidates know it matters.

No matter how good or bad or tepid the results are, do not let yourself be one of the people who sat back and threw up their hands just to say. "See? Told you it wouldn't matter!"

With enough of us it does. Whether that's enough of us making the effort to make sure things don't get worse or enough of us sitting back and plugging our ears while everything burns, it matters.

Please. Go. Vote.

[coyotecares]

1-a somehow finding out that their stoic, hardass homeroom teacher is absolutely stupid head over heels in love with their goofy, ridiculous, eccentric english teacher and subsequently reading WAY too much into how they interact in passing when they switch periods every morning

ie: in that scene where shouta takes too long to conclude class and makes mic wait, there's a slight pause in his canter before he calls hizashi "mic"-- class 1-a would be gripping their seats to bring that up in the dorms later about how aizawa-sensei probably almost accidentally called mic-sensei "pookie bear" since that's most DEFINIETLY what he calls him at home

they talk every morning when shouta is leaving the room and hizashi is walking in, and every day, class 1-a will watch for subtleties in behavior so closely that some of them don't even breathe or blink

[chelseahotel2004]

i've been getting a lot of new followers these past few weeks so this is my semi-annual music plug... my roommate and best friend in the whole world released an AWESOME album last year and you should totally go listen to it. one day he's going to be soooo famous and then you guys can brag that you listened to him before it was cool

[awsydawnarts]

I hate you weight loss ads I hate you packaging that prominently displays calorie content I hate you menus that don’t show how much something costs but instead show the calories I hate you magazines that blast weight loss strategies in your face I hate you influencers promoting detox teas I hate how the world is so unfriendly to people recovering from EDs who are just trying to get through their everyday life without being reminded about it under the guise of a “fitness girlie” lifestyle

[redglassbird]

*marches onstage*

*picks up microphone*

"DO NOT. LOSE. YOUR CHILDLIKE URGE TO BALANCE ON THE CURBS. Do not. Stop. Balancing on the curbs. do not stop balancing on the curbs do not stop balancing on the curbs do not stop--"

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 民国奇探/My Roommate is a Detective.

My Roommate is a Detective is a 2020 drama about the Jazz Age shenanigans of a terrible OT3: a useless noodle boy, a spoiled journalist girl, and a handsome thug-turned-cop, who together solve Agatha Christie mysteries in 1920s Shanghai.

I mean, seriously, have you ever wondered what Hercule Poirot would be like if he were a 6'2" Chinese rubber man? If he had a long-suffering sugar daddy from the wrong side of the tracks and a spunky sugar mommy who owned their shared apartment? The answer is, it would be a laugh-out-loud-funny series about a ridiculous and charming assortment of weirdos solving only slightly believable murder mysteries in charming period clothing.

This is another one of those shows where I'm kind of shocked at how not well-known it is, except I'm not, because I can see exactly the problems that keep fandom from descending on it like horny little vultures. Nonetheless, I think it's a good time that more people would enjoy if they gave it the chance. Here's five reasons why you should:

1. Equal parts smart as heck and dumb as butts

On the one hand, especially given its tone and tenor, this show has many surprisingly clever turns and thoughtful moments, carried along by some talented actors. On the other hand, [.gif of a guinea pig in a rollerskate being pushed merrily down a hallway]

This show is not a complicated intellectual exercise. It's an action comedy about a goofy sleuth, a rich-girl reporter, and the cop who should be the straight man in this trio, except he's as much of a goober as the other two are. If the promotional tableaus are giving you real "cover of a Clue box" vibes, you've understood the kind of pastiche it's pulling off.

The mysteries are preposterous. They're all the kind of thing that exemplify the Doyle line about how, when you've eliminated the impossible, whatever's left has got to be the answer, no matter how ding-dang improbable it may be. You know the type: tons of overly elaborate setups, unbelievably perfect timing, coincidental long-lost relatives, people hallucinating right and left. They're also very short -- most full cases take only 2-3 episodes to introduce, investigate, and resolve, even when interspersed with the larger goings-on in these weirdos' lives. The DramaWiki page for the show lists 23 separate arcs over 36 episodes, so you do the math.

And yet, it's way more thoughtful and clever than its doofy little setup would indicate. Its attention to detail surprised me on more than one occasion. Add to that a bunch of solid performances from an ensemble of real characters, and what you get is definitely more substantive than a junk-food waste of time. You can't turn your brain off while watching it, but you sure can turn it down, and that's great.

It also doesn't hurt that everyone is super attractive and wearing great outfits. The whole show's worth it for the wardrobes.

2. THE GIRL

Fuck the haters, fuck everyone, I am going to climb right up on my little soapbox and tell you all why Bai Youning is awesome.

She is insane. She's a troll. She's a clever little monster. Every other character's response to her is, oh my god, you are literally the worst. And she is! She has been spoiled beyond belief by her incredibly rich Crime Dad, and she has learned to leverage her uwu just a widdle girl status to get her whatever the hell she wants. She simply cannot hear it when someone says the word "no." She will look her future sister-in-law in the eye and point a loaded gun at her own head without blinking. Every ball she has is made of brass.

She's hardly perfect. During the course of the show, there are some times where her entitlement runs face-first into the brick wall of reality. She's not nearly as good at her chosen career path as she's been told (mostly by the people who get paid to tell her she's good). She's rarely prepared to deal with the consequences of her actions, especially when she can't just throw money at the problem.

So she learns, and grows, and changes. She's always going to be a stubborn bitch, but she can become a stubborn bitch with a more accurate conception of her relationship to the world around her.

She's actually a really good romantic foil for Lu Yao, who is equally stubborn and spoiled and obnoxious as hell. It is a pure brat4brat relationship, where each one thrives on comically enraging the other. What this means, though, is that when they actually start showing one another some vulnerability, it's really sweet.

Now: I'm pretty sure that you could not have made a female character in her position that everyone did not hate, no matter how cool you made her, because that is the fate of all girls who theoretically keep the two boys from kissing. (More on that next point.) If she were less outgoing and friendly, she would've been hated for being too cold. If she were less headstrong, she would've been hated for being a pushover. If she weren't as into the boy, she would've been hated for being frigid. I know the "god forbid a woman do anything" meme is a joke, but ... man, god forbid this girl do anything. She gets a level of hate entirely disproportionate to what she's actually like. As I said with Eom Dada, it's not always sexism, but sometimes, yeah, it's sexism.

(Real talk: Her character is also fighting both how she's definitely not written as well as the boys are and how the plot sometimes needs her to be artificially stupid and jealous for Straightness Drama Reasons, so that's a legit problem on a structural level. Also, she's dubbed by someone else and the boys aren't, which gives her voice an annoying not-quite-there quality that's hard to ignore. The deck is stacked against her real hard even before she steps onscreen.)

So here's my advice: Go into this show wanting to like her. Embrace her terribleness as a positive, intentional quality. Don't be mad at her for straightening up an endgame that was never going to be gay, even without her. Welcome her contributions to the chaos. Realize that she is exactly as entertainingly irritating as her boys are.

Truly, this is a story of three terrible people in love. They're all just awful, and you wouldn't want to be in a room with any of them for longer than you had to. Left to right up there, Bai Youning is spoiled and self-absorbed, Lu Yao is arrogant and lazy, and Qiao Chusheng is suuuuuch a fucking cop. If you're into the kind of dynamic that can only be described OT3: You All Deserve One Another, then this one's perfect for you.

3. Do you really miss '00s queerbaiting?

Like, really? Are you just super-nostalgic for being able to see the showrunners go, ha ha, girls, we know you're watching and we know you want these cute boys to kiss, which they never will -- but what if we pretended for just this one scene??? Do you just carnally ache for that with every fiber of your being?

Yep.

Now, why am I calling the occasional really gay moments between these two gentlemen "queerbaiting" and not "bromance"? Because these moments are a) obviously intentional, b) completely sporadic, and c) never spoken of again.

For example: There's a scene (which you can see a gifset of here) where the two of them are at a restaurant frequented by the cop, who brings a lot of ladies there on dates. When the waiter points this out, useless noodle boy says, I'm his date. The waiter looks mildly surprised by this, the cop says not to listen to his bullshit, and that's the end of it. The scene moves on. There is no further discussion of this comment. It does not affect their relationship.

That's the essence of queerbaiting: that little on-purpose nod to the homoerotic tension between the two, in a way that isn't a joke but also isn't not a joke, and either way is never going to happen. (In fact, the show is going to go out of its way to make sure that ship gets sunk, so, uh, get your fanfiction lifeboats ready for that.)

A true queerbaiting move is something that should make a difference in a relationship, but doesn't. It should make a difference that our cop is so comfortable in the noodle boy's personal space that he invades it at will. It doesn't. It should make a difference that noodle boy keeps getting real weird every time the cop has a date with a girl. It doesn't. Those are some real romantic moves the two of them keep pulling, and then nothing comes of them.

I had this show sold to me as being incredibly shippy, to the point of being even more so than its censored-BL contemporaries. And ... well, it is and it isn't. It has textually gayer individual moments, but it is much less pervasively gay. It's clear from the start that it's going to throw all its actual relationship points into its canon het romance. When it comes to these boys, the show is toying with you. It knows you want to see those boys smooch, just as much as it knows (and it knows you know) they're never gonna.

How you feel about this is entirely up to you -- and indeed, it may be a dealbreaker on the whole drama for you. If you are inclined to pitch a fit when your ship does not become canon, you'll be happier somewhere else. If, however, you see this as a delightful opportunity to do whatever the hell you want with the situation as it is presented, all the while enjoying little moments of startlingly blatant homoeroticism between two handsome dudes, well, here you are!

(I mean, if you want my take on it, what needs to happen is that the cop and the girl need to fuck while the useless noodle boy watches with asexual bisexual interest, and then they all need to snuggle with the noodle boy in the middle so they can both annoy him appropriately, but your mileage may vary.)

4. The multicultural extravaganza!

1920s Shanghai had a lot going on in terms of cultures and languages, and this show actually does a fair job of representing that.

By now, I've seen a number of shows set during this era, and they all at least acknowledge the international nature of the city -- usually by mentioning the French Concession and having a handful of evil Japanese characters. However, this is the first time I've seen a show go to such lengths to actually show so many non-Chinese characters onscreen, even to the point of making one a recurring character supporting the main squad.

Salim is the best. Whatever he is being paid, it's not enough. He's Qiao Chusheng's right-hand man, which means he is also the dude who most often has to put up the main trio's bullshit. (The actor himself is also a dude with a pretty cool backstory, which is another great layer.) He's sharp, he's loyal, he's patient, and he looks great with his shirt off. He's got it all!

Other non-Chinese characters include a white Jewish art collector (I'd issue a warning for period-typical antisemitism, except … honestly, it's mostly just confused), a sadistic priest who maybe is supposed to be Italian, a completely different priest who [last episode spoiler], and three whole sinister white dudes behind it all.

It's not just the world coming to China, though! A large number of the Chinese characters are said to have spent significant time outside of China, whether for business or for schooling. Near the end, when some characters are discussing moving away from Shanghai, they consider a number of foreign cities as potential destinations.

Here's a delightful detail: When Lu Yao and his sister speak English, they're dubbed by actors with posh British accents who sound like native (or near-native) English-speakers. This makes perfect sense, because both of the siblings did a lot of their schooling in the UK. When Bai Youning speaks English, she's dubbed by someone who speaks English very well but also has a noticeable Chinese accent, which makes perfect sense for her character's background. And Qiao Chusheng never speaks English at all, because he's a street tough who has no reason to know more than three words.

...This is also kind of weird to say about something literally made in China, but go with me on it: Everything's kind of got that Art Deco Orientalist vibe to it. It looks like China's idea of what Britain's idea of China during that period would have looked like. The result comes across less like what 1920s Shanghai would actually have looked like, and more what an ad for 1920s Shanghai would have looked like. It's a fascinating aesthetic, and more so for how it's mostly pretty subtle. The show isn't some visual extravaganza, but it's always very nice to look at, and I appreciate that in a show.

5. A wonderful horrible protagonist

A lot of mystery-themed prestige television involves an asshole genius detective who gets away with being a dick to everyone because he's sooooo smart, while all his long-suffering friends and colleagues spend a lot of time doing damage control for him because, sigh, he's an asshole but we need him, genius excuses all dickhead behavior, we'll always make exceptions for him because he's just ever so special. (Watch histrionic sage hbomberguy's video on Sherlock if you're unfamiliar with the trope.)

Lu Yao is an asshole genius detective, but one who winds up spending most of his time being an asshole to a) people who deserve it, or b) his horrible friends who will be assholes right back at him. When he is awful to the people who don't deserve it, the show smacks him pretty hard on the nose for it and makes him apologize.

This is a show where you'll figure out pretty quckly if you'll love it or hate it, because if you love Lu Yao, you'll love it, and vice versa. He carries most of the show himself, with his goofy charm and his incredibly bendy slenderman body and his ability to make the one competent person he knows both protect him and give him money.

Like so.

For my own part, I find him intensely charming, and I think a lot of this has to do with Hu Yitian's ability to play him as an affectionately bullyable weenie who needs to get shoved in a locker for his own good. He's the worst, and it's comically endearing instead of offputting because at the end of the day, he really does have a good heart. He's just also lazy as heck and disinclined to do anything that he does not want to be doing, and really, aren't we all?

As I alluded to in point 3, he comes across as real asexual. He's just not that interested in sex, and he is in fact pretty uncomfortable in situations where he finds himself the subject of someone else's sexual desires. He's perfectly capable of romantic feelings! I mean, not only does he get Bai Youning as a love interest, we actually meet one of his ex-girlfriends. He's just not partciularly horny about them -- which is even more noticeable as a sharp contrast to how extremely horny Qiao Chusheng is for just about everyone, but this exasperating little dork in particular.

(Like seriously, 90% of the time, Chusheng is about to explode with sexual frustration at Lu Yao's skinny oblivious ass.)

This isn't to say you couldn't get Lu Yao into bed, because you absolutely could, and he'd probably have a good time. You'd just have to remove all distractions from the room, lest his ADHD ass wind up running off to solve a crime mid-coitus.

Twiggy little nightmare man. Garbage-animal boy. Love him.

sidebar: A word about the ending

I'm going to be vague and talk about general vibes instead of specific events, but you should still skip this section if you want to remain completely unspoiled. Jump to the picture of Chusheng holding the sledgehammer.

Okay, so, a lot of people do not like the ending, and I'm including myself in that number. I honestly don't know if they got rushed and had to wrap everything pretty last-minute, or if they thought they might get a second season out of it and were leaving things open-ended accordingly. Either way, it's incredibly unsatisfying.

I think there's a clue that the show didn't actually want to end this way, and it's not actually in the text of the show itself. Every episode, between the last scene and the start of the credits, you get to see a couple still frames from the episode (usually some of the queerbaity ones). After the very final shot of the series, you get two images: the boys hugging goodbye, and Chusheng's upset face. That's not a resolution! That is at best a "to be continued..." ending!

But no, that's it. That's all, folks.

It's not quite an ending so bad it ruins the rest of the show, mostly because it doesn't feel finished, so it's less like you're watching a car being deliberately driven into a wall because someone thought that was the best route to take, and more like you're watching someone leave a car on the railroad tracks because they figured they'd have time to move it later.

As far as I know, there has been no noise made about a second season. These 36 episodes are the entirety of the narrative. It had the distinct misfortune to start airing in March 2020, which wasn't exactly prime time for planning sequels, and that seems to have been that. (There is a 2022 show called Checkmate that stars the two main guys in extremely similar roles, also adapting Agatha Christie stories, but it's apparently pretty meh? Somebody else who's actually seen it, go ahead and weigh in here.)

I'll say that if you turn off the episode right after Lu Yao gets out the handcuffs, you'll save yourself the worst of it the awkward and unsatisfying moments (though I'm impressed at your willpower to stop watching something five minutes from the end). That's not all of it, though. Structurally, there are several situations rushed to a resolution and loose threads left flapping untied in the breeze. I guess stopping before the last five minutes simply saves you the hope that it'll pull a good ending out of the fire, because it won't.

And let's be real: The more you hate Bai Youning and her romance with Lu Yao, the more you'll hate the ending. (Not that liking those elements will necessarily make you like the ending, of course, because I'm a fan of hers and I still think the ending is butts.) The ending is already like a pair of uncomfortable shoes; if the het romance especially makes you grind your teeth, the ending becomes a pair of uncomfortable shoes that also have a rock in them. A lot of the comments online indicate plenty of people dropped the show when they learned the het romance would be endgame. It's a pretty common dealbreaker.

Oh well. Bring on the fanfic, I say! Those of us who are used to taking a sledgehammer to canon are unafraid.

Smash it, baby.

Still want to see some of these mysteries?

Both iQiyi and Viki have the answer to your sleuthing!

It's not a perfect show -- as evidenced by my digression about the ending -- but it's a lot of fun. If you can handle the occasional foible and some eyebrow-raising moments, you're in for a good time with some attractive people that occasionally tastes very gay.

Every roommate crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man

[makethatelevenrings]

Day 23 - Dom/Sub

Pairing: Jason Todd x gn!reader

Warnings: if you’re under 18, go away!!!

Summary: After a stressful day, all you need is Jason.

Note: kink =/= sexual all the time! Dom/sub lifestyles can be a constant thing, even outside of the bedroom. Also, aftercare is SO important, for both subs AND doms. Ok, that’s all. Getting off of my soapbox now.

Kinktober Masterlist

A thud hit the table above you, but you didn’t raise your head. Jason’s forearm brushed over your head as he reached over to set the pistol and rag in his hand on the coffee table. Soft jazz played somewhere in the distance and you realized belatedly that it was playing in your apartment. Everything was fuzzy around the edges, but it was a good fuzzy. The warmth that washed over you made you feel floaty and safe.

Jason’s thigh flexed under your cheek and you nuzzled closer, your eyelids fluttering close. One of his hands came up and rested on your forehead, his thumb stroking along your brow.

“How are you doin’?” His voice, rough but tinged with warmth, slipped over you like a warm blanket. You leaned into his touch, savoring the rough, calloused pads of his fingers as they ghosted over your skin.

“Good, sir.” His hand slid down to your jaw and he tilted your head up to meet his gaze. “What do you need, sir?”

“Hey,” he chastised gently. “This is for you. You’re doing all I need from you.”

By that, he meant kneeling on the floor beside the couch he was sitting on and submitting yourself to his control. Jason had been looking over some files when you came storming in, practically shaking in repressed emotion. His immediate reaction was to grab a gun and beat the shit out of whoever fucked with you, but once he took a longer look at you, he realized that you weren’t angry.

You were stressed and scared and in over your head. You needed to just not be for a moment. You needed to get out of your head.

As your lover, it was his job to help you out in times like this. As your dom, it was his hand that you submitted willingly. So he met you at the door, took your coat and bag and hung them up, and he led you to the couch and asked if you needed him to take control.

And you sank to your knees, grateful to give in for a moment.

That’s how you found yourself here, pressed against him and cradled in his gentle touch. For such a rough giant of a man, Jason was an absolute angel when it came to you. He sought to ensure you were taken care of, both in and out of the bed. You sought to serve him in the best way possible and however he required it of you.

“Have you eaten today? Drank water?” He ran the pad of his thumb over your bottom lip as he spoke.

“I had breakfast,” you admitted. It was getting close to dinner now and your stomach was starting to ache.

“Can you join me in the kitchen? Is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Jason helped you stand, one hand supporting your hips as the other massaged your thighs. Swiftly, he scooped you up in a bridal carry and you snickered.

“C’mon baby, let’s get some food in you.”

“And you, sir. Not letting you go out tonight without taking care of yourself.”

His soft gaze studied your face for a moment before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your temple. “Thank you, baby. Want to tell me about your day?”

He sat you on the counter and prepared dinner while you spoke about the stress you were under. The longer you spoke, the better you felt and by the time dinner was ready, your head was clear.

“Jase?” Your voice had softened, catching his attention. He stepped in between your legs and settled his hands on your waist, giving you his undivided focus.

“Thank you for taking care of me, sir. I always feel safe when I’m with you.”

His grip tightened just slightly on you and he leaned in to steal a quick kiss from you. You grinned and laced your fingers together behind his head, stroking your thumb along his hairline.

“You’ll tell me if you need me, right?” you asked.

“Of course. Thank you for trusting me.” You both knew how important it was for him to hear that he made you feel safe. For the longest time, Jason didn’t feel safe. He grew up in the shitty parts of a broken city, died young and resurrected, and faced off with the worst of the worst and yet he still came home to you, to the peace the two of you have curated, and he craved the knowledge that he could provide for you and make sure that no matter what, you were safe.

“Love you, Red.”

“Love you too, baby. Now eat up.”

He lifted you off the counter, lightly slapping your ass as he did so, and deposited you onto the ground so you could grab a plate. He curved around your back, lips brushing the shell of your ear.

“If you’re good while I’m gone, I have a reward in mind.”

A devious smile curved across your lips. “Define good.”

[planet-crait]

Episode 12!

I’m surprised Hazel reads romance novels given how young she is but the OG show also had romance so I guess it’s inline their (still not a fan of romance for such young kids but whatever) and it seems fishboy from the intro will finally show up!!

Aww they have a book club that’s cute. Lolz oh Hazel i understand the intense need to talk about your favorite things but let your friends be surprised come on!

Wait kids have dances so young? My first dance wasn’t until like middle school. Oh I get why that wouldn’t be fun for Hazel, being the only single person with all your friends being on dates sucks. Most dances me and my friends threw “anti” dances so we just hung out and watched Disney movies lolz. It was great. I am surprised though they didn’t tell Hazel they planned on going it just seemed I don’t know nice to let her know they had dates? Oh poor Kev, what did he do to be rejected so hard. And why would he be Hazels only option?

Oh huh not quite what I expected but makes sense lolz. Oh yeah okay for once they acknowledge Cosmo and Wanda should be hiding but actually have a good explanation for why they don’t. And it makes sense honestly but Hazel don’t tell him he’s a fictional character that might break him.

Uh Cosmo did you eat the bowl? Okay uh moving on. I think it’s cute Kennueth doesn’t understand coming slang it makes sense and is a funny moment. Wait why did he have to go to Fairy world to get an outfit? If they’re just magicing clothes on him. But awww he’s so sweet helping her dance.

Oh no poor Dev. He’s mean but no one deserves to be physically attacked. He’s a kid he says mean things but I wouldn’t want to see him like physically hurt. But why does he think Dev is duck worth? I don’t see the resemblance at all.

Oh that’s kind of cute Devs a fan of the same series Hazel is. Too bad he’s so mean and in denial but maybe this could help start them being kinder to each other? It’s clear Dev wants to be closer with Hazel with how obsessed he can get with her but doesn’t have the tools to like know how to go about befriending someone. Undoubtedly it’s a side affect of how his dad raised him. I know we don’t know yet he treats Dev so poorly but I know so it’s definitely affecting how I’m viewing him.

Lolz even the principle reads it? Not surprising she enjoys the villain most. Theirs nothing wrong with that of course people can freely enjoy the characters they like but this seems like a shorthand to further show how “bad” the principle is because “look she likes the bad guy so that makes her bad”. Liking a character doesn’t mean you condone their actions, their are lots of reasons people like “evil” characters weather it’s you enjoy seeing a person be unapologetically evil or like their backstory or how they got to where they are or think they work as a good foil for the main character. There isn’t a right or wrong way to enjoy a story as long as you aren’t being a jerk to people with what they like about the story.

Uh sorry I’ll get off of my soapbox lolz. Oh Hazel that was kind of mean. I get why she feels the way she does but like your friends wanted to go the the dance and you’re not being a good friend either.

Lolz oh Hazel I feel the pain of a prequel not being made in a language you can’t read lolz. Aww Dev getting all emotional with being forgiven and thinking duckworth would like it oh. (Does this play at all into maybe Dev not feeling loved or cared about by his dad?) oh dang it I want more Dev stuff lolz. I am so impatient.

Awww I like that they all apologized and all realized they made mistakes. It’s good to see when a more complex situation allows everyone to be wrong and not just one person. Wait are they just leaving him there? He literally didn’t do anything wrong.

Oh uh. Huh I thought they were going with the love of friends is just as strong as romantic love but uh I guess not. Poor guy. Oh. Uh. Oh. Well RIP I guess. That got dark fast.

Wait Hazel TODAY was weird but not the day your hair became SENTIENT?? This is too weird for you?? THIS? Like overall given the other episodes this is not nearly as weird as other stuff lolz.

Overall I really enjoyed this episode and didn’t have anything that stuck out to me. The wish and how it came about made sense, the episode was cute. And maybe Hazel and Dev can find common ground? Maybe? Probably not but I can wish lolz.

WAIT WAIT WAIT DO DUCKWORTH AND KENNUETH DATE? THEY SAID TRUE LOVE DO WE HAVE SOME REAL GAY REP HERE?? Okay the wiki doesn’t clear up anything but ima pretend they do lolz.

Onto the next one!!

[lovelylotusf1]

ohh that prompt game seems fun!!! how about 23/9 for max!!

Thank you for the lovely prompt anon <3 I focused a bit more on 9, but there's still some of prompt 23 - loss of abilities/skills in there. You didn't specify a ship, so I left it a bit ambiguous. But, it definitely has Max/Oscar vibes! Prompt list for if you want me to put drivers into Situations :D

Sleep deprivation

“A question for Max. What happened in turn 9 today?”

“I don't know, you fucking tell me.”

Max knows this single moment will be clipped to hell and back. He knows that PR will chew him out for it, and that it will cause the reporters to jump on him like sharks smelling blood. But he doesn't fucking care. Not when the incessant flashing of cameras makes his head swim and the endless stream of chatter from the interviewers melts together into a noise that sounds like he's developing god damn tinnitus.

There's a nervous giggle to his right, but when he turns his head he doesn't know where exactly it came from. Oscar's sitting next to him, and there's Lando, too, and since when are their faces so blurry? Max squints, trying to determine the exact point where they're blurring together into a kind of super McLaren driver. The thought makes him snort.

“It seems like you lost control of the car there for a second,” the interviewer rambles on, but Max is busy blinking the world back into focus. “Was it driver error that caused you to almost hit the barriers there?”

Oh wait, Lando and Oscar aren’t melting. Lando's just leaning into Oscar like he doesn't know about the concept of personal space. All gooey and smiley and why does that smile look a bit pained?

Suddenly, there's a foot nudging against his, and Max remembers that he needs to answer something.

“That question is stupid, so I won't answer it. I finished third, didn't I?”

Finishing P3 is embarrassing, he doesn’t need the question that will undoubtedly come next to tell him that. It'll probably be about whether he's okay with that place or if he's lost his ambition. About the multiple rookie mistakes he made throughout the race. The trip through the gravel. Only the pitstop strategy and a lucky safety car saved him from being kicked down to the cold and unforgiving fourth place.

For someone else, it might be passable. Not for Max. Never for Max.

Someone else shouts out another question. Max stares into the vague direction of it until Oscar picks up the microphone and answers something that doesn’t manage to go through the fog of his brain.

The rest of the post-race interview is torture, and by the end of it, his head is pounding and he's trying to hold back shivers that are probably from a fever he's developing. Great. Simply lovely.

When he's on his way to get to his motorhome, a hand on his shoulder stops him. “You were really weird today.” It’s Oscar’s voice. Good. Max couldn't stand anyone else right now. “Are you okay?”

Max lets himself melt into the touch a little. Allows himself the simple comfort of someone else's warmth. “I think I fucking fell ill,” he spits out. “I slept a total of three hours between cold shivers and not being able to breathe through my nose.”

The hand on his shoulder tightens. It’s Oscar's tell that he's really angry about something but doesn't want to show it directly on his face. Max is a little proud of himself, proud that he remembers that tiny detail even when his brain feels like a soapbox driven by a snail instead of the usual pace of the RB19.

“Okay, that's totally fine. Racing while sick is nice. Cool that you did that.” Max might be dead tired, but he can still hear the sarcasm dripping from Oscar’s words. “Let's get you to bed.”

“So forward. I thought that you needed to ask Lando for permission to do that with other people. Or you already asked, of course.”

Oscar laughs, that high-pitched one he sometimes lets out when someone surprises him. His arm wraps around Max's waist, guides him the last couple of steps to the door of his motorhome and beyond it. Huh. Max hasn’t even noticed that they've been walking towards his bedroom.

“I really think you need to sleep a bit. I'll stay if you need something.”

Oscar firmly but gently pushes him onto the bed. And Max lets him do it without objections. A warm feeling spreading through his body as he closes his eyes with a content sigh.

People who might be interested in Max/Oscar: @wisteriagoesvroom @maaxverstappen

[fandomfluffandfuck]

about trump:

The man is a damn idiot. Not only did he put his OWN life in danger when he pulled that standing up stunt, but he put HUNDREDS of others in danger. The fucker’s so plainly a narcissist and it makes me sick to see people rally behind him like he’s the second coming of the Lord.

I’d bet a damn fortune that he’s probably fuckin’ excited about this. Goin’ on and on in his armored car about how good this will be for his election while TWO PEOPLE (and maybe three, one is in critical condition, I pray they recover) are dead.

Make America great again by putting this senile old bastard in a retirement home where he belongs.

Alright, I’m off my soapbox, y’all. I got shit to do. Have a nice day, Mr. S. I got something in the works about that trailer where our boy plays a thief? Somethin’ to do with Christmas. I don’t know, I wasn’t exactly payin’ attention to the plot.

Lord save us all.

-cowboy anon

related to this (and my tags from before there was any detail on anything)

Yeah, I've been refreshing news watching it all play out. My immediate two thoughts were (1) they missed? Damn and (2) those photos are, uh, too perfect. The fist pump in front of the flag, blood on his face, looking determined? I have a sinking feeling about that it looks like a damn propaganda poster.

But after having it sink in more... exactly. I feel you. I can't stop thinking about how good this is going to be for him, how this will boost his campaign. All, look at what they tried to do to him! They can't stop us! Look at what he survived! Poor Donald. Fucking awful.

I don't have words for the feelings it puts in the pit of my stomach. The people killed, injured, and traumatized? Those people won't get that moment back ever while he stretches this on, replaying it, using this like he used the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando to boost his campaign back in 2016.

I would like to be anywhere else but here.

Goddamn.

That's good, though, I hope you've had a nice day otherwise as well. We certainly need something else to focus on for a little today.

I believe you're referencing Red One, yes?

If so, that's exciting! That should be interesting, and I'm wishing you all the ✨️motivation✨️ to keep chugging along with whatever you're working on there!

[fireflower117]

i am having. thoughts about the dnd campaign im currently in asdfgklkl to be fair i am always having thoughts but today i will be standing on my soapbox to shout about them because im feeling silly✨

ever since i was a kid i always wanted to tell stories. and i dont think thats a strange experience, especially not on this hellsite, but weirdly enough i always found the most joy telling those stories with other people. here’s the thing about that- working with other people on creative stuff is hard. everyone brings their own thoughts and finding a way for everything to gel, much less to feel earning and cohesive and alive is genuinely SO hard. i spent so much time searching for the perfect medium to do it in, the perfect story to tell, but inevitably it always sort of fell apart.

so when i first agreed to join this campaign, i think the thing that struck me the most about it was how much it felt like i was a kid again, telling stories and riffing off each other’s ideas to make some intricate, meaningful whole. i felt it when i was listening to my party members talk about their characters, and then weeks later meeting them in-session for the first time and getting to feel out dynamics; i felt it from the first descriptions of the world we were given, people and placed that were both novel and exciting but also oddly familiar— some of my favourite memories come from a new npc being introduced and someone letting out a knowing gasp and having that “oh shit, i know this person” moment.

i felt it when my dm came up and asked me before the campaign, out of curiosity, what storytelling tropes i would want to see- and then months later i was getting emotionally sucker-punched by a full “dimension 20 Nightmare Forest” moment. i felt it from the first moment i pitched my character and my dm went “i know exactly what to do with him” with such assurance, and even months later im still receiving incredibly potent character insights and in-session payoffs, and having a person I made and put insane amounts of love and care into just be able to exist and be treated with dignity within this world that i’ve grown to see as a living, breathing thing in return. and not for lack of trying, i’ve been lucky enough to find a world that is INSANELY easy to immerse myself in because there’s so much passion put into every nook and cranny that it feels like a place I’ve always known, so. hell yeah for that!

there is a saying that goes ‘in order to receive the rewards of being loved you must undergo the mortifying ordeal of being known’, and sometimes i feel as if collaborative storytelling, dnd— and call it recency bias, but specifically this campaign— is the closest thing i have ever received to true, unfettered love. i think love, to me, has always come from the act of creation. in shared storytelling, in recognising of the heart and soul placed within each narrative choice, in making each other laugh and cry and think and feel. in listening, and understanding, and knowing, and responding. in the ways which that transforms and validates you. in telling a good fucking story.

i am standing on this proverbial soap box, and in this moment i am extending this point to anyone who has ever cared about me enough to create something with me; to my party members, and most of all my wonderful, illustrious dm.

i love you too.

[box-architecture]

I discovered that Communication Knife AweSamDrunz have Children Now today, and I’m loving everything I’m reading so far.

Also that they hang out with Sapnap, Philza, and Techno. Was not expecting that, but yeah, Dream would want to reconnect, wouldn’t he? Even if it make Sam Uncomfortable and Punz Salty.

aaaaaaaaa I'm glad!!! The kids are sort of separate from the main au in that they're not really the main focus, they're just something that occasionally makes me happy to rotate in my mind. Healed, happy characters who are extremely neurodivergent, with their weird neurodivergent children, able to exist contently.

also, yeah!!! I realized a while back that I haven't really talked about the relationships and conflicts or Anything with real consistency on this tumblr. I'm used to interacting with people in the discord who've already had to listen to me so many times yell and rant that I've forgotten that I. might need to give context actually to other people who have showed up to a person on a soapbox spouting nonsense.

short answer: yeah, theres a Lot of complicated feelings, but by the time the children are in the picture its been like a decade and peace has been made with most things. No one has forgotten, of course. Shit was fucked. But events keep happening, characters keep developing, and Dream cradles his happy ending with the people he got to keep so very close to his chest.

So its like! Techno will support Dream through thick and thin and be civil with his partners, Punz and Sapnap had some rough moments but are buddies, and Sam will never talk to Dream's friends about anything deep, but after years of him genuinely trying to be a good partner, Techno and Sapnap are no longer five seconds away from trying to murder him.

Long answer: I'm trying to pull together some posts that will give detailed explanations of this entire thing. Itll take a bit, but its infinitely easier than the full fic I was trying and failing to write. I'm pulling this timeline from an old post so it might not be completely up-to-date even with my edits, but this is some skeleton stuff I can give that will make things easier for Understanding probably. I'm very sleepy. Here you go.

Timeline for My Own Damn Convenience:

Shady Dubcon Prison sex w/ SamDream

Prison Escape

Gentle Recovery sex w/ Drunz

Dream decides he has major control issues and is going to fuck Sam to prove he isn't traumatized. Punz thinks this is a terrible decision.

AweSamDrunz sex, complete with a rulebook of things Sam isn't allowed to do (including giving or receiving kisses)

Quackity kidnaps Drunz similar to in the one cut lore thing, offers to let Punz go if they torture Dream (they stab Quackity instead)

Sam rescues them (without Q finding out) and then kidnaps them, where he ties up Punz and gets Dream kisses until they all eventually pass out (Dream gets mild medical attention)

Dream wakes up and unties Punz

SamDrunz has a talk and decides Sam is allowed kisses again

many kinks are discovered

Sam tries (and fails) to get a hobby

Sam builds +30 prisons/boxes/sex dungeons around the server, of various usefulness

Sapnap finds out about the Torture, sees the sex tape, assumes Dream can't consent to the relationship considering Sam was his warden and Sap thinks Punz betrayed him, and takes Dream to a cottage away from everyone to try to protect him. After Sapnap yells at SamPunz, Dream gently informed Sapnap he's going to continue the relationship, and they have an emotional reconciliation that leads to weeklyish meetings between Dreamnap where they can just sit and talk

The Snow Incident

Sam Recovery From The Snow Incident

Oh God The Egg Is Back (Sam locks up Punz and Dream in a bunker for a month out of terror, and doesnt tell them why because he knows it will stress Punz out and Dream could be an idiot and get himself Egged. Punz is pissed but can't argue with that) (Dream could have fixed this all with his admin abilities good god)

They actually deal with the Egg

An Incident Happens (but its like several incidents actually, including Tubbo finding out that Ranboo was working with Dream the whole time)

Failed Finale

Recovery

Eventually grow old and live in a nice little lush cave house called The Box that Sam made

[toomuchracket]

I know we’re venturing into the world of boy dad matty but your international women’s day blurb made me think of how matty would treat his daughters on iwd. would be telling them how cool women are and not to listen to all of the cultural narratives that tell them they’re unworthy and stuff. he would get up on his soapbox and when they’re little they’d be a bit like yeah okay dad but as they get older they would realize how lucky they were to have a dad that was so invested in their self esteem

i agree! i think he'd get those Little People Big Dreams books for his girls, and they'd learn about important, successful, inspiring women (and men, but it's not their moment rn) from the time they were literally babies. and matty being matty, i also think they'd learn about cool women through music and literature and media and art. but yeah, he's very much the "it might be more difficult sometimes, my girls, but you can absolutely live your own lives and do whatever you want. like look at this barbie, she's a doctor, and this one is a popstar, but they're both her; you guys can be the same! you contain multitudes! and you can look how you want when you do it - like look at mummy, a corporate professional, wearing glitter eyeliner to her work today without a care in the world! mummy's such an inspiration, actually, being as successful and smart and cool and fun as she is while taking care of the three of us, yeah? if you're going to take inspiration from either of us in forming your own personalities, please for the love of god try and be more like mummy than like me, babies" dad, even when they're literally two and four just looking at his impassioned rant a bit blankly lol. he's just so keen to make them feel empowered and able to do things on their own terms, and also to prepare them for any adversity they might face in doing so, which like you said they start to really appreciate when they're older and going through it a bit more. i wonder if they ever write an essay about their parents a bit like the one matty wrote about his dad, talking about how both their mum and dad were just overwhelmingly supportive but also honest about the world as they grew up, and how they're so grateful for them for that. yeah, he's a good egg is our matthew <3

[tennismutiny]

I loathe that advertising for gambling sites is inevitable when watching sports.

First, gambling is addictive.

Second, problem gamblers are known to harass players online.

(Nothing particular happened today, it’s just my soapbox moment after watching tennis Olympics for a week.)

[biosurvive]

random documented death island thoughts under the cut!

First of all, as a whole I enjoyed it, it was a campy mess and I'm always down to clown with that. I also enjoyed seeing all five of those characters together, I love them.

My biggest issues? The implications that Jill doesn't know who Piers was. The idea that Jill didn't know the man Chris was partnered with for YEARS is INSANE to me and I refuse to acknowledge that. Jill is his person, he talks to her about everything and she would have known Piers.

I also am not too fond of Chris having to explain sacrifice to Jill when she tackled Wesker out a window to save him. Though I'm also not too upset about it, because Chris loves to get on his soapbox about speeches so that is pretty IC for him. He's dense at times, we allow this.

The fact that they mentioned Piers at all has my heart SOARING. it wasn't a lot, but the sad music in the bg and Kevin Dorman's voice acting just makes me even more positive that Chris is queer.

Rebecca and Claire's moments were lowkey my favorite part? Love them.

Chris and Claire did seem a little... stifled together. I blame it on the writing, but there were parts of them that I loved. Chris calling her name when they were in the cells, his hand on her back when they both got infected. Those are my Redfield siblings and I love any and all interactions with them no matter how awkward.

The main villain was so gay for that one soldier he had to kill. "Friend" Yeah right FIUYDHJKF

Jill was spicy, glad she got a lot of moments to shine and I hope this is a sign she'll be the main protagonist of the next game.

Hearing classic Hunnigan was a nice touch.

Maria Gomez is camp and I need her in Marvel vs Capcom 5

Chris was looking REAL SUPER THICC in this movie and I appreciate that. Love my big boy.

CHRIS AND JILL'S FIST BUMP AT THE END MADE ANYTHING THAT SUCKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE WORTH IT. Further cementing that these two are BEST FRIENDS, PLATONIC SOULMATES, PARTNERS. I will never hear anything else about it, the love they have for one another is real and it is not romantic.

Anyways, RE9 is gonna be about Jill and Sheva taking down the BSAA with Chris as support and Chris is gonna find Piers in a lab and he's gonna retire with him and help train Baby Rose and he'll live happily ever after. Thanks!

Also Chris and Leon putting that gun together was both camp and hilarious. I think they fucked after this movie.

Funniest part was Claire's very angry "WHAT?!" when Leon called her name over the battle. She sounded so done with today UYSGHFJ she's so real.

Dylan just posting a call out post about Leon/Chris/Claire/Jill but verbally is really funny. He really got their asses huh UHYDGFJK

[sureuncertainty]

just saw a somewhat valid post complaining about the lack of sincerity in media today, particularly looking at like, reboots and adaptations without respect or love for the source material, and while I completely understand that perspective, it's also maddening to me to watch people say this and agree with it but not seek out/support those pieces of media that ARE made with love and care and sincerity (of which there are literally SO MANY) AND then turn around and call anything that IS sincere and authentic is actually cringey and problematic

LITERALLY people in the notes on that post going like 'everything is so sanitized bc people are worried about being problematic' on the fucking internet these days where literally everything is problematic and you can't like anything bc if you like it you're actually also part of the problem, and you have to have morally pure and correct and upright opinions about media and stories at all times, and if you don't you're a BAD EVIL PERSON

and don't even get me STARTED on the fucking person in the notes of that post who was like 'this is why i only read books bc books are just far superior to all other forms of media' like i am exploding you with my mind, art and storytelling are so valuable and important no matter the medium. there are movies and shows and podcasts and yes, books that are telling meaningful important stories and you just decide you don't care bc it doesn't fit your litmus test of what must be ideologically pure and perfect at all fucking times. you have to enjoy things but you can't enjoy them too much bc that's cringe. the HYPOCRISY of the people in the notes on that post being so cynical about media while complaining about media being too cynical these days

like sorry but i'm sick and tired of this culture. like isn't it exhausting? aren't you fucking tired of hating everything all the time? you spend all of your energy hating everything and then complain that there aren't any sincere stories? there are so many amazing movies and shows that have been coming out this year and every year, we are in a period of time where acknowledging the hard work of writers and actors and other storytellers has become more important than ever with the strikes and such, and you're going to sit up on your soapbox and act like you're better than everyone, preaching about how art is dead bc of capitalism while doing fuck all to actually support the HUGE amount of creators desperately trying to tell the stories we love and care about

also puts me in mind of the other post I saw awhile back making an addition to about how important stories are to us as humans, because of their stupid condescending 'you're too afraid to be alone with your thoughts that you can't have any identity outside of media lol aren't you so pathetic' and everyone in the notes like 'wow you so called me out!' and then when I responded to it op was like 'wow look at this cishet man being fake deep and shit' like the moment I try t express my own sincerity, even online, I am mocked and misgendered lol

like no fucking wonder stories aren't sincere anymore, you call them cringe and you mock them. there are so many beautiful stories out there and you don't even have to look hard to find them